If I Could Split Myself in Three

I don't have the budget to attend Bouchercon in October, but, imaginative as I am, I decided to pick the panels I'd take in if I did, and brought along a clone:

Thursday, October 4

11:00 - 11:50 A.M. - Grand Ballroom A - A DAY IN THE LIFE - Authors tell us about their writing habits and schedules. R.D. Cain, Gerald Elias, Anne Emery, Charles Finch, Dana Haynes (M), Cornelia Read.

12:15 - 1:05 P.M. - Ambassador Room - THE POPULARITY OF YA BOOKS - How do authors appeal to young readers and keep them interested in reading? Joelle Charbonneau, Jordan Dane, Michelle Gagnon, Keir Graff (M), Bev Irwin.

1:30 - 2:20 P.M. - Grand Ballroom A - WHAT AN AUTHOR WILL DO FOR A STORY - Stories of dangerous research. Sean Chercover (M), Jamie Freveletti, Andre Frieden, Sam Reaves, Mark Sullivan.

2:45 - 3:35 P.M. - Gold Room - WHAT WOULD ROCKFORD DO? - Private eyes in mysteries. Les Blatt (M), Jack Bludis, Jack Fredrickson, Les Roberts, Howard Shrier.


Friday, October 5

9:00 - 9:50 A.M. - Gold Room - OLD FRIENDS, NEW FRIENDS - How authors handle the switch from one series to another. Jeff Cohen, Jen Forbus (M), Chris Grabenstein, Parnell Hall, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Mary Jane Maffini.

10:15 - 11:05 AM - Grand Ballroom A - MYSTERIES & THE MOVIES - Film/television adaptations of mystery novels. Chelsea Cain, Robin Cook, Joseph Finder, Charlaine Harris, Jeremy Lynch (M).

11:30 -12:20 P.M. - Grand Ballroom A - COP VS. CONSTABLE - A comparison of the United States vs. foreign laws. Mark Billingham (M), Sara Blaedel, Michael Connelly, Peter James, Michael Robotham.

1:30 - 2:20 P.M. - Ambassador Room - MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS - How can an author write convincingly from the point of view of the opposite sex? Elizabeth George, Alan Jacobson, Val McDermid, Daniel Palmer (M), Tom Schreck, Alexandra Sokoloff.

2:35 - 3:35 P.M. - Grand Ballroom B - GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - Who will win Jungle Red Writers Family Feud? Rhys Bowen, Lucy Burdette, Deborah Crombie, Hallie Ephron (M), Rosemary Harris, Hank Phillippi Ryan (M), Julia Spencer-Fleming.

2:35 - 3:35 P.M. - Whitehall Room - MORALLY CHALLENGED HEROES - How do authors convince readers to care about morally-ambiguous characters? Lou Berney, Elizabeth Hand, Seth Harwood, Chris F. Holm, Ali Karim (M), Wallace Stroby.

4:00 - 4:50 P.M. - Ambassador Room - ROMANTIC SUSPENSE, MURDER, MAYHEM, & THE MATTRESS MAMBO - See how bestselling authors use sex (and love) to spice up their books. Lori G. Armstrong, Jordan Dane, Heather Graham, CJ Lyons, Michael Monette (M).


Saturday, October 6

10:15 - 11:05 A.M. - Gold Room - O, CANADA - Murder with our neighbors to the north, aye? Lou Alin, Anthony Bidulka, Rick Blechta, John McFetridge, Robin Spano (M).

11:30 - 12:20 P.M. - Whitehall Room - HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF - The use of historical characters in fiction. Craig McDonald (M), Michael McMenamin, Patrick McMenamin, Roberta Rogow.

1:30 - 2:20 P.M. - Grand Ballroom B - HE SAID, HE REPLIED, HE GASPED - Writing snappy dialogue that keeps a reader turning pages. Jessie Chandler, David Freed, Gail Lucasik, Alan Orloff, Kira L. Peikoff, Michael Sears.


Sunday, October 7

9:00 - 9:50 A.M. - Grand Ballroom B - WARTIME HEROES - Authors talk about how the World Wars shape their characters and their stories. James R. Benn, Joanne Dobson, J. Robert Janes, Beverle Graves Myers, Sarah Shaber, Charles Todd.


There you have it. Even with a clone for Friday afternoon, I'm sure I missed a good panel or two. Have fun, everyone. See you next year in Albany.