Bouchercon was held in St. Petersburg, Florida this year.  More than a thousand mystery/crime authors, bloggers, publishers, bloggers, readers and others who love the genre come together to rekindle friendships, make new contacts, conduct business, teach/learn the craft and celebrate the best in crime fiction and non-fiction.

It was my very first Bouchercon, and I had a blast.  This conference is overwhelmingly immersive.  I was pleased to participate in an event on the first day of the conference called Coats of Many Colors where authors were tasked with sharing a name or two of other authors who deserved more attention.  I listed Stefani Deoul (On a Larp); Stephen Mack Jones (August Snow) and Penny Mickelbury (The Gianna Magglione/Mimi Patterson mystery series).  Later that day, I was honored to be on a panel that discussed the tropes of the private investigator genre with five experienced practitioners of the craft.

On Saturday, I paired up with a DC area writer friend, John Copenhaver, to do the Author Speed Dating event.  John and I gave our two-minute spiels to nearly 80 readers moving from table-to-table, while breakfast eaters munched on pastries and listened attentively.  It was exhausting and exhilarating.

The 3-day conference was filled with panels, presentations, interviews of celebrity crime writers, book signings….

and cupcakes.