Back from Bouchercon 2013

I'm home from Albany and have had a nap, so here goes.

I didn't attend as many panels as planned or see as many people as hoped, due in part to the attendees being divided among a number of hotels surrounding the labyrinthine Empire State Plaza. I stayed at the Hampton Inn, not running into many others who did. Still, I never get to see everyone I wish. I embrace the unpredictability of who I'll see and for how long. Knowing glances, quick words suffice, even at times just orbiting old friends and those I want to meet as they chat with others.

At my last B'con, 2011 in St. Louis, I only got to wave to Ali Karim, and couldn't be sure someone I'd seen was Joseph Finder. This time, I chatted with them both together, and John McFetridge snapped a photo follow-up to 2008's Gerald and Ali Go to Bouchercon. I call it Gerald and Ali Escape from Albany, coming soon.

Albany's own John DuMond, a member of two of my discussion lists and first-time B'con attendee, was a much appreciated guide. We had dinner at El Mariachi Thursday night and crossed paths and traded commentary throughout the con. Here's video of John I shot from the opening ceremonies before my Flip Mino conked out unexpectedly:




I met Short Mystery Fiction Society President Tom Sweeney and touched base with his perennial con roommate, Jack Bludis, over two cafeteria meals and several panels. I could not attend the informal SMFS lunch Friday at 12:30 or the formal PWA Shamus banquet at 6:30. There's only so much time and so much one can do in a day.

The panel I found most enlightening was one not in my original plan: What Makes a Good Villain? Saturday from 9:00-9:55 A.M., moderated by Barbara Fister with panelists Michael Dymmoch, Steve Hamilton, Joe Lansdale, John McFetridge, and Helen Smith. After that panel, leading up to one in the same room about what's taboo in crime fiction, I got to chat with David Corbett about his experience sleeping aboard a boat to attend this B'con, and his preference for "Damn!" over "Shit!"

I was assigned to the Saturday, 3:10 to 4:05 P.M. What Are We Reading Now reviewers' panel and, thanks to Twitter, felt as if I'd known my fellow panelists much longer than I have. It was a nice mix of reading tastes and voices. Thanks to all who attended, including Canadian crime author Cathy Ace, my Lineup cohort Anthony Rainone, mystery newsletter publisher Chris Aldrich, and John DuMond, who took this photo:

L to R: Gerald So, Lynn Farris, Dave Magayna, Joe Meyers, Jordan Foster, Kristopher Zgorski

Away from the con, I attended Friday and anticipated Sunday Masses at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, just steps from the Plaza's Madison Avenue entrance.

Instead of catching the last panels Sunday morning, I spontaneously had breakfast with Anthony Rainone and we talked until it was about time to pack up and check out. It seems like two days ago, not less than twenty-four hours.


Cheers to everyone I met. Apologies to everyone I didn't see. Here's a rundown of the panels and events I attended:

Thursday 1:20-2:15 P.M. - Angry Young Man - Room 2 - What drives the P.I. with moderator Ted Fitzgerald, J.L. Abramo, Jack Fredrickson, David Housewright, Tom Sweeney, and Richard Lipez.

Thursday 4:00-4:55 P.M. - The Siegfried Line - Room 3 - Crime before, during, and after World War II with moderator Peter Rozovsky, James R. Benn, J. Robert Janes, John Lawton, Martin Límon, and Susan Ella MacNeil.

Thursday 7:30-9:00 P.M. - Opening Ceremonies - Hart Theater - As part of the ceremonies, SMFS president Tom Sweeney recognized the 2013 Derringer winners, and winner Art Taylor spoke.


Friday 9:00-9:55 A.M. - Worse Comes to Worst - Room 1 - Tragedy as entertainment with moderator Art Taylor, Joe Clifford, Nik Korpon, Johnny Shaw, F. Paul Wilson, and Vincent Zandri.

Friday 10:20-11:15 A.M. - Goodnight, My Angel - Room 2 - Readers' love affair with hardboiled and noir with moderator Peter Rozovsky, Eric Beetner, Mike Dennis, Dana King, Terrence McCauley, and Jonathan Woods.

Friday 12:30-1:25 P.M. - Until the Night - Room 1 - The art of writing the P.I. novel with moderator Ali Karim, Baron Birtcher, Jack Bludis, Brendan DuBois, Charles Salzberg, and John Shepphird.

Friday 1:50-2:45 P.M. - I Don't Want to Be Alone - Room 1 - The art of collaboration with moderator Barbara Peters, Barbara Collins, Max Allan Collins, Wendy Corsi-Staub, Jonathan Greene, and Paul Kemprecos.

