Mindy Carlson

This weekend was Malice Domestic and the Agatha Awards. Malice Domestic is a conference celebrating traditional mysteries, cozies, and softer thrillers and noir novels.

Malice has the reputation for being *only* for cozy mysteries, or viewing mysteries only through a cozy lens. But, really, it’s for every genre under the mystery umbrella. If you write or read mysteries, this is the conference for you.

Both fans and authors attend Malice. If you’ve never gone and you’re in the Washington, DC area, you could get a day pass and pop in to hear some great panels about writing and then have your books signed. (There’s a pop-up bookstore in the signing room!)

Of course, the big event is the banquet where the Agatha Awards are given. It’s a huge honor to win an Agatha, and I want to congratulate the winners.

If you’re looking for you next good read, pick up any of these nominees.

Part of every great conference is talking with great friends and making new ones.

Also the Georgetown Prep prom was happening next to us, so we’re definitely using their props for our photos.

As soon as I got home, I was in the garden. Spring waits for no person! The rain garden demanded mulching and my friends Eric and Kim dropped off some impressive tomato and hot pepper seedlings they’d started that needed to get into the ground ASAP.

I also bought a cute arched trellis for my cucumbers to grow over. It, of course, came in a flat-packed box and I had to put it together myself, but it was fun and the neighbor kids only learned a couple new spicy words.

Prepare for more gardening pictures. I have eggplant and other veggies to put in and watch grow. The front garden will be planted this weekend, and the rain garden–which is sprouting up in spectacular ways–will finish getting mulched. (20 bags of mulch, people. Twenty. Two-Zero.)

Happy Spring!