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Murder As You Like It Mystery Conference 2023


author group photo

Back Row: Greg Stone, Peter W.J. Hayes, Dennis Royer, Lissa Marie Redmond, Con Lehan

Middle Row: Liz Milliron, Sandy Nork, Annette Dashofy, Matty Dalrymple, Dick Belsky, Tj O'Connor

Front Row: Bill Peschel, Karen Shughart, Nicole Asselin, Sarah Ickes, John DeDakis

 

Talk about feeling as though it has been forever for an event to come back! This was our first conference after COVID struck (since 2019). And we feel that it went extremely well.


For those of you who do not know, or have never been to a mystery conference, this is what it is like: Throughout the day, author panels and Author Round-About are scheduled so that readers may experience a more "one on one" experience with the authors. But what does that really mean?


Panels are like school lectures without being boring. A group of authors, whose backgrounds or story lines, are all based around a central theme will sit behind a table at the front of the room where a moderator asks questions and keeps the pace moving. Readers get to learn and hear from all of the attending authors in not just this way, but also in the rounds of Author Round-About. Which is essentially just a fancy name for "speed-dating." However, in this

version, you get to stay put and the authors play musical chairs as they move from table to table. In this format, the authors have the opportunity to chat about their novels and characters on a more one-on-one basis. And, of course, there are plenty of books to buy from our mobile store on location.


first panel of authors with the emcee

Author and Emcee, Bill Peschel, kept things moving and made sure that we did not fall far behind the day's schedule.

 

There is not one way to write a mystery. In fact, the genre of mystery has so many different sub-genres that who knows how many truly exist. For instance, a reader might be into a story from the past (historical fiction), a light-hearted mystery (cozy), something more akin to a nitty-gritty murder (noir), a page-turning adventure (thriller), or maybe a story that is in the fashion of Agatha Christie (traditional). Wherever your interests lie, there is a mystery attuned with it. And at this conference, we had a strong line-up of authors with their different styles of writing. From historical fiction to police procedural, and from cozy mystery to political thriller, there was a dash of each genre thrown into the mix. Check out the following photos to see how it all went down!


We had three panels: Why Research is Important; Cops, Crimes, and the Blurred Lines; Country vs. City Crimes

three authors on a panel
liz milliron and annette dashofy
deb and misty simon
three authors on a panel
many of books to buy
con lehane
greg stone and dennis royer
three authors on another panel
lissa marie redmond
sandy nork
karen shughart
dick belsky

 

Looking forward to attending next year? Shy and nervous about asking an author to sign your books? Don’t fear! Their bites are not hurtful...much. All joking aside, the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop would love to see you mystery fans, or readers just dipping their toes into the questionable waters, to come next year. If you have any questions, or would like to purchase a SIGNED copy of any of the authors' books, do not hesitate to contact us through this website, calling us at 717-795-7470, or by stopping in at our shop during business hours.


A special thanks goes out to Barb Fellencer for taking this photos, and as always, a very special thanks goes out to our readers and authors! Without either one, we could not do all that we do. Have a great day and we will see you at the next event.



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