HALLIE EPHRON: Today, Reds are at Bouchercon, the world's premier mystery conference. This
year it's at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort. Very elegant. Literally thousands attend, and if you're there, you might spot one of us wearing a red leopard pashmina. We are, it turns out, quite fashion-forward since animal prints and the color RED have been proclaimed officially IN this year, according to fashion pundits.Things got off with a bang at opening ceremonies Thursday with our very own Rhys Bowen's In Fairleigh Field winning a Macavity Award for best historical mystery! Other winners are Anthony Horowitz for Magpie Murders (best mystery), Sheena Kamal for The Lost Ones (best
first mystery novel), and Paul D. Marks for "Windward" (best mystery short story).And here's Lucy and Hank at the Sisters in Crime breakfast with Kellye Garrett and Sherry Harris. As SinC's new President, Sherry got the official seal of office.
Here's what we're all up to at Bouchercon.
LUCY BURDETTE: I put the red leopard pashmina in my suitcase first so I wouldn't forget! So looking forward to meeting up with Debs, Hank, Ingrid, and Julia. Our Reds panel is on Saturday at 4 and I bet it will be tons of fun. I am also moderating a great panel of culinary mystery writers on Friday at noon--sadly it's opposite a lunch with Lisa Scottolini, but hopefully we'll get a crowd anyway. And I will meet and chat with people from the Crooked Lane publisher, and participate in author speed dating, and attend the librarians' tea. Phew! It's going to be a very busy couple of days but I'm so looking forward to seeing Red Readers there. Who's here?
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Lucy, I put my pashmina in first, too! I'm so looking forward to seeing the other Reds, and all of our online friends who will be there, too. I'm on one of the kick-off panels, 10 AM on Thursday morning. It's called Just the Facts and we'll be talking about how we get our police procedural stuff right (at least I hope I get it right.) After the Opening Ceremonies on Thursday night, I'll be signing 50 free books, along with all the other Harper Collins authors who are attending. And then there's our REDs' game show panel on Saturday afternoon at 4! In between, I'll be meeting with friends and fans and folks from my publisher. Maybe I'll even manage to get to a panel or two this year!
INGRID THOFT: Don’t count on getting to any panels, Debs! There’s always so many people to see and once I start catching up with someone, it’s hard to tear myself away at the appointed time!
I’m moderating a panel about amateur sleuths on Thursday afternoon, then the Opening Ceremonies, and dinner with my publisher. Friday is a free day except for a lunch and the Shamus Awards at which I’ll be giving out the award for Best Paperback Original. The highlight of Saturday will be the Jungle Reds panel, of course. I may have to call on my fellow Reds when prepping to leave; my hubby helped me pack into a smaller suitcase this year (pashmina included!) and I may need a couple of you to sit on it! (Photo is Ingrid with Reed Farrell Coleman.)HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: My brain is frying! There are so many fabulous panels, but I fear.. well, I cannot wait, anyway.
Opening ceremonies, yay, where everyone will be! And then my publisher dinner that night. Friday, I'll be signing at the Forge hospitality room at 1:45--what book? Trust me, I'm not sure. And SO MANY meetings! On Saturday, a panel at 11am on how authors turn real life crime into fiction, and
then at 3, the Guest of Honor panel, and at 4 the REDS panel! And at 6, I am auctioneer (with Lisa Unger) for the live auction! (This is gonna be interesting...) . Then the Anthony's! Where I will not mention that JUNGLE RED is a nominee! YAY!
And yes, only a carry-on. We shall see!
(Photo below is Hank with Charles Salzberg, Reed Farrel Coleman, Krista Faust, Roseanne Coleman, and Linwood Barclay.)
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm writing this Friday morning, after attending the opening ceremonies with Lucy and having the great pleasure of seeing Rhys's IN FARLEIGH FIELD win the Macavity Sue Federer Award for best historical novel!
For me, this Bouchercon feels like a coming-out party - it's been over two years since I've done any big mystery world conferences. I'm just grateful when people recognize me! My only have-to-be-there event is the REDS panel on Saturday - and I had a moment of PANIC while packing when I couldn't find my pashmina. I remember
Youngest "borrowing" it and thought, if she's taken it up to university with her... but no, thank heavens, it was hanging in her room. I'm looking forward to lunch with my editor, my publisher's cocktail party, and dinner with my dear friend Jeff Cohen, all on Friday. Other than that, I'm just going to be hanging around looking for someone to talk to (and possibly buy me drinks, I'm not too proud.) So if you see me, stop me and say hi!
HALLIE: And now I'm so sad that I'm not there. Rhys is home, too, editing galleys and writing. We'll post more pictures as they come in. And please,
IF YOU SEE A RED LEOPARD PASHMINA, SAY SOMETHING!TODAY at Bouchercon 2018:
Annette Dashofy and Liz Milliron
TODAY eager readers lining up for the Librarians' Tea in the Grand Ballroom
