Hotel California

Posted 5:30 AM by Gerald So

Photo by Ritesh Singh from Pexels

My brother and I flew to Los Angeles last Thursday for our cousin's wedding Friday and back to New York yesterday.

I would've liked more time to see the city, not just the bit by our hotel in Buena Park. Thanks to another cousin, dinners for forty-two at two Vietnamese restaurants did come together in a flash.

Our travel on JetBlue was smooth. Packing light, I didn't bring a change of shoes; however, my decades-old nobuck Rockport World Tour Classics held up to sitting in a plane for five, six hours, walking Downtown Disney, and the wedding's unique dress code.

It also helped that I adapted my exercise routine to five rounds of five pushups against the hotel room sink, five air squats, and fifteen swings as if my hands were holding a kettlebell. I don't think my brother heard or saw at all.

Why Don't I?

Posted 2:00 AM by Gerald So

My post yesterday mentioned a life avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. This extends to caffeine and drugs, including performance enhancers.

Why? As I wrote for Disability Pride Month, I want to see what I can do without it all. I don't want it to impair me on top of cerebral palsy. I want to think and move as well as I can, whenever I may need.

To show I'm not overthinking, a memory:

During Bouchercon 2013 in Albany, a police officer stopped me walking from my hotel to the con venue around 7:30 AM.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Gerald," I said.

"Gerald?"

"Yes."

And he drove on.

I'll never know, but I guess he took my gait for drunken.

Dog Days

© by Gerald So | 6:30 AM

This is my first and possibly only post of summer '21. I haven't been out much, but my mother got to spend a month in Florida. Thank goodness for vaccines. The first season of Superman & Lois wrapped up this week and I pre-ordered the Blu-ray set, which goes on sale October 19. I also recently bought Justified the complete series on DVD for $41. The packaging is terrible, 18 discs on one big spindle, but the show is great, the best representation of Elmore Leonard's books.

Tropical Storm Henri, headed more or less my way. is expected to strengthen to a Cat 1 hurricane and hit tonight or tomorrow morning. I hope it's a little east of me, meaning weaker winds and less impact than Isaias. Keep on keeping on.

Back from Bouchercon 2017

© by Gerald So | 4:30 a.m.

Thanks to the kindness of Canadian cousins, I was able to attend my fourth Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, riding from Long Island to Toronto last Tuesday. Due to timing on particular days, I was not able to attend all the panels I wanted, but attended others I thought I'd miss.

More important to me was catching up with old friends and making new ones, which at Bouchercon is as spontaneous as exploring the hotel. I still value being in the moment more than live-tweeting or taking photos, but I did use the free wi-fi to document more of the con than I have in the past. See my tweets tagged #Bcon17 and #Bcon2017.

The highlight for me was meeting Kevin Burton Smith. I worked eight years for Kevin as fiction editor of his Thrilling Detective Web Site. Looking back, I suppose it was one of the first electronic publications, and I hope you find the stories hold up, or you have fond memories of them.

Kevin and I emailed and played Twitter tag to plan on seeing each other, but finally shared a late breakfast Saturday because we ran into each other in the hall. We got along as well as I hoped.

I'd gone to lunch the day before at the Sheraton Centre's Shopsy's Deli with thirty-four fellow members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society as arranged by Madeleine Harris Callway. My table came to include John Dickson Carr's granddaughter Shelly, 2017 Best Flash Derringer Award winner Herschel Cozine, Jim O'Keefe, Josh Pachter, and Gigi Pandian:

Me and Shelly Dickson Carr (courtesy Gigi Pandian)

L to R: Herschel, me, Shelly (courtesy Shelly Dickson Carr)

Gigi Pandian and Josh Pachter (courtesy Shelly Dickson Carr)

A final fun surprise of the con came when John McFetridge, whom I befriended on the last day of Bouchercon 2008, said I was mentioned in this year's Bouchercon short story anthology, Passport to Murder, which he edited. Having received a rejection for the story I submitted, I had to inquire further, and John explained that working on the anthology reminded him of a story he wrote for a flash fiction blog challenge I helped put together with Patricia Abbott and Aldo Calcagno years earler.