Friday 3:10-4:05 P.M. - Light as a Breeze - Room 4 - How far can you go and still be a cozy? with moderator Donna Andrews, Laura Bradford, E.J. Copperman, Liz Mugavero, Katherine Hall Page, and Rebecca Tope.


Saturday 9:00-9:55 A.M. - Big Man on Mulberry Street - Room 6 - Creating the perfect villain with moderator Barbara Fister, Michael Dymmoch, Steve Hamilton, Joe Lansdale, John McFetridge, and Helen Smith.

Saturday 10:20-11:15 A.M. - Shameless - Room 6 - Dead Cats & Bad Girls: The True Taboos in Crime Fiction with moderator Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott, Alison Gaylin, Lauren Henderson, Greg Herren, and Alex Marwood.

Saturday 3:10-4:05 P.M. - A Room of Our Own - Room 4 - What are We Reading? with moderator Dave Magayna, Lynn Farris, Jordan Foster, Joe Myers, Gerald So, and Kristopher Zgorski.


Tell me about your B'con in the comments.

At The 5-2: "A Typical Night in Western Hill" by Terry Trowbridge

This week's poem, by Toronto poet and Ph.D. candidate Terry Trowbridge:




Terry is guest-editing The 5-2 in October. Submit to him by September 30.

Burn Notice: The Final Season

Burn Notice aired its final episode last night, with Michael Westen taking down yet another criminal mastermind. I didn't like every direction the show took, especially in the last two seasons. Its humor and helping the underdog fell by the wayside as Michael became consumed with trying to get "un-burned", a concept I never thought was plausible.

Season 7 gave us the deepest exploration of Michael's psyche and, as a side effect, threw his moral compass out of whack. It wasn't much fun to watch. The major message of Seasons 6 and 7 seemed to be that Michael and friends had to pay for their years of exacting personal justice, but it was a mixed message with Sam and Jesse ultimately getting passes. I did appreciate Michael and Fiona escaping an exploding building so narrowly that perhaps only Sam and Jesse knew they had survived. Being presumed dead was the only way the couple could worm out of the trouble they were facing.

The series would have worked better for me if the CIA weren't depicted as a fairly standard government agency. That raised a tough question for the writers: How do we clear Michael for government work with all the less-than-legal stuff he's done since getting burned?

The realm of spies has leeway to be murky. In the pilot, Michael said he didn't work for anyone officially. If he worked for a fictitious, off-book subsection to begin with, the protocol for getting cleared back to work could have been made up, and the show could have delivered the same message: Working with a small group of trusted friends is better than working for a larger organization.

All this said, Burn Notice ended the way I wanted, with Michael giving up his old life, embracing a new life with Fiona.

Derek Jeter

Jeter, who had been trying to come back from a broken ankle suffered in the playoffs last season, has been shut down for the rest of this season.

Much like the ACL tear that sidelined Mariano Rivera for much of last season, Jeter's injury throws the rest of his career in doubt. He no longer seems to have the durability that allowed him to break many Yankee records. Then again, he is thirty-nine.

Jeter, Rivera, and Andy Pettitte could have retired in 2009 and I'd be happy. I don't like seeing players play until injuries leave them permanently hobbled.

September 11

I was home on Long Island on September 11, 2001 when a friend IM'd me that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. I felt far away and helpless, feelings that came back every year on the memorial until 2011. bin Laden had been killed, and I finally felt some closure and peace.

Leading up to this year's anniversary, I had the familiar feeling of helplessness about U.S. military action in Syria. I don't think it should happen, and now there is some hope it won't. As often as I pick at politicians' words, diplomacy is what ultimately prevents or ends conflict; there are no greater achievements.

At The 5-2: "Day 7" by Tiffany Washington

The 5-2 begins its third year with Hartford, Connecticut teacher Tiffany Washington:




Submissions are open for guest editor Terry Trowbridge through September 30.

The 5-2 Volume Two ebook of all of the poetry from Year Two will be available in October.

Keeping Genres Fresh and Relevant

I'm a longtime fan of Peter Rozovsky's blog, Detectives Beyond Borders. I met Peter at my first Bouchercon, 2008 in Baltimore, and know him to be a fine moderator. One of his panels at Bouchercon 2013 in Albany will be "Goodnight, My Angel", about readers' love affair with hardboiled and noir fiction.

I commented today on a re-post of Peter's from 2012, in which he asks, "How do your favorite crime writers keep well-established sub-genres fresh, relevant, and contemporary?"