Bouchercon Memories

 The winner of KILLIN' TIME IN SAN DIEGO is Lenita, in California! Lenita, please send an email to julia spencer fleming (all one word) at Gmail.com and I'll connect you to editor Holy West!

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: How to describe Bouchercon? It's a party that moves from someone's suite to the bar to the restaurant to the publisher's shindig to the hotel lobby. It's a four-day university with the best crime fiction authors in the world telling you whatever you want to know about writing mysteries. It's a massive family reunion, if you actually enjoyed seeing everyone in your family.

 

At my first B'con, in Austin, I was nervous and shy (I know, it's hard to believe,) and had the great good fortune to meet Steve Hamilton, who sat down with me and gave me SO much information about the world of crime fiction writers. 

 The next year, in Las Vegas, I swept the awards and barely remember it. What I do recall was the awful hotel/casino (it got demolished a year later!) the bug that bit my butt at the breakfast bar (which will be the title of my children's book, if I ever write one) and getting phone updates on the League Championship final during the Opening ceremonies (Boston vs. Yankees, with Ross and Lee Child parked in front of the overflow bar TV, cheering on their respective teams.)

Julia, Edith Maxwell &"Sherry Harris" in Albany

Lots of my memories are crowded with people, but some are just lovely solitary moments - walking back to my hotel in San Francisco listening to street musicians playing in the warm dark. Looking out the porthole of my room at the Queen Mary at the glittering lights of Long Beach. Starting each morning in St. Petersburg soaking up the sun while swimming laps in the hotel pool.

What about you, Reds? What are some of your memorable Bouchercon moments?

JENN McKINLAY: My favorite Bouchercon was Dallas in 2019 - all the Reds were together. Why can’t I remember the name of this drink? Perhaps I had a few too many.

 

A great many of these were consumed

  

Other memorable times were…meeting Sue Grafton for the first time in Long Beach (2014) and chatting for a half hour in a hallway. No one else approached her, which I found shocking! It was also my first Bouchercon - so wow, just wow! 

 

Another fave was Toronto (2017) where I went to the top of the CN tower! I always try to do some touring while at a conference and that tower has a glass floor. So cool! 

 

Another stellar BCon moment was Raleigh (2015) where I was told my series was getting moved into hardcover and I found out I hit #8 on the NYT which made me useless for the entire conference. Seriously, I had to meet with the head buyer for Barnes and Noble over dinner and I was as dumb as a potato. Luckily, he was very understanding and we’re still in touch. I think that’s why conferences are so important. You get to meet people and form friendships that are truly sustaining in an occupation that can be, frankly, rather lonely.

RHYS BOWEN: My first Bouchercon I knew exactly 2 people. I was chatting with one of them but had agreed to have dinner with the other. A man in the group invited me to join them for dinner. I explained I had a dinner commitment. As they walked away my acquaintance hissed, “You just turned down Jeffrey Deaver!” 

(I was clueless obviously)

My most memorable was winning two Anthony awards  in Toronto only the award was a giant tombstone I could hardly lift. I had to stagger through customs with an incredibly heavy box , trying not to look suspicious 

Rhys, Louise Penny and Debs in New Orleans

 

Other fond memories are all the Jungle Red game shows, good food  in New Orleans, walking into Austin with matching purple cowboy hats   My least favorites were the horror in Las Vegas and the dystopian Albany site.

 

JULIA: We really need T-shirts that say, "I Survived the Las Vegas Bouchercon." And Albany... sigh. Well, at least it was close enough to visit family and friends upstate.

HALLIE EPHRON: Oh dear, I do remember Albany. An impossible city for a conference of that size. I felt bad for the folks who worked so hard to organize it.

I vividly remember my first Bouchercon - it was in Denver (in 2000? Egads). I knew *NO ONE*! I remember after eating alone I wandered over to the bar where Lee Child was holding forth, and chickened out on hanging out. Only now do I realize what a welcoming place that conference can be, wherever it’s held.

My all time favorite (after the Jungle Red game panels which have been fabulous) was when I got to interview GoH Elizabeth George. She is so lovely and smart and it was a breeze. 

 

GOH Elizabeth George & Hallie

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well, so many, and I think I remember the good ones more clearly. Certainly being Guest of Honor in Dallas, that was…well, I am still floating. I still kind of can’t believe it.  And I got to interview James Patterson, who was incredible, hilarious, and absolutely brilliant. I adore him, and we have stayed pals.  (Did you know he mentioned me and how much he loved  that interview in his autobiography? Aww.)

