As members of the mystery community can tell you, fall brings more than colorful leaves. You also get colorful characters converging on Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention. Though there are plenty of other mystery conventions--Femme Mary told about her experiences with a great one not long ago--Bouchercon is the biggest. This year's installment is at the Rennaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, and it's particularly exciting because:
- Charlaine is one of the American Guests of Honor.
- Hank has been nominated for an Anthony for Best Paperback Original for Drive Time.
- Dana is a double nominee. Her story "Swing Shift" has been nominated for an Anthony and for a Macavity for Best Short Story. (To add to the Femme-ness, the story was published in Crimes by Moonlight, edited by Charlaine.) You can read it online for just a few more days at Dana's web site.
- Elaine is returning to her home town!
- Donna and Toni are always exciting.
Here's a list of the events where you can come see us.
WEDNESDAY - 9/14/11
6:00 PM - Charlaine spends the evening with Laurell K. Hamilton in an intimate Q&A to benefit the St. Louis Public Library. This is a ticketed event--go here for more information.
THURSDAY - 9/15/11
11:30 AM - Charlaine fastens her seatbelt for "Passengers" with fellow passengers Colin Cotterill, Robert Crais, and Val McDermid. Noted mystery critic Oline Cogdill moderates.
2:30 PM - Donna is discussing new ways to get rid of the body on "To Love is to Bury" with Sandra Balzo, Jess Lourey, P.J. Parrish, and Sarah Shaber. Catriona McPherson is moderating and/or helping bury.
4:00 PM - Charlaine is being interviewed by the fabulous bookseller McKenna Jordan to find out her "Grave Secrets."
4:00 PM - Hank is on the panel "Sisters" with Jan Burke, Deborah Crombie, and Erin Hart. Though these gals are doing it for themselves, according to the panel description bookseller Robin Agnew is moderating.
FRIDAY - 9/16/11
7:30 AM - Hank is at the Sisters in Crime Breakfast as part of her new duties as (drum roll please) the new Vice President of the Sisters in Crime National Board of Directors.
10:00 AM - Elaine is on "Still She Cries," which she describes as "a dream panel, with my favorite, funniest mystery writers: Linwood Barclay, Alafair Burke, Bill Crider, and Lisa Lutz." They'll be talking about email they've loved and hated, and Colin Cotterill has bravely volunteered to moderate.
11:30 AM - Donna keeps the mood just right on "Death by Good Intention" with Shirley Damsgaard, Rosemary Harris, Julie Hyzy, and Joanna Slan. Katrina Holm has every intention of moderating.
12:30 PM - Hank is signing at the Crimespree table in the Dealers' Room.
SATURDAY - 9/17/11
8:30 AM - Dana moderates "Playing Fair With Your Readers." Her fair-minded panelists are Joshua Corin, G.M. Malliet, Chantelle Aimee Osman, Wendy Staub, and Jaden Terrell.
10:00 AM - Hank tries her to best to moderate "Trouble," in the form of five well-behaved writers. But in case she can't find any, she'll settle for Jeff Abbott, Harlan Coben, Joseph Finder, Steve Hamilton, and Ridley Pearson.
1:00 PM - In an offsite event, Elaine is on the "Working Women" panel at the Middendorf-Kredell Branch Library in O'Fallon, MO, along with working writers Harley Jane Kozak and Julie Kramer.
CORRECTION: Elaine's "Working Women" panel is at 1:30, not 1:00.
3:00 - Also offsite, Hank is on the "Thrillers" panel at the Middendorf-Kredell Branch Library in O'Fallon, MO, along with the thrilling J.T. Ellison and Julie Compton.
4:00 PM - Three Femmes at once! Charlaine, Dana, and Toni may (or may not) excercise their "Right to Silence" on a panel along with Chris Farnsworth. Leslie Klinger will be trying to moderate them.
SUNDAY - 9/18/11
11:00 AM - Come to the Anthony Awards Brunch to cheer on Hank and Dana, and end Bouchercon in style.
NOTE: My panel on Saturday with Harley Jane Kozak and Julie Kramer is at 1:30, not 1 PM at the library.
But if you show up earlier, we'll have a good time talking to you.
Posted by: Elaine Viets | September 15, 2011 at 08:46 AM