That's something, and I'm flattered, but there's no better feeling than using my words to achieve just the effects I aim for, that also resonate with editors and the general public. That's why I keep writing.

The best thing about Bouchercon is being among people who not only know and appreciate each other's writing but also their efforts off the page.

Let's go to Bouchercon 2017

© by Gerald So | 5:00 a.m.

The schedule for Bouchercon 2017, October 12–15 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, has been posted. Driving up from Long Island, I plan to arrive October 10 to spend some time with Canadian cousins, but I also wouldn't mind catching an October 11, 9:00 p.m.–late Noir at the Bar at Rivoli (334 Queen St. West) featuring my friends Zoë Sharp and Thomas Pluck in the lineup.

This being my fourth con, I'm more interested in meeting new and old friends than filling every day with panels. Also my plan reflects my affinity for short stories. That said, on we go:

Thursday, October 12

• 10:00–11:00 a.m., Sheraton E, "Readers Recommend"
• 11:30–12:30 p.m., Sheraton C, "Tech-Savvy Tales"
• 1:30—2:30 p.m., Sheraton C, "Changing Times"
• 2:30–3:30 p.m., Sheraton B, "So Many Books, So Little Time"
• 4:00–5:00 p.m., Grand Centre, "The Best Medicine"
• 5:30–6:30 p.m., Grand Centre, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Honored
• 7:30–9:30 p.m., Grand East/Centre, Opening Reception

Friday, October 13

• 8:30–9:30 a.m., Sheraton C, "Beatiful Brutality"
• 10:00–11:00 a.m., Grand West, Best Anthology Anthony Nominee panel
• 12:00 noon, Shopsy's Deli, Short Mystery Fiction Society meetup lunch
• 2:00–3:00 p.m., Grand Centre, Best Short Story Anthony Nominee panel
• 3:30–4:30 p.m., Grand West, "The Canadians"
• 5:00–6:00 p.m., Sheraton C, "5-Minute Misdemeanors"

Saturday, October 14

• 10:00–11:00 a.m., Grand West, "The Twisted Panel"
• 11:30–12:30 p.m., Sheraton B, "Standalones"
• 2:30–3:30 p.m., Grand Centre, "Hidden Past"

Sunday, October 15

• 8:30–9:30 a.m., Sheraton A, "The Bodies Politic"
• 9:30–10:30 a.m., Sheraton A, "The Bookseller Did It"

Escaping Irma

© by Gerald So | 5:30 a.m.

Last year, Hurricane Matthew changed my vacation including Bouchercon 2016 to a New York staycation. This year, extended family and I were able to spend a week at a timeshare in Orlando. Then my mother, brother, and I caught our scheduled Amtrak Auto Train Friday. A day later, our train would have been canceled, and we would have been stuck riding out Hurricane Irma.

A smattering of my relatives has moved to Florida in recent years, some in the Tampa-Sarasota area now expected to be hit. One from New Jersey who planned to stay a week longer for job interviews is hunkering down in Orlando. Good luck, everyone.

As promised, departing at 4:00 p.m. and arriving by 9:00 the next morning, the Auto Train carries passengers and their vehicles between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida, saving smart drivers an almost 900-mile stretch. You pack your car as you wish, as you would a favorite suitcase, and relax in a roomier-than-plane reclining seat. Coach was comfortable enough for me to sleep in my light jacket and jeans, though you can carry on a blanket and pillow, too, or pay more for business class or sleeper car accommodations.

Hot dinner and cold breakfast in the dining car are included along with free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate in the lounge, and other food and drink available for purchase. For $50 more, your vehicle can be one of the first thirty off-loaded, which I recommend as well.

Nizza to Meet You

© by Gerald So | G_SO at YAHOO dot COM | 5:00 A.M.

I've helped organize the past two Short Mystery Fiction Society Bouchercon meetup meals but unfortunately have been unable to attend myself. So when the SMFS's Michael Bracken invited me to Sunday dinner while he'd be in New York City for a social media conference, I was more than happy to make it.

