Saturday was a full day at Bouchercon, going into the evening. I had said I’d volunteer at the Left Coast Crime booth in the morning. First, though, I had to find it. So, I asked John Purcell for directions. He was a dedicated volunteer and spent most of the conference working the Anthony Award voting table, but he still sent me off in the right direction.
 |
| With John Purcell |
Janet Rudolph didn’t need me at the booth, but she was willing to pose for a picture with author Clea Simon.
 |
| Clea Simon and Janet Rudolph |
In the break before a panel, I ran into Maddee James and author Gigi Pandian. Maddee is the web designer who originally helped me with this blog. I’m grateful for everything she did to get me started.
 |
| Maddee James and Gigi Pandian |
The Liars Panel was fun, moderated by Lori Rader-Day with Lee Matthew Goldberg, Johnathan Lethem, Alex Marwoord, Laura Lippman and Jess Lourey.
The next panel was More Than Magnum – The PI in Fiction. When the moderator was a half hour late, Jack Fredrickson stepped up to moderate, with a panel that included Stephen Mack Jones, Naomi Hirahara and Kelli Stanley. Kelli’s a friend. Naomi and I had met earlier in the hall. And Stephen Mack Jones was also at the Poisoned Pen conference, but left before I could talk to him.
 |
Then, I went to a panel I was on. William Kent Krueger was our moderator for the panel “David Thompson Award Recipients/Future Guests of Honor. The Future Guests of Honor were authors Cara Black, Hank Phillippi Ryan and Harry Hunsicker. Judy Bobalik, Mary Lachman and I were the David Thompson Award Recipients. William Kent Krueger made it a fun panel.
And, it continued to be fun when Jeff and Jackie Meyerson stopped by with Bill Crider’s daughter, Angela Crider Neary. She was kind enough to give me an ARC of Bill’s last book. It comes out in February.
Then, there was a great surprise. Readers here will recognize Sandie Herron’s name from book reviews and “Have You Heard?” I’ve known Sandie for over twenty years online, but she and I had never met. When the panel was over, I was ready to move to the next one, and Bill Herron came up to me and said, you can’t leave before you meet Sandie. Sandie! Finally! Bill was kind enough to take several pictures of us before the three of us moved on to a fun event.
 |
| With Sandie Herron |
The authors of Jungle Red Writers always have an enjoyable panel. This time, they were supposed to “write” a mystery, with help from the audience. We were to give them character names, a murder weapon, the setting, etc. It was just fun.
Before taking you to the evening events, I’ll share a few other photos taken here and there throughout the conference.
 |
| With Kelli Stanley |
 |
| With Wendall Thomas and James Ziskin |
 |
| Wendall Thomas and James Ziskin |
 |
| With Sherry Harris, the new President of Sisters in Crime |
 |
| With Julie Gerber and Kathy Boone Reel |
The second last event of the evening was the auction. Every year, there’s an auction in which the funds go to a literacy charity. This year, the charity was Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The items auctioned off include sets of items related to one author, such as Michael Connelly or breakfast with Lee Child. The items that bring the most money are usually naming rights to a character in an author’s book. This year, winners could name a character after themselves or a friend or family member in books by Louise Penny or Charlaine Harris. Lisa Unger and Hank Phillippi Ryan were the auctioneers, and they did a heck of a job, raising around $25,000. The item that went for the greatest amount was the character name in Ian Rankin’s next book. It was fun watching authors Karin Slaughter and Lee Child bid each other up to $5000, at which point Hank suggested they each give $5000, and they could each name a character. That worked.
The evening ended with the Anthony Awards, but before the award was presented, Erin Mitchell presented me with the David S. Thompson Memorial Service Award. The award actually says, “2018 David Thompson Special Service Award. Presented to Lesa Holstine for your exemplary life-long service to the mystery and crime fiction community. The Bouchercon Board of Directors.” It’s beautiful. Here are the pictures of the award, and me.
A very special Bouchercon. And, I’m grateful to all of the Bouchercon Board members, especially Erin Mitchell and Janet Rudolph.
And, thank you, for making it all possible.
Yes, it was great. And the Award was well deserved, obviously. Another highlight was Angela talking about her dad and presenting the first Bill Crider Memorial Award for Best Series Entry, which went (probably appropriately) to Sue Grafton for the final Kinsey Millhone book.
A highlight of the Liars Panel was the incredible "Chi-Chi's and Prince" story, one I'll never forget (even if it wasn't all true).
Next year in Dallas (starts later, on Halloween).
Jeff, That was a highlight. I wrote to Angela and told her that. Her presentation was beautiful and funny – just perfect.
I loved the way the audience got into the "Chi-Chi's and Prince" story!
Oh, Lesa, thank you for sharing all these great photos and also for telling us about your time in Florida! Major congrats to you on the award. It is well, well deserved. And getting to see you and Sandie – wonderful! Bet you were both so excited! Loved the auction story and all of the stories. You've given us a birdseye view!
This was a very special Bouchercon for you, Lesa. I only wish I could have been there!!! Congratulations again on your well deserved award – it's GORGEOUS!!! And thanks for sharing the experience and all the fun pictures. xxoo
Hugs!!!!
A am over the moon and back that you received this award.
Love the picture of you holding the award at the table. You always look so happy in your pictures.
Big hugs to you.
You're right, Kay. I don't think Sandie and I ever stopped smiling. It was so wonderful to finally meet. And, her husband, Bill, is so nice.
Thank you, Kaye. I wish you had been there, too. That would have made it that much more special. Hugs, my friend.
Charlotte, I have a good life, and I'm appreciative. Thank you!
Congratulations Lesa! And thank you for sharing your weekend through pictures as, well as all your hard work posting reviews!
It was indeed, a pleasure to finally meet you Lesa! I've been enjoying your recap of Bouchercon and the fun we had.
This comment has been removed by the author.
What a wonderful and event and honor for you! Very deserving! I liked hearing all the tidbits and seeing pics of some of these mystery authors!
Congratulations on the award, very deserving. You make the books come alive for your readers of the blog. It was great fun seeing authors faces that you read and really have no idea what they look like beyond the posed picture on the book.
Keep up the good work and keep bringing on the books.
Congratulations, Lesa. And thanks for doing what you, helping us discover and enjoy good books. And as always, great pictures!
Congratulations! Thanks for all you do for the mystery community.
Congratulations on your award! That is so awesome!
All I can do is send all of you hugs and thanks. Thank you for your kind notes.