My Bouchercon 2013 Plan

Here are my first and second choices for the panels I want to take in at Bouchercon, September 19-22, in Albany. I'm arriving Thursday, possibly late for the noon panels, but if not:

Thursday 12:00-12:55 P.M. - River of Dreams - Room 1 - The road to being a debut author with moderator Erin Mitchell, Sean Chercover, Elizabeth Haynes, Gilbert King, Lisa Lutz, and Alex Marwood.

2nd Choice - Thursday 12:00-12:55 P.M. - Can I Get a Witness - Room 7 - On William Morrow's planned digital-first mystery line, Witness, with moderator Danielle Bartlett, James Heyman, Dan Mallory, and Meg Ruley.

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 2:40-3:35 P.M. - Leave a Tender Moment Alone - Room 6 - Levels of intimacy with moderator Lauren Henderson, David Corbett, Heather Graham, Julie Kramer, William Kent Krueger, and Jess McConkey.

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 will present plaques to the Derringer winners.


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.

2nd Choice - Friday 12:30-1:25 P.M. - Somewhere Along the Line - Room 6 - Guess the true first line with moderator Rhys Bowen, Lucy Burdette, Deborah Crombie, Hallie Ephron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Julia Spencer-Fleming.

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 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.


Sunday 9:00-9:55 A.M. - Pressure - Room 2 - The trials and tribulations of a modern author with moderator Russel McLean, Frankie Y. Bailey, John Burley, Aric Davis, Barb Goffman, amd Koethi Zan.

2nd Choice - Sunday 9:00-9:55 A.M. - Heartbreak Hotel - Room 3 - Being a writer doesn't come with room service with moderator Tom Sweeney, Maggie Barbieri, Suzanne Chaizin, Chris Ewan, Terry Shames, and Andy Siegel.


I hope I've left enough time for spontaneity. Feel free to contact me and rope me into something not listed.

"I'm going to Bouchercon 2013."

Yes, Bouchercon would be my vacation of choice if I won an NBA championship. If you'd like to meet me in Albany next month, I'll be attending the opening ceremonies Thursday night, during which SMFS President Tom Sweeney will present plaques to the 2013 Derringer Award winners.

I'm also on the "A Room of Our Own" panel, Saturday 3:10–4:05 P.M. in Room 4. Reviewers Dave Magayna, Lynn Farris, Jordan Foster, Joe Meyers, Kristopher Zgorski and I will discuss what we're reading now.

Noir at the Bar NYC 5: Sunday, August 18

I arrived at Shade later than expected, due to a pedestrian struck by the LIRR train ahead of mine, but others were delayed by traffic on the L.I.E., so I didn't miss anything.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Tom and Sarah Pluck, caught up with Charlie Stella and Jack Getze, and turned some new people on to crime poetry. Thanks to Glenn Gray and Todd Robinson for the warm welcome.

Photos courtesy of Glenn Gray.



I read "Witness Protection", "Redemption", and "Life Sentence".



With Tom Pluck and Todd Robinson



(L to R: Tom Pluck, Charlie Stella, Gerald So - crouched, Glenn Gray, Suzanne Solomon, Jack Getze - seated, Teel James Glenn, Todd Robinson, Scott Adlerberg, Bradley Sands)

Photo Opportunity

Thanks to The Cosby Show, I grew up fascinated with the bacon burger dog, not certain such a tantalizing treat actually existed. Thanks to the Web, I found recipes for it and enlisted grill master John Ricotta to one day make it a reality. That day was yesterday, my first chance to meet five-month-old Anando Paul, son of my friends Deshant and Tracy.

I assist in Anando's superhero training.

Flanked by John, Kelly, and young John Ricotta on the left; Julie and Emma Ricotta, Anando and Deshant Paul on the right.

ROBERT B. PARKER'S WONDERLAND by Ace Atkins

Atkins' ambitious second Spenser novel is out today. Here's my Amazon review.

UPDATE (May 8, 2013): The sun broke out on an otherwise rainy day just before Ace Atkins signed WONDERLAND at New York City's Mysterious Bookshop. My friend and fellow Spenser fan, John Ricotta, and I attended along with Joe Guglielmelli of the East Side's dearly-missed Black Orchid Bookshop, and noir "queenpin" Megan Abbott.

Though this is the first we've met in person, I interviewed Ace for Crimespree Magazine on April 29, 2011, two days after Putnam and Parker's estate announced him as the choice to continue the Spenser novels. In his answers, I saw true knowledge of Spenser and respect for Parker. There's nothing like chatting with people who've read what you've read, watched or listened with the same fervor, but have perspectives you're hearing for the first time.

Another Interview

I and others answered some random questions from poet Catfish McDaris. The catch: We had to answer in five words or fewer.

Where do you live, city & country or state? New York, United States.

From your country what is the most unusual food you like, that most foreigners would hate? Street hot dogs.

If you had to live in any country besides yours, what would be your favorite & least favorite, in that order? Canada; Iran.

If you were stranded naked on a deserted island & were allowed one thing, what would it be? (no transportation allowed) Drinkable water.

If you could only choose one book as your favorite, what would it be? Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, dead & alive, who would it be, in that order? My father; Philip Levine.

If you could have sex with anyone, dead & alive, who would it be, in that order? I would take forever deciding...

What is your favorite movie & television show, in that order? Raiders of the Lost Ark; NCIS.

If you could only have one super power, what would it be? Heat vision.

If you found a magic lamp & got three wishes, what would they be? 1) To hear from old friends, 2) Health, 3) Peace of mind.

Belly Up to the Bar

I bellied up to be interviewed by 5-2 contributor Thomas Pluck.

Partners & Crime Closing September 20

Getting into mystery fiction in 1993, I first visited Partners & Crime in Greenwich Village in 1998, the only time I met Robert B. Parker. Becoming friendly with co-owner Maggie Griffin and then-employee Sarah Weinman, I also had the pleasure of meeting Robert Crais, Lawrence Block, S.J. Rozan, Lee Child, George Pelecanos, Jack Bludis, Reed Farrel Coleman, Ken Bruen, Jason Starr, Alexander McCall Smith, and Joseph Wallace at Partners.

I wish I'd made it to more events, of course, but each one I did make remains clear and special to me.