My Bouchercon

Well, I left Connecticut EARLY on Friday morning and got back LATE on Saturday night. I suppose I spent 36 hours in Baltimore so my estimate of how things went will vary greatly from the view of others. Overall, however, I have to say I quite liked it. The travel wasn't exhausting like Anchorage was and I got to meet new people and also some of the old friends from campaigns past. Like every conference, there were also a lot of waves to people I really wanted to speak to at greater length.

Had my first ever conversation with Karen Olsen, and I got to meet Spenser "Not Hawk" Quertermous who is ten days younger than my baby



but looks like he could already eat her.

Extremely interesting conversation with Russel Mclean, Dave White, and Christa Faust about exactly how touchy Marvel Comics execs would be if you tried to make a porn video using their characters. Apparently, they know quite a bit about what would happen.

Angie Johnson Schmid discovered that the easiest way to torture one Scottish writer was to simply mispronounce the word sandwich, this while waiting to be served at SHULA'S. A lot of things happened while waiting in SHULA'S. There is time enough for empires to rise and fall while waiting in SHULA'S...

Actually had a good time at the St. Martins Press party which is not something that always happens. I happen not to be a big fan of overcrowded rooms and having to shout to be heard. I also don't drink and have never really even understood the food at events like this - usually crackers and cheese. I'd have platters of chicken wings if i were putting together one of these dos. And mini-pizzas. In any event, I actually managed to have some interesting business related conversations. In fact, it does seem like there will be at least one more book the PRECINCT PUERTO RICO series.

Had a good talk with Keith Gilman whose book, a PI novel the title of which escapes me at the moment...FATHER'S DAY...will be coming out next year. Apparently, I had reviewed one of his short stories (and now his stories are everywhere) and said some encouraging words. Ain't I swell?

Scored a free copy of the latest Will Thomas novel, THE BLACK HAND. As always, I'm loving it. Read the first 180 pages on the plane ride home.

And here's a strange thing. My panel was up against an interview of Lawrence Block. He's a pretty big name in the mystery world. So before the panel, I was in the green room and in walks Mr. Block. Now, normally I'm tongue-tied when a legend walks into the room and I haven't read a single one of his novels...or short stories. (Actually, I might have read a short story recently) But I wasn't tongue-tied this time. Instead, I asked him if he was nervous about the interview. He said "No." And we talked for a minute or two. That was nice.

Much better than when I encountered James Crumley at the last ConMisterio. I wanted to talk to him, but I kept waiting for him to be sober and so I missed my opportunity.

Plenty of other great conversations including the kind where someone came up to me saying they loved my book. Those conversations invariably go well. I've forgotten a bunch, but everything was good. Wish I could have stayed another day.