Hell or High Water — Anchovies Included

It's Bouchercon week where crime writers from all over will gather. We've talked a lot about the pros and cons of conferences, but what’s your most memorable conference experience, good and bad. What's the conference moment you'll never forget?

by Dietrich

My first Bouchercon in 2013 was a wild ride. My publisher, Jack David, kindly arranged for me to travel from Toronto to Albany, New York, with a favorite Canadian writer, John McFetridge. I was thrilled to meet an author I admired and grateful for the road trip setup. After landing in Toronto, full of anticipation, I grabbed a late dinner—pizza with anchovies. Big mistake. I promptly came down with the worst case of food poisoning, which knocked me for such a loop I wondered if I’d make it to Albany at all. But come hell, high water, or anchovies, I was determined to attend.

I called John, explained my weakened state, and asked if, instead of meeting across town, he’d mind picking me up all the way across town where I was staying. He was a good sport, agreeing to chauffeur a relative stranger in hopes I’d recover by morning. Thankfully, I rallied. After a quick stop at an all-night pharmacy for Pepto and electrolyte drinks, we hit the road. I started feeling human again—until we reached the Peace Bridge border crossing. A CBP officer detained me for about an hour over some vague “incident” flagged by my passport. I could only imagine what John was thinking about his sickly, now-suspicious passenger. Eventually, we sorted it out and continued to Albany.

We arrived late, but the conference was worth it. Over the next few days, I met writers from all over, said hello to Sue Grafton and Jeffery Deaver, and watched a lively panel moderated by the witty Scottish author Catriona McPherson. A highlight was when Eric Beetner asked me to sign a copy of my debut, Ride the Lightning. The ride back to Toronto with John was mercifully smooth.

The next year, I skipped the anchovies and attended Bouchercon in Long Beach, reconnecting with friends from the previous year. Then came “Murder Under the Oaks” in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jack David arranged a big van for four writers, including John McFetridge, for the long drive from Toronto. The road trip sparked some fascinating discussions—crime plots, publishing woes, baseball, rock ’n roll, you name it. Despite arriving bleary-eyed at 2 a.m., we had a blast over the next few days.

I’ve missed a few Bouchercons since, especially during the plague years, and I won’t make it to New Orleans this year. But I’m already looking forward to Calgary next year.

Best Of Bouchercon

I love Bouchercon and have attended the conference many times. So many memorable moments! 

Meeting authors I long admired, attending panels that had big effects on my writing, getting to know other authors struggling with the same things I struggled with. Not to mention getting to visit cities I probably never would have visited, getting to explore and enjoy. For example, being shown around the city of Toronto by a native who took me to “the spots.” 

 Probably the night my first book was awarded the Macavity Award should be my favorite memory. After all I was sitting between Charmaine Harris and Kent Krueger and both of the gave me big hugs. Giddy times. But my favorite happened before I was a published author. I attended Bouchercon because my friends, authors Marilyn Wallace and Judy Greber urged me to go. They knew I was an aspiring mystery author and thought I would enjoy it. They were so right. It was fun and informative and a wonderful getaway. I was a new mom with a nine-month old. He’s now 38, so that’s how long ago this incident occurred. But I always remembered it fondly. 

 I knew very few people and the ones I knew had events with their publishers, so I was on my own for dinner. That was fine with me, so I struck off for a nearby restaurant. I walked in and told the hostess I was “one.” Suddenly I saw someone waving at me from a table. She beckoned me over. “Hi,” she said. You’re with the conference, aren’t you?” I said I was. “Please join us.” I told her I didn’t want to be any trouble and she insisted that wouldn’t be a problem. She asked the hostess to bring another chair to squeeze in next to her. And that’s how I got to meet Mary Higgins Clark. She was more than gracious. Asked me about myself, what I was writing, about my family, including my 9-month-old. It was a lovely evening, and I’ve never forgotten it. It was my first taste of the real kinship that exists among crime writers. 

At the same conference I met other writers who were happy to share information about writing, query letters, agents they thought might be interested in my work, other conferences. 

 Not to mention that at that same conference I attended a powerful gathering of women crime writers who were hearing for the first time about a new idea. Sara Paretsky presented the idea of an organization to support women crime writers. The organization was to be called Sisters in Crime. There was such excitement in the room, and of course we all know the result of that meeting. A large, complex organization that has grown to be a nationwide force for women crime writers. 

 There’s a coda to the story about Mary Higgins Clark. I attended Bouchercon again the next year. I was walking down the hallways and MHC saw me and came over. “How’s your son?” After a year. With all the people she met daily, she remembered a wanna-be writer whom she was kind to.

Bouchercon Memories - by Matthew Greene

 It’s Bouchercon week where crime writers from all over will gather. We’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons of conferences, but I want to know your most memorable conference experience- good and bad. What’s the conference moment you’ll never forget?

I’m not usually the FOMO type, but I have to admit this question got me feeling all nostalgic for Bouchercon. And I’ve only been once!

As a publishing newbie last year, I got my feet wet with Malice Domestic—since it was just a quick Acela ride from home—but Bouchercon was the first conference I attended after my first novel was published. I showed up in Nashville last August with a carry-on full of just-in-case copies of There’s No Murder Like Show Murder (foreshadowing…) and a whole lot of anxiety.

The prospect of navigating crowds, networking, and courting new readers was intimidating, for sure. But it helped that I’d made some new friends at Malice and had been not-so-subtly hinting via email that I wanted to connect. Fortunately for me, the cozy mystery community might just be the warmest group of people in the world, and I was welcomed with open arms. 

Bouchercon 2024 brought a lot of “firsts” for me—first time in Nashville, first panel as a published novelist, first spontaneous book signing in line for a Cinnabon, first time “selling out” at a convention…and the list goes on.

About that last point. It might be time to come clean. There was a bit of a hiccup getting a lot of titles into the book room that year, and authors were encouraged to sell any copies they had on consignment. Remember that carry-on I mentioned with a half dozen copies? Turns out, that was a smart move. Not only was I able to set up shop in the book room, but by the end of the day (and six sales later) I was able to post on social media that I was “Sold Out at Bouchercon!” Was this a little misleading? Maybe. But since when is anyone 100% honest on social media? 

I could go into detail about the panels, the new author events, the cozy cocktail party (which I highly recommend to anyone attending this year), and the organized meetups. But the most indelible memory I have of that week is of the community. So many authors were generous enough to sit down for coffee, drinks, or meals with me while I picked their brains and mined their experience for advice. (Shoutout to Ellen, Lisa, Leslie, Rob, Raquel, and so many others!) I may have been nervous stepping off that plane in Nashville, but by the time I boarded my return flight at the end of the week, I was filled with gratitude for the things I’d learned and the friends I’d made.

So, I hope all the newbie authors attending this week find similar opportunities to connect with fabulous folks willing to share their wisdom. I hope social media is full of “sold out” posts. And I hope to join the fun again next year.