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!

My Weird Startup Process

I'm starting to plan my next book (book 4 in the series, tentatively titled Hot Lap), and I have to admit my process looks a lot like complete inaction.

Mostly I'm thinking of a new idea, jotting some notes, and then living with it a couple days to see if it holds together. Then I'm adding another idea to the mix and repeating the process.

Think of it this way: I'm making a quilt. I don't have a pattern, and I'm not sure what material I'm using. All I I know is I want it to fade from light to dark to light again across the entire piece.

That's it. So I'm starting to figure out some of the details.

Partly I let the universe talk to me. I have a conversation with someone who asks a question about a character ... and I think, "I should use that character again." Someone else asks about a method of death in a previous book ... and I think, "I should have someone do the opposite next time."

And so forth. I build my pile of notes, discussing ideas with myself (every page is titled "ideas," as if I'll feel committed something later?) and thinking through implications of different decisions.

An example. When do I set the next book? Book 3 (Avoidable Contact) is set in January 2014, the first year of the new, combined sportscar series (I don't mention the date, but if you know the racing, you know that's when it is).

The next book will be set at the Long Beach race, which is in April. I can set it in the same year, three months later, or I can set it a year and three months out. Both have advantages to do with how relationships (family, romantic, business, and sponsor) might have developed. A year later means I worry I might be aging Kate too fast in the series. But staying in the same year means many people could be reading a book about "the new combined series" at the start of the series' third season.

Yeah, I think I'm going with a year and three months later.

So that's how the process goes. Thought by thought. Note by note. It might not look like I'm doing much, but I promise, I'm thinking!

Photo Roundup: LBGP

Photos ahead!
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But first, a book and writing update: The big news of the weekend is that Kate book #3, Avoidable Contact, is finally DONE! And by done, I mean, proofed, checked, double-checked, comma-checked, and so forth. Next step: printing! I keep telling myself ... of course, I caught every single mistake! (Leave me my illusions, OK?)

And before I turn my thoughts to Kate book #4 or to plotting terrible deeds at the Long Beach Grand Prix, I wanted to share some of the other great memories from the race weekend this year.
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First, my main partners in crime this year: Barb Kreisel, Scott James (photographer extraordinaire!), and Mary Lascuola. This was us after a long Saturday at the race and a long, fabulous conversation over dinner. Same time next year, team?

Below is the same group, plus Patsy White, who does production work in IndyCar's pit lane for the pit lane reporters.

Then two photos with other Women of Pressdog(r): Sarah Fisher top, and Pippa Mann below.

And then two people who were very important to Avoidable Contact. The first is Chris (Christine) Syfert, a longtime member of the racing community who primarily compiles statistics for teams or the Series (her role with ALMS and now IMSA). Chris and Tommy Kendall (yes, the racer/announcer) got together on a winning auction bid last year, to benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation, for their names to be used in the book. I was telling her about her role....

And last, but certainly not least, the wonderful Oliver Gavin, Corvette Racing driver, who took the time to make sure Kate's racing lines, curb usage, gearing, and driver change process were correct. Phew! Such a relief to know it's all correct (I think).

Lastly, one of my favorite photos, a selfie with Barb as we were signing paperwork for our two-seater ride. Don't we look like we're about to have a fantastic time?! Joy, that's what it is.

Find these and more photos of Team Kate all over the world (mostly at races) on the Team Kate Pinterest board. And feel free to send me more photos to post!

Going to the Source

The story of my ride with Mario Andretti behind the wheel is only half the story of my incredible Long Beach Grand Prix experience. The other half has to do with going to the source for information about the racing world. Or maybe it's partly being immersed in the source and partly talking to the source. The being immersed int he world is the easy part: go to a race, walk around, and see what teams, drivers, and fans are engaged in.

Talking to the source seems like it'd be a little more difficult—until being at the races reminds me how nice people in the racing world are and how willing they are to talk about what they do for a living. (Usually the only catch is if they have the time to do so.)

The first person to sit and chat with us was Martin Plowman, or Plowey, a young driver who's racing anything he can get his hands on—including the Indy 500 this year with Foyt Racing. Plowey's long been a favorite of my friends Barb and Mary, and to Barb's delight, he was the driver for her two-seater ride! (That's the two of them pictured.) He was gracious enough to chat with us after our rides and tell us a bit about the difference between open-wheel cars and sportscars, since he's driven both. And he was kind enough to say he'd answer questions down the line for me, when I'm ready to transition Kate.

But the most amazing and incredible conversation was the hour I got to spend with Pippa Mann. A real-life, honest-to-goodness female racecar driver. The first female driver I've actually gotten to talk to who's a current competitor in the highest ranks. (It's kind of embarrassing to admit it's taken me this long to be able to get to one.)

The best compliment she paid me was telling me I'd gotten a lot of what it's like to be a female in the world correct (yes, I about fell over with relief).

Of course, what I learned from her is how much of the story I'm missing, primarily about the struggle for current drivers (of either gender; Plowey had similar stories) to put together deals to get themselves in a racecar. It's not what we might think, most pros don't sit at home waiting for the phone to ring, a team on the other end waiting to pay them to drive a car. No. Most pros are out hustling, pitching deals to multiple sponsors (and probably dozens of potential sponsors) and working with teams and corporations to assemble funding for a season. For a partial season. For a race.

