Bouchercon Booty.
It's the end of the trolley line for me. Had another very eventful day that began with some quick breakfast with reviewer Art Taylor and cotinued with the panel "Trouble" with Jeff Abbott, Harlan Coben, Joseph Finder, Steve Hamilton, Ridley Pearson and moderated by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Coben offered the mystery writer's credo that "no one has to fail for you to succeed in this business." And it's true. I've never met a more generous bunch of people than mystery writers. He also said that it wasn't till his ninth book that he got to the bestseller list, so there's hope for me!
Then I had lunch with my agent at Union Station, converted into a mall and a Sheraton Hotel. You won't believe this place. The mall part was definitely nothing to write home about, but the train station part which was now the hotel still had all its wonderful gold leaf, ceramic features, mosaics, and stained glass windows. My crappy pictures don't even come close to doing it justice.
And then it was time for my second panel "The Colour of Amber"--the historical mystery panel with Albert Bell, Tony Hays, Sharan Newman, John Maddox Roberts, and moderator Patricia Rice, who did something a little different and asked the audience questions to generate a discussion with us. Worked out well and many books were sold and signed afterward. Yes, I made friends with some new booksellers. Always a plus.
Slipped in to see my last panel "Right to Silence" with Dana Cameron, Chris Farnsworth, Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner, and moderated by Les Klinger. They talked about paranormal mysteries, what's hot and what's not with vampires, Charlaine's last Sookie book, and what might be the next big dead thing to be the hot genre.
By then it was time for me to get ready for my event at Left Bank Books with Rob Byrnes, JM Redmann, Joe Pittman, Jeffrey Ricker, Michael Dymmoch, Jessie Chandler, Val McDermind, Neil Plakcy, Ellen Hart, and Joy Shayne Laughter. A big thank you to Kris Kleindienst from Left Bank Books. All I can say is, you know how to throw an event! Well over twenty people there asking the most intelligent questions I've ever gotten at a bookstore. And all our authors were such fun to get to know. We went to a Welsh pub for dinner and continued our conversation at the bar in the hotel. Thanks to all who attended and made it a fabulous event. And thanks to my new author friends for just being you! You guys rock!
Pictures!
You can't even get the scope of the detail of Union Station's arched ceiling and the frieze on the back wall arch. I'm sorry it doesn't come out like it should.
Authors at Left Bank Books. From left, Rob Brynes,Neil Plakcy, Michael Dymmoch, me, Joe Pittman, Jeffrey Ricker.
And yet more authors. From left, Val McDermid, Ellen Hart, Jesse Chandler, JM Redmann.
Thank you, Left Bank Books! And thank you Bouchercon 2011! Flying home tomorrow. See you next year in Cleveland.
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