Author Speed Dating at Bouchercon: 11/13

Bouchercon 2014: Murder at the Beach  (November 13-16, 2014) Kicks Off with one of my favorite events: Author Speed Dating. I'll be hosting this riotous and informative event with Ingrid Willis, Chair of Bouchercon. Join us at the Hyatt, Promenade 104 A-B-C at 8:30 on Thursday, November 13.  Grab your continental breakfast (free breakfast to Bcon attendees starts at 8 am) and find a table. You will love this exhausting marathon of over 100 authors "pitching" their books. Authors in pairs will make the rounds to each table. Authors will have 5 minutes (2 1/2 minutes each) to share their latest book(s) with attendees. I've attended several Author Speed Dating events, and I can't tell you how many new authors I've found through this special extravaganza. This event is a life changer--or reader changer!

Who Should attend: Everybody.
What a great chance to find new authors and to meet your favorites.

Authors: This is a great place to pitch your books to dedicated readers and fans.

There are still a few spots open for authors, so if you'd like to be included in this round-robin author speed dating event, contact: speeddating@bouchercon2014.com

For authors: This is your chance to introduce yourself and your book (s) to 500 dedicated readers, including librarians, bloggers, reviewers and fans!

A few hints to Authors: 
1. Be sure and introduce yourself with your full name.
2. Bring your book to show while you speak.
3. Bring bookmarks or postcards to hand out, but remember to wait until you're both finished (you will be paired in this event with another author with 2 1/2 minutes each to pitch) to distribute them. Otherwise, the 'reader' will be reading the postcard and not listening to you.
3. Focus on the story of your book and share something fun about how you came to write the book or something fun about yourself (this will help the attendees remember you and your book).
5. Be confident! You wrote a great book. Now tell the attendees about it!
6. You will be tired as the rounds continue, but keep up your spirit and enthusiasm. Your 20th table may be filled with bloggers, librarians, publishers, readers and fans. You want them to remember you and your book in a positive way, not as the author who flagged at the end!

Questions? Make a comment below or send a note to: speeddating@bouchercon2014.com.

Not registered for Bouchercon? It's not too late.  Register now! 

 

Volunteer at Bouchercon!

10/28: UPDATED VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Coming to Bouchercon, November 13-16? Want to meet like minded people--fans, readers, and authors-- while helping out at Bouchercon: Murder at the Beach, in Long Beach? Then we have a job for you! So many volunteer jobs to choose from and at different times. Or sign up for more than one!

Please respond to Lucinda Surber (volunteer@Bouchercon2014.com), Volunteer Chair.

See you at Bouchercon!

Call for Volunteers from Lucinda Surber, Volunteer Chair:  If you’re looking for a way to have fun, meet fellow mystery lovers, and contribute to the Bouchercon convention — volunteer!

Here are some areas where we need help. Please email Lucinda Surber volunteer@bouchercon2014.com to choose a volunteer job (or two!). Be sure to mention what days/times you are available. 

Book Bag Setup: We will be organizing the books for bag stuffing on Tuesday from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Volunteers will need to lift some boxes and unpack the books onto tables. There will also be some smaller things to organize. Please indicate when you would be available to help. 

Book Bag Stuffing: We will be stuffing books into the book bags on Wednesday from 9:00 AM until done, hopefully by 3:00-4:00 PM. Please indicate when you would be available to help. 

Registration Desk: Sign up for a two-hour shift helping to manage the registration desk. We need both experienced Registration Desk volunteers and those who have never done this fun job of welcoming convention registrations and handing out the registration envelopes. We need volunteers Wednesday from 3:00-7:00 PM, Thursday from 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Friday from 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM, and Saturday 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Please let me know the approximate time you would be available to help. 

Book Bag Distribution: Sign up for a shift distributing the book bags to registrants during the hours that registration is open on Wednesday through Friday. Please let Lucinda know the approximate time you would be available to help. 

Volunteer Table Helper: Sign up to take a shift at the volunteer table, distributing packets to the Panel Room and Book-Signing volunteers. The Volunteer Table will be open from 15 minutes before the first panel of the day until 15 minutes before the final panel of the day. This job is even more fun if you sign up with a friend you would like to catch up with during the lulls. 

Panel Room Volunteer: Sign up for a shift managing a program room. Responsibilities include making sure the panelists have water, holding up signs so the panel moderator knows how much time is left before the end of the program, and escorting the panelists to the signing space after the panel. Written instructions will be provided. If you are interested, please check the panel schedule and let Lucinda know which panels you would like to help with. It's fine to give a long list of panels you want to attend with a note about how many total panels you would be willing to help with. 

Author Focus Volunteer: Sign up for a shift helping manage a track of Author focus sessions. If you are interested, please check the panel schedule and let Lucinda know which track you would like to help with. It's fine to give a long list of tracks you would be willing to manage along with a note about how many total tracks you would be willing to help with. 