I've sidestepped those issues for Kate so far. But I might need to reflect reality a bit more in a future book ... we might have to see Kate struggle with being assertive (but not aggressive) and direct (without being a bitch). To see her try to balance being tough, pushy about her needs and wants, and businesslike, while still being feminine. (To be clear, those weren't Pippa's words. That's my evaluation based on the role of women in the business world in general and from watching what seems like the tightrope that all female racers walk.)

Pippa is a lovely, warm human being. She's incredibly savvy about marketing herself, especially through social media, where she's built an enormous following—something she's done because she's genuine and personal with her fans. I'm enormously grateful for the time she spent with me, as well as for her offer to help me in the future. I'm really hoping that her absence (so far) this year from IndyCar's lineup is just a minor blip in her resume. I believe it will be.

Because of her (and others who are strongly encouraging me), I'm seriously considering two actions: heading to Indy for the 500 this year to see what that whirlwind of awesomeness is all about and getting Kate into open-wheel cars sooner, rather than later. I'll keep you all posted....

In the meantime, thank you to Pippa for the time, encouragement, and information (past and future). As much as we see and hear and talk about more and more women in the racing world, Pippa is one of the few who's working hard to make it happen. I'm always moved by someone working to fulfill a dream, and to see a woman doing so in a world populated mostly by men (drivers, at least) makes me want to support and cheer her on with everything I've got. 

Part of why I created Kate was to provide another instance of "racecar driver" as a normal, possible occupation for a female. So you go, girl. All of you, and Pippa in particular. 

Who Do You Think You Are? Mario Andretti?

(This is Part 1 of the "My Epic Weekend" series of posts ... because everything amazing that happened over the weekend will take more than one post to explain.)

I was prepared for a whirlwind of activity as the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend arrived, but I had no idea of how mind-blowing it would end up being. The first day, Friday, was overwhelming, and I spent the next two days coming down from that high (and watching good racing).

To start things off with a bang, my friends Barb and Mary arranged a surprise for me: all three of us got rides in a two-seater IndyCar. That means a pro in the front seat and a passenger (us) in the rear. For one lap around the LBGP circuit, at plenty of speed.

That was exciting enough, and then I was randomly placed into the line to take a turn in the first car. The one being piloted by Mario Andretti. Yes, THE Mario Andretti.

Really, is there anyone you would trust more to drive you around any pavement in any vehicle anywhere?

I got one exhilarating lap around the Long Beach circuit, during which I kept thinking, "REMEMBER THIS! This is Mario F**king Andretti driving. REMEMBER THIS!"

To make matters even more awesome, Barb and Mary had found a friend, pro photographer Scott James, to record our adventures. Like this great shot of me waiting for Mario to pull away. (This image and the next are copyright and courtesy of S. James Photography.)

So not only did we experience an incredible moment—we all did, since Mary got a lap with former pro (and current team co-owner) Davey Hamilton, and Barb went a lap with current pro (and friend) Martin Plowman—but we also got incredible shots to help us remember the moment.

Like this one, just after I'd gotten out of the car and been divested of my helmet. You can hear what I'm thinking, can't you?

"I just got out of a car that Mario Freaking Andretti was driving!"

(Yes, I actually used the swears in my head.)

Then we made our way back to the Indy Racing Experience trailer, where we got out of our firesuits and lingered, talking. That's when Mario returned, changed clothes, and was kind enough to pose for photos with me to commemorate the moment.

And that was what happened in only the first two hours of the race weekend! More to come about the incredible generosity and kindness of the racing family in Part 2....

Here Comes the Circus

That's right, it's race week in Long Beach! The trucks should start rolling in mid-week, and by Thursday night, the key players—drivers, teams, media, and fans—should be here. Which means I've got to get prepared!

My husband and I have a saying (I think he coined it): The business of racing happens at the track.

You can arrange and plan and make deals for months, but everything will come together at the race track during a race weekend. Or some new deal will be formed. Or you'll meet the contact you never dreamed of meeting. Or I'll get 27 questions answered in a 20 minute period, which otherwise would have taken three weeks and 15 emails.

It's happened over and over. Like when I ran into Dr. Don Panoz (founder of the American Le Mans Series, at right) in the Atlanta airport and handed him a book (come to think of it, he never did write to tell me what he thought; maybe I'll see him this weekend and ask). Or when I met Harlan Charles (project manager for the new Corvette Stingray) and handed him a book. There's a theme here.

So here's my to do list:

1. Hand a book to anyone important!
2. Meet IndyCar driver Pippa Mann for the first time.
3. Interview my friend Pattie (and maybe other women in racing) for the Steel Ovary Nation site.
4. Check in with Corvette Racing driver Oliver Gavin to see if he's reviewed my racing scenes in Avoidable Contact.
5. Bother Corvette Racing Manager Doug Fehan (at right) just because he makes me laugh.
6. Ask someone at The Racer's Group a question about the brake-light system in a Porsche.
7. Hang out with super-crazy race fans Barb and Mary.
8. Run into all the people I'm not thinking about yet but will be excited to see.
9. Figure out where to kill someone for Kate's book #4, Hot Lap!
10. Hang out with my friend, former co-blogger, and Bouchercon 2014 toastmaster, Simon Wood.
11. Agree with all my race friends who live in the Midwest and South that yes, LA is a little nuts.
12. See if I can spot the porn stars in the paddock this year (really). 
13. Figure out why someone might need to die for Hot Lap.
14. Give away some Team Kate gear?! (Who wants some?)

I'm sure there's more. Fortunately I have four days to finish the list....