Bouchercon by the Bay

So long, farewell....

2010-10-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

It's been wonderful to see you, and certainly a thrill....

...but the traveling road show that is Bouchercon is packing up and moving to St. Louis...so that we can do it all again next year! If the smoke, confetti, and sparkles that are drifting our way from the vicinity of Bcon 2011 Central (chez Jon Jordan) are any indication, we're in for a whale of a good time.

A note about charity

We did good by having fun, and raised about $5,000 for charity from our raffle and our live auction; proceeds will benefit 826 Valencia and Casa de las Madres. And we're able to donate books to Friends of the San Francisco Library. Many thanks to auctioneers Hank Ryan Phillippi, Harley Jane Kozak, and Donna Andrews. And to Charity Wranglers Andi Shechter and Laura Atkins. And to you, for opening your hearts and wallets.

Got photos?

Friend of Bouchercon and Webmaven Extraordinaire Maggie Griffin is looking for photos of Lee Child's Reacher Creature party at Bouchercon, or any photos of Lee. If you have them, send 'em along to her at webmaven@leechild.com.

About those panel titles....

If you haven't already heard, they were episodes of The Streets of San Francisco. Clever, huh?

Thanks......

And to be ever so slightly serious for a fraction of a second - it really has been wonderful to work with so many of you to put Bouchercon 2010 together over the past couple of years. Challenging, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting - usually all at the same time. I'm ready for some serious relaxing, but so, so grateful for the experience.

So many people gave so generously of their time and talent that it would take hours to list them all. But to name just a few:

Jon and Ruth Jordan
Dana Fredsti
Janine Wilson
Kim Krabill
Judy Bobalik
Andi Shechter
BG Ritts
Madeira James
Martine Holmsen
Laura Atkins
Wendy Watkins
Suzanne Murphy
Karen Hamilton
Allison Davis
Cara Black
Maggie Mason
Maggie Griffin
Eddie Muller
Lee Child
Denise Mina
Laurie R. King
Maddy van Hertbruggen

...I know I've forgotten some folks, which is why I hate these lists. But trust me, it takes a huge amount of effort from countless volunteers (volunteers, as in we are not paid to do any of this) to create a Bouchercon.

And, once it all starts, to see smiling faces and hear happy conversations makes it all worthwhile. Was it perfect? Certainly not. Was it fun? Oh, yeah. If I had known what I was getting into when I raised my hand back in 2008....I'd raise my hand again. There's no experience like it. But now it's Jon's turn to have all the fun, and Marjory after him in Cleveland, and then Al in Albany, and Ingrid in Long Beach. Bouchercon just keeps rolling along.

So, without too much further ado......

See you in St. Louis!!!

We did it!

2010-10-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

We achieved Bouchercon!

If you all had half as much fun as I did, then the weekend was a rousing success.

Many of you told me you were having a good time, which was wonderful to hear, because that's really the point, isn't it? I mean, do you know anyone who comes to Bouchercon to have a bad time?

There are things left to do before we say a final goodbye and start getting ready to have more fun at Bouchercon 2011.

But first, I need a nap.......

See you in a few days ;-)

This just in....

2010-10-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

We have great news - Jacqueline Winspear will be stepping in for Robert Crais to interview Lee Child during his Guest of Honor spotlight on Saturday.

And Hank Phillippi Ryan will be interviewing David Baldacci on Friday morning.

We are very pleased, here at Bcon Central ;-)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled foolishment...

2010-10-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

....to give you some unfortunate news.

Robert Crais is unable to attend Bouchercon this year. He's really disappointed not to be able to see all of us but an issue arose that, well, even Joe Pike couldn't fix it.

The silver lining is that now you get to guess who's going to interview Lee Child and David Baldacci.

More to come....

It's Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Bouchercon is here! Yay!

After all the weeks and months of planning, and nerves, and panic, and fun, Bouchercon is starting. Tonight!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I can't wait to see you all, and I hope you have a fabulous time.

Let's get this party started!!!!!

Take a walk with Dashiell Hammett...

2010-10-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased to tell you that the Great and Fabulous Don Herron has graciously agreed to give us two Dashiell Hammett walking tours. You'll travel the path of Sam Spade, The Continental Op, and many of Hammett's other famous characters

The tours will take place Friday at noon and Thursday at 1:00, and are strictly limited to 30 people.

You'll meet in front of 870 Market, between 4th and 5th Streets - it's a 9 block walk or a 2-stop BART ride. The lovely folks in the Hospitality Suite can help you figure out how to get there.

If you're interested, send an email to hammett@bcon2010.com.

In other news....

Guess what! Bouchercon starts the day after tomorrow!

More packing...

2010-10-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

The aftermath of the Great Book Bag Extravaganza of 2010.....

The aftermath of the Great Rae Packs For Bouchercon With No Luggage Restrictions Extravaganza of 2010.....

The grumpy looking critter is Chief of Staff Sam. He and his mom, Executive Assistant Missy, don't like it when I leave. I will return to welcome-home gifts of the sort that....well, they barf when I'm gone. A very effective way of showing their displeasure ;-)

We're now at the point of being able to actually count down the hours, not the days, before all the fun begins. I'm excited, and petrified (what gigantic undone task is going to leap out from under the bed as soon as I crawl beneath the covers?) and excited some more.

Bouchercon starts this week!

What I did today....

2010-10-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

So, today was book bag stuffing today. Publishers have been incredibly generous with the books they sent to us for your enjoyment.

We think we probably started with about 7500 books. That's a bunch. It took a looooong time and required a break for yummy Mexican food, which made us all happier workers.

And then we finished, and went home to count the minutes until Bouchercon officially starts...

Last minute travel tips - getting to the Hyatt

2010-10-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'll bet most of you are getting to the Hyatt using BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit. If that's not your plan, it should be. BART is easy, economical, and keeps you out of San Francisco's utterly heinous traffic jams, which I would swear are timed so that you only miss your important appointments....

Flying into San Francisco? There's a BART station inside the International Terminal, and the fare to your destination, the Embarcadero BART station, is $8.10. The trip will take about 35 minutes.

Flying into Oakland? You'll take an AirBART shuttle from the front of the airport to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station. The AirBART fare is $3.00, and the fare from the Coliseum/Oakland station to the Embarcadero Station is $3.80. The trip, including your AirBART ride, will probably take about 30 minutes.

Once you get to the Embarcadero station, you'll see a sign like this, only less blurry (my Blackberry takes lousy photos ;-)

Head toward Main | Drumm | Spear streets, looking for this sign....

Come on up the escalator. There's an elevator if you travel with as much luggage as I do. Wait. No one travels with as much luggage as I do. And by the way, one of my favorite things about Bouchercon this year? No luggage restrictions!

Anyway, as you come up the escalater, you'll see a big building......

It's the Hyatt! I took this from the top of the escalator, so you can see you don't have far to travel to check in.

Bouchercon is almost here! Yay!

More on Bouchercon a Go Go

2010-10-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everybody has at least one friend in San Francisco. It's that kind of town. So, if your San Francisco friend likes to dance and hang out with fun people, bring 'em along on Saturday night.

Here's the rule, though. If you want to bring a friend to the dance on Saturday night, you have to be with them (and wearing your badge) when they come in, so we can give them the official "I'm With a Member of Bouchercon" day-glo hand stamp (just like a real dance club ;-). Friends of Bouchercon are welcome; random people we don't know, not so much.

In the meantime, to get your toes tapping (and because I am really not in the mood to be making name tags right now ;-)........

