15 hours and counting

It’s down to the wire to get ready for Bouchercon.

I have to tell you guys, I find this event stressful. The sheer size of it, for one thing, is a bit much.

But it’s more than that. It’s the number of people who seem perfectly content to ‘wing it’ at conventions and not make plans.

Fuck me. How does anyone just wing it at something like this?

Now, I’m not talking about people with no responsibilities. First time I went to Harrogate, I never thought about a thing outside of the posted program. But I have interviews to do, things to cover, scheduled meetings.

How do you wing that?

My husband thinks I’m going off to have fun, just to have a great time, and yet this convention puts a knot in my stomach. Oh, I am looking forward to it. I’m sure I will have fun.

But I do find it stressful.

Add in another email from someone this morning, from someone, about hooking up with a group.

Good lord. I mean, I’m getting on a plane tonight. Well, tomorrow. Well, 12:30 am. That’s tonight to me.

I had it happen at Harrogate this year. Got a message that someone wanted to talk to me. Was told the first name only. I assumed it was the guy with that name that I sort of knew, who’d told me he wanted to talk earlier. Tracked him down.

Didn’t find out until later it was someone else entirely.

Okay, I can be incredibly shy. I can be very quiet around people I don’t know. And I understand that a lot of authors are this way, but please – if you want to talk to someone don’t relay a message. Go talk to them!

It’s true that my philosophy is that I prefer to email people I don’t know. I know that sounds weird, but I always figure an email can be deleted. I won’t know if you read it or not. It’s quite different than standing in front of someone, forcing them to talk to you because they feel obligated to be polite.

But if you’ve worked the nerve to actually go to a convention, you have to tell yourself this: did you spend hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars to hide in a corner and watch people? When you go home, will you kick yourself that you didn’t try to meet people?

Authors are afraid of being too pushy with fans (what if I talk to people and they think I’m just trying to get them to read my books?), and fans can be nervous about meeting authors, especially ones they admire.

I mean, we all know how I felt about meeting Ian Rankin.

In many respects, B’con will be easier. I get to meet Cornelia Read, and Anne Frasier. If any people on earth can persuade me to get a tattoo, it’s Cornelia and Anne.

They’re probably the only authors (other than the one who already did this) who could get me drunk, too.

Well, anyway, I’m scurrying around, getting ready. Made up the press kits. I was going to post them, and Kitty Pictures, but blogger was being pissy.

Maybe later...

Right, now, I have to pack today and leave tonight, so remind me: what do I need?