#8: That time I got a ride with a trickster and a javelin man ...

The odds and ends of Bouchercon, Covid, and California driving

So the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention—otherwise known as “Bouchercon”—was in San Diego this year, August 30 to September 3. It was only my third in-person Bouchercon, but it might have been my best so far.

Bouchercon is really just drinking from the fire hose for four days, where you mix and mingle and hang out with the best crime writers working, most likely at the hotel bar. It’s a damned good time, and this year was no exception.

Ignoring the pain in the ass which is modern air travel, I got to the event just in time to be on my first panel, “POV and Voice in Crime Novels: Hardboiled, Noir, and More,” with Christa Faust, Dennis Tafoya, Domenic Stansberry, and Michael Wiley, with the creator of the Noir of the Bar himself, Peter Rozovosky, moderating. It was a tightly packed 50 minutes, going through the ins and outs of noir and what it means for each of us. Participating on that panel was also an education for me, and it could have been twice as long and I wouldn’t have noticed a second.

I also got to be part on the “liar’s panel,” where everyone tells a story and the audience tries to decide who’s telling the truth and who’s lying. The inimitable Lori Rader-Day wrangled myself, Barb Goffman, John Copenhaver, and Tracy Clark through the event, and I gotta say, my fellow panelists were all better liars than me, and in several cases, better at telling the truth. It was a blast, nonetheless.

The photos that follow are, to me, the core of Bouchercon: The hangout time with other writers. Talking about books, craft, movies, politics, life in general, all with people who understand the singular sensation of bringing a story to life from a kernel of an idea to words on a page.

One of my favorite pictures, with Susanna Calkins and Lori Rader-Day. It’s roughly two in the morning and we have lost our minds. Whatever was that funny was maybe not actually that funny, but it was also, without a doubt, hilarious. There are several best-selling authors in the background, disguised as responsible adults. Lori, Susie and I, on the other hand, look kids the bus driver has to yell at to keep it down.

I’ve never read anything by Tod Goldberg or Ivy Pochoda that I didn’t love. Tod’s wrapping up with his excellent Gangsterland series with GANGSTERS DON’T DIE, and Ivy’s most recent, SING HER DOWN, is hands down one of the best books of the year. It was great to finally meet them both, since I’ve been fortunate enough to share some anthology pages with Tod, and I believe Ivy’s THESE WOMEN is the best serial killer of the past decade or more.

Get yourself a crew of great writers to hang out with. Lucky as hell to call Jeff Macfee, S.A. Cosby, and Curtis Ippolito friends, because every time I read them, it’s a challenge to raise to their level.

Sweet Jesus but I met Sara Paretsky, who’s only written some of the best PI fiction of the last forty years. Who practically changed a genre with energy and wit and a sharply political eye. I’m clutching that flag so tight I’m shocked it didn’t snap in half. Thanks again to Lori Rader-Day for keeping me on script and not letting me pass out.

This was the first Bouchercon for my friend and screenwriter Jay Faerber, and we drove out to Ocean Beach, to the diner where they filmed scenes for the too-good-for-this-world PI series TERRIERS. Ocean Beach was exactly what I wanted it to be, and I only took photos of every palm tree for the first ten minutes or so. But it was also a great chance to hang with Jay, who shares my obsession for PI fiction and 70s crime shows. The drive there was my first experience with the California driving I heard people talk about; they were not lying about it, either. Whoa.

I hung out an extra day in San Diego after Bouchercon with Curtis Ippolito, his wonderful wife Sharon, and writer, anthologist extraordinaire, and all-around badass Holly West. It gave extra time to explore Ocean Beach and the surrounding San Diego area more, and let me put my feet into the Pacific Ocean. Just going to say, I wasn’t expecting it to be that cold, or the waves that strong.

But it was a wonderful day, and I was so grateful to have that time with my friends to close up an awesome trip.

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At least, until I came home and tested positive for Covid. Then there was a steady tumble of dominos as more and more attendees tested positive. Even with so many outdoor options at the event venue, many of us opted to stay in the crowded hotel bar every evening. Fortunately, cases seemed to be mild, and it’s definitely a learning lesson for future events.

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“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”

― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

I started my story in this latest SHOTGUN HONEY PRESENTS collection with only an idea: Someone goes to rob a convenience store while "Elvira" by the Oak Ridge Boys is playing.

Problem was, I didn't have much besides that, so it sat unfinished for, oh, more than a year? Maybe two? Until editor Ron Earl Phillips put out a call for this collection, wanting dark stories with strong female protagonists.

I didn't even know my lead in this story was female until that very moment, and when that clicked, the rest of the story fell into place. Even the title—"Ashes In Your Mouth"—just showed up as natural as you please.

It's a love story, if "a woman takes bloody vengeance" is your idea of a love story. That said, this thing's meaner than an alley cat in a fight, and I'm right pleased with how it worked out. The book is packed with great writers, and proceeds will go to breast cancer research.

Hope you dig it.

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That’s all we’ve got for now. Thanks for coming. See you next time, and hey, let’s be careful out there.