The clock keeps ticking...

2010-10-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

...and there's still a whale of a lot to do....

...but it's beginning to feel like Bouchercon might just actually happen (good news, I'm sure, for all of you who've bought your plane tickets and made your hotel reservations ;-)

Just today I had a conversation with the DJ for our Disco Dance. Until now, it wouldn't have occurred to me that you have to tell these folks the kind of music you want - I guess I thought they just magically knew that anything sounding like this...

....will get them tossed out on their ear.

So we had a fun chat, during which I told him that I wanted great dance tunes from across the decades. Like this one....

....and this one....

Lest you think I'm completely prejudiced against anything recorded after oh, say, 1989....

...there are some more recent tunes that make me want to shake my booty....

....and we're having an old-style photo booth, just for fun....

So, any requests for the DJ?

And speaking of books...

2010-10-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

So, take a look at our Book Room page. There are booksellers and publishers and purveyors of all sorts of wonderfulness signed up to make sure you can get copies of books by your favorite authors.

I really don't know how the booksellers do it. Somehow, they pack up their entire store and bring it to Bouchercon and unpack it, and make sure that they have books by just about every single author attending, and still leave their store back home open for business. It's amazing.

So, after you've seen your favorite author on a panel, or discovered a new author whose work you want to try, well, just march on down to the Book Room and grab one of their books. And chances are, the author will be there to sign it for you.

And, Why I Love You Tube, Reason Number 4867: I entered the words "good book song" in the search bar, and found this. Pretty cool, I think...

Books, books, books, books......

2010-10-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

So, I work for a very large financial services company. (Don't ask me their name. They Would Not Like to have it used in a blog.) Of late, however, it looks less like Money I$ U$, and more like the world's biggest book warehouse.

There are actually desks under all these boxes......

My colleagues are very eager for Bouchercon to start, and not because it's going to be so much fun ;-)

I'll bet you can guess what's in the boxes.

BOOKS!!!

And who are the books for?

YOU!!!

That's right. We're having a book bag stuffing party this weekend, and everything in those boxes is going into book bags. Well, except for the ONE THOUSAND BOOKS we're giving away on Thursday night. (The bags are very cool, by the way, they turned out just as I hoped. Thanks, MWA!)

Anyway, you may be wondering which books are going into the book bags. Well, I'm not going to tell you. It's a surprise. What I will say is that it's not just books. There are galleys and ARCs and all sorts of things that the general public just doesn't have access to yet.

Remember when we asked for volunteers a few days ago? Well, it occurred to us that if people are willing to work for Bouchercon while they're at Bouchercon, they should get a treat. So we're setting aside a few very special copies of a few very special books, just for volunteers.

There are still volunteer opportunities. Just sayin'.

Oh, and here's a clue. Patrick Larry Peter.

Heh ;-)

It has come to my attention...

2010-10-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

...that Bouchercon is next week.

NEXT WEEK!

You know how I figured this out?

If I go to the Yahoo Weather extended forecast, Wednesday October 13 is on it....

Wednesday

Oct 13

Mostly Sunny

High 69°F

Low 59°F

Precip 10 %

On one hand, I want my 36 hour days, dangit! I have a lot to do.....

On the other hand, I can't wait to see you all, and finally get this party started.

I can't wait!

So, let's see how much fun we can have in one evening...

2010-10-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, our Thursday Night festivities are shaping up to be super cool.

First, the Opening Ceremonies are action-packed. Toastmaster Extraordinaire Eddie Muller has come up with a starter - well, you just don't want to miss it. That's all I'm saying. We'll be handing out the Barry and the Macavity Awards - can't wait to find out who wins...

And then, our friends at William Morrow are sponsoring the Fabulous Reception (that's its official title ;-) and boy, oh boy. I just finalized the menu. Yum.

And, just to add to the general merriment, we're going to have a signing. So, while you're enjoying beverages and nibbling on yummy treats, you'll have the opportunity to get books signed by these terrific writers:

Lou Berney, Robin Burcell, Wendi Corsi Staub, Deborah Crombie, Jamie Freveletti, C.S. Graham, Jonathan Hayes, Matt Hilton, Declan Hughes, Patrick Lee, Katia Lief, Attica Locke, Val McDermid, Michael Stanley, Charles Todd, Kate White, Jacqueline Winspear, Ken Wishnia

Sound like fun? I think so, too.

And, speaking of the program....

It's about as close to final as it can be before October 14. I'm guessing there'll be a couple of minor changes, but we really have it pretty well nailed down. Check it all out on the program page, which we've updated with room assignments. If you haven't seen all the newsletters, there are three types of panel this year:

Traditional Panel: The thing that Bouchercon is famous for. It's typically a moderator and four panelists. Jon Jordan and Judy Bobalik came up with some great lineups, bless their hearts. And remember, the first person who finds me on Thursday morning and tells me where the panel titles come from will win a prize.
Continuous Conversation: This is the one you get to participate in. Think of it as a really cool and relaxed dinner party. We've given the panelists general topic ideas just to get started, but the rest of it is up to all of you in the room.
30 on the 30: This is a half hour session, where one person speaks on the topic of their choice. Take a good close look at this one, we have terrific presenters this year and intriguing subjects.

And then there are the special events, like the reading of plays by Declan Hughes and Domenic Stansberry.

The fabulosity just never ends....

Bouchercon is less than two weeks away! I feel a bit like the little kid who's been waiting for Santa to come since Halloween, and Christmas is almost here....

I can't wait to see you all, and to start actually having the fun we've been planning for the last 24 months.

See you soon!

Calling all volunteers!

2010-09-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

Many of you have offered to spend a bit of time volunteering over Bouchercon weekend.

First, thanks!

Second, we have jobs for you. We'd love an hour or two of your time, when you're not otherwise occupied having fun (remember, fun is our primary goal ;-)

Here's where we need your help.

Before Bouchercon begins

Monday and Tuesday: stuffing envelopes and general administrivia (and help Rae to keep from pulling out what's left of her hair - tough job, but someone's gotta do it ;-)

Registration

Wednesday: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday and Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Day Passes

Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m

Panel monitors

This is fun for a panel you're attending. You set out the name cards, make sure there's water for the panelists, and let the moderator know when time is running short.

Opening Ceremonies

Thursday starting at 6:00. This is helping to keep things moving, and helping with activities after the Opening Ceremonies

Signing area in the Book Room

Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to noon

Anthony Banquet on Sunday morning

If you can help, write to the Ever Fabulous Judy Bobalik at volunteers@bcon2010.com, and let her know what you'd like to do, and what times you're available.

Thanks!

Guest Blogger: U.S. Guest of Honor, Laurie R. King

2010-09-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Note from Rae: Not only is Laurie R. King a fabulous writer, she's also a long-time citizen of Bouchercon Nation. Here, she talks about how she discovered Bouchercon.

Boucherwhat?

Photo Credit: Red Bat Photograp

I first heard of BoucherCon from the woman who was my English agent at the time, when I was planning a trip to England in the fall (pardon me—autumn) of 1990. At the time I had precisely nothing published. I had nothing under contract. I did have an agent—two of them, in fact.

“Boucher what?”

“Con. It’s a conference. Of crime writers.”

“An entire conference of crime writers? Oh, I don’t know about that.”

I wasn’t a conference sort. I wasn’t a real writer. I wasn’t even a head-over-heels fan of crime fiction. Still, an agent had suggested it, and I was going to be in London anyway, so I signed up, and spent the better part of two days wandering around with my mouth hanging open.

