Bouchercon Diary - Day Two

Alrighty, let's return to the Bouchercon recap! Friday, Day 1 (for me), was outstanding. How did Saturday have a chance? mmm....

I got up a little on the early side, took care of the bothersome necessities (shower, dressing, etc). Then I wandered out to find some tea and the first panel I was going to attend. I went to the Kindle presentation, more out of curiosity than anything else - I'm not actually interested in getting a Kindle. Kindle/Amazon won't attend our organization's conference so I was interested to see what they would have to say. It was evident pretty early on that the content was directed at authors and publishers, so I quietly bowed out before the session was over. This little disappearing act enabled me to get in line 1st for Lee Child signing table. I wanted to have him sign his memoir scrapbook page. Honestly, had I not been in a position to do this, I probably wouldn't have gotten it signed simply because his lines were always so long and that turns impersonal. To me that's not fun. It's just a matter of how fast can we move people through this line, kind of thing. But, I did get in line first, and I snapped this picture - not so great, but it was all I got.



Then I got back into line, this time to see David Morrell and have him sign HIS memoir page.


By the time I had gotten both of those taken care of, the next round of panels had already gotten under way, so I decided to forgo a panel and wander around. That's when I found this handsome fella hangin' out:


And then I sat for a bit and chatted with this other handsome guy, Duffy Dombrowski's alter ego:


I did by the way get my requisite hugs from both of these fine gentlemen! ;)

Finally, I hooked up with a third handsome guy for lunch! Michael Lister - who in all my giddiness I neglected to grab a picture with - met me for lunch and we enjoyed a very nice conversation. I had the chance to congratulate him on Michael Connelly giving him a shout out about his new book in Connelly's interview from the day before. Michael Connelly and I share an appreciation of Michael Lister's DOUBLE EXPOSURE. And let me tell you how flattered I was that he made time to get together with me when he was flying out that afternoon after his panel. Super, super nice guy. If you ever have the chance to meet him, by all means, snatch it up!

After lunch I sprinted back to my room and reorganized my books in my bag and headed off to what turned out to be the absolute BEST panel I attended at Bouchercon. This panel was titled "IMBA and the Dilys Winn Award." Between the facts that the panel was opposite a panel with Harlan Coben, in a large room and I arrived early, I got a front row seat for William Kent Krueger, Louise Penny and Sean Chercover, moderated by Robin Agnew (from Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor). The chemistry of the folks on this panel worked amazingly. All three authors were laid back, candid, funny. They talked about starting out in the publishing business and funding their own book tours. They talked about both good and bad experiences at independent book stores - or in Louise's case, at a library. If you can see in these pictures, at one point Louise was embarrassed by something she said so she swapped name tents with Sean. I heard a lot of people talking about the panel with Harlan Coben that the fact that it was a good one, but honestly, I wouldn't have traded being in this session for anything! Well, maybe that's exaggerating a little - maybe there are a FEW things, but I definitely wouldn't have swapped it for any other session!








Afterwards I toddled over to have Sean sign my books - I'd managed to corner Louise before lunch that day. So Sean signed my books (on one he wrote "P.S. - see ya online" too cool!! O.k., geeky fangirl moment, give me a break!) and then I still had some time; I looked around and found LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN!! Yay! I was looking so forward to meeting her. I only had to wait for one other person to finish up and I walked up to her table and said, "Libby, I'm Jen, can I come around and hug you?" So, I got to share a big hug with Libby and a little bit of chit chat. I truly admire her and it was a wonderful experience to get to meet her. But again, no picture. I WILL get one soon, though. More on that later. The other person I got to meet at this time, who I was very much looking forward to was Rebecca Cantrell. She's another of the Criminal Minds bloggers. Oh! She is just amazingly wonderful. Just like with Sophie, I felt as though I had known her my whole entire life.


