Crimebake Conference-by Linda Shenton Matchett

I will be attending the New England Crimebake  this year for the tenth time.  The first time I attended Crimebake, I felt like a fraud. I was untrained, uncertain, and unpublished. Scribbling my thoughts and stories in notebooks since I was a child, I had only recently begun to give serious thought to publication. I started numerous novels, but always gave up somewhere in the middle. I subscribed to several magazines and purchased countless books by authors who touted their way as the only path to becoming a published author. Nothing seemed to help me make it to “The End.”

I selected Crimebake because it was located within a two-hour drive of my home and offered at a time of year when I could attend, not because I had designs on becoming the next best-selling mystery writer. Terrified the other attendees find out how much of a novice I was, I approached the registration desk with trepidation. Being greeted with a warm smile and an excited welcome because I was a first-time attendee by none other than Hallie Ephron quelled my nerves.

Rubbing shoulders with Hallie and other well-known authors such as Lisa Scottoline, Roberta Isleib, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and James R. Benn was a heady experience. But just as gratifying was interacting with “The Great Unpublished” or Guppies as SistersinCrime calls not-yet-published authors. We shared successes and pitfalls, and dreams and nightmares, but most of all we shared camaraderie.

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I came away from all the workshops and panels with information I could implement. Granted, at that point in my writing career I was a blank page (pun intended) and was soaking up everything I could, but even the experienced writers indicated there was a wealth of knowledge being conveyed. Practical, how-to advice was coupled with lists of resources. I learned effective ways to research, the difference between showing and telling, how to write realistic dialogue, how to evoke setting through description, and how a little backstory can go a long way. I was taught the snowflake method, the three-act method, and the pyramid method. Most importantly, I learned to try them all and use the one that worked best for me.

Questions were not only welcomed, they were encouraged during workshops, meals, or chance encounters in the hallways. Handouts were plentiful, and my souvenir tote bag was soon filled to the brim. Attendees were urged to participate in the Practice Your Pitch session with agents and editors. I was not brave enough that first year or the second, but I eventually took part, and the experience enabled me to hone my plot lines, create my “elevator pitch,” and the dreaded “one sheet.” An added bonus to attending the workshop has been the network of writers of which I am a part.

There are many ways to write a novel, and for a fledging author that can be overwhelming, but Crimebake effectively breaks the process into bite-sized pieces. For me, I would not be a published author if I hadn’t taken that step in 2006 to attend this first-rate, writing conference.

This mystery writers’ conference is co-hosted by SinCNE and MWA and held at the Dedham Hilton outside of Boston. Held over three days, the conference is affordable and offers a combination of workshops, panel discussions, and presentations that cover a wide range of topics. Manuscript critiques, and agent and editor pitches are also available. For an extra fee, participants may choose to attend one or two Master Classes offered prior to the conference. Timekeepers ensure each session starts and ends on time. Books published by the panel members and presenters are available for purchase.

Crimebake sells out within days of registration opening in early May, so you will want to sign up for email alerts. The website is www.crimebake.org, and this year’s Guest of Honor is suspense writer Lisa Gardner.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry, Linda Shenton Matchett has lived in historical places most of her life-from Edison, New Jersey (named for the famed light bulb inventor) and Washington, DC to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (reputed to be the oldest summer resort in America). A varied career has included stints as a crisis counselor, human resources professional, bed and breakfast owner, youth center director, and dining services manager. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for the Wolfeboro Public Library. Linda is the author of Love’s Harvest and Love Found in Sherwood Forest. Under Fire, the first book in her trilogy about WWII War Correspondent/amateur sleuth Ruth Brown, will be released in July 2017. Visit Linda at www.lindashentonmatchett.com.