A large part of that sense of alienation, I later realized, was because of the setting: King’s College, London is not a space designed for hanging around and schmoozing with people. As I wrote for the Baltimore BCon—

My first BoucherCon experience was at King’s College London, a cold and confusing building where you had to go down a flight of stairs and around half a mile of frigid corridor to get a cup of weak coffee in the linoleum-and-formica dining hall. These posh English colleges…

A few years later, I went briefly to Seattle for the BoucherCon there, since I had been nominated for their best first Anthony award (my book lost, to Nevada Barr’s Track of the Cat, deservedly) and my most vivid memory is being on a crowded elevator and having a blue-rinsed lady spot my author badge and ask if I wrote serial killer books. Wondering if I was looking particularly psychopathic that day, I said, Well sort of, but not really as a habit. She turned away, disappointed, and announced to all, “I just love serial killers.” The elevator emptied rather rapidly.

My third BoucherCon was in Nottingham, England, where we were greeted for the dinner by knights, blazing torches, jugglers, and Robin Hood, complete with merry men, and women.

Which basically boils down BoucherCon for you: the hero’s alienation, a sense of loss, psychopathic murderers, and the glorification of the criminal classes.

The very essence of crime fiction, in fact.

The Craft Room schedule! REVISED!

2010-09-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

Note! (Saturday, 9/25) We've made a few changes - check it out and get ready to be creative!

Man, I wish I had any sort of crafting skill. I so do not. And I don't see myself picking up new skills any time soon...unless napping after Bouchercon is considered a craft. I'm viewing it at this point as more of a life saving necessity ;-)

Anyway, the Craft Room schedule is here, thanks to the fabulous Camille Minichino. Take a look, and email her at camille@minichino.com to sign up.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 14

8:30-9:30 – CAROLINA BETRAND

Create a fascinating paper piece inspired by the Steampunk movement!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 15

8:30-9:30 – MONICA FERRIS

Make a personalized, hemstitched bookmark!

10-11 – CAROLINA BERTRAND

Learn to upscale vintage jewelry into an everyday accessory!

11:30-12:30 – BARBARA GRAHAM

Perfect patchwork coaster--learn English Paper Piecing!

3-4 – MARGARET GRACE

Make your own tiny desk blotter and basket of books!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 16

8:30-9:30 – PENNY WARNER

Create a mysterious clipboard to use at Bouchercon panels!

11:30-12:30 – ANGELA DANIELS

Decorate a composition book!

3-4 – TERRI THAYER

What is Rubber Stamping anyhow? Come and see.

4:30-5:30 – ANGELA DANIELS

Make and decorate a book safe to hide something exciting!

By the way, this is my plan for Sunday, October 17 ;-)

They're here!

2010-09-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yes. The moment has come.

Traditional panels have been posted to the site.

We're still finalizing Continuous Conversation and 20-on-the-20.
They'll be up in a few days.

Big, fat, caveat

There will be changes, and additions, and deletions. Life happens, there are at least three weeks until Bouchercon starts (there'd better be, I have a lot to do ;-) So keep checking the program page, and watch your email for newsletters, we'll be sending out at least two more between now and October 14.

And a contest!

What's the secret behind the panel titles? The first person to tell me after Bouchercon starts on Thursday morning will win a fabulous prize.

And speaking of panels....

Let's go out to the movies....

2010-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

But wait! We're watching movies right inside the hotel on Wednesday night!

By the way, does anyone out there remember actually seeing these little gems of films at actual drive-ins? I do. Yes, I'm that old.

Anyway....

It'll be a triple feature on Wednesday night, with evening registration just outside our 'theater', and popcorn before, during and after intermission. We might try to scare up a few hot dogs, too. (Don't even bother to tell me they're bad for me. I know it. Nothing that yummy could possibly be health food.)

Now, here's the question, and it's a big one.

WHICH MOVIES?

I certainly have my own ideas.

There's this guy.......

...and this guy.....

We could go for the lighter side....

...or darker.....

...or forget crime altogether, and go for the funny bone....

The point is, what do you want to see?

This is your chance to tell me which movies set in San Francisco (that I can get on DVD) you'd like to watch. I will tabulate the results, do careful math.....who am I kidding? I'll read any comments, think about it, and then head for the video store to see what I can get my grubby little mitts on. But I would like to hear your opinions.

While you're thinking, here's another intermission clip. This stuff makes me really love YouTube.....

A sad day......

2010-09-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

...the mystery community suffered a loss today when we learned of David Thompson's death.

I can't claim to have known David well, but I do know that his passing leaves a hole in our community. His enthusiasm, spirit, and decency will be sorely missed.

Sending good thoughts to McKenna and to David's family and friends....

It's past my bedtime on Sunday night....

2010-09-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

...and Bouchercon just keeps getting closer.....

But it's all coming together, and it's going to be soooo fabulous.......

Moving right along...

The Answer Department

I've had a few questions about attire for Bouchercon - it's definitely casual, but bring layers and comfy shoes. I've also been asked if our Disco Dance is a costume party.

I say, why not?

Feel free to wear your shoulder pads, acid washed jeans, and Members Only jackets - or not. But you've gotta wear your boogie shoes ;-)

A word about the programming...

(And yes, I'm wearing my cranky pants, which are larger than usual because stress makes me eat. Everything.)

Judy Bobalik, who is a goddess, has begun sending out emails to people who will be participating on traditional panels. Over the next few days I'll be emailing people who've been chosen to be part of our Continuous Conversation, and then we'll start talking about 20 on the 20.

For the most part, people are very excited and enthusiastic, which is way cool and makes us very happy - as if we're doing a Good Thing for Good People. It's a 'let's dance' sort of a feeling....

A very few people are whining, which is unseemly and provokes this reaction amongst your local friendly Program Committee......

If you're bitching and moaning and complaining (so that we can hear you), think about this: the same few people will be working on the program for the next three or four years. We're crabby, and we have long memories. Just sayin'......

OK, cranky pants off, jammies on.....

I have to tell you, this is all being a lot more fun that I thought it would be. It's an incredible amount of work, and there are lots of scary moments ("Oh crap. I totally forgot about the X!" and "You told him he could do WHAT????") There's some Mickey and Judy to it all....

....but a lot of talented people are working really hard to make it all happen, and I'm really grateful to be part of the fabulosity.

So, as Judy always says.....

Have a great week, everyone!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-09-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

OK. The arrival of September sent me under the bed to visit with the dust bunnies for awhile......

But I'm back, with lots to report on.....

I've heard from Our Good Friend, Mr. Bob Randisi, from the PWA. Their banquet this year is on Friday night from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Empress of China in Chinatown on Grant Avenue. Robert Crais and Marcia Muller are being honored, and tickets are $50. For more info, contact Christine Matthews. (And can I just tell you how pleased I am to have been given a reason to add Hall & Oates to this blog? ;-)

And speaking of wine......

Larry Gandle tells me that there are a couple of spots left on his Napa Valley wine tour, on Wednesday the 13th. If you're going to be here, you should really try to go. Thomas Haden Church won't be there (see clip above - I think he's ever so dreamy ;-) but lots of yummy wine and snacks will. Email Larry to sign up.

So, why is this post about changes? Well, I was in the mood for Bowie, for one thing. But in addition, we've made some changes to the website. There are copies of our newsletters on the welcome page, we've added information about our support of deserving charities to the program page, and the registrations just keep coming.

Hope you're having a great weekend (and a great Labor Day holiday for our US friends). And here's a little more Hall & Oates just to keep things rocking....