Then the big moment was upon me...my Hot Ticket session! With Michael Connelly! I truly admire him. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person for whom the spotlight comes easy, and that makes me admire him even more. Being in the spotlight constantly all weekend long has to be exhausting when it doesn't feel natural. But anyway, he was wonderful in our session, and answered everyone's questions. The MWA Midwest chapter that organized this did a very nice job and they made sure that everyone had a chance to ask questions and no one person dominated. This is where we found out the little tidbit about Robert Crais. Michael was explaining that both he and Crais had secretly stopped reading each other's work so that the same kinds of things didn't end up creeping into the other's books since they are both set in L.A. But, they concocted the idea to have each other's character cameo in the opposite's book. Each author would send the paragraph that the other's character was in to the other author for final approval. RC had Harry Bosch out behind the police station smoking...four books after Harry QUIT smoking! Michael sent Robert an email that said "BUSTED!" I just love that story. He talked about his feelings toward BLOODWORK, the movie, and the fact that he wouldn't be able to pick a Hollywood name to play Bosch because there isn't an actor that fits his image of Bosch that he's created in his mind throughout the years. I then asked him about audiobooks and if he's unable to hear them because they don't sound like what he believes Bosch should sound like. He said yes, that was exactly the case, but that he did listen to an abridged version of one of his books that Burt Reynolds did because someone told him to do that if he wanted a laugh. He said he didn't find what Burt Reynolds did at all funny!



What endeared me the most to Michael Connelly in this session, was when he said, "I know this is going to sound like I have an ego, and I do have an ego. I know I'm a good writer; I know I'm a talented writer. But there are a lot of good writers, talented writers in this business. I also had a lot of luck, more than any one person should probably be allowed to have." What he viewed as being entirely arrogant, I saw as incredible modesty. This man has made an amazing impact on the crime fiction genre; he has given back so much to the mystery community; and I was extremely humbled to be able to attend this session. It was wonderful. He still intimidates the hell out of me, though!

Afterwards Michael graciously signed our books (and my memoir page), I was able to chat a few minutes with Shannon Byrne, Michael's publicists and a great friend to Jen's Book Thoughts, and then I darted over to the book room to have Reed Farrel Coleman sign my books. He had a panel while I was in with Michael Connelly, so I wanted to make sure I grabbed him. On one book, Reed signed "To sixy Jen." Hehehe! He's so creative!


Alright! Now it was time for the Anthony Awards. I found Jon and Ruth Jordan and David Thompson and asked to follow along because once again, I didn't know where I was going. And we headed on over to the Hilbert Circle Theater. Very beautiful theater but none of my pictures came out thanks to the lighting. I'm sure that you heard about the Anthony Award winners already, so I'll just say that it was special for me to be able to congratulate Sean Chercover, Jon & Ruth Jordan and Chris Grabenstein in person. I was extremely happy for them all. I was also especially happy for Rosemary Harris who was nominated in the category of Best First Novel. S.J. Rozan was a magnificent toast master. What a witty character she is. And Michael Connelly was all class when he awarded S. J. Rozan her award for toast master. She was technically supposed to award it to herself, but he took it upon himself to bestow the award appropriately. Good guy!

After the awards there was a bit of a reception in the lobby. I finally caught up with Robin Burcell. I was so thrilled to have a chance to see her and talk with her and grab this picture:


I also snagged Hank Philippi Ryan so she could sign her scrapbook page. She cried. I didn't want her to cry, but I was also flattered that my project created that much emotion for her. What a lovely, lovely person she is. S.J. Rozan signed her memoir, as did Marcus Sakey and Jason Pinter. I met Megan Abbott in person.

Finally as I wrapped up my time at the theater, I met up with Robin Agnew and my friend Patti O'Brien and we went to dinner at a very nice brewery. Great dinner, great conversation. And the night still wasn't over!

After heading back to the hotel, I made my way to the Artsgarden for the charity auction. The auctioneers were Donna Andrews and Chris Grabenstein - thus, why I said Chris could make his living this way if he ever left writing. The items in this auction were way beyond my means, but it was fun to watch. A character name in an upcoming Sue Grafton went for a couple thousand dollars. Yikes! But, it was all for charity and that is wonderful.