This year's recipient of the SMFS's Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement, Michael extended the invitation to any other members in the area, and Queens-turned-Manhattanite Liz Zelvin accepted, being so kind as to fill Michael's request for a "uniquely New York" restaurant in Nizza NYC.

I arrived early to the lobby of Michael's hotel on West 37th Street, but Liz was delayed, so Michael and I walked-and-talked ahead to Nizza, continuing our chat over a meatball appetizer, until Liz arrived with a story of forgotten MetroCards and unannounced subway delays.

Liz also had free books: an anthology featuring one of her stories for Michael and her poetry book for me. Michael paid the check, and I left a generous tip to make last night a true team effort.

Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 11:15 P.M.

I'm borrowing a Buffett song title to report regretfully I've had to cancel my trip to Bouchercon 2016 because the September 1 Amtrak AutoTrain covering 900 miles of the trip was canceled due to inclement weather. The same weather concerns led my relatives to back out of driving, and here we are.

Sorry I won't get to see old friends and make new ones, but I wish you all safe travels and a great con.

Gerald Goes to Misses Bouchercon 2016

AUG. 30 UPDATE: Bouchercon 2016 was to be part of a road trip for me to begin September 1, but the Amtrak AutoTrain covering 900 miles of the trip was canceled due to inclement weather. The same weather concerns caused the trip's other drivers to back out. I regret I won't be able to see old friends and make new ones, but I wish you all safe travels and a great con. Here are the panels I would have attended:

• Thursday, September 15, 12:00–12:50 P.M., LaGalleries 6: "One More Time" - Novels and characters taking on another life on screen w/ Lee Goldberg, Alexandra Sokoloff, David Morrell, Burt Weissbourd, Nina Sadowsky, and Phoeff Sutton.
• 1:30–2:20 P.M. - Mardi Gras FG: "Jive Talking" - Humor w/ Jessie Chandler, Ryan Aldred, Shelly Costa, Ray Daniel, Parnell Hall, and Kendell Lynn.
• 3:00–3:50 P.M. - Mardi Gras FG: "Dead Man's Party" - Realities of Death Investigation w/ Ayo Onatade, Jan Burke, Karen Ross, D.P. Lyle, Alistar Kimble, Eileen Dreyer.
• 5:15–6:15 P.M. - Balconies LMN, 4th Floor: "Once Upon a Crime: Minotaur Authors Collaborate Live on a Short Story"

• Friday, September 16, 9:30–10:20 A.M. - LaGalleries 6: "Me and My Friends" - Writing groups w/ Eleanor Cawood Jones, Donna Andrews, Ellen Crosby, John Gilstrap, Alan Orloff, and Art Taylor.
• 11:00–11:50 A.M. - Mardi Gras D: "Murder By Numbers" - Ellery Queen w/ James Lincoln Warren, EQMM editor Janet Hutchings, Shelley Dickson Carr, Ted Hertel, Steve Steinbock, and Otto Penzler.
• 2:00–2:50 P.M. - LaGalleries 6: "Dirty Boulevard" - Hardboiled w/ Susan Alice Bickford, Craig Faustus Buck, Rob Hart, Barbara Nickless, Todd Robinson, and Lisa Turner.
• 3:30–4:20 P.M. - LaGalleries 1: "The Boxer" - Writing violence w/ Zoë Sharp, Sheila Redling, Melinda Leigh, Thomas Pluck, E.A. Aymar, and Taylor Stevens.

• Saturday, September 17, 9:00-9:50 A.M. - Bissonet: Weapons with Jim Born
• 10:30-11:20 A.M. - Mardi Gras E: "Thrift Shop" - Ideas from unusual places w/ Lori Rader-Day, Henry Chang, Alex Grecian, Carolyn Haines, Brian Thiem, and Karen E. Olson.
• 12:00-12:50 P.M. - Mardi Gras ABC: "Bad to the Bone" - Anti-heroes w/ Chris Holm, David Swinson, Peter Spiegelman, Ian Hamilton, David Corbett, and Rory Flynn.
• 1:30-2:20 P.M. - Mardi Gras ABC: "24 Frames" - Influence of movies and TV on crime fiction w/ Matt Goldman, Peter Blauner, John Connell, Danny Gardner, John Shepphird, and Ace Atkins.

