Monday, December 10, 2007

MW Mystery Writers' Christmas Feast

by Julia Buckley
I spent Sunday afternoon at Centuries and Sleuths Bookstore, where the wonderful Julie Hyzy had planned a lavish Christmas party for the MWMWA (that's the Midwest Mystery Writers Of America). We weren't all there, and we missed the members who couldn't make it, but we had quite a turn-out and a great deal of fun. First, allow me to identify some people, for those of you who keep track of your MWMWs. :)

(Standing, from left to right: Ted Hertel (President); Julia Buckley; Michael Allen Dymmoch (Secretary); Julie Hyzy (Vice President); Naomi Smith; Jonathan Quist (Treasurer); Amy Alessio; Annie Chernow; Elizabeth Nelson; Robert Goldsborough; Harriette Gillem Robinet; Michael A. Black. Kneeling, from L to R: Tom Keevers; Raymond Benson; Luisa Buehler; Kathryn Moran. And that's Libby Hellmann sort of crouching between the two rows. :)

I told my husband that I wanted to start my diet BEFORE New Year's, just so I wouldn't have the pressure of a New Year's Resolution. But then Julie presented us with this buffet:
and I munched my way into a non-diet level of ingestion. Tomorrow, for sure . . .

Julie also planned for us to play Pictionary/Charades using the titles of mystery novels. Libby Hellmann and Ted Hertel proved very adept as members of Team Two (our foes), but in the end we tied and there was peace in the valley.

It was a great way for people who like writing and reading mysteries to celebrate the holidays together.

And thus, the parties have begun. How have you been celebrating December? Is anyone reading Christmas mysteries?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, it looks like an Echelon Press reunion there. You folks sure look like a happy bunch!

Anonymous said...

I just finished "Preacing to the Corpse," by Roberta Isleib, which is set in Connecticut at Christmas time.

Elizabeth Zelvin said...

I attended two mystery events last week, MWA NY's holiday party at Sotheby's and the launch at Partners & Crime of the female noir anthology Hell of A Woman, with the Sisters in Crime NY Tristate party coming up this week. And I've just read Chris Grabenstein's thriller Hell for the Holidays, which spans Halloween to Thanksgiving and has its denouement in the pandemonium of the "Macy's Day Parade." And a friend emailed me a very cute music video about being Jewish on the holidays. The song is "Chinese Food for Christmas." ;)

Julia Buckley said...

That sounds fun, Liz! And Sharon, I am reading that book, too! It's fun.

Karen, nice to see you! Yes, there were several Echelon people there. I hadn't realized that.

I don't know if this is appropriate for the season, but our sidewalks are solid ice today--very treacherous here in the Midwest!

Sofie Kelly said...

No Christmas parties yet, but I did go to a snazzy french restaurant created by my daughter's grade 5 class. And I spoke french--how well I'm not saying.

Julia Buckley said...

Darlene,

When my son was in pre-school, we got to go to a spa created by the children. They painted our toenails and gave us massages. It was very cute. Graham painted my toenails blue. :)

The French Restaurant sounds wonderful!