I headed back to the Hyatt hotel bar after that, where I met up with Sophie Littlefield again. She and some others were headed over to Lee Child's Reacher Creature party and they invited me to tag along. So, off I went!

It was rather insane at the Slippery Noodle. The place was wall-to-wall people, so between the live music and all the people, you couldn't hear a thing unless you were right up against the person talking, and preferably with them talking directly into your ear! Plus, if you wanted to move anywhere, you pretty much had to shove your way through. I did get to see Reed Farrel Coleman dancing:


And snapped this picture of Brett Battles and Sophie:


But, I told Sophie I thought I would go; that wasn't really my speed. But, she and Brett left with me and we went to a gen-u-ine Hoosier bar, as Sophie called it! We had a great time there. Fun conversation, cool bartender, people watching. Juliet Blackwell joined us after awhile. Sophie really liked the deer heads mounted on the wall, and we all especially liked the poinsettia decorations which we decided had probably been up since LAST Christmas. But that's o.k., it was still great!

And finally, about 11, we headed back to the Hyatt bar where we met up with Rebecca Cantrell, Kelli Stanley, and I also got to snag Jason Pinter for a picture. I have to watch the scrapbook around him, though! ;) Jason's fun. I enjoy talking to him.


And that's where I called it a night, but lord, what a night it all turned out to be! Another awesome day at Bouchercon! Tomorrow I'll wrap up with the last day of Bouchercon and the scrapbook pictures. I hope you'll check back. Until then, happy reading!

Top 10 Things I Learned at Bouchercon

O.k., I have so much to share with you all about Bouchercon. There aren't enough adjectives to describe the extent of amazing-ness. There WILL be other Bouchercon's for me, but this one will always hold a very special honor in my memories.

So, anyway, I'm going to start out with a quick little fun post before I load you down with all the fabulous details. Here are the top 10 things I learned at Bouchercon in Indianapolis:

10. It is still legal to smoke in a bar in Indianapolis. It was a little strange to see since it is not legal in Ohio to do so.

9. Reed Farrel Coleman is a very good dancer.

8. Steve Hockensmith knows his television commercials, but didn't know he was writing a western.

7. While I seem to be cold most all of my life, I was not so at Bouchercon and should have packed lighter clothes to avoid the embarrassing sweating! October in Indianapolis - who knew?

6. Brett Battles is a true gentleman. There are some left!

5. Sophie Littlefield will break my husband's knees (whoever my husband may turn out to be) if he's ever bad to me.

4. Michael Connelly discovered Robert Crais wasn't really reading his Harry Bosch books when they decided to have their characters cameo in each other's novels.

3. If Chris Grabenstein ever decides to stop writing (I'll break HIS knees - no, just kidding), he can pursue a career as an auctioneer.


2. Tom Schreck and Jason Pinter are both VERY tall - and yes, VERY handsome.


1. I absolutely LOVE being called a part of this family! :)

You Have the Right to Six Words - Lucky Number 13

I do hope being part of week number 13 is a good thing for our authors today and no kind of curse. Maybe I should have said this is 14 not 13; you know, like they do in hotel buildings. I still don't understand that concept. Just because you name it 14, does that make it 14? Well, I digress (surprise, surprise). We have recapped all the memoirs from interviews, so from this point forward we have all new memoirs. We have some new memoirs from people who joined us for interviews but I held their memoirs back. The first author is one of those people.

Jeff Cohen is the author of both the Aaron Tucker Mystery series and the Double Feature Mystery series. He came to writing novels through a wide array of writing positions: newspaper journalist, municipal reporter, public relations, trade journalist, freelance reporter. Jeff has also worked on script writing and had some of his work developed by Jim Henson Productions, CBS, Gross-Weston Productions, and Ken Walz Productions. Jeff's first novel, FOR WHOM THE MINIVAN ROLLS, actually started out as a screenplay. It wasn't working out quite the way he wanted, so he decided to write a bit as though it would be a novel. He hoped this would provide him an outline for the screenplay. Instead, that bit turned into a full-blown novel and the Aaron Tucker Mystery series was born. Jeff's love of comedic movies lead to the character of Elliot Freed and his all-comedy movie theater in the Double Feature Mystery series. This year saw the publication of the third book in that series, A NIGHT AT THE OPERATION. Sadly, this may be the last book of the series as well. Jeff is, however, hard at work on another project, but Elliot will be sorely missed. But you never can tell what the future may bring. The present brings us Jeff's memoir:

Got married.
Had kids.
Wrote books.