Next month!

2010-09-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's September 1.

Bouchercon is next month, people!

Six weeks from tonight, we'll be watching movies, and eating popcorn (check the program page on the site if this is news to you ;-) and in general, beginning the merriment and mayhem.

I can't wait...

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

2010-08-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, real life intrudes upon Bouchercon - things like jobs and families get in the way of our folderol and shenanigans. We had planned for Ace Atkins to interview our Toastmaster, Eddie Muller, during a one-on-one session, however family commitments are preventing Ace from joining the party.

But! Clouds really do have silver linings....

.......because the Fabulous and Wonderful Jacqueline Winspear will now be joining Eddie for our very first Spotlight session on Thursday afternoon.

Can you guess who's doing the happy dance right now?

Yup.

It's me ;-)

On my soapbox...

2010-08-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm being serious for a minute, but don't worry. It won't last long.

When people ask what it takes to chair a Bouchercon, I usually say something to the effect of "it takes a strong opinion about how Bouchercon ought to be run, and what you want to see in a Bouchercon". But that's just dissembling, prevaricating. Hell with it, it's lying.

It takes passion. Plain and simple. If you're not passionate about it, you're not going to be willing to put in the hard work, and take the knocks, that come along with the job. The rewards are huge, and entirely worth the aggravation and the panic and the long hours.

What rewards, you ask? Well, they're certainly not financial, the little cadre of volunteers who work to make Bouchercon special get absolutely no money from this thing, in fact, a number of them sacrifice money as well as time to make it all work.

The rewards feel something like this.......

And look something like this.....

...and this....

...and this....

While I'm passionate about every single moment of Bouchercon by the Bay being chock-full of fabulosity, there are two things that really get me going to the point of, well, climbing up on my soapbox: one is that all the newbies get treated especially well by all of us.

The other is, yup, you guessed it; the program. The panels. It's the hardest part of organizing Bouchercon, in my opinion, and causes the highest rate of upset amongst people who want to be part of the program; and the highest rate of upset stomachs amongst those trying to accommodate them.

By far the most emphatic and consistent request I've heard since I was given the honor of chairing Bouchercon (and I'm not kidding - it truly is an honor) is "please do something to refresh the panels - do something innovative". So, we are. We'll have Traditional Panels, and our salon-type Continuous Conversation, and our 20-on-the-20 spots. As I've said all along, our goal with the panel programming is to provide as many opportunities as possible for fun, informative, and entertaining interaction between readers and writers.

And, happily, when we sent out our panel questionnaires, most of you told us that you were happy to participate in all three types of programming. So, we're taking you at your word, and your program assignment will be based on what you've offered to do, but also on where we think you'll shine the brightest, and how the program topics are organized.

Bottom line is, we appreciate that you're coming to San Francisco, and I really appreciate that you're willing to try some new things, and I'm super excited to see how it all works out.

OK, off the soapbox now.....

...and back to our regularly scheduled foolishment..... some nitwits have decided that they should remake The Rockford Files. OMGWTF. That is soooo not fabulous. There is one, and only one James Garner, and Rockford begins and ends with him. Here's are a couple reminders of why some classics should just be left alone.....

The topical one (30 years later).......

The "Jim Rockford is just so darned cool" one.....

Happy weekend, everyone!

Pirates and panels and programs, oh my!

2010-08-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

We love the boats.......

First, can I just say, get a load of the guest stars on that clip.....utterly faboo.

Why am I posting videos of ancient smarm-fests, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. We have finally figured out a way to make bay cruises available for Bouchercon attendees.

Here's how it works: on Friday and Saturday evening (the 15th and 16th) at 6:00 p.m. there's a lovely Red & White Fleet Sunset Cruise. It will include music, decent snacks - enough to call it dinner - and a nice trip around the Bay that'll get you back in plenty of time for either the Reacher Creature party on Friday night, or our Disco Dance on Saturday night. The standard cost is $54 per person, but we've been given a $4 per person discount code. It's BCON (big surprise ;-)

So, if you're interested, go to this website, click the "Book Online" medallion in the middle of the page, and it'll take you to the reservation form.

You should know that these cruises are open to the public - that's how we were able to get such a low price. (I know, fifty bucks is not cheap - you should've seen the quotes from the private charter people - yeesh.) However, The Public doesn't get our discount, so I figure if enough of us go on the cruises, we can just sort of overwhelm Those Other People. Sorta like this guy....

In Other News

We're working on the panel schedule.....

For those of you who are interested in these things: we finalize the program in bits and pieces, so when your pal emails you to tell you they heard from us, it doesn't mean the schedule has been etched in stone, and you aren't on a panel.

Far from it. It simply means that one out of a zillion pieces of the Bouchercon program has been finalized. So, be patient, resist the urge to email us about your panel (we're already wearing our Cranky Pants), and we'll be in touch the moment we have information for you. Really. We promise.

And if you're wondering about the relevance of this video, well a) I like it, and b) Boom Boom Pow is what my head is doing right about now ;-)

World Premiere Movie Event!

2010-08-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

This is so cool....

Bouchercon is going to host the premiere of Lee Goldberg's short film Remaindered, which is based on his own short story.

For more information check this link and this one too.

We'll have more info as we get closer to October....now I just need to figure out what I'm gonna wear on the red carpet....

Dark Valentines and Black Envelopes

2010-08-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

...having absolutely nothing to do with February 14th, and everything to do with Noir...

Several of you have asked me about our Black Envelope event, The Litanies of Noir. Here's the deal. Starting on the Tuesday before Bouchercon, if you go to City Lights Books (at 261 Columbus Avenue)......

........and ask at the front counter for a Black Envelope, the nice people will give you one. Inside it will be directions to a Secret and Mysterious Location.

On Thursday night, at 9:00 (after our Opening Ceremonies and the lovely William Morrow-sponsored reception) the Fun will begin. There will be readings, and treats, and live music, and oh, boy.....

The number of black envelopes is limited, so be sure to make some time to stroll up to North Beach and grab one.

And here's a little coolness for Friday night.....

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Why we love publishers.....

2010-08-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Bouchercon is a fan convention. I get it, really I do. I'm a fan, and I'm grateful for our convention's consistent focus on ensuring that readers will have a good time.

But. Were it not for the agents, editors, writers, and publishers (all of whom, by the way are fans just like us) we'd have no mystery books to read, and no reason to have a convention.

In particular, publishers are the people who bring together writers, agents, editors, copy editors, book sellers, distributors, and wood by-product to produce items like this.....

...and this....

Which result in fabulousness like this....

and this.....

And publishers are great Friends of Bouchercon. They send us books for your book bags, they make sure their writers get here (and feed their writers drinks and snacks. One thing I've learned: a well-fed writer is a happy writer ;-)

So I'm very pleased that some of our Publisher friends are going to be exhibiting in our Book Room, and sponsoring parts of our program.

In other news......

Why, you ask, have I posted a clip of Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers? Well, first, it's dangerous to give me a blog ;-) But second, as you're making your Bouchercon travel plans, you should know that the 49ers are playing at home on Sunday afternoon the 17th. Not only are they playing at home, they're playing these guys....

Which means that Sunday afternoon traffic is...well, it's gonna suck.

We strongly recommend that you consider taking BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from the Hyatt Regency to the airport. It takes about 35 - 40 minutes to get from the Hyatt (Embarcadero Station) to SFO, and about 25 - 30 minutes to get from the Hyatt to the Oakland Airport station (after which you take a shuttle to the terminal, so give yourself extra time). It's reliable, inexpensive, and will help you avoid these folks....

