Bouchercon has been on my bucket list for some time. It’s an event for mystery authors, writers and fans of mystery- so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect (except some good mysteries- and to probably pick up a tip or 2 on the perfect literary crime.)

I’d never been to Dallas, but when some blog friends approached me about going- and the timing of the event ( I was looking at like a belated birthday celebration) I decided to go.

And now… here is the account of Bouchercon from my beginnings in Jackson, MS to Dallas and back home….

 

Well.. first before a girl goes anywhere- she’s got to get her nails done, right? So I picked Good Vibes Only as my color. 🙂 The day of leaving to go to Dallas was rainy and cold. 9 times out of 10 on the days I travel- it’s raining. Argh. My dad drove me to Jackson and dropped me off at airport and there I waited. I saw some Elvis bathroom art and used the remaining time of waiting on my plane to play on social media and take photos. My Something Sparkly bag keeps my airplane essentials- hand sanitizer, ear buds, etc.

Note: Don’t wear a sparkly shirt on airplane days. TSA will pat you down automatically. It’s not a big deal- but if you want to avoid that experience- be plain on travel days.

 

After arriving in Dallas, I met with Stacy and we Uber-ed it to the hotel. Our Uber driver was pretty funny- he misunderstand Bouchercon and then told us he thought we Bachelor-Con which prompted a joke of “what happens at DFW, stays at DFW”…..

Checked in, got some lunch (ran into Felicia!) – and then saw Kristin and Sonica. And then ran into some authors- Kimberley Belle and Rebecca Drake.

 

After that, it was time for Stacy and I to run to get our 4 free books and to meet with Abigail Endler (you might know her as Crime by the Book.) She was representing 2 authors- Lars Kepler (which I did not know was a husband/wife writing team till just recently and Shaun Hamill-his book is on Deep South Magazine’s Fall/Winter Reads list.)

 

After hanging out and chatting with both authors (and getting some photos for Instagramming), Abby introduced us to another blogger- Christen from Murder and Moore.  We chatted books and made plans to see each other later.

Drinks in the bar and then lining up to get some free books from Harper and got to see Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders with Vanessa Lillie, Candice, Kristin, Sonica. After that photo, I run back to Stacy and Christen and then was kinda of ADHD because there was several authors in the room and I wasn’t sure which way to go till Christen grabbed my arm and led me toward Kate White (it was like she KNEW I was a Kate fan!)

 

After the fun of the day, plus being up way toooooooo early- Stacy and I called it an early night & did some relaxing beauty treatments she brought along 🙂

 

Day 2 of Bouchercon: Friday

Woke up tooooo early for speed dating. Do not recommend waking up before sun rises 2 days in a row.

Speed dating was fun. There was a mixup about breakfast being served -and it was bit tooooooo early for my liking…. BUT it was pretty fun. Kathleen Barber was one of the authors at our table and I LOVED her debut, Are You Sleeping– now titled Truth Be Told and coming out soon for AppleTV!

 

After speed dating- we decided to get some breakfast before splitting up for different panels.

So, the pancakes were delicious and when the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink- and mentioned apple juice- which is something I just sometimes crave- I said yes. Then almost died laughing as I got my check and found out that a glass of apple juice costs 5 bucks. Yep, I could have gotten 2 damn gallons in MS for what it cost in Texas. But it was good 😉

 

Stacy and I split, then I ran into Christen and chatted with her- and then I just kinda spaced out- I was so late for panels- so I just wandered and looked around for a bit.

 

The day just became a blur of going to see my fave Kensington publicist, seeing Carol Goodman and Kaira Rouda, a panel, pictures in front of Bouchercon wall, getting a cookie and FINALLY meeting David Brown- the face behind Atria Mystery Bus twitter handle.

 

Getting to meet Amy Impellizzeri and Kate Moretti was pretty cool 🙂

 

Drinks with Felicia and Stacy made for a fun night as well! (Can you guess my drink?)

 

Saturday: The day I got out of the hotel

I woke up Saturday- feeling kinda off. I put on my sparkly shoes. Had breakfast. Met Mindy Meija. Saw Kate Moretti again. Went to a panel with Kristin. Met Samantha Bailey! Met Robyn Harding!

 

 

And then….. I needed to get out and breathe some non-motel air, so after a panel that morning- Stacy, Christen and I took the bus to Half Price Books. And bookish shenanigans occurred. Keep an eye on our Instagram pages as we get ready to share what happens when 3 bookstagrammers walk into a bookstore.

 

After the fun at Half Price Books, we Uber-ed to Chop House Burger and had some best damn fried pickles and then walked back to hotel where I took several photos of the outside sights and breathed in fresh air.

While Stacy went back to room to rest, I met up with Felicia and then met Tonni of A Novel Bee.

 

Then it was time for the GeoDeck! And if you were at Bouchercon and didn’t go- well, you missed out. Not only did I see the sights- I saw a couple get engaged!

 

After that, it was back to the bar for a bit of being social…. and my cool Bouchercon story. I’m in a line and I ask the lady in front of me “if this is the line for the bar”- she laughs and says she hopes so. So, while we’re standing in line- the man with her asks “what am I drinking” and I tell him Midori Sour and he looks confused and I point to the green liquor in the pretty bottle and he’s all ok… A few minutes later he turns back to me with a Midori Sour for me and I’m all “Oh thanks and what do I owe you?” and he says “Just write about my wife, Meg Gardnier, books on your blog!” and I’m all “DONE and DONE! 🙂 And that is how Meg Gardnier’s hubby bought me a drink at Bouchercon. ❤

 

Sunday: Leaving on a jet plane…

Woke up. Had to pack. HATE packing.

Got to say goodbye to Kristin, Sonica, Candice.

Went to the snack bar to get a bag of chips and water and saw Rebecca Drake again and we were trying to get a picture and someone said they would take a photo for us- and it was Peter Swanson- who I immediately fangirled over and proclaimed my love for The Kind Worth Killing. Sad I don’t have that photo- maybe I will be able to get it one day…

Then it was time for the airport- me and Stacy got an Uber and then got dropped off at DFW and grabbed something to eat at TGIFriday’s before I walked her to where her plane was leaving and we snapped one more photo and hugged each other goodbye.

 

After Stacy got on her plane, I started walking to the Dlink and got distracted by fish and books and stores- but did get to my terminal in plenty of time. I also got some candy, considered one of those massages and eavesdropped on several conversations around me. Also, I think it should be a rule that you are not allowed to eat broccoli in the sitting area for waiting to board plane. We all know what broccoli smells like….. And yes, folks- I did have a glass of apple juice on the way home. Cheers, baby!

 

My plane landed back in Jackson a bit ahead of schedule- and once I got my luggage- I called my mom and dad to come get me- and they drove up in minutes and was excited about being being home- so I got to have dinner at Half Shell Oyster House. Yum.

 

So, now that you have read about my Bouchercon adventure- do you think you’ll want to go to one?

 

*Comment and tell me your fave part of Bouchercon 2019 recap!*

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T