• Sunday, September 18, 9:00–10:00 A.M. - LaGalleries 1: "Watch That Man" - Thrillers w/ Russel McLean, Robert Bailey, Boyd Morrison, Doug Johnston, Edward Kay, and Julia McDermott.
• 10:30–11:30 A.M. - Mardi Gras ABC: "Master of Puppets" - Manipulating your characters to get the story you want w/ G.J. Brown, Jim Sanderson, Mary Coley, Maegan Beaumont, Cathi Stoler, and Matthew FitzSimmons.

The Road to Bouchercon 2016

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com |

With just over three months until Bouchercon 2016 in New Orleans, I'm booked Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at the con hotel, wishfully thinking of my ideal travel scenario from New York, a twenty-one hour road trip. Here's the thing: I can't drive myself.

I have no qualms about flying except that the morning flights out of JFK and LaGuardia would mean getting to the airport by five A.M. If I flew out a day before the con, I'd need a place to stay the night before the con. Similarly, Amtrak from Penn Station to New Orleans would leave Tuesday afternoon and arrive Wednesday night.

Second, baggage limits normally aren't a problem for me, but this being a book convention, I'd like the freedom to bring a box of books home. So, a road trip with fellow attendee friends would be ideal. If you're considering driving, I could arrange transportation to you, and we could go from there. Though I can't drive, I'm happy to share expenses and comic relief.

I realize this is asking a lot. I did say it was my ideal scenario. If you love this plan and are excited to be a part of it, email G_SO at YAHOO dot COM.

Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn signing by Ace Atkins at The Mysterious Bookshop

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 7:30 P.M.

Through yesterday's persistent drizzle, fellow Spenser fan John Ricotta and I attended the Mysterious Bookshop launch of Ace Atkins's fifth Spenser continuation novel.

The title particularly resonates because, through five books, Atkins has moved carefully but clearly from capturing Parker's characters to updating them. Many of Parker's biggest fans approve because, for my money, Atkins is the most knowledgeable, most respectful fan of all.

Photo by John Ricotta

I knew Ace originally signed a three-book contract that was extended for two books, bringing us to Slow Burn. So, to cap off the Q&A, I asked (slightly anxious) if his contract had been extended again. And indeed it has, for two more books. Breathe.

Along with Slow Burn, I bought Unloaded, a collection of gun-less crime stories, with proceeds benefiting States United to Prevent Gun Violence. I also bought Everyone Pays, a new psychological thriller by my friend and podcasting pioneer Seth Harwood. There's a signing for Unloaded today, and for Everyone Pays Friday. I regret I can't make either one, but you should go.

Home for Christmas

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 6:00 A.M.

Returned from our Orlando vacation earlier this month, my brother, mom, and I are home for Christmas while the extended family is celebrating in Florida. Not bad considering it hasn't snowed here to wreak havoc on driving and sometimes you don't want to do weeks of work for one or two days of enjoyment. This will be a real opportunity to rest for the most part. Holidays are about that, too, after all.

I hope you are finishing the year just as well.

Time-In

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 7:00 A.M.

I'm back from a week in Orlando plus two travel days. Unlike past vacations, thanks to my Kindle Fire HD7, I was able to keep up with emails. Not to worry; I still had fun and some great food, including the incomparable Hot Krust Panini Kitchen (Pancetta Shrimp!), a Sriracha Beef sandwich at Firehouse Subs, and biscuits and boneless chicken from a Bojangles' near a gas station in North Carolina.

To break up the eating, loafing, and car time, my brother and I tried WonderWorks Orlando. Thankfully we didn't loose our lunches on the mini-thrill rides, and I beat the day's top score on a TV theme trivia game. My work here is done.

Thanksgiving

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 5:00 A.M.

