A Bouchercon To-do List--G.M. Malliet

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Fans of G.M. Malliet's Father Max Tudor books can rejoice! There's a new Max Tudor book on the horizon, THE WASHING AWAY OF WRONGS, coming on Kindle in September and in paperback in January.

But first, there is Bouchercon, and

G.M. has some tips to get us ready:

Ah, Bouchercon! That annual mecca for mystery lovers is just around the corner, and this year it’s in San Diego. Writers, readers, and mystery fans: Are you ready? Here’s a partial to-do list:

 

The Swag Hunt

You’ll need to rustle up some irresistible giveaway items. Bookmarks? Pens? This year I have coffee coasters displaying the fabulous map drawn by Rhys Davies for my newest book, Max Tudor #8, now on preorder from Hachette / Little, Brown. It is called THE WASHING AWAY OF WRONGS. 

 

The title is taken from a Chinese handbook for coroners written by Song Ci in 1247.

 

I also have new business cards with the book’s jacket and my contact information. 

The fox features in the story and helps Max solve the crime. The QR code takes you to information about all my books.

 

The Grand Auction Offering

Sure, you could offer up a signed first edition or an exclusive sneak peek into your next thriller. Readers love that. But this year, I’ve offered to gift pages from a television script for the Morse series, given to me by none other than Colin Dexter years ago at the St. Hilda’s Mystery Conference in Oxford. This donation is to benefit local literacy charities , so be sure to bring money so you can bid high. Are you as sad as I am there will be no more Morse stories?

 

The Great Packing Dilemma

To pack the swimsuit or to not pack the swimsuit? That is the question. Remember, Bouchercon is in San Diego. Sunny beaches, lovely weather… But this is a writer’s convention with little downtime and lots of walking between sessions. So, swimsuit, maybe. And comfortable shoes, definitely. Something nice to wear for the awards dinner. But don’t forget the PI trench coat!

 

The Weather Watch

San Diego has surprised us all this year with a stormy plot twist. A tropical storm and, further north, an earthquake. I’ve been texting friends and relatives who say they escaped the flooding and they’re used to the earthquakes. But now the forecast for the conference beginning August 30 is for the usual sunny San Diego skies.

 

The Reunion

Reunions in crime novels are generally times for knives out and watching one’s back, but perhaps the most happy aspect of Bouchercon is reuniting with friends, some of whom you might not have seen since the pandemic. Will they recognize you without your Zoom background? I’ve been scheduling meet-ups and coffee / dinner / party dates for weeks. But I will keep an eye out for suspicious characters. It is, after all, a mystery convention.

 

So, as you prepare for Bouchercon, remember this: While the journey might be filled with its own set of challenges (Where did I put my tickets? My reading glasses? Did my iPad make it through the TSA scanner or did it end up in lost-and-found, as happened on my last flight?), the destination promises intrigue, fun, tons of new books, and perhaps… the inspiration for what to read or write next.

 

My panel is Saturday morning at 10:10. Please join me and Maddie Margarita, Linda Sands, Mark Stevens, Sara E. Johnson, and Sylissa Franklin as we discuss “Place as Character.”

Here's more on THE WASHING AWAY OF WRONGS:

Max Tudor thought he’d left the world of deceit when he resigned from MI5 to become an Anglican priest. Then his bishop asks him to return to his Oxford college, St Luke’s, to investigate the death of its chaplain, and Max realizes there’s no leaving the past behind.

At first, Max agrees with the official police verdict of death by natural causes. The Rev. Ace Graybill was as harmless a man as ever lived. It’s difficult to see how he managed to cross anyone capable of murder.

And the suspects are all above reproach: the celebrated Principal, the cautious bursar, the wise librarian, and a raft of benign students and academics.

But someone in the college wanted the kindly chaplain dead… and looks can be very deceiving.

Agatha Award-winning G.M. Malliet is the acclaimed author of three traditional mystery series and a standalone novel set in England. The first entry in the DCI St. Just series, Death of a Cozy Writer, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for many awards, including the Macavity and the Anthony.

DEBS: Who else is ready for Bouchercon?? I can't wait for the reunion part. So many friends I haven't seen in much too long!!