It doesn't get much more succinct than that! My rest of our authors today are brand new to Jen's Book Thoughts, so please give them a warm welcome.

Louise Ure has consistently set her books in the Southwest, but she's traveled the world. She attended college in Tucson, Dijon France, and Glendale, Arizona. Her 25 years in the advertising and marketing world took her to three different continents, and she now lives in San Francisco, California. It's a fascination with the magic, mystery and legends that pull her back to the Southwest when she writes, though. In 2002 she set to work on a life-long dream of writing fiction. In 2005 she published her first novel, FORCING AMARYLLIS, and earned herself a Shamus Award for Best First Novel. LIAR'S ANONYMOUS was released this past April and marks Louise's third successful novel. And of course you know I cannot possibly leave off this detail from Louise's bio: "Louise currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and whichever senior golden retriever rescue dog has most recently captured her heart." And her own summation:

Arizona girl happy in Fog City.

Jason Pinter is the best-selling author of the Henry Parker thriller series, which has been nominated for the Barry Award, the Strand Critics Award, the Romantic Times Booklovers Reviewers Choice Award (say that one three times fast), and the Crimespree Award. This young writer started out as a book editor and acclaimed blogger before earning his first book deal with MIRA Books. He's now been published in over 12 different countries, and was one of the authors included in the short story collection KILLER YEAR. This year he has two new books being published in the Henry Parker series. First he will release THE FURY at the end of September and then at the beginning of December he will release THE DARKNESS. He's a pop culture connoisseur and a budding golfer. Whether writing novels, short stories or blog posts, Jason

Loved telling stories worth being told.

Last but not least this week I welcome a household name in crime fiction these days. The list of award nominations is rarely read without the name Sean Chercover somewhere on it. And the number of times he takes home the prize just keeps increasing. What makes this even more astounding is the fact that Sean has accumulated all these kudos in the course of his first two books: BIG CITY BAD BLOOD and TRIGGER CITY. O.k., wait, I'll correct myself. He also claims awards and nominations for short stories he wrote including "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" and "One Serving of Bad Luck."

A Canadian native, Sean found his way to Chicago via South Carolina and attended the American Security Training Institute to qualify to work as a Private Detective, Security Consultant, and Bodyguard. After working as a PI in Chicago and later New Orleans, Sean returned to Canada to work as a writer and video editor in the television industry. In addition to the television and PI industries, Sean has had a go as a screenwriter, truck driver, waiter, nightclub magician, car jockey, and encyclopedia salesman. These days, in addition to his work writing novels, he can also be found writing, with previous memoirists Libby Fischer Hellmann and Marcus Sakey, on The Outfit blog. And so that would explain a memoir of

Did a bunch of stuff; wrote.

Yes he did! And he wrote well!

Another awesome week! Thank you to Jeff, Louise, Jason and Sean. I'm so thrilled to have you all join us in the six-word memoir fun. If you could see me as I put these posts together you would think I was a little kid at Christmas. They all make me smile and feel giddy. It's so much fun. So much fun in fact, I think I'll be back next week to do it again. Same time, same place...meet ya here. Because I still have more exciting authors to share with you.

Happy Reading! And the Bouchercon countdown is now...57 DAYS?? Woo hoo! Indy here I come!

A Smattering of Stuff on Sunday

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We had a lot of rain here yesterday and today the rain has stopped and the thermometer is steadily rising. The forecasters are saying 90s for today. This is the first time this summer we've been this high here in Northeast Ohio, I believe. Very unusual. But regardless of the weather, I have lots to do for this blog. There's exciting stuff coming up. So, Twitter and Facebook are going to remain off and I'm going to be working, working, working!

