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
So excited to hear about Rhys’s well-deserved award. It sounds as if the Reds are having a wonderful time at the conference. And I’m sure your panel will be a huge hit! Have fun, ladies . . . .
ReplyDeleteWhat great fun for all of you!
ReplyDeleteI am not there and am very sad about that, especially missing the Reds panel! But I'm about to hop on a bus and then a plane for the Southwest, one of my favorite places, and we'll end up at a niece's wedding in the Colorado mountains, so it's all good. Have a great rest of conf, and many well-deserved congrats to Rhys.
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip, Edith! I'm not at Bouchercon, either - but hopefully next year we'll both be!
DeleteCongratulations to Rhys! And Hank, trust me, I hope the line for your autographing stretches out the door and around the block. I'm sure Deb's panel went off beautifully, and she didn't have to use that tape measure I recommended. Julia, welcome back! And Lucy and Ingrid, just enjoy the heck out of it. Maybe, if Deb manages to twist my arm hard enough, and I don't have a concert, I'll see you all next year in Dallas.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Dallas, too!
DeleteOh gosh. I’m sad not to be there and having all that fun with you! Last year I attended Bouchercon in Toronto and loved it. I even was lucky enough to be a participant in the JRW game show. Enjoy every minute and post pics and Tweet when you can!! #Bouchercon
ReplyDeletestanding by for tweets and pics!
DeleteSo happy for Rhys's award! A well-deserved recognition of a stellar and well-crafted story. Brava!
ReplyDeleteI'm heartbroken to miss you all, and especially to miss all your shenanigans at the Reds Game Show, and to cheering you on at the awards ceremony! Fingers crossed, my dears.
In the meantime, have tons of fun, especially Julia. If you're at Malice in the spring I will buy you a drink!
Hurray for Rhys's win! It was a shoo-in! I don't do crowds well usually, but conferences can be a lot of fun when you don't have any responsibilities and can just wander around and enjoy the panels and watching people and antics! I'd love to say hi to a red leopard pashmina and the game show will be standing room only, I bet! Best of luck to all the Reds!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Rhys! And Sherry, you look wonderful with the Seal of Office. Enjoy Bouchercon - and the Florida early fall. Looks like a great event. Hope to meet all in person next year.
ReplyDeleteSigh, next year in Dallas ...
ReplyDeleteBreak a leg Reds. I'm sorry I'm not there to cheer all y'all on.
Wish all of the readers were here! It's hot and humid, but the company is great!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the Jungle Reds panel!
ReplyDeleteIt'll be a hoot!!
DeleteI'm having a wonderful time - my only complaint is after standing, walking, standing, walking for roughly the same amount of time a retail sales clerk does in a day, I'm suffering from Con Feet: where even my most comfy sandals aren't cutting it. I've been soaking my tootsies in the bathtub every evening when I get back to my hotel room!
ReplyDeleteOuch! Perennial question: why are most shoes SO uncomfortable and why is it so impossible to tell that until you've worn them for 8 hours?
DeletePretty much everything is uncomfortable after 8 hours, though, don't you think? Shoes first, but I can think of several other things I'm well past ready to ditch after 8 hours. Take care, Julia! Lotion and massage are your friends.
DeleteWish I could attend one of these conferences! I rely on those of you who are there to share each and every detail, so I can experience it through you. (But Julia, I don’t want to experience the foot issues; I have enough of my own! Hope your pain eases up soon.)
ReplyDeleteDebRo
I hope that you all have a blast and come away with lots of ideas for future work.
ReplyDeleteDeborah's Just the Facts panel sounds amazing! Looking forward to seeing tweets, etc. from the Reds game show panel.
ReplyDeleteCongratulation Rhys! And to all the JRWs, a personal thank you from me for every day that you sit down and pound out a story. Enjoy yourselves. Post lot's of pics, especially of the JRW game show!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad to be missing this but it comes right after my book tour and in the middle of edits and deadline. I know the game show this afternoon will be amazing fun! Sending love
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Rhys on the award! In Farleigh Field is one of my favorite of your books.
DeleteCongratulations, Rhys!
DeleteI hope everyone has a good time! Maybe next year. . .
ReplyDeleteFirst, C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S to Rhys on her well-deserved win of the Sue Feder Award! I'll mention that Sue was a friend of many years before her passing, and she would have loved FARLEY FIELD.
ReplyDeleteAs usual I wish I was at Bouchercon, and seeing all the fun, meeting with the friends and interesting people, trying to say hello to your JRW who are there. Not being much of a traveler, my last B'con was San Francisco, so I've missed a lot. I'll be checking back through the day and weekend for more updates. Thank you all.
We need pictures of these infamous pashminas!
ReplyDeleteLibby Dodd
Enjoy your conference! Wish I could be there.
ReplyDeleteSo happy for Rhys, her book is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI had so much fun last year, helping Hallie and Debs with signing, meeting Hank and a couple of commenters, participating at the Red' quiz and winning Ingrid's book but this year all my travelling budget goes to Australia a little later this fall
Have fun everyone. I'm planning for next year in Dallas .
So sorry I cannot be there this year. It was a treat to meet you all last year at Bouchercon in Toronto! Look forward to seeing photos of you wearing red leopard pashimana (sp?)
ReplyDeleteDiana
Congratulations Rhys! That is such a well-deserved honor. I recommend that book all the time.
ReplyDeleteWish I was there. Please keep the updates coming, so we can live vicariously. And I especially agree with Bibliophile -- we need a photo with the pashminas!
I love Bouchercon. It is such a hardship to miss this one. Waaaaaahhhhh! But I take comfort that the Reds are so well represented. Carry on, ladies!
ReplyDeleteWoot! Congratulations to Jungle Red Writers! We have always known you ladies rock. Now everyone does! A well-deserved honor!
ReplyDeleteWow JRW! Congratulations on the Anthony!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
I wish I were there, too. Sounds like so much fun. And congrats to Rhys on the the blog on their wins!
ReplyDeleteThe last thing I wanted today was a flat tire. I was on the way to the panel when disaster struck. So upset. Hope all went well. Congratulations both to Rhys and the Reds. Winners all.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the blog content award! Way to go, ladies.
ReplyDelete