BOUCHERCON

by Leigh Lundin

I am impressed.

I’m at Bouchercon, the conference in Baltimore named after Anthony Boucher and I am learning a lot while having a ball. Thanks, James, for persuading me to attend.

I also thank Dale Andrews, author of ‘The Book Case’ and a nominee for the Barry Award for short story, and I thank his wife, Pat. Especially Pat. She has put me up and put up with me. Dale might be a powerhouse government lawyer (Deputy Assistant General Counsel), but the dude has a treehouse in his backyard and a water slide. Moreover, Dale has a bent sense of humor that along with mine takes a woman (and lawyer) with the patience of Job. Thanks, Pat!

A couple of years ago, cootie (aka Deborah Bannister) commented that at conferences, it seemed like her favorite books jumped off the shelves while she wandered amongst them.

When I looked over the attendees, down the list from my own name was one person I wanted to meet, author John Lutz. His books not only have puzzles and adventure, I particularly admire their humanity. I had no idea if I’d bump into him.

As a bit of background, James I met a year and a half ago at the MWA in New York. Shortly thereafter, James invited me to be a part of Criminal Brief.

I write articles side by side with my blog-mates, and feel like I’ve learned something about them. Meeting in the flesh is always different and this was better. My conclusion after meeting Angela, Barry, John, Melodie, and Steve is that James has done a hell of a job picking genuinely nice people.

Please note my fellow bloggers are a lot better looking in person than their photos. That’s the truth.

So what are they like?

Angela is quiet and pretty. She could be a gothic heroine in her own right. Her husband, Barry, looks the epitome of a tough private eye, particularly when he wears his black leather jacket. Melodie is convinced he’s Mossad, an opinion given a boost after we learned about his intrigues in Israel.

Melodie and I hit it off instantly. I might have expected her to be reserved, but we fell into teasing each other incessantly and she has great comic timing. At any moment, I expect her to sneak up behind me and whisper, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" (Don’t ask– it’s a catch-phrase from three days of batting around.)

John is the consummate professional in everything he does. He and I sat out a session or two conversing and I learned more in two hours with him than from some forums. John is not only a prolific writer of high quality stories, but he’s generous with time, advice, and encouragement. I feel fortunate to have met him.

And then I come to Steve. Steve’s photo looks dignified and his writing is refined. Don’t be fooled. Steve claims most people don’t pick up on it, but he struck me as the mischievous kid in school you palled around with who had you laughing even as the school principal yanked you into the office for a whupping. Steve’s story about a sarcophagus, well… never mind. I’ll let him tell you himself.

At brunch, James ordered champagne and we toasted missing comrades, Deborah and Rob, and we toasted Criminal Brief.

Seeing CB friends like Bill Crider, Jiro Kimura, and Susan Slater was terrific. I love my editors, Janet Hutchings, Linda Landrigan (who was a terrific moderator on our panel), and Emily Giglierano. Janet and Emily claim I’m a flirt, a scurrilous assertion since I’m certainly restrained and proper. (Stop choking, guys!)

Early on, James arranged for reservations and transportation to an Afghan restaurant for dinner. In the van, I sat behind a couple I didn’t know. In the back seats, we were overheating and as we rode along, I leaned forward and asked the man to whisper two words in the driver’s ear, "air conditioning".

Dale and Melodie didn’t know the man, so I introduced myself. When he told me his name, I think my jaw dropped. He turned out to be John Lutz, the literary legend I looked forward to meeting, attending with his wife Barbara.

That’s life at the conference. It’s tricky getting this article on-line, but I’m having a great Bouchercon.

The Ongoing Story

A woman approached me at the conference, Pauline, I believe, and recognized my name in connection with a story with Alfred Hitchcock. I naturally thought of "8 Across", but she said no, she was referring to a story we started on the Dell web site.

Feel free to contribute!