In the meantime, I thought I'd pass on a few things for you all to check out.

First thing I have today is a blog I've mentioned on here before. It's become one of my new favorites, and I simply adore the writing from each of the seven authors who blog on 7 Criminal Minds. Each week they have an assigned question to respond to, so it's like a virtual panel. They are fun responses every week. And did you know that if you comment, they'll put your name in the monthly drawing for books and gift cards? If you haven't checked it out, make sure you do so soon. You don't know what you're missing if you don't!

Another of my favorite blogs to visit belongs to Tim Hallinan, one of my favorite authors to read. He has an excerpt ready for you to check out from his new novel, BREATHING WATER, which will be available August 18. Of course, I'll be reviewing BREATHING WATER, but more exciting than that, Tim will be guest blogging. So while we have that to look forward to, you can check out the excerpt, and there's a contest involved so you can try to win a personalized copy of BREATHING WATER.

Also, you can check out the first part of Tim's book tour here. And for those of you in the Ohio neck of the woods, he's going to be at the Foul Play Bookstore on September 23rd. I'm already planning my trip down there. I hope you'll come out that day as well!

Jason Pinter is also running a contest connected to the excerpt from his upcoming novel in the Henry Parker series, THE FURY. You can check that out here. Here you can win an iTunes gift card, a bookstore gift card, or your name as a character in a future book. I'm going to try to meet Jason at Bouchercon since he'll be an attendee this year.

And of course THE SILENT HOUR, Michael Koryta's fourth Lincoln Perry novel, came out this past week. He was also at Foul Play last week. I believe he's at Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor tomorrow. For us here in Northeast Ohio, though, Michael will be here Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Tuesday he will be at the Fairview Public Library. You need to register for this event and you can do so here. On Wednesday he will be at the Rocky River Don Umerley Civic Center (sponsored by the Rocky River Public Library). This is a pdf flyer, hopefully the link will work for you. Otherwise, try the library link here. Alright, so Rocky River is Wednesday and there's no registration required for that one. Thursday you can see Michael at the Bay Village Public Library. This one is another registration required, so you can register for that here. The next few books Michael has in the works aren't Lincoln Perry and aren't set here in Northeast Ohio, so if you have the chance to get out and see him, I urge you to do so. Who knows when he'll be back to see us again!

And once I post my recap of the event, I'll be sharing a special surprise with everyone. The cat got out of the bag in Columbus last week, so if you already know...don't tell! ;)

My friend Linda from The Mystery Bookstore out in L.A. announced that October 24th is going to be a huge date for them. They will be hosting both James Ellroy and Michael Connelly, plus celebrating their owners' anniversary! If you're in the vicinity of L.A., you need to make plans to be there!

Before that, though, on August 22nd, they're going to be hosting my new friend Sophie Littlefield for her debut book A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. If you're in the area, go see Sophie and tell her I said "hi!"

And finally, bringing up the end of this post of links is the reminder that this is the final week to nominate your favorite blogs for Book Blogger Appreciation Week awards. So, if you haven't done so already, get over and nominate those book bloggers you love.

If you're a book blogger and haven't registered for the event yet...get over and get registered! Don't miss out on the festivities. Remember, that is September 14 - 18 this year. And bloggers who are registered, are you signed up to interview another blogger? You can do that here. It's a lot of fun. Meet someone new!

If you're an author/publisher/publicist you can donate prizes to the Book Blogger Appreciation Week. The committee is hard at work collecting prizes for the festivities and would love to have you included. It's a great way to promote your books to the book bloggers!

Whew. That's it for today. Now I have to make the weekly run to the grocery store and then get down to work. Lots to do. Have a great Sunday, have a great week - see ya at Michael's event if you come out - and as always HAPPY READING!

**side note: anyone find it ironic that the spell check in Blogger, picks bloggers up as a mis-spelling? ;)

Bouchercon countdown: 67 days!