Monday, October 12, 2015

Bouchercon - The Day After

In 1973, Carly Simon was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Female Vocalist for her song, “Anticipation.” Though that song was much loved, the Grammy went to Helen Reddy and the, er, unforgettable “I Am Woman.”

Instead of becoming an anthem and punch line on late night television, Simon’s song had a more lighthearted fate: becoming the theme song for a Heinz ketchup commercial. There were many versions of this commercial. The one I remember had two little boys awaiting the bright red deliciousness of the slow-moving ketchup. When it finally came out of the bottle, met the little boy’s hamburger, and he bit into it…. Ah! The tagline: “The taste that’s worth the wait.”

This is the Monday after Bouchercon, the worldwide mystery convention that was held this year in Raleigh, North Carolina. My first Bouchercon! Like the kids in the commercial, I’ve been waiting, waiting for this conference to start. I am anticipating entertaining and informative panels, meeting authors, and the deliciousness of time spent with others who love the mystery genre.


Because I had to write this blog ahead of time and my Magic 8 Ball is in a packing box, I have no way of knowing if Bouchercon was worth the wait. Did the event meet my expectations? Did it meet yours? If you attended, please share your experiences in the comments section. I’ll be checking in – after the much anticipated nap I’ll be taking.

12 comments:

  1. Shari -- so good to see you and the other WWK members at Bouchercon (Sorry I missed Sam -- does he really exist, or is he someone's fictional character?)

    ~ Jim

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  2. Sam is real! I had the opportunity to chat with him a bit after a panel. Hope to see everyone in the same place some day. Is anyone thinking about Bouchercon in New Orleans?

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  3. Hi Shari, I missed this Bouchercon (it would have been my first) and am looking forward to going to New Orleans next year. I'm looking forward to reading reports of this year's B'con and hearing all the fun stories.

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  4. Shari, I enjoyed my time there, especially meeting those of WWK and our visit to the Sacred Heart Cathedral for Saturday evening mass, and the walk back to our hotel and seeing how beautiful downtown Raleigh is. I'll not be at Bouchercon in New Orleans, but I'll be at Malice for sure.

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  5. Wish I could have been there! I've heard great things about it.

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  6. It was astounding to see so many Guppies and match the face to our posts. I'm going to Left Coast Crime and also Malice. The Guppy Lunch is one of the highlights of these conferences.

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  7. It sounds like a wonderful conference! Wish I could have been there.

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  8. Great conference! It was good to see everyone, esp. the Guppies and the Writers Who Kill bloggers!

    Thank you, Paula, for being a Southern hostess and introducing us to some regional "delicacies." Although I'm not sure fried pickles land in the "delicacy" category. But they were delicious.

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  9. I'm green with envy hearing about the reports from Bouchercon. I had been of two minds about attending and decided not to since my husband and I are taking a rather big trip in January. Lucky thing I decided not to go as my mother became seriously ill and I went home to be with her. Fortunately she is now doing well. Sadly, I will miss Malice next year as well. Bouchercon in New Orleans? Sounds like a plan. I've never been there.

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  10. Paula, your Southern hospitality was a highlight of the trip. Loved those pickles and the coca cola cake!
    I'm looking forward to Malice in the spring and Bcon in New Orleans - bank account willing.

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  11. So good seeing you at Bouchercon, Shari! SUCH a fun convention -- but now I need to decompress ;). Looking forward to New Orleans.

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  12. Shari and Kathleen, part of the fun of fried pickles and coca cola cake is having friends with whom to share the delicacies. Can't wait to see you again at Malice!

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