And, finally, speaking of travel plans....

Have a great week, everyone!

Weekend fabulosity.....

2010-07-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

We love the weekend here at Bcon Central. There's no pesky day job to get in our way....

Which means we have lots of time for Bouchercon....and music.....

Unless, of course, this condition strikes us....

......in which case, pretty much all that gets done is, we update the attendees page. Oh, and add some new restaurants on the San Francisco page. Which makes us hungry, so we break out the snacks.

And hang out in the garden....

(I don't actually get my hands dirty in it, I just lay around out there ;-)

I hope your weekend was as fabulous as mine was, and that your week is full of days like this one.....

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming....

2010-07-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

So, someone somewhere did something fabulous and email is now functioning.

My day just got better, hope yours is marvelous ;-)

Do not attempt to adjust your television.....

2010-07-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

So, there I was, cat in my lap, cup of tea in hand, ready to get down to some serious Bouchercon Business.....

...I clicked on my email account, and got this.....

A fatal error has occurred
DB Error: connect failed
Details have been logged for the administrator

So, if you're trying to email me, you'll probably get a delivery failure message until the Lords of the Interwebs figure out what's up. I heart technology ;-)

Hurray for Newbies!

2010-07-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

So, I've been thinking about Bouchercon a lot lately - yeah, I know, I'm supposed to think about it, I'm the dratted Chair. But I've been thinking about more than just panels and the program and Opening Ceremonies and the Book Room, etc etc etc.

I've been remembering what it was like to attend my first Bouchercon. I was scared to death.

Until I went to Bouchercon Toronto in 2004, I would not have described myself as a convention-goer. The idea of spending four or five days with a large group of people I didn't know......gak.

But, I'd started hanging out on Lee Child's Forum, which was fabulous then and is fabulous now, and the regulars there were nice and friendly and, well, normal. So, when I heard about how much fun Las Vegas was in 2003, I decided that I was darned well going to Toronto. And I did. I had no idea what to expect, and the closer the time came, the more nervous I got.

What if no one liked me? What if I couldn't find anyone to talk to? What if it was boring and awful and full of Mean Girls?

But I needn't have worried. I had a blast, was made to feel welcome, and haven't missed a Bouchercon since. I've heard it said a lot, and it's true: the mystery community is a group of people who are always looking to make a new friend, and can't wait to make newcomers feel right at home.

And now that I'm the Chair one of these little fiestas, I'm getting a lot of email from people who are coming to their very first Bouchercon. Which is terrific - I'm delighted that so many of you are choosing San Francisco for your first B'con experience.

So, if you're a B'con newbie, we're glad you're coming. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask (here's some basic info from our website). We're planning some special programming just for you - more to come on that topic - because we want your first Bouchercon to be so much fun that you become a regular.

And for those of you who aren't newbies, thanks for making Bouchercon such a friendly place.

Yummy....

2010-06-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, boy.....

One of my very favorite things about Bouchercon is finding great places to eat. There's a diner in Indianapolis - I swear, I'm booking a few hours in Indy on my way to St. Louis for next year's B'con, so I can have their cinnamon toast. OMG, their cinnamon toast. And the restaurants in Anchorage in 2007 - some of the best I've ever enjoyed. Seriously - world class dining.

So, we've added a restaurant section to the San Francisco page of the site, and I've listed some of my fave eateries.

Some of them are pretty fancy....

Some are less so...

But they all have in common excellent food, great service, and a fun atmosphere. What more could you want? And if there's a San Francisco restaurant you love, let me know and I'll add it to the list.

And just because I'm always looking for a reason to insert an Aerosmith video......

Bon appetit!

Having a fan girl moment....

2010-06-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

So, when you chair Bouchercon there are a lot of moments like this....

...and this....

Because you know that, sooner than you think, people will arrive in San Francisco, and be ready for a good time, and will rightfully expect that you've arranged panels, and festive parties, and fun events, and oh, lordy. In my nightmares, it looks something like this.....

(Hat tip to Jen Jordan and one of my very favorite blogs for the alpacas and the - I don't know what they are. Lemurs?)

In my calmer moments, I know Bouchercon will be more like this - well, not exactly like this, but it'll certainly be tons o'fun, and I love this clip ;-)

And then there are days like today.....

...when everything is fabulous, the sky is blue, flowers are blooming, and life is beautiful.

The reason today is better than my usual Friday is....I'm just so darned excited about the authors who are coming to Bouchercon. Check out our attendees page . I'll bet at least one of your very favorite writers is on the list.

Fan girl moment? Oh, yeah!

Have a great weekend, everyone - here's some Dire Straits to get it started....

Paneling

2010-06-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

No, not this kind....

This kind....

(And can I just say, you haven't lived until you've seen this group do a panel. Rumor has it we may see some of them together again this year. Fingers crossed.)

Anyway. Of all the email I receive about Bouchercon, the most frequent topic is the program, or more accurately, panels. In general, the themes are:

We hate traditional panels and don't want to see them ever again.
The only reason we come to Bouchercon is to see the traditional panels. We want lots of them.
I want to be on a panel. No, wait! Two panels! No! Three panels! No, no! All the panels!
I don't want to be on a panel. I come to Bouchercon to be alone.

It can be a tad confusing.

So, we do the best we can to put together a program that's entertaining and informative and has a little something for every taste.

How exactly do we do that, you ask? Good question.

This is what's going to happen: After the 4th of July weekend (during which we will drink lots of beer and eat lots of hot dogs, in preparation for the task ahead) we'll start sending questionnaires out, via email, to those who have offered to participate in the program. We'll then use the responses to start building our program schedule, which will be finalized during September.

And here's your part.

First, If you want to participate on a panel, you need to be registered by the end of this month. When we start putting together the panels we're going to be working primarily with the registration list as of June 30. Will there be exceptions? Sure. This is Bouchercon, not D-Day. (Although, the two share some rather frightening similarities ;-) But you can do yourself, and us, a huge favor by registering now.

And second, watch for email from us, and when you receive a program questionnaire, respond to it (or don't blame us if you get a panel topic you hate).

An important note: If you want to be part of the program, we'll do our best to make that happen, but there will very likely be more volunteers than there are program slots: registering now will give you the best opportunity for participation.

And finally (and putting on my Cranky Pants for a moment - they're black and very cute) here are the answers to some questions I've recently been asked. See if you can guess what they are:

No.
Yes, of course.
Maybe, we'll have to check into that.
Are you kidding me?
OMG WTF.

Anthony Award Nominations

2010-06-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

We're very happy to announce these terrific nominees for the 2010 Anthony Awards. Recipients will be announced at the Anthony Awards brunch on Sunday, October 17 in the Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency (more to come on how to make brunch reservations).

