My Impressions of Killer Nashville



Dr. Bill Bass, forensic expert

Once again Clay Stafford, Beth "Jaden" Terrell, and an army of volunteers have put on a super mystery conference. Killer Nashville has tracts for writers just learning their craft, writers who need a nudge to promote their work, fans, agent & editor appointments, and an all-star lineup of forensics experts. With Robert Dugoni, Donald Bain, and Dr. Bill Bass on the program, it was a can't-lose proposition for attendees - and it delivered!

I mix-and-matched tracts, attending a bit of everything. The experts were knowledgable, the panels interesting, and the crime scene was quite a challenge. And at every turn, there were friendly faces, writers, fans, published authors, agents, editors.

I was lucky enough to be on two panels which were well-attended. I connected with old friends and made new ones. What a delight it was to put faces to so many Guppy (a Sisters In Crime chapter) names I've been seeing on various loops!



Pacing panel: Michael Salisbury (mod), AJ Scudiere, Maggie, Lynda Fitzgerald

 This was the first year I attended the banquet and I had a very good time. Deni Dietz, my editor extraordinaire, sat at my dinner table. I also met Alana White, a newly signed Five Star writer with a book coming out Dec. 2012.

And I should back up to the Mystery Trivia contest on Thursday night. Greg and Mary Bruss did an outstanding job on making the game fun and testing our knowledge. Of the three teams, I was on the red team, same as last year. And even though my contributions were slight, our team displayed excellence on the trivia field and won the night. I'm officially two for two at Mystery Trivia.



Cozy panel: Luisa Buehler, CS Challinor, Jennie Bentley (mod), Lisa Wysocky, Maggie

 My take-home message? Do more social media connecting. Consistent networking is my new goal.

Now I'm back home, trying to keep my feet walking on sunshine for a little longer, but starting to wade through the piled up mail, dirty laundry, and other necessaries of living. But I'm already looking forward to next year!

Maggie Toussaint

Killer Nashville

Last week I attended Killer Nashville where I was on the Southern Fried Sleuths panel. Moderator Glen Allison kept the atmosphere light and fun, inviting panelists and the attendees to comment about what makes the South so memorable. From left to right, Glen Allison, Maggie Toussaint, Barbara Graham, Deborah Sharp, and Tony Burton.

I was also lucky enough to be interviewed by the Nashville Examiner. My interview is posted at: http://www.examiner.com/authors-in-nashville/spotlighting-author-maggie-toussaint

I enjoyed meeting up with Barbara Graham, another Five Star mystery author. Barbara and I met at another mystery conference and hit it off, so it was very enjoyable to catch up with her. Other friendships, those with Beth Terrell-Hicks and Clay Stafford, were also renewed. Nothing like the fine wine of friendship.

I also made a new friend, Nelda Copas. She joined me for breakfast one morning and we had a few great chats about publishing and the conference.


Another conference highlight was finally meeting my Five Star editor, Deni Dietz. Deni is a force to be reckoned with, both her pen and her opinions are firm and sure. She signed one of her books to me as one of her favorite authors, which warmed my heart.

I also met Sunny Frazier of Oak Tree Press. She's a marketing dynamo and I enjoyed hearing about her possee on the marketing panel.

All too soon the weekend came to an end and we headed back to southern Georgia. I love this conference and highly recommend it to published and unpublished authors.

Hoping everyone is enjoying the last little bit of summer!

Maggie Toussaint
MUDDY WATERS coming October 22