Murder As You Like It 2019

Murder As You Like It 2019 was, hands down, one of the best conventions I’ve ever attended. This is not hyperbole. I’m allergic to puffery, as my sales figures prove.

But for entertainment value, for the wide range of books available, and the possibility of great conversations, this convention beat them all hollow. I wish the sponsoring Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop had recorded them so you could see for yourself, but we didn’t, so you missed it.

You missed R.G. Belsky telling us how the “Headless Body in Topless Bar” headline — sort of the holy grail of concise, vivid headline writing copy editors dream of creating.

You missed David Reichenbaugh describe the investigation of the D.C. Beltway Snipers shootings was conducted, how the media got so much wrong, and about the other murders they’re suspected of committing.

You missed John Gilstrap talk about how the elder President Bush helped connect him with Delta Force members for a book. (By the way, I just saw online that he’s co-producing and writing the screenplay for the book that came out of that, “Six Seconds to Freedom”).

You missed Christine Trent channel Florence Nightingale (literally) while discussing her historical series.

You missed hearing Gilstrap, Don Helin, Greer Macallister and Bernard Schaffer talk about how to write around inconvenient historical facts they uncover in their research.

You missed meeting all 12 authors during the “Read Dating” portion of the show. I missed it, too, since I was the timekeeper, but while I was watching the clock and honking the horn to announce the changes, I could see the attendees really getting into meeting these authors. There was a buzz in the room that was infectious.

And then there’s the books you could buy and get signed (I bought five myself).

I’m really sorry you missed Murder As You Like It 2019, but I hope to let you know ahead of time what to expect for MAYLI 2020, because you really should be there.