B'Con

Chicago is a nice town. It's like Manhattan without the clutter. Bouchercon has so far been a great convention for me to attend. My first was Las Vegas in 2002. I've had fun and learned all along.

This time I had some very nice conversations. John Rickards kept me company on several occasions when it was quite clear I would otherwise have wandered aimlessly. I met Rebecca Pawel -- very nice and a fellow Stuy High graduate, but I'll bet she's too young to remember the Incredible Sinking Building Stuyvesant inhabited when I was a student. Anywa, bought her books and read the last one first. I'll have more to say about "The Watcher in the Pine." Right now, I'll say it was great.

Ran into David Ellis. Great guy as always. Shook hands with Ken Bruen. Now I have to read his books. Met Linda Landrigan who took my UFO story for AHMM. We'll have to do lunch. Con Lehane and Blake Crouch both had time for me. Will Thomas, whose "Some Danger Involved" I enjoyed immensely and whose "To Kingdom Come" I am enjoying, sat by my side to sign books on Sunday. Ted Fitzgerald, gracious as always. Oline Cogdill genuinely wants to know when my next book comes out so I'm psyched. Andi Schechter and SJ Rozan, a dynamic duo.

Spoke with Johnny Temple of Akashic Books. He moderated my panel at Las Vegas and liked my goatsucker book. Akashic is quite cool which reflects on Johnny who is so cool he can make being tableless at the Harlem Book Fair work for him even on a rainy day. Same, of course, goes for his Brooklyn Noir sidekick Tim Mcloughlin.

More later...