Top 10 Things I Learned at Bouchercon 2010

Your first Bouchercon always holds a very special place in your heart and your memories. So Indy will always be special for me in that respect. However, San Francisco will always be special for me as well. It was nothing short of spectacular and yes, partly because I am still so very much the fan girl. Bouchercon for me is equivalent to turning a movie junkie loose on the red carpet before the Oscars. These are all my movie stars and I'm permitted to run loose among them - and no one arrests me for it! ;-) For me Bouchercon San Francisco was five days of walking on air.

Last year I talked about the 10 things I learned in Indy. So, I'll continue the tradition and share the top 10 things I learned this year in San Francisco. And then throughout the week I'll share my highlights from those five days, including my panel! So, here we go:

10.Judy Bobalik is the BEST roommate. And NO! You cannot steal her. She's MY roomie!

9. Growing up, I always wanted a brother - I have two younger sisters. Now I've got one through my Crimespree family, and I simply couldn't have imagined one more terrific than Jeremy Lynch. He and I shared the experience of being first-time moderators this year. Spending time with Jeremy, his wife Jill and his mother Sharon was definitely one of the great highlights of this trip!
8. There was NO WHERE I would have preferred to be Friday night than in China Town watching Gar Anthony Haywood announce Brad Parks as the winner of the Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel. While circumstances prevented him from being in attendance, the PWA also awarded Robert Crais the Lifetime Achievement Award. I think that makes 2010 a year to remember for the Shamus!

7. Mark Billingham and Daniel Woodrell absolutely ROCK! 'Nough said.

6. Reed Farrel Coleman and his wife once had a fight over whether Steve Hamilton was ugly or not. He's NOT by the way! He IS funny, smart and talented. Loved having the chance to meet him in person.

5. Books and sports can bring perfect strangers together. I experienced both this weekend.

4. Christa Faust is stunningly gorgeous, classy, witty and smart as a whip - even first thing Sunday morning! And you simply can't hate her for it because she's genuinely nice, gracious and generous as well. But don't repeat this because we don't want to damage her reputation!

3. When given the chance, don't ever pass up the opportunity to see Val McDermid.

2. Meeting virtual friends in real life is as much a part of the amazing experience as meeting the authors.

1. And yes, #1 is the same as last year's #1, but you can't be reminded of this too often: I LOVE being a part of the Crimespree family!