Book-Signing Volunteer: Sign up for a shift helping with the book signing after panels. Duties include placing signage, greeting and directing authors to their seats, and managing lines to avoid congestion. The signings follow each panel track for about half an hour. The signing shifts last about an hour — half an hour before the panel ends to organize the signs and half hour of signing. Please indicate how many shifts you would like to do and when you are available. 

Silent Auction Room Setup: Sign up to help organize the Silent Auction Room on Wednesday. 

Silent Auction Monitor: Sign up for a shift monitoring the Silent Auction Items on Thursday (10:00 AM - 6:00 PM), Friday (8:00 AM - 5:30 PM), Saturday (8:00 AM - 3:00 PM). Please let me know the approximate time you would be available to help. 

Silent Auction Item Distribution: Sign up to help distribute the Silent Auction items to the winning bidders on Saturday from 3:00-5:00 PM. 

As an all-volunteer organization, Bouchercon can’t hold conventions without willing volunteers like you! Thanks in advance for pitching in to help with this great convention.

Bouchercon 101

Coming to Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention? November 12-16, Long Beach, CA

It's not too late to register.

There will be a lot of programming and special events, so if this is your first Bouchercon, you'll want to attend Bouchercon 101. I'll be moderating this panel with Ingrid Willis, chair of Bouchercon, Long Beach. Everything you want to know to make the most of this stupendous four-day celebration of crime fiction.

Thursday, November 13, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Regency A, Hyatt Hotel

Bouchercon Program is on the Website!

I love that the Bouchercon panel schedule is now up on the website.  I can decide on which panels I want to attend in advance! So many choices..hard decisions to make. I'm actually on a few panels, so I know where I'll be at those times. Still doesn't make it easy.

Bouchercon, in case you're new to this blog or the mystery community, is the international mystery convention. There will be over 2500 attendees including fans, readers, authors, publishers, editors and other mystery/crime fiction folks! 4 days of panels, special events, awards, and more! What a party!

Bouchercon travels, and this year it will be held in Long Beach, CA, November 13-16!

Here's a link to the PDF of the panel programming

See you there!

Bouchercon Dreams

I love Bouchercon, the world mystery convention. Bouchercon is a fan-tastic 4 day fan convention for readers, writers, editors, publishers and everyone who loves mysteries. What you might not know is that I actually attend Bouchercon many nights during the year. How is that possible? Because I “dream of Bouchercon.” Yes, I’d say at least once a week I have a dream in which I’m with friends at Bouchercon, checking into hotels, attending panels, meeting up at the bar, sightseeing, and more. Now, just to be clear, these dreams are not nightmares.

O.K. so why do I dream about Bouchercon? Probably because it is only takes place one weekend a year, and I have to pack up all those dreams and make them a reality in a mere 4 or 5 days! Those days are so much fun and so full of crime fiction and friends, that they fly by all too quickly. So my dreams fill in the gaps. LOL

I’ve been attending Bouchercon for over 30 years, and each Bouchercon is fresh and new, specifically because of new programming, new writers and the fact that B'con is always held in a different location. What I like best about Bouchercon is meeting old friends, making new ones, and spending time with people who are passionate about reading, and mysteries, in particular. So when I was asked to be part of the blog tour for the Long Beach Bouchercon, I said yes!

This year Bouchercon will be in Long Beach, November 13-16, 2014. Check out the website for Guests of Honor, Hotels, Trips, Attendees and more.

There will be over 2000 attendees this year, so I have a few tips (or refreshers for past attendees) to make your Bouchercon experience the very best! There’s multi-panel programming, so you’ll need to make some tough decisions. You won’t be able to see or hear it all. That being said, enjoy what you do see, and don’t worry about the rest. Be sure to attend special events, such as opening ceremonies, the banquet, guest of honor interviews, special luncheons. Come early, stay late. There will be side-trips.

Places to meet other readers and writers in a casual way: 
 1) The lobby. Have a seat and watch the world go by or strike up a conversation with the person next to you. That person might be a best selling thriller writer or someone who will become a life-long friend.
 2) The Bookroom: good for ‘grazing’ and interacting with others who are buying books and might need your expert advice. Be sure and buy some books!
3) The bar: even if you’re not a drinker, it’s all happening at the bar! Be sure and stop by.. mostly later in the evening, but any time works! Don't be shy.
4) Restaurants and coffee shops: If someone’s wearing a Bcon tag when you’re out and about, be sure and say hi! Or put together a small group for dinner and ask anyone standing around the hotel lobby to join you.

Volunteer:
I volunteered to be on the committee of the first Bouchercon I attended. Since then I’ve been on 5 host committees, and now I’m on the Bouchercon Board. Maybe that’s more than you want to do, but there are many other fun ways to volunteer onsite at the convention. Check out the possibilities to volunteer at B'con: Murder at the Beach- Long Beach. It’s great fun!

So those are just a few tips for enjoying yourself at Bouchercon this year. Over the next few months I’ll be posting more. And, I just might be on the Bouchercon 101 panel. Or maybe Bouchercon 202… how to get even more out of your Bouchercon experience!

Hope to see you at Bouchercon: Murder at the Beach in November.

In the meantime, see you in my dreams….