What is Patterson saying to Hank?

 

Anyway, yes, chatting with Sue Grafton. And  the time in maybe Cleveland, where I saw a guy putting out WHIrl360  tote bags, which I knew was for my favorite book at the time, Trust Your Eyes. And I said: “Are you putting out those for Linwood Barclay? I love that book, may I have one?” And turns out, it WAS Linwood Barclay, so that was nice.

And the moment in St. Louis  when William Landay told me he was worried that there were so many arcs of Defending Jacob, because he feared no one would buy it because everyone would already have it. I remember I said: Boucheron is NOT everyone. 

And when Robert Crais had to cancel at the last minute, and the Bouchercon people, in a real Hollywood moment, asked me if I could fill in for him and interview David Baldacci the next day. Well, of COURSE I could. And did. And it was great.

And winning the ANTHONY four times.  PLUS another time winning with the Reds for this very blog! (Where was that, you all?) And every moment with the Reds!

 

JULIA: St. Petersburg! I missed the awards because I was deep in conversation with Brad Parks and lost track of the time. Go on, Hank, I cut you off. What about your first?

HANK: Oh, my first Bouchercon? In Baltimore. I was MISERABLE, and lonely,  and decided to give up on this whole writing thing. Lee Child, who just happened to be there when I was looking pensive, and asked me about it,  told me not to. And I always do what Lee Child says.

LUCY BURDETTE: My first Bcon was in Milwaukee– 2000? I knew not a soul and I was petrified! Terrified! If I hadn't wanted to get published so badly, I probably would have flown right home. I am truly not a natural extrovert, so a big conference like that was very challenging. I have so enjoyed the times the Reds are able to all get together, especially to do a game show. My favorite might have been the one that Julia’s Ross filled in. He was hysterical! This is the photo of the Reds winning best website in St. Petersburg. Oh but wait, Dallas was great fun too, and it was an honor to interview our own Debs!

 

Some extremely happy & honored Reds in St. Petersburg

 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, so many Bouchercons, so hard to choose! My first Bouchercon was in Pasadena in 1991! I was so nervous and so overwhelmed. But people were so nice and I made friends I still have to this day. I remember Jonathan Gash (he wrote Lovejoy, if you remember) stopped and spoke to me and I thought, “Wow, a real author just talked to me!"

Dallas was fabulous for so many reasons, but some of the others that stand out in memory: Las Vegas (the worst hotel, ugh); Raleigh (my luggage went to California); Albany (we all know how many times we walked up and down those hills but, still, I had a great time at that one); Toronto (Susan Shea and I discovered a pen shop!); St. Petersburg, where the Reds won Anthony!  I am so excited to be making more memories in San Diego.

 

Debs & our own Ann Mason in Toronto

 

 JULIA: Notice how everyone has a happy memory of Lee Child at Bouchercon? That goes to show what a truly lovely gentleman he is. Now it's your turn, dear readers. Share your memories of B'con or any other literary conference/ festival you've been to. And if you're appearing in San Diego today, tomorrow or Sunday, let us know in the comments! 

Good eating in Cleveland! by Kylie Logan

JENN McKINLAY: My only quality time in Cleveland was sitting on a plane in December while they de-iced the wings with a hose full of that orangey Gatorade looking stuff. But Kylie has managed to talk me into going back and eating myself silly. Here she is to convince you, too!

Kylie Logan: There’s a lot to like about my hometown, Cleveland, Ohio.

         For one thing our weather is (except for the notable exception now and then) pretty darned pleasant.  We don’t have earthquakes.  We don’t have to endure mud slides.  And though I’m no scientist, I’d say the chance of having a tsunami on Lake Erie are mighty slim.

         Don’t get me wrong, like all large urban areas, we have our share of problems.  But you know what?  Food isn’t one of them.

         Here’s the thing about Cleveland: back in the late 19^thand early 20^thcenturies when the country was booming and factories were begging immigrants to come to our shores and provide a cheap source of labor, a lot of foreigners came to Cleveland.  They worked in steel mills and in ship yards.  They powered our railroad industry and built our skyscrapers.

         They came from all over the world.  In fact, there is one area of town (a trendy urban neighborhood called Tremont) where there were 38 churches in a three-mile square section of the city.  Why?  Because the Poles there needed a church that spoke their language.  And so did the Greeks, and the Syrians, the Russians and the Hungarians.  All those people.  All those languages.  All that glorious food!