BEST NOVEL

THE LAST CHILD - John Hart [Minotaur Books]
THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH - Charlie Huston [Ballantine Books]
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE - Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland [Quercus/Knopf]
THE BRUTAL TELLING - Louise Penny [Minotaur Books]
THE SHANGHAI MOON - S.J. Rozan [Minotaur Books]

BEST FIRST NOVEL

THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE - Alan Bradley [Delacorte Press]
STARVATION LAKE - Bryan Gruley [Touchstone]
A BAD DAY FOR SORRY - Sophie Littlefield [Minotaur Books]
THE TWELVE/THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST - Stuart Neville [Harvill Secker/Soho Press]
IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM - Stefanie Pintoff [Minotaur Books]

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

BURY ME DEEP - Megan Abbott [Simon & Schuster]
TOWER - Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman [Busted Flush Press]
QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE - Max Allan Collins [Hard Case Crime]
STARVATION LAKE - Bryan Gruley [Touchstone]
DEATH AND THE LIT CHICK - G.M. Malliet [Midnight Ink]
AIR TIME - Hank Phillippi Ryan [Mira]

BEST SHORT STORY

"Last Fair Deal Gone Down" - Ace Atkins, CROSSROAD BLUES [Busted Flush Press]
"Femme Sole" - Dana Cameron, BOSTON NOIR [Akashic Books]
"Animal Rescue" - Dennis Lehane, BOSTON NOIR [Akashic Books]
"On the House" - Hank Phillippi Ryan, QUARRY: Crime Stories by New England Writers [Level Best Books]
"Amapola" - Luis Alberto Urrea, PHOENIX NOIR [Akashic Books]

BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK

TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION - P.D. James [Bodleian Library/Knopf]
THE LINE UP: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives - Otto Penzler, ed. [Little, Brown and Co]
HAUNTED HEART: The Life and Times of Stephen King - Lisa Rogak [Thomas Dunne Books]
DAME AGATHA'S SHORTS: An Agatha Christie Short Story Companion - Elena Santangelo [Bella Rosa Books]
THE TALENTED MISS HIGHSMITH: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith - Joan Schenkar [St. Martin's Press]

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Friday! Memorial Day!

2010-05-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

In general, it's been a crabby sort of a week....

...having absolutely nothing to do with Bouchercon, and everything to do with the stupid winter weather we've been experiencing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

OK, OK, I know all of you who actually have to deal with real winters are chuckling right now. Our weather really has been more like this....

Although the best weather in San Francisco is usually during September/October, our spring is rarely as damp and cold as it's been this year. Which has left me, as I said, somewhat cranky....

But! I'm quickly becoming much happier.....

It's Memorial Day weekend! So, first, let's remember those who have died in service to our nation - and other nations, for that matter. I admire and respect people who have the internal fortitude to say, "Yes, I will die for my country." I don't think I could do it.

And then, let's go out and have some fun....

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Down to the Wire

2010-05-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

We're closing in on the final moments of Anthony Award nominations, and our Fearless Anthony Chair, Andi, tells me that in several categories potential nominees are only a vote or two apart.

It's a very big deal to be nominated for an Anthony Award, and an even bigger deal to win. If you haven't yet voted, now is definitely the time. You can download the ballot from our website, here, and email it to Andi at andi@bcon2010.com

Remember.......

Nancy Drew is 80!

2010-05-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

And we're going to have a birthday party for her. I can't wait.

I don't know what kind of mystery books you fellows were reading when you were youngsters. I always say the first crime fiction I read was A.A. Milne. Pooh lost his 'Hunny' and the search for it was full of suspense - at least I thought so when I was five.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure most of us gals read Nancy Drew stories. There are those who, today, want to have a feminist debate over Nancy's place in literary and cultural history. Fine with me, but I wasn't worried about Nancy's socio-economic impact, or Carolyn Keene's hidden political agenda.

I just thought Nancy was cool.

Jennifer Fisher and Penny Warner have graciously agreed to organize the party, and we have some other special events planned, with some very special guests. I'm not going to tell you about them, I don't want to spoil the surprise - but trust me, it'll be fun.

And after all, isn't fun what it's all about?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Time's A-Wasting

2010-05-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

OK, people, Anthony nominations are open for about two more weeks. They close on May 28 so let's not mess around.

If you're registered for Bouchercon 2010 or attended Bouchercon 2009 and haven't received an email ballot from us, you can either download it from the awards page on our site or contact our Fabulous Awards Chair, Andi Shechter.

A lot of great books and short stories were published in 2009 and deserve to be recognized. We've received bunches of nominations, but not nearly as many as we'd like.

So send 'em in, people!

Noir we are......

2010-05-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

"Noir we are" - sounds sort of Seuss-ish, doesn't it?

(With apologies to Seuss and Chandler purists everywhere)

From there to here and here to there,
Blood is spilling everywhere.
Blood on trains and blood on boats,
Blood from bad guys cutting throats.

Down these mean streets a man must go,
Himself not mean; a deadly foe,
A man complete, to strike a blow.
For what? He might not really know.

Except to say that "This is right"
By light of day, by dark of night.
The best man now, the best man here,
Does what he must, in spite of fear.

His task complete, he walks away,
To shed more blood another day.
From there to here and here to there,
Blood is spilling everywhere.

But, to get to my point (yes, I do have one ;-)

I had a terrific conversation the other day with Peter Maravelis of City Lights Books and Dominic Stansberry. There's nothing these two guys don't know about San Francisco's noir scene, and they've graciously agreed to put together some panels and events for us. So all you noiristas, get ready - it's gonna be great.

In Other News

What does Vincent Van Gogh have to do with Bouchercon, you ask? Other than, for an impressionist, he was a pretty noir sort of a fellow......

Well, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.....

(You didn't seriously think I'd miss an opportunity to post a picture of Paris, did you?)

Anyway, the Musee d'Orsay is closing for repairs, and have agreed with San Francisco's De Young Museum to ship some of their art over here for a few months. Those few months happen to coincide with Bouchercon. So, thanks to Andi Shechter, who pays attention to these things, we're trying to get some docent tours together. No promises, and we'll contact everyone directly if it works out, but how cool would that be? Pretty darned cool, I think.

And finally (really, I'm almost finished) there are only about three more weeks left for Anthony nominations. If you haven't sent in your nominations now is the time. We want to hear from you!

And now, with a little something for Ruth and Suzanne, I really am finished.....

Have a great week, everyone!

The Edgars are coming, the Edgars are coming!

2010-04-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, in about ten days or so, I get to go to the Edgar Awards in New York. I love the Edgars. Why? Well, it's a great opportunity to hang out with Fun Crime Fiction People, in one of my very favorite cities.

But the main reason is, I just love getting dressed up. And the idea that I'm getting all gussied up to go to a glittery awards banquet and watch deserving people win prizes makes me very, very happy.

There are those who think fancy dress or black tie is elitist or snobby or silly.

They're wrong. It's FASHION. It's fun, and it's fashion.

If you're a girl, you get to feel like this...

...or like this...

If you're a guy, well who wouldn't want to feel like this....

or like this....

I'll bet that was a fun party. Wouldn't you have loved to be there?

Sure, there's a lot to be said for just hanging out and gabbing and eating pizza.....

But every once in awhile, it's fun to play adult, like these two did....

....and these two.....

I am so looking forward to it....I even like the morning after, although I almost never go out for breakfast...

I'll be back with a full report....

P.S. I said in my last post that I was going to the Giants game. This was the view from my seat.

It was a great night, and the Giants made a game of it until about the 7th inning or so....

Have a great weekend, everyone ;-)

Saturday!

2010-04-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday, everyone......

Hope you're having a great weekend. I get to see the Giants play tonight....

..... their baseball is just about as funny as their commercials - unfortunately ;-)

Administrivia

.....but wait! The word administrivia makes me think of secretaries, and secretaries make me think of this classic Carol Burnett skit. (I know, I know, doesn't take much for my mind to wander, but it's Saturday, dangit.)

OK, back to business.....

There are some updates to the site. We've added an Awards page - the important thing for you to know about it is, if you haven't received your email Anthony ballot (spam filters, black holes, Evil Interweb Gremlins) you can download one from the Awards page and send it to our Fabulous Anthony Chair, Andi Shechter (that's her official title). Nominations will be open until May 28.

