For anyone unfamiliar with Bouchercon, a quick primer. It’s the largest annual crime/mystery fiction event in the U.S., with an average attendance of 1500 people. The location varies each fall based upon any local bids and ultimately a conference member vote. The convention bills itself as a gathering of mystery and detective fiction devotees. It’s…… Continue reading A Local’s Guide to Bouchercon Nashville 2024
Category: This Whole Writing Thing
That Feeling. You Know The One.
A few years ago, George Saunders came through town on a book tour. I can’t get to nearly enough author talks, but I made sure to catch this one. His CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996) still crawls around inside me. Saunders answered a question that night, an almost certainly intended more to entertain than as deep wisdom. Even so,…… Continue reading That Feeling. You Know The One.
2023, A Funny Sort of Year
We all beat our drums about what’s important to us. Humor is important to me, in life and in writing. Not surprisingly then, a drum I beat when talking writing is the serious business of humor. To write with humor’s lens is to load more rocks into the burden sack, whether that’s a conscious choice…… Continue reading 2023, A Funny Sort of Year
Bringing the Romance Back
Back in June, a friend did me one heck of a solid. It happened the way such profound things do: by accident. This was at our Sisters in Crime chapter meeting, and the speaker said the first thing about storytelling that surprised me in a while: That great stories needed romance. That speaker was Clay…… Continue reading Bringing the Romance Back