Swords and Awards

“Just finish the thing!” — Autumn Harrison

This was the message I heard from Autumn and other writers at the 2025 Crime Bake conference. (She threw an expletive in there, which I edited out for the faint of heart!) You can read more about the conference in my previous blog post if you want, but the gist of it was this:

1. I found a fabulous community of writers.

2. I got a confidence boost from agents and editors about the premise of my first novel and my writing capabilities.

3. I came away with recommendations for concrete changes I need to make to my current draft.

So when I got home from the conference, I stepped back into the world of Viv and her friends in East Beach. I started making changes and could immediately see why they made sense. But then I realized I was hungry for that conference experience and didn’t want to wait a whole year for the next Crime Bake. I set aside my writing for a Google search, and it didn’t take long for me to discover Killer Nashville. Killer Nashville is another annual conference held in August that welcomes writers from multiple crime sub-genres. The conference website made it look so damn cool I couldn’t resist. Like Crime Bake, it’s got panels, master classes, critique sessions, an awards dinner but just seems—how do I say this?—sexier. More polished. Don’t get me wrong, I will always return to Crime Bake. It’s my people. I’m a better writer thanks to what I’ve learned there. But I am open to new experiences and new energy. Bonus? Some of my favorite relatives live in Nashville, and I haven’t seen them in years.

While continuing my deep dive on the website to make sure that the conference was worth the cost and time, I spotted their Claymore Award Competition. Requirement? 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript, play, or screenplay. They select finalists across multiple categories—including cozy—and announce the category winners and the Top 3 overall at the annual Killer Nashville Awards Dinner. Winners and finalists don’t get money, but they get recognition, and several have gone on to secure agents or publish their work. 

I’ve decided to go for it! I’ve already registered and booked my hotel. And I’m fine-tuning those first 50 pages of Reel Danger in the Dunes. Once that’s done, I’ll return to the revisions, both big and small, that I plan for my novel. 

It feels like a risk to announce here on my blog that I’m entering a competition. There will be serious competition, which means no guarantees I’ll even be a finalist. And I’m not going to lie, I may not circle back to let you know unless I am one. Can you imagine the blog post? “I didn’t win! Let’s discuss!”

But until then, send good writing vibes my way, please!