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….

Anthony Nominations: Bouchercon 2014-Murder at the Beach

Anthony Nominees 2014: Bouchercon 2014 -- Murder at the Beach
Winners will be at announced at Bouchercon. Congratulations to all! See you in Long Beach!

Best Mystery Novel
° Suspect by Robert Crais
° A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry
° Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
° The Wrong Girl by Hank Phillippi Ryan
° Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Best First Mystery
° Yesterday’s Echo by Matt Coyle
° Ghostman by Roger Hobbs
° Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman
° Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
° The Hard Bounce by Todd Robinson

Best Paperback Original
° The Big Reap by Chris F. Holm
° Purgatory Key by Darrell James
° Joyland by Stephen King
° The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood
° As She Left It by Catriona McPherson

Best Short Story
° “Dead Ends” by Craig Faustus Buck, Untreed Reads
° “The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository” by John Connolly
Bibliomysteries, The Mysterious Bookshop
° “Annie and the Grateful Dead” by Denise Dietz, The Sound and the Furry
° “Incident on the 405” by Travis Richardson, Malfeasance Occasional: Girl Trouble
° “The Care and Feeding of Houseplants” by Art Taylor, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March-April 2013

Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work
° Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova
° The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines by Cate Lineberry
° All the Wild Children by Josh Stallings
° The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower
° Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives edited by Sarah Weinman

Best Children’s or Young Adult Novel
° The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
° Escape Theory by Margaux Froley
° Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
° Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem
° The Code Busters Club: The Mystery of the Pirate’s Treasure by Penny Warner

Best Television Episode Teleplay First Aired in 2013
° The Blacklist, Pilot, by Jon Bokenkamp
° Breaking Bad, “Felina,” by Vince Gilligan
° The Fall, “Dark Descent,” by Allan Cubitt
° The Following, Pilot, by Kevin Williamson
° Justified, “Hole in the Wall,” by Graham Yost

Best Audio Book
° Crescendo by Deborah J Ledford, read by Christina Cox
° The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith, read by Robert Glenister
° Death and the Lit Chick by G.M. Malliet, read by Davina Porte
° Hour of the Rat by Lisa Brackmann, read by Tracy Sallows
° Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell, read by Mauro Hantman

Bouchercon Anthology: Call for Short Stories

Murder at the Beach (Bouchercon 2014 in Long Beach, CA) has posted a call for short stories for the Bouchercon Short Story Anthology.

The Anthology to be published for Bouchercon 2014 will be edited by Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Award Winner Dana Cameron.

Read more here.