         Here on the North Coast, we’re still taking advantage of our culinary good luck.  Look online for Cleveland restaurants and sure, you’ll see stylish places like the ones run by Iron Chef Michael Symon.  But you’ll also see places that serve Ethiopian food.  And a French café in a carriage house.  The best Mexican food you can imagine can be found at the back counter of a grocery store. Within an easy drive of anywhere, you can satisfy food cravings for everything from German schnitzel to Middle Eastern hummus, pasta to pierogi.

         It’s no wonder that when I was looking for a hook on which to hang a cozy mystery series, I chose ethnic food.  Around here, it goes with the territory.

         The first book in the series was “Irish Stewed.” My husband’s family is Irish so in addition to featuring recipes in the book for things like colcannon (the fabulous mashed potato/steamed cabbage and kale we make in 50 pound quantities for the family St. Pat’s party), I also had the opportunity to explore the boisterous, fiercely loyal relationships that are so much a part of families with Irish roots.  In “French Fried,” I crossed the Channel and got to furnish a farmhouse in sweet French country style and cook a cassoulet that’s so easy, it has become one of our go-to meals.

         And now, the third book in the series has premiered.  “Italian Iced” gives me the opportunity to explore one of the favorite cuisines on the planet.  

         Of course there’s more to every mystery than just talk of food and the recipes included in every book.  In the case of the Ethnic Eats Mysteries, there’s the restaurant in Hubbard, Ohio where most of my main characters work, Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks, a place that was down on its luck until my heroine, Laurel, decided to feature ethnic cuisine specials on the menu.  And there is murder, too, of course.  In “Italian Iced,” the victim is a friend from Laurel’s past, found frozen to death in the restaurant freezer. Talk about a cold case!

         Have no fear, Laurel and company will work things out.  And when they do, I guarantee, they’ll celebrate with the perfect ethnic food.

So, what about you, Reds and readers, what is your favorite ethnic food? Chinese? Italian? Polish? Mexican? Irish? Thai?

Kylie Logan also writes the League of Literary Ladies Mysteries, Chili Cook-Off Mysteries, and the Button Box Mysteries.

More about Kylie: So maybe you already know that I'm not just Kylie Logan, I'm also Casey Daniels and a few other writers, too. What's it like to have multiple personalities and the pen names to go with them? Well, I was once lucky enough to interview mystery great Elizabeth Peters for an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She writes under more than one name, too, and she described the experience perfectly, “If you're only one person,” she said, “you're boring!” 

And I guess I'd add to that—if you only write one mystery series, you're boring, too! Or maybe you're just not getting visited as often by the Idea Fairy. The only way to keep that particular critter quiet is to follow where those ideas lead and to date, they've led me to write three different mystery series under the Kylie name.

So who is Kylie? I'm a fulltime writer who has loved mysteries since I was a kid. My dad was a Cleveland Police detective, and he introduced me to Sherlock Holmes stories. He also gave me my first investigating experiences when on his days off, we'd pile into the car and hit the streets to look for stolen cars. When he retired from the force, Dad became the head of security for the Cleveland Public Library.

Crooks and books! I guess I come by my love for mysteries honestly. 

DEBS' VISITS "A CHRISTMAS STORY" HOUSE

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  If you haven't seen A Christmas Story, the film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, it's a Christmas must. The film, based roughly on Shepherd's childhood in Hammond, Indiana, opened to a modest reception just before Thanksgiving in 1983. Darren McGavin plays Mr. Parker (The Old Man), Melinda Dillon, Mrs. Parker, and Peter Billingsley is Ralphie, whose dream is to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. The film is narrated by Shepherd himself (who co-wrote the film with director Bob Clark) as a grown-up Ralphie.

In the years since its release, based on television and home video airings, the film is now ranked by AOL as the #1 Christmas movie of all time, and in 2012 was added to the National Film Register. Told with warmth and humor, this simple story enchants viewers of all ages.

Although set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, many of the exterior scenes were filmed in a Victorian house in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Fast forward to 2004, when San Diego entrepreneur Brian Jones, a fan of the movie since childhood, had begun a successful business manufacturing "Leg Lamps" based on the "major award" won by The Old Man in the film. Jones saw the Cleveland house for sale on eBay and bought it, sight unseen. Two years and several hundred thousand dollars worth of renovation later, the house opened to the public as a museum on November 25, 2006. Jones gutted the house and recreated the interior sets used in the film as closely as possible.