The attendees page is up to date as of about an hour ago. It'll usually take about a week from the time your registration is complete (both payment and registration form in the hands of our Wonderful Treasurer, Janine - also an official title) for your name to appear on the page.

I'm happy to report that registrations are coming in fast. I had lunch at the Hyatt the other day - at a point, my companion had to wave his hand in my face to get my attention. I was daydreaming about how cool it will be when the hotel is full of Boucherpeople having a fabulous time. (For those who don't know, High Anxiety was filmed at the Hyatt - I'm thinking we might need to watch it on Movie Night ;-)

And that's about it. Check the links to the right, I've added a few new ones, and have fun - here's a little Nickelback to get you started.....

Things that make me happy on a Friday....

2010-03-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith on the same stage. Oh, yeah......

Working on Bouchercon also makes me happy. When I talk to people about it, the comment I often hear is "wow, that must be a lot of work". Well, yeah, it is. But it's also a boat load of fun. There's the logistical stuff, like program books and schedules, which appeals to the organizer in me - give me a spreadsheet and I can amuse myself for hours.

Plus, there's the planning and the programming, which allows me to talk to great people, who have fabulous ideas about how to make Bouchercon special.

For instance, my friends at MWA and Sisters in Crime are managing the Hospitality Suite. Simon Wood and Julie Goodson Lawes and the gang are planning like mad, and from what they've told me, it's going to be really special.

Then there's the Wolfe Pack. Not this one.....

....this one...

They're hosting a dinner during Bouchercon that I think will be way cool. Jane Cleland will have all the details, and we're posting info on our Program page as well.

And I continue to be over-the-top excited about our Saturday night Disco Party and Dance-O-Rama, partly because it gives me an excuse to post videos like this one....

...and this one....

A little Weekend Update

Over 50% of our hotel rooms have been sold, so now would be a good time to make your reservations.
Some of you have asked about updates to the attendees page. With a little luck (which means yours truly needs to figure out FTP. Spreadsheets I'm good at - the interwebs, not so much ;-) we'll have updates on the site this weekend.
Anthony nominations ballots have gone out - check your email, and VOTE!

And finally, I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

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2010-03-19T11:15:00.001-07:00

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The envelope, please......

2010-02-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

It’s that Anthony time of year.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the process (and until this year, I wasn’t ;-) it works thusly:

Nominations open on February 28 and close April 30. Anyone who attended the most recent Bouchercon – Indianapolis - and/or is registered to attend San Francisco, is eligible to make up to five nominations in each of five categories, from books published the previous year: Best Novel; Best First Novel; Best Paperback Original; Best Short Story; Best Critical Nonfiction Work.

The by-laws were changed last year, and the Special Service Award is no longer a competitive award. It’s decided by each year’s organizing committee whether to give the award, and to whom. We'll have more on that topic a bit closer to Bouchercon.

As for this year’s nominations, we’re changing the process a bit. We’re going to do as much of this by email as possible, to make it easier for you and to increase participation. Here’s what’s going to happen:

If you attended Indy and/or are registered for San Francisco, we’ll send an email to the address we have on file sometime during the next couple of weeks, letting you know about the nominating process. (NOTE: If we don't have an email address for you, you will of course receive a paper ballot.) One of three things will happen:

The email will go through, in which case we’ll follow up around February 28 with an email ballot.

The email will bounce, in which case you’ll receive a paper ballot sometime between February 28 and about March 10 or so.

You'd prefer the pleasure of receiving snail mail from us, so you’ll respond to the email by telling us that, and we’ll be happy to send you a paper ballot.

The finalists in each category will be announced at least 60 days prior to Bouchercon. Voting will take place in San Francisco, and the Anthonys (they’re really gonna be cool) will be awarded on Sunday, October 17 at our Awards Brunch.

So, there you have it – I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

We have a winner!

2010-02-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Actually, we have two winners.

People who attended Bouchercon Indianapolis had the opportunity to send in a special registration form prior to December 31, to be eligible to win one free night at the Hyatt Regency.

The official drawing was held a couple of days ago, by me and our Fearless Treasurer Janine, with help from Chief of Staff Sam, who acted as Official Observer and Enforcer ;-)

So, without further ado, our winners are - drum roll, please.......

Martha Bowman

and

Tina Karelson

Congratulations, ladies!

We're crafty, yes we are....

2010-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of chairing Bouchercon is getting to know people I might not otherwise meet. The other day I had the pleasure of having lunch with the wonderful Camille Minichino.

We talked about how much fun the craft room was in Indianapolis - so much fun, that we're going to continue the tradition in San Francisco.

There are those who, when they think of crafts, think of Miss Marple-type lades sitting in a rocking chair with their knitting needles.....that's not quite accurate. Click below to see what I mean (from a great George Romero movie):

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index.jsp?cid=141275

I don't know about you, but when I'm reading Michael Connelly, I want to listen to some great jazz. Whenever I read a Spenser novel, I want to a) go to Boston and b) cook something yummy. Which says something about the power of Robert B. Parker's writing, because I hate cooking and have big plans to turn my kitchen into a walk-in closet.

So I think it'll be a blast for people to be able to actually make the things that their favorite characters make, with the authors who've written the books.

Camille is running the show, and talks about it today on her blog, Killer Hobbies.

If I get brave, I might actually try to make something my very own self ;-)

Vade in pacem

2010-01-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

I've looked at the Bouchercon history page often enough, you'd think it would have sunk in that this year is the third, not the second Bouchercon to be held in San Francisco. I've been focused on 1985, and the fact that 2010 marks 25 years since the World Mystery Convention visited the City by the Bay.

But Bouchercon was also held in San Francisco in 1982, a fact I hadn't paid much attention to until today, when I read Janet Rudolph's blog, Mystery Fanfare, and realized that Robert B. Parker was the Guest of Honor that year. In 1982, Parker was about 10 years into his career, and had published only 9 of his 58 novels. We've been hearing all day about his achievements and the mark he made on American literature; I like to think of him enjoying himself with Janet and Don Herron and the other Bouchercon attendees that year.

I'm going to miss reading his stories as they were published - every new book was the cause for "Parker night", which always involved something yummy to drink and a naughty snack - you simply cannot read those books on an empty stomach, the food descriptions are just too fabulous. I'm grateful, though, that the books and his wonderful, spare, complicated writing are there for us to read again, whenever we want.

Here's a link to Parker's press room, where there's an audio clip of Robert and his son Dan singing Moon River.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings!

Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, whether it’s Hanukkah

Christmas

Kwanzaa, the Solstice, or Seasonal Shopping (my personal favorite)

– I hope you’re having a fabulous time.

Here at Bcon Central – well, actually I’m not at Bcon Central, I’m on vacation. But I do want to remind you that, as of January 1 our registration fee will change from $175 to $195.

And, if you picked up one of our super special registration forms in Indianapolis, be sure to send it in, either with a check or after you've pushed the button on PayPal, before December 31 to be eligible for one free night at the Hyatt Regency during Bouchercon 2010. (The drawing will be in mid-January.)

We’re working on some website updates, including the attendees page, and they’ll be up very soon.

In the meantime, I hope you’re all well and happy.

Cheers,
Rae

More San Francisco music...

2009-11-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Just for fun on a Saturday morning -

A TV tune....

...some blues....

...the San Francisco Symphony makes some new friends....

