Hello again! Bruce Robert Coffin here, sharing my monthly thoughts for August. I’ll admit I was wholly unprepared for this month’s blog. Each month the writers of this site receive a schedule telling us when our posts are expected. Most months I’ll already have a blog prepared by the time the schedule comes out. Not this time. How can it be August already? Didn’t I just wrestle the snow blower out to the shed? Wasn’t it just the other day that I penned a blog about the first mowing of the season? Jeez.

Blood on the Bayou

Well, what should we talk about? There have certainly been enough negative stories in the news as of late, so let’s not add to them. I’d prefer to focus my energy on something positive. Like Bouchercon! What’s Bouchercon, you ask? Well, it’s like ComicCon or ThrillerFest only it’s all about mystery writing. And it’s coming right up. Six weeks from now, the missus and I will be jetting down to New Orleans to attend the annual mystery writers conference named after the late Anthony Boucher. Am I excited? You bet. This is my first ever B-Con and the first time either of us has been to Louisiana. Combine those firsts with the September 13th release of my debut novel, Among the Shadows, and I’m absolutely giddy. Attending B-Con as a published novelist and hanging out with hundreds of well known scribes, are you kidding? Imagine me rubbing elbows and swapping stories with the likes of Lee Child, Harlan Coben, and Gayle Lynds.

“Hey, who’s the new guy?”

“No idea. But he’s absolutely giddy. Keeps rubbing his elbows up against me.”

“Maybe if we humor him with a couple of iPhone pics he’ll go away.”

Okay, truth is I hope to be a tad less conspicuous during my time in The Big Easy, but you can see how easy it would be to lose one’s social grace in such a venue. Bouchercon’s organizers are expecting in the neighborhood of four hundred mystery writers and another sixteen hundred fans to attend the forty-sixth annual gathering. That’s a pretty respectable neighborhood. Nighttime parades, awards ceremonies, debut author breakfasts, guest of honor interviews, there’s something for everyone.

The awards are many. Anthony, Derringer, Macavity, Barry, and others. Several of my friends have been nominated, including Chris Holm, Kristy Belcamino, Chris Knopf, Art Taylor, and Todd Robinson. Far less nerve wracking than being up for a nom myself, will be me rooting for them. Best of luck to all!

The Heat Is On

As if all of this wasn’t totally awesome enough, I’ve been chosen to be on a Bouchercon panel! The Sunday morning panel, titled THE HEAT IS ON, will be moderated by Dana Cameron and features yours truly along with Kwei Quartey, Susan Shea, Jack Getze, and Mary Anna Evans. We will be discussing how authors outdo themselves with each new book. Hey, how exactly does that happen?

As Bouchercons go, I’d say I picked a great one to be my first. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I just saw Michael Connelly!