Sleuthfest 2012

This is the second year I have attended Sleuthfest and it got off to a slow start for me gaining momentum as the days went on.

I attended the panels, participated in discussions and won an auction for a renowned editor to evaluate seventy-five pages of text. I also met an agent who seems interested in my work – but we’ll see. I went to Bouchercon in September and the experience was very different. It is literally an order of magnitude larger (150 – 200 attendees at Sleuthfest and 1500 to 2000 at Bouchercon). This year there was much discussion of e-publishing. Neil Plakcy did a wonderful job of taking the audience through the basics and beyond, presenting a very realistic picture of how to successfully navigate the self-pub world.

He did not mention the vitriol with which self-pubbed authors are met.  I was constantly reminded of the dreck that is being produced by deluded writers whose work would never pass muster in any other forum.

So I bought a number of books including some from small presses and was often shocked by the shoddy editing. I won’t mention any book by name but the content would never make it through a first reading at my critique group.

I bought books by masters of the craft and some newbies that were really good.

I went to panels by experts  like Gilstrap who proffered most excellent advice on pacing. This is how he begins:

Panel on small presses included friend, Mike Dennis, a fellow member of the Casa Marina critique group and passionate advocate of self-publishing.

Great party on Saturday night.

Michael Haskins – another Key Wester and member of our critique group shows his softer side.

There’s so much to be gained by immersing yourself in a substantial and unbroken block of time with members of your tribe. Conversations cut to the chase, ideas flow with people you would never otherwise encounter.

So I came home with new books

New shoes

New friends, facebook and otherwise and a solid determination to finish the two projects I have begun. I expect my new short “Say Nothing” to be formatted by week’s end and available on Kindle within the month. And here’s the most compelling reason to do it:

Yes, it’s Casa Marina & Key West’s own Mike Dennis, quietly, steadily climbing to the top of the heap during the conference. Congratulations, Mike on a great short story.  You deserve it.