Bouchercon Outtakes

A convention as busy and long as Bouchercon means lots of stories. Most of which I remember after I post a summary. So here are a few more bits and pieces of memories from the event....

First, one of the last-minute tasks I took care of for the convention organizer was to introduce Michael Connelly and Sebastian Rotella, who had a session "in conversation." All I had to do was read the bios the publisher had sent over, but I thought, hey, I'll get a photo with them before it starts (I had to run off to other duties and didn't stay for the talk). I even dragged a friend with me to take the photo ... only to realize too late that the men were waiting in a corner of the big room. My friend/photographer did what he could, and since I couldn't stop and smile for the camera while handing the mic over to Michael, this is my proof. Worst photo ever (not my friend's fault), but proof!

And another moment of connection with William Kent Krueger. I met Kent in late 2011, and when I saw him again six months later, he sat me down to compliment me on my first book. Six months after that, he agreed to blurb my second book. And he greets me with big hugs every time I see him. You won't find a nicer man in the mystery world. 

Another author who keeps raking in the awards is Catriona McPherson, who won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original at Bouchercon (for As She Left It) and who was officially installed as the national president of Sisters in Crime the same day. The seal of office for SinC is a stuffed white seal. The Anthony Award was a crow on a beach ball. Here's Catriona with her to-go bag of animals, ready for anything!

And finally, I have my own reminder of Bouchercon at home with me. Ingrid, the organizer, had trophies made for all of her volunteers as well, with the job titles we selected. So sitting near my writing desk at home is my own crow with my name and my role: Girl Friday.

Next time: more Poisoned Pen Press group photos, more photos with the friends I'm so eager to see (Tina Whittle, Rochelle Staab, I'm looking at you). And maybe less running around like a crazy person.... See you there!

Backstage and Onstage at Bouchercon

The epic Bouchercon - Murder at the Beach is over. I think it's fair to say it was epic, in a positive sense, for almost everyone. It was for me. It was also epic in terms of how I was busy almost all day every day (as part of the organizing committee) and how I felt responsible for everything going well. The hardest part was not taking personally any criticisms I heard (I didn't hear many, thank goodness).

I was fortunate to be on a couple great panels, including one on "the setting as a character" with the winner of all awards (for the fantastic Ordinary Grace) William Kent Krueger, as well as the ever hilarious John Connolly (not to mention Mark Pryor and Julia Spencer-Fleming). I was just happy to be on the same stage as the rest of them ... but even better, I came out of it with my favorite panel photo ever (l to r: Connolly, me, Krueger, Pryor).

A close second was my selfie with Jan Burke, fellow (and actually famous) Long Beach author, before the start of our panel on research.

I was also lucky enough to moderate the closing panel featuring all the guests of honor—and believe me, there was little for me to do besides point the ship. They were all funny and warm, true pros to the end. And I was able to get a photo with my pal, Simon Wood, and the delightful Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl books (you need to read them, trust me).

A few other good memories ... sitting in the bar/atrium area, chatting with friends and watching the mystery world walk by. Standing on the empty stage at the Terrace Theater, prepping for the Anthony Awards, and wanting to belt out "Starting here, starting now..." (but resisting the urge). I did take a photo of Ingrid, the convention organizer, however, with the empty house behind her.

Other memories? Cadaver dogs in a session (they sniff out bodies or people or bones). Hanging out with my friend Rochelle Staab and Bogie (in the women's bathroom at the Sky Room).

And watching my fellow Poisoned Pen Press author Reavis Wortham cheer with a team that gave us an impromptu show in the hotel lobby. See if you can pick him out of the crowd....

Then there was the backstage look I got at the awards—the really amazing Anthony Awards for this year, which featured a crow on a beachball, for murder on the beach (a murder of crows, right?). Here's a set of them awaiting nameplates. And then there was the box of murder.

But maybe my favorite photo of all about Bouchercon actually happened a week before the event. It was taken by Brittany Murray, a staff photographer for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and it featured me and Ingrid Willis, the event chair. We laughed through the whole photo shoot, as we reclined on a pile of books and smiled for the camera. Because it's all about the books.

See you at Bouchercon 2015!

The Joy of Community (and of Being Alone)

I've been prepping for the coming week for a couple years now. I'm on the organizing committee for the annual, four-day, international mystery convention called Bouchercon, and the big week is finally here.

I'm very excited about it—in large part because I will get to spend four days with my "tribe": fellow mystery fans and writers. It's going to be a fabulous long weekend of talking about how to plot mysteries, how to improve my writing process, and how to kill people. I'll get to see friends I only see once or twice a year, and I can't wait. (Note: this is exactly how I feel when I'm getting ready to attend a big race weekend.)

But I'm also gearing up for just how exhausting it will all be. That's the downside of being an introvert. I'm not shy, and I don't dislike talking with people. But it drains me. 

By a stroke of luck, however, I'm giving myself the perfect prep for four days of 2,000 crazy mystery people. I'm spending three days almost totally alone, in a quiet, hillside retreat. I didn't actually plan this (it was a last-minute thing), but I'm soaking up the peace by sitting on a porch and counting the cars that go past (I'm up to 10 for the day).

Yes, I'm doing a little writing, blogging, emailing, and helping with last-minute Bouchercon tasks. But mostly I'm sitting, reading, and enjoying the silence. And looking at the occasional rainbow.

See you at Bouchercon!

Bouchercon Roundup

Last Thursday through Sunday was the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and I was in attendance. Here's the view from my hotel room.

I was prepared to be a very, very small fish in a very large sea, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would still feel a part of the proceedings. Part of the reason is that mystery writers are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. (That's me with Julie Hyzy (Anthony winner!), Sheila Connolly, and Rochelle Staab.)

And part of the reason is that I was on my first Bouchercon panel, "It's a Job," about protagonists with unusual occupations. We had a full house, as you can see below!

So there I was, a published author at Bouchercon! That was a blast. And I even signed a few books for people.

But the best part was the conversations I had with other authors, writers, readers, and fans (sometimes those descriptors were all one person). We chatted over breakfast, between panels, during lunch, in the bar, over dinner, and in the bar again. All day talking about our backgrounds, interests, writing, challenges, and successes. It was fantastic.

We got to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for an opening/awards reception.

And we got to hear from luminaries such as Mary Higgins Clark (boy, is she a true storyteller!).

Plus we had a great Sisters in Crime breakfast, at which Hank Phillippi Ryan was invested as the new president (receiving the [stuffed, white] seal of office) and many of us sang the SinC song ... "Sisters in Crime, boys, Sisters in Crime/You show me your gun, I'll show you mine...." (Full text.)













In short, a great time was had by all, I think. I'm home and excited to feel like I know more of these people who are already my Facebook friends. I have a TBR pile that threatens to be taller than I am. And I'm energized to get cracking on another book in my racing mystery series.

See you all at the next convention!