Heading to Bouchercon 2014

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picture of Bouchercon 2014You know when you have the best guy in the whole world?  When you tell him that no, you won’t be selling a lot of books at this upcoming reader/writer mystery conference and he still says, “I hope you have a good time.”

Whoo Hoo!  I’m heading to Bouchercon!

Although I’ve never been to this event, it’s supposed to be one of the biggest conferences for mystery lovers of all kinds with anywhere from 1000 to 1500 people or more converging on a cool location (this year it’s in Long Beach, CA) to talk mystery, sign books, meet famous authors, and generally get psyched up for a great year of reading and writing mysteries of all kinds.  How cool is that?

Some famous Bouchercon attendees . . .

Oh my goodness!  The glittery names are going to be there.  I hope to bump into such famous authors as:

  • CJ Box
  • Lee Child
  • Sue Grafton
  • David Hansard
  • William Kent Krueger
  • David Morrell
  • J.A. Jance
  • Edward Marston
  • Eoin Colfer
  • Jeffery Deaver

Question is, if I do meet these folks what can I say other than, “love your work?”  Still, it’s fun to know that there are real people behind the titles we read.

Good Friends Going to This Event

Then too, I’m looking forward to meeting some friends who I go to writing groups with.  Friends like:

  • Catherine Dilts (Stone Cold Dead series)
  • Shannon Baker (Nora Abbot Native American mysteries)
  • Mike Befler (great Geezer-lit mysteries)
  • Terri Bischoff (editor at Midnight Ink publishers)
  • Peg Brantley (thrilling thrillers and suspense novels)
  • Deni Dietz (author and editor for Five Star Publishing)
  • Margery Flax (the goddess of everything Mystery Writers of America)
  • Catriona McPherson (author of the Dandy Gilver mysteries)
  • and a whole lot more!

So, what do you do at a convention?  Gone are the days of illicit affairs and drunken parties (I suspect those were exaggerated anyway). There aren’t going to be any Hollywood “scouts” looking for their next Academy Award winning concept there. It’s going to be a big group of introverts (writers generally fall into this category) and a smattering of extroverts (there are exceptions to every rule), star gazers (“I want an author’s autograph in every book I buy) and so on.  We’re meeting for the main purpose of sharing our books and our personal stories in hopes of keeping the mystery genre alive and well among readers everywhere.  I’m looking forward to attending panel discussions on conducting a surveillance, murder most ghostly and paranormal, or even murder in a locked room. Heh, heh, heh!

And another good thing . . .

When the convention is over, lots of people will be heading back to their desks, energized to write that next novel.  Some will go home with an arm load of great reading material and names of authors they’re definitely going to try next.

Me? I’m going to visit my daughter and granddaughter. This just keeps getting better and better!

For now, I’ll let you go.  I’m starting to prep and pack already and the event is still a month away.  Can you tell I’m excited?  Hope to see you there!

P.S.  LOOK FORWARD TO WORDS FROM LETIZIA . . .

Over the past several months of writing this blog a total stranger has become something of a friend.  Letizia of ReadingInterrupted. com has often visited here and has a beautiful site of her own on the topic of reading.  She has agreed to do a blog post for us next Wednesday.  I think you’ll really like her work and am looking forward to what she has to say. Please be sure to check in next week, and leave a comment.  Friendships begin with such small gestures and often reward us for years to come.

Have a great week!

 

 

9 thoughts on “Heading to Bouchercon 2014”

  1. This is my first time to attend Bouchercon, too! I plan to be both a fan and an author. A conference should be equal parts networking, learning, and having fun, in my opinion. I’m glad you’re going! I don’t know what to say to my favorite authors, either, although telling Jeffrey Deaver his books scare the bejeebers out of me would be high praise.

  2. Sounds like you are going to have a great time! Just being around like-minded people will be energizing, and I’m sure you’ll come back full of ideas. Looking forward to hearing all about it!

  3. Sounds as though you will have a great time, most especially after Boucheron when you get to see your daughter and granddaughter. I love Letizia’s blog.

    • Hi Gallivanta,
      You’re right about that visit with my girls. They are my heart and we don’t see each other half enough (don’t I just sound like a mom here :-). I like your Gravatar. Did you paint that as a self portrait? I’m looking forward to getting to know you. All the best to you.

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