Fast forward again to October, 2012, when my friend Marcia Talley and I attended Bouchercon 2012 in Cleveland. The last stop of our weekend on a cold, drizzly Sunday afternoon was a visit to the A Christmas Story house, its accompanying museum, and gift shop. (Yes, you can buy replicas of Ralphie's bunny suit. And your very own Leg Lamp. And many other things.) 

Here's the house as it looks today. 

The house is furnished with reproductions--the original props and costumes that were salvaged are in the little museum across the street--and visitors are given every opportunity to pose in the iconic setting. Here I am showing off the Leg Lamp from the front porch while we wait for our tour group to be admitted.

 Here Marcia and I "show a leg" in the living room.





 And I even crawled under the kitchen sink, where Ralphie's little brother Randy hides, a favorite posing spot for visitors.

Silly? Yes. Hugely fun? Yes. Next time you're in Cleveland, Ohio, I highly recommend a visit. In the meantime, get out your DVD, or watch the Christmas Eve marathon showing of A Christmas Story  on TV.


 
Oh, and by the way, Peter Billingsley grew up to be quite dishy.
 
 So, REDs and readers, do you love A Christmas Story, too?

PS: The winner of THE WALNUT TREE is Karen B. Karen,  if you'll email me at deb at deborahcrombie dot com with your address, I'll forward it to the Todds. Enjoy!
 

Jungle Reds Rock at Cleveland Convention

RED RHYS: Greetings from wet, cold Cleveland where the Jungle Reds are currently enjoying a fabulous Bouchercon convenion. For those of you who don't know, Bouchercon is the annual world mystery convention at which the whole mystery/thriller-writing community gathers to feast, drink, learn and laugh. Many big names from our profession are here and it's a chance for fans to meet and mingle with their idols.

Last night the opening ceremonies were held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I have to say I was impressed with the glass and steel building and the giant guitars outside although the noise level inside was a bit much to take. But toastmaster John Connelly gave a good speech, guests of honor were introduced, including Mary Higgins Clark and Robin Cook, and the MacAvity, Dilys, and Barry Awards were presented.

There was a librarians breakfast that Hallie, Julia and I attended and at which Mary Higgins Clark spoke, then some excellent and diverse panels all morning.

But the central event of the convention was looming for us Jungle Reds. We decided that panels at these conventions can get a little serious and can repeat themselves, so we wanted to try something difference. We decided to hold our own game show--The Jungle Red a mystery version of Family Feud--and we weren't at all sure how it would be received, or whether we could pull it off. A brief rehearsal last night indicated it might be a career-ending moment for all of us. But Hallie had put in so much work, getting her computer to recreate the board, visuals and music from the game show. She had also endured embarrassment and possible jail when the game show buzzers went off in her bag while going through security. So we didn't feel we could plead a sudden case of the Black Death and not show up.

So dressed to perfection in our new jungle red pashminas that Hank had found for us, our nails painted bright Jungle Red and forced hopeful smiles on our faces, we showed up in the ballroom this afternoon. We were rather astounded to see that the ballroom was packed to overflowing, in fact some people had to resort to going up to the balcony. We were announced, one by one, came out from behind the curtains and the show started.

The other team (of Julia, Lucy and Debs) came up with great answers to what kind of evidence you'd find at a crime scene. Our token male Red for the afternoon, Julia's husband Ross, had to be restrained from claiming that "circumstantial" was a good answer. I also had to wrestle the buzzer away from him on several occasions but his high spirits delighted the audience. 

One of the questions that stumped us was who should play Reacher in the movie. One of the answers we didn't get was "anyone other than Tom Cruise." Liam Nissen was the number one answer, which made more sense than Lucy's suggestion  of Jack Nickleson or Dustin Hoffman (proving how long it is since she's been to the movies).

For every winning answer we gave out prizes. The audience laughed, shouted out answers and had a good time. And that is what it was all about. I think we'll all stick to writing mysteries rather than try and take Vanna White's job away from her!

Tonight it's cocktail parties and schmoozing in the bar. Tomorrow more panels and tomorrow night our own Red Lucy's short story is nominated for one of the Anthony Awards. It has been great putting names to faces of those of you who follow our blog and send us your interesting comments.

And those of you who are with us at Bouchercon, do share your experiences!