Bouchercon – Great Author Learning Experience

First, I had to learn how to actually pronounce Bouchercon. It’s pronounced like voucher only with a “B” instead of a “V” and for a moment I thought perhaps it was just the Texas accent and I wasn’t understanding.

Once I got that figured out, my time at Bouchercon was spent on panels ranging on everything from research, using the McGuffin, getting ideas from actual headlines, and hearing law enforcement officers discuss the true nature of police work.

I had four favorite panels from my time at the conference:

• Red Herring: The Art of Misdirection: Great examples of what a red herring is and being sure not to cheat your audience.
• The Long Blue Line: Writing accurately about the police and their work in crime fiction.
• Mother May I Sleep With Danger: Focused on women’s stories, particularly as portrayed in mystery fiction. A fabulous panel of mostly women writers.
• Keep Those Pages Turning: The best ways to keep readers wanting more. Another great panel that provided excellent ways to improve your writing.

I took copious notes for future blog posts and look forward to sharing even more about my time at Bouchercon with my blog readers in the coming months.