...and a tip of the hat to our pals in SoCal (remember Left Coast Crime is in LA in just a few months - I can't wait)

;-)

Now open!

2009-11-04T21:09:00.001-08:00

Not this hotel.....

... or this one....

But this hotel...

Is now officially taking reservations for Bouchercon 2010. The link and phone number are on our Travel & Hotel page.

Plus, check out the Program page for some additions - and if you haven't been following our TwitterFace posts (Twitter and Facebook, which still really scare me ;-) I'm very pleased to tell you that David Baldacci will be attending Bouchercon for the very first time in San Francisco.

I just keep getting more excited about next October....

Happy, happy.....

2009-10-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

What a great time we all had at Bouchercon this weekend. It was wonderful to connect with old friends and meet new ones, to hang out in the bar and talk about books and everything else under the sun, and just flat have fun.

I overheard someone saying that the vibe of the weekend was a happy one, and it's so true. But that kind of atmosphere doesn't happen by accident - it takes a lot of planning and hard work and perseverance. Congratulations to the Indy team for putting on a great event.

For details about the weekend, I love Ruth Jordan's rundown at Crimespree Magazine.

The only downside is that we have to wait a whole year to do it all again.....

Less than a week away......

2009-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, boy......

It's the weekend before Bouchercon! That means it's time to start packing....

I don't travel light.

The lovely folks from Bcon 2011 (St. Louis) and I will be hanging out together - check out Jon's blog at http://bouchercon2011.blogspot.com/ for our schedule o'fun.

Hope to see you in Indy!

Music, music, music....

2009-10-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around for a while now with music for San Francisco. I love music. I grew up with music in the background, and there are almost always tunes playing in my house.

The right music can really set the mood - think about the soundtrack to some of your favorite movies. The Big Chill and Forrest Gump come immediately to mind, and there are so many other films where the soundtrack was an important part of moving the story forward. And so many of our favorite fictional protagonists love music. Harry Bosch is into jazz, Jack Reacher is a blues lover, and Elvis Cole is all about the rock and roll; knowing what kind of music they listen to makes these characters more real to us, and helps us get to know them better.

So, Bouchercon 2010 is going to have a dance party. At the moment I'm calling it Bouchercon a Go Go, but Club Bouchercon sounds pretty good, too. Not sure yet whether it'll be Friday or Saturday night, but there'll be live music interspersed with a DJ, and we will definitely have some sort of disco ball. Because I like disco balls.

Just for fun, here are two of my very favorite songs about San Francisco. See if you can guess which one makes me think about Bouchercon Opening Ceremonies ;-)

'Tis the Season

2009-09-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

In the US, it’s Labor Day weekend. On my calendar, that means Bouchercon Season is upon us, and I can’t wait to get to Indianapolis and see everyone again. Jim and Mike and the Gang have been working their fannies off, and I know we’re all gonna have a blast.

In the meantime, we’ve been busy here at Bcon2010 Central. I’ve staffed up: my new Chief of Staff is Sam, and my Executive Assistant is Missy. They are adorable, have long fluffy tails, and purr when I give them positive feedback. They also like to sit on the keyboard because it’s warm. So if you receive email from “me” that makes no sense, it’s their fault. Really.

(For more information on some of the Bcon2010 volunteers with two legs and no whiskers, take a look at the Contact page on the website.)

Our program is beginning to take shape. On the theory that any good idea should be ripped off, er, implemented with alacrity, we’re following Baltimore’s example: Thursday evening will kick off with Opening Ceremonies, including the presentation of the Barry and Macavity Awards; we’ll conclude the evening with a festive reception (by “festive”, I mean that food and liquor will be served ;-)

Again, following Baltimore’s fabulous example, we’ll present the Anthony Awards at brunch on Sunday. The brunch will include bacon - I’m told this is Very Important to Certain People. We’ll have more information about reservations after the first of the year.

Finally, I’m very, very pleased to announce that we’ve confirmed the spotlight presentations with our Guests of Honor. The line-up is - drum roll, please:

Ace Atkins in Conversation with Toastmaster Eddie Muller
Dana Stabenow in Conversation with US Guest of Honor Laurie R. King
Val McDermid in Conversation with International Guest of Honor Denise Mina
Robert Crais in Conversation with Distinguished Contributor to the Genre Lee Child

Oh, and one last note: we’ve updated several of the pages on the site – take a look, and as always, please let me know if you have questions or comments.

Cheers,

Rae

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Hi there,

2008 ended quietly here at Bcon2010 Central. Website's up (obviously ;-) and we've received our first registrations, which is fabulous and makes it all seem more real.

I've received great planning and programming suggestions already from some of you - many thanks.

And, Toastmaster Extraordinaire Eddie Muller and I met recently with our Convention Services coordinator at the Hyatt Regency. The conversation went something like this:

Us: Can we have (cocktail receptions, live auctions, dancing ponies)?

Charming Hotel Representative: Yes, I'm sure we can make that work for you.

The Hyatt people are thrilled that we're coming, both to Indianapolis this year and to San Francisco in 2010, and are all ready to help us have worlds of fun. One of the great things about San Francisco is that we pretty much have the whole hotel at our disposal - which means those dancing ponies may not be entirely out of the question.

Finally, if you have free time in 2009 and want to hang out with cool people at fun events, take a look to the right - we've added links to some of this year's mystery festivals.

Cheers,

Rae

P.S. If you know about a mystery event that should be part of our link-list, please shoot me an email, we'd be delighted to add it.

Hello!

2008-11-12T21:30:00.001-08:00

So, here we are - the Bouchercon 2010 website is up and running, and we have a blog. And can I just tell you – of all the things I thought I would never do, writing a blog was right near the top of the list. Of course, chairing a Bouchercon was right up there, too, and look what happened ;-)

First things first – welcome! I’m delighted that you’re visiting, and that you’re interested in what’s happening for Bouchercon by the Bay.

Second, I want to say a big THANK YOU to a number of people: Ruth and Jon Jordan, bless their sneaky little hearts. Maggie Griffin and Cornelia Read, who listened, and continue to listen. Janine Wilson and Kim Krabill, who, when they heard about Bcon 2010 said immediately, “We want to help”. Andi Shechter, who knows more about conventions than just about anyone. Madeira James, who has designed a beautiful site. You guys rock.

And, thanks to the Northern California crime fiction community: Mark Alan Miller, Louise Ure, Janet Rudolph, Bill and Toby Gottfried, Robin Burcell, all of whom have most kindly offered their support – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

If you’re wondering why we have a blog, there are two reasons, really. One is, we want to keep you informed as the plans for Bouchercon 2010 take shape and are finalized. If you subscribe to receive new posts (the sign up place is just over to the right), you’ll be notified whenever updates are added and you’ll have the most current information about registration, hotels, programming, and special events.

The other, equally important, reason we have a blog is to ask you to contribute ideas for your convention – because Bouchercon is for you. And we want you to have a fun, memorable experience in San Francisco.

One of the comments I’ve heard most often since the decision was made for Bouchercon to come to The City by the Bay is, “can we do something new?” So OK, I’m ready to try some new kinds of programming, and I’ve already heard some interesting ideas. The challenge, I think (and feel free to tell me if you disagree), is to maintain the wonderful Bouchercon traditions, while taking a shot at a few innovations. Some of these new and different ideas will be fabulous, and some will fall into the "what were they thinking?” category. But we’re at least going to try.

So, what do you think? Do you have a suggestion or a question? Feel free to email me at rae@bcon2010.com, or post it in the comments section here. Let’s get this party started!