by John Floyd
In November I attended my sixth Bouchercon mystery convention, in Dallas. My wife, Carolyn, and I drove from our home in Mississippi, partly because I don’t fit well in airplane seats, and partly because I just don’t have the patience anymore for all the mumbo-jumbo at the airport. (I really need to try to trade all those frequent-flyer miles left over from my IBM career for something more useful, like frequent-moviegoer tickets.) Anyhow, our mode of travel for this trip was private automobile instead of commercial aircraft, and except for running into a rainy cold front halfway there, we had a pleasant and enjoyable drive.
I enjoyed the conference. I’ve heard some writers say they prefer smaller gatherings, but one reason I like Bouchercon is that it IS big, and therefore attracts a lot of writers, some of whom I know from earlier meetings and some from a computer full of emails and blog posts. I also like the fact that it includes readers as well as writers. I’m not saying I have a lot of groupies—my fans are mostly my publisher and my wife, and I’m not always sure about my wife—but it’s impossible to write a lot for mystery magazines and not occasionally run into folks at a mystery conference who tell you they like your creations, whether they really mean it or not. And where else can you spot literary heroes like James Patterson, Sandra Brown, Lawrence Block, Elizabeth George, Laura Lippman, Robert Crais, and so on, in the wild? Or sit down and meet face-to-face with your editors? Very few of mine live in the sunny South.
Let me say one thing, up front. I don’t go to Bouchercons for the panels and other events. I do attend them, and I always enjoy them and learn something, but that’s not my primary reason. I go to Bouchercons to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. I did a lot of both this time.
Highlights of this year’s conference, for me:
- Short-story panel. I sat on only one panel this year, and enjoyed it, probably because of the make up of mostly longtime friends. They called it “Short and Sweet–and Sometimes Dark,” and featured me, James Lincoln Warren, R.T. Lawton, Mysti Berry, Michael Bracken, and moderator Barb Goffman.NOTE: If a better panel moderator than Barb Goffman exists anywhere, I have yet to meet them. She’s wonderful.
- Catching up a bit with old friends. I won’t try to list them here, for fear I might leave someone out, but you know who you are. In this sense, Bouchercon always feels a little like coming back to school after summer vacation and seeing all your pals again.
- Meeting for the first time (in person) several longtime email or Facebook buddies: Kevin Tipple, Travis Richardson, Frank Zafiro, Kaye George, Alan Orloff, Rick Ollerman, Dixon Hill, William Dylan Powell, and WPNews editor Sandra Murphy.
Signing of the 2019 Bouchercon anthology. I knew only the editor and two of the other contributors, one of whom was unable to attend B’con this year, but we had a good time at the release party, and a big crowd attened the signing. Those of you who have done this in the past know it’s a fun session, and I saw the new book for the first time, always a thrill. Several folks even brought copies of previous Bouchercon anthologies to get them signed. I’ve been fortunate enough to be featured in the most recent four: this one, Florida Happens, Passport to Murder, and Blood on the Bayou.- The book room. I find this a place to run into people I’ve tried to catch, and I love browsing the shelves even though I already own far too many mysteries. I especially enjoyed visiting with Don and Jen Longmuir, who this time oversaw the book room but didn’t represent their own store, Scene of the Crime Books in Ontario and who have always been SO good to me in selling the books I bring to Bouchercons. I also had a great time talking with Joe R. Lansdale and his daughter Kasey, both wonderful writers, at their book tables. I thought I owned all of Joe’s novels and story collections, but I found and bought a few more from him this trip. Another reason I like Joe Lansdale: He’s from East Texas, so I can understand him when he speaks.
- Signing at the MWA tables. Those who participated got a half-hour to sit and sign anything anyone brought to us: books, anthologies, magazines, programs, etc. This turned out, as expected, more of a visiting session than a signing, but I think it worked. I sat beside Charles Salzberg and thoroughly enjoyed our time together. That’s the great thing about this kind of event—I probably wouldn’t have even met Charles otherwise. Thanks, Margery Flax, for assigning me a table.
- An informal get-together of the contributors to Michael Bracken‘s new P.I. anthology, The Eyes of Texas (which takes the prize, I think, for the best title I’ve ever seen for an anthology, along with Barb’s upcoming Crime Travel anthology. About half the authors in The Eyes of Texas attended, and it felt great seeing the ones I knew and meeting the ones I didn’t. I admire them all. Some of us even had dinner together the first night and lunch the next day.
Overall I thought this one of the best Bouchercons I’ve gone to. The hotel, the events, the guests of honor, the location, the food, everything–except for maybe the weather during the first couple days–was excellent. I’ve heard some horror stories about some of the B’cons I missed over the years, and I’m glad this one worked so well.
As for regrets, I have only two.
I missed seeing several people I really hoped to meet or reconnect with: Jan Grape, Jim Wilsky, Cathy Pickens, Paul Marks, Jane Lee, Earl Staggs, Greg Herren, Marcia Preston, Dennis Palumbo, a few others, Maybe next time.
My other regret is that the Bouchercon anthology signing happened in same time slot as several other sessions I’d have enjoyed attending: the presentation of the Derringer Awards, a Bill Crider tribute, and an Elizabeth George interview. I missed all three, but, as I mentioned, I experienced a good time at the signing.
So, those are my observations. Did you attend this year? If so, what did you think? Have you attended other Bourchercons in the past? How many? Which of those do you think were the best? Do you plan to go to Sacramento next year?
As for this year’s conference, I thought it a great four or five days, spent in the company of friends and acquaintances and my wife and 1,800 writers and readers who love mysteries. What’s better than that?
First published on the SleuthSayers, Professional Crime-Writers and Crime-Fighters blog on November 16. Reprinted with permission.
John M. Floyd’s work has appeared in more than 250 publications, including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, The Strand Magazine, Mississippi Noir, The Saturday Evening Post, and two editions of The Best American Mystery Stories. A former Air Force captain and IBM systems engineer, John is also an Edgar nominee, a three-time Derringer Award winner, and a recipient of the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer Award for lifetime achievement. His seventh book, The Barrens, was released in late 2018.