I survived my first Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. No easy feat, let me tell you. Four days in New Orleans with 1,500 mystery writers, readers, agents, and publishing professionals is not for the faint of heart.
First, one must fortify oneself.
Beignets and Coffee
I arrived a day early to enjoy a bit and a bite of the city. The conference hotel was located in the French Quarter and that meant a trip to Cafe du Monde.
Properly caffeinated and covered in sugar, I returned to the hotel to complete my registration. One of the perks of Bouchercon is visiting the book room. Each registrant could chose up to six books provided by participants and publishers.
The Book Room in a quiet moment
On day one, Michael Connelly interviewed American Guest of Honor, Harlan Coben. The two are friends, and the interview was lively and full of laughs.
Harlan Coben interviewed by Michael Connelly
In fact, there were a LOT of light moments during the conference. People who write about the darkest crimes, often possess the keenest wits.
A light moment with Jeff Abbott, Susan Elia MacNeal, Laura Benedict, and Cara Black
When Megan Abbott couldn’t make the panel she’d been scheduled for, moderator Laura Lippman called her to weigh in on one of the questions–proving once again, that you can run, but you cannot hide.
Laura Lippman, Lou Berney, Greg Herren, Alison Gaylin, and Alex Marwood
Of course, no conference is complete without totally geeking out over a favorite author. On my way to the preferred meeting area (otherwise known as the bar) to see if I could meet up with a certain literary agent to whom I owed a scotch, (cough, cough, Janet Reid) I got distracted. Actually, I don’t know if Janet attended the conference, but with Lee Child in the building, I figured she’d be close.
A chance encounter with Lee Child
Alas, I still owe her a scotch, but I have the above photo to console myself.
This was my first Bouchercon–and it certainly won’t be my last. It was nice to meet so many of the authors and readers I knew through listservs and virtual communities.
Finally, thank you to all the hard-working coordinators, sponsors, and volunteers who made this conference a success.
Mark your calendars for next year, eh?
Bouchercon 2017 in Toronto, Canada
Lee Child is one of my favorites too. So which six books did you select?
It was so hard to decide!! The photo doesn’t do the room justice, there were rows upon rows of books. In the end, I chose: Where It Hurts, Reed Farrel Coleman; A Time of Torment, John Connolly; Phantom Instinct, Meg Gardiner; Open Season, C.J. Box; Deep Six, D.P. Lyle, and The Masquerading Magician, Gigi Pandian.
Reblogged this on e. michael helms and commented:
Mystery writer Micki Browning reports on Bouchercon 2016!
Great report, Micki! Looks like you had fun! –Michael
It was a blast! The energy was amazing. Next year Bouchercon is in Toronto, then the convention travels to St. Petersburg, Florida. I’ve already volunteered…
Great rundown on the events Micki! I likely won’t make Toronto, but St. Petersburg…who knows??? Florida at this time of year won’t be AS hot – maybe.
Thanks Donna! The energy at the convention was amazing. As for Florida in September? Bring your flip flops!
Sounds like so much fun! But I don’t know how I would’ve decided which six books to choose. I would’ve needed some more beignets to help me decide. 🙂
St Pete, huh? Might have to check that out…. 🙂
Choosing the books was incredibly difficult! I should have thought of the beignet angle…. If you can swing St. Pete, I’d highly recommend it!