Taking a cue from Matt Cost’s wonderful post yesterday about all the ways he’s connecting with readers, I wanted to talk about why conferences like Maine Crime Wave this weekend matter to me as a writer, and mattered even more before I was published.

Matt mentioned that we’ve changed the format of Crime Wave to include conversation tables in place of panel discussions. This grew out of the realization that some of the best parts of the conference were the conversations between panels: in the line for the boxed lunch, at the Kelly’s Books to Go table, in the halls and with the person seated next to you.

One of the things I have come to appreciate about smaller, more intimate conferences–specifically Maine Crime Wave and New England Crime Bake–are the conversations and relationships that spring out of them. Whether I’m talking to readers or writers, the love for the work is the same. We’re all looking for exciting stories well told, narratives that take us out of our daily lives, introduce us to characters we love to love, and love to hate, and see justice done, or at least injustice thwarted.

It’s common enough to almost be a cliche, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people say how much fun crime writers are. I really do think it’s something about our shared world view in which we are trying to bring order in the form of a coherent narrative to a decidedly chaotic world.

When I was still an unpublished author, conferences helped me feel part of the writing world, giving me a kind of affirmation that one doesn’t get alone at your writing desk. But there’s also lots to learn in these interactions. Connections with other writers and readers are all the more important as the publishing world continues to evolve at breakneck speed. It’s instructive to hear what it’s like for one author working with their agent, another who is working directly with a small press, another who is self-published with their own imprint, and think about what your own options might be.

So, if you’re a writer or a reader of crime fiction, it’s not too late to join the fun tomorrow at Maine Crime Wave on Saturday, or tonight for Noir at the Bar at Belleflower Brewery at 7:00 to hear readings by me, Tess Gerritsen, Allison Keeton, Travis Kennedy, Joanna Schaffhausen, James Ziskin, Zakariah Johnson, Gabriela Stiteler, Mo Drammeh, and Rebecca Turkewitz.

Currently reading: Alias Agnes: The Notorious Tale of a Gilded Age Spy, Elizabeth A. DeWolfe, 2025.

Next in my TBR list: Dead Money, Jakob Kerr, 2025.