I
heard Bouchercon before I saw it.
Late
on Thursday afternoon, I was lucky enough to find a meter across the street
from the Marriott Hotel right near the Mississippi River. I fed the meter,
donned my blazer, and sauntered across the street. The closer I got to the
front door, the louder the sounds became. Sure, I might be exaggerating a
little bit, but when I opened those front doors to the Marriott, I think the
entire convention population was centered in the bar. And everyone was talking.
And
I smiled.
As
this is my first Boucher time, this will be the one that all future convention
have to measure up to. From what I've seen after a day and half, this is a
spectacular convention. Registration went smoothly. In no time, I had my badge,
program, and was directed the big room full of books. And when I say they are
filled with books, I'm not kidding. There were four long tables with stacks of
books arranged alphabetically. With the six tickets I got as part of
registration, I got could pick six free books!
I
got the lay of the land that first afternoon, but most of the panels were
already done by the time I arrived. Didn't get a chance to go to a single panel
until yesterday morning. Probably the highlight of my Friday panels focused on
Ellery Queen. It goes without saying that the convention like this attracts
writers like myself — who are just starting out — all the way up to writers
like Lee Child, Harlan Coban, and David Morrell and everyone in between. Bill
Crider—and boy was it great to see him—asked me what I thought so far. My only
word was "big." Sure, I had to get over a little trepidation—there’s Otto
Penzler. There’s Joe Lansdale—but it soon went away when I remembered they're
all just normal folks here for the same thing: love mystery fiction.
As
for the city itself, this is my first time to visit New Orleans itself. I have
family who live on the North Shore, but in every visit, we never crossed the
Causeway. New Orleans is one of those towns where its 18th and 19th century self
is still apparent. Living in Houston, where most roads are wide with lots of
space, even downtown, there are a few streets in NOLA where it seems like the buildings
seem to be crowding right up against my car. Oh, and another thing: I'm from
Houston, so I’m used to humidity. New Orleans humidity is another thing
entirely.
It
goes without saying that the bulk of the focus on Bouchercon is in the
traditionally published field. To date, I am independent, but that doesn't mean
independent writers like myself aren't present. We are, but you have to know
where to look. When I met Dana King, I also met Dale T Phillips, another independent
writer and publisher. He and I struck an hour-long conversation about what it's
like to be an independent writer, the pros and the cons. In fact, Dale was the
first person to buy a copy of one of my books and asked me to sign it. Have to
say, that was pretty darn cool. I nearly asked Dana to snap a photo of me
signing a book at Bouchercon. I reciprocated by downloading one of his novels for
my Kindle. I also met Danna Wilberg and Angela Crider Neary.
I
suspect that today it’ll be much of the same. Panels, meeting people — I’ve
seen Jay, Russell, and Holly but haven’t had a chance to meet them — and more
panels.
I
have to give a special shout out and thank you to Thomas Pluck who tipped me
off about Scene of the Crime books. I got two of my novels on their table. My
third book, Wading Into War, is on display at Basement Books. Thanks to both of y'all for accommodating me.
1 comment:
So funny- didn't know you were THAT Scott Parker- of DSD- which I've followed for years! In fact, was featured on this site back in January of 2012: http://www.dosomedamage.com/2012/01/dale-t.html
And I know Holly West and Tom Pluck from previous conventions (and Tom from a shared anthology, Nightfalls). Got to chat with them both at the con. Great to make your acquaintance, but my brain didn't connect the coincidence of meeting another DSD alum among the 2000+ people at Bouchercon!
Of course I bought your book- how can one pass up a title like "All Chickens Must Die"? Finished it today, and love it- a fun romp homage to the pulps. Will post a review later, after I get caught up.
Our writing world yields some pretty cool things, and cool people. Nice to connect!
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