Attending Bouchercon!

I recently attended a global convention for readers, mystery & thriller writers, publishers, agents, etc., and it was fantastic. Here’s some context…

Anthony Boucher

Bouchercon

Bouchercon is the World Mystery Convention. It’s an annual event that takes place over four days, and it wrapped up on Sunday, September 7th. During an average year, over 1,500 people attend.

It’s named after Anthony Boucher, who passed away in 1968. He was an author, an editor, and a reviewer; overall, he was a major player in the mystery/thriller genre, and his friends started the conference to honor his legacy. It’s pronounced the same way he pronounced his name; it rhymes with ‘voucher.’ I didn’t learn that until Day 3. 

This year, the convention was held in New Orleans…what could go wrong there?

NOLA

Why the Conference Is Important?

For a start, it’s the premier event for the mystery & thriller literature community; it brings together avid readers, established authors, aspiring authors, publishers, agents, and all sorts of folks interested in the genre. They have educational sessions, panel discussions, and interviews. 

Second, it’s organized by fans for fans, which is wonderful. There are speed-dating sessions, where readers get to meet authors. BTW, that creates a benefit for authors that no one talks about -- writers get to meet readers! And the ones I met were not shy about offering their opinions, which I appreciated. 

I met several dedicated readers in the elevators, at the bar, walking the halls, and even out in town. And I got tons of feedback, which was like finding treasure for me.

I also met a lot of famous authors… 

Shameless photos of me with Brad Thor & I.S. Berry, Simon Gervais, Joe Finder, Kaira Rouda, Michael Connolly, and Otto Penzler

Finally, it’s when The Anthony Awards are handed out, recognizing the absolute best mystery & thriller books by category for that year. This year’s list of nominees and winners is here (just click this link). 

But for me, it was important because I got to establish myself within the community as an accomplished author. I was thinking about being on a panel with some very well-known authors; it was intimidating, but I was asked because I had value to offer. I belonged there; that’s what I mean when I say accomplished.

Granted, the panel was about characters with flaws, which is something I know about from my own growth over the years, but still…

Now that I think about it, the organizers didn’t know about my abundance of flaws when they invited me. 

Did they?  

What I Experienced

I had the opportunity to attend great panel discussions, where I learned so much -- the nuances of dialog writing, aspects of marketing and promotion that were new to me, and deeper dives into the publishing industry. I also attended panels where I learned about casting the series Bosch, and heard great stories from Craig Johnson about how Longmire made it to the screen. 

As I mentioned above, I was lucky enough to participate in a panel discussion on Flawed Characters. I sat next to the famous author Joe Finder, who would have been wildly successful in anything he did; the man is off-the-charts brilliant. 

His latest book

I also had formal sessions where I signed copies of my book, To Catch a Spy. At one session, I sat next to the legendary Otto Penzler, who had a wonderful sense of humor, especially after I switched our name plaques (he didn’t realize until I asked him how to spell ‘Otto’). 

I met several up-and-coming authors, including Emma Wells, Chelsea Conradt, Peter Colt, Marcy McCreary, Elise Burke Brown, Andrew Bridgeman, Stacie Grey, and Chris Wendel. That was humbling, to say the least. 

There were several well-known authors that I met…see the collage above, and add Brad Taylor and Joshua Moehling to that list. 

I didn’t get a picture with Brad Taylor, but I learned something about him. I sometimes put my book next to that of a famous author, and I did that when I was signing books in Charleston. I took a picture of my book next to Brad’s ‘Into the Gray Zone' and posted it on social media, saying I hoped some of his talent would wear off on me. So when I told him that story, he gave me a blank look, but his wife said, “I remember that!” And that was when I realized she manages his social media.

But the highlight of the whole conference was attending a Debut Author Breakfast (hosted by Michael Connolly). It was one of the honors of my lifetime to be selected and introduced by him in front of a huge audience. 

The breakfast

Later that same day, I was browsing in a bookstore, and there was Michael Connolly, perusing several titles. We chatted for a few minutes, and since he was looking for something to read, I wanted to tell him about a great book (mine), but that felt inappropriate…so I left him alone, then hit a candy store.

I thought about not going in…for a second!