My adventures last month AND a teaser

5 5 2022

We were all so excited! Going to a real conference for the first time in a few years (for me). Everyone attending Malice Domestic was required to submit proof of vaccination, so we felt so safe.

Too safe. Most of us ditched our masks for the weekend in the hotel in Bethesda MD, and even hugged each other. It felt so good.

We loved having a crowded hotel room get together Friday night with libations and goodies. Fun and crowded and loud.

Here’s the panel I was on. The subject was blended genres, as all of us write something a little different from each other. It went very well!

Moderator, Elizabeth Crowens, me, Marilyn Levinson, Leslie Karst, Paula Benson, and Kathryn O'Sullivan.

I wish I had a picture of our banquet table. I sat at the one hosted by Leslie Karst and Ellen Byron. Ellen won the Agatha for Best Novel! That was awfully fun.

Then we left. And that wasn’t fun. You may have heard about this. Many, many of us came away with a case of covid. This late variant, at least, is not lethal to the vaxxed. But it wasn’t easy either! I had a terribly sore throat for about three days, and am still having some brain fog, fatigue, and my sense of taste is a bit off. It’s not gone, just off. The worst part of my being ill was that I was staying at my daughter’s house to have a fun week. Instead, I made them sick, too.

So I isolated 5 days in their guest room, flew home on May 1^st, and am now masking for five days at home. Honestly, though, I think I’ll mask for the foreseeable future.

Here’s the teaser! I just got the cover of my third People of the Wind novel, DEATH IN THE NEW LAND, which will be out July 19^th! There will be preorder information soon, too.