Extended family gathered yesterday at a cousin's new house a few towns over from mine. As usual, several tables were lined up banquet-style. The turkey was seasoned with orange and herbs. The stuffing was sausage and cranberry. In an early Black Friday deal, my cousin was able to save $1,300 on a 75-inch flat screen on which we watched football and YouTube.

Much of the talk was about vacationing in Florida at various times over the next few weeks. I'm headed down this weekend and will be back Monday, December 7. I've scheduled the usual blog posts in advance, and I'm bringing my Kindle Fire HD, so there may be more than the usual nothing from me in the meantime.

Thanks again to everyone who enjoys this blog.

Laissez le Bouchercon rouler!

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:30 A.M.

I'm not attending Bouchercon 2015, Thursday in Raleigh, NC, in part because the main hotels were full by the time I was free to register. Despite that, I helped organize many of the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Bouchercon 2015 activities, including our opening ceremonies Derringer Award presentation and our Friday meetup lunch.

Not wanting to miss out again, yesterday I registered and booked a room for Bouchercon 2016 in New Orleans. Let me know if you'd like to fly or ride with me from New York.

Staying Tuned

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:45 A.M.

I got a postcard from the Academy of American Poets a few weeks ago about two readings at the New York Public Library's Margaret Liebman Berger Forum this summer. The first was Tuesday, July 14, with January Gill O'Neil, Ross Gay, and Meena Alexander, and I invited my friend Five-Two alum Elizabeth Lash.

I became interested in attending after reading Ross Gay's "For Some Slight I Can't Quite Recall", which struck me as similar in sensibility to what I publish at The Five-Two. I also read January Gill O'Neil's "How to Love".

O'Neil read from her 2014 book Misery Islands, dedicated to her children, Alex and Ella, who were in the audience briefly before setting off to explore the library. I particularly enjoyed some poems into which January snuck her name, and another with a reference to David Ortiz (though I am a Yankee fan).

Ross Gay invited South Indian-Filipina poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil for a surprise tandem read of poems based on correspondence about their gardens. He also read the moving "Spoon", about his murdered friend, Don Belton.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's work meeting ran late, and she only caught the end of Meena Alexander's final poem, but after the reading I recommended Misery Islands to her. We bought copies and met January, who signed them. Yesterday, Elizabeth wrote to say I'd made a good recommendation, calling January "a fantastic writer".

The nitty-gritty of writing is sitting alone in thought, scribbling or typing up what insists it can coherently be expressed to someone else. Readings both reassure writers they are communicating well and suggest how they might communicate better. I look forward to the next one, August 11.

Back in a New York Groove

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 11:00 A.M.

Freelancing from home on Long Island, I don't give myself much time off, nor do things align so I can get together with friends very often. Fortunately, everything worked out Wednesday night, so Andrew Carbone, John Ricotta, and I could attend Ace Atkins' signing of his fourth Spenser novel, Kickback, at the Mysterious Bookshop, visit Condé Nast, where John works, at One World Trade, and then go to dinner at the Church Street Tavern.

When I emerge from the subway, it traditionally takes more time than I like getting my bearings. I cut this time to only seconds by anticipating landing on the wrong stop or wrong street, so I knew where to go from there.

The signing drew a Spenser- and Ace-friendly crowd including Megan Abbott, Reed Farrel Coleman, Wallace Stroby, and former Black Orchid booksellers Bonnie Claeson and Joe Guglielmelli. I hadn't seen Bonnie and Joe since the last Ace signing I attended, for his second Spenser, Wonderland, but right away Bonnie asked about my poetry. I told her I was editing a weekly poetry site, but she remains computer-free, as some say. To have one's work remembered despite that is a great feeling.

When signing my book, Ace thanked me for my Amazon review, my Crimespree interview, and said he felt as if we talk every day because he reads my Twitter. That's exactly what I aim for with my tweets.

I can only describe One World Trade as stepping seemingly several centuries into the future. I doubt I will see anything like it outside the building for at least ten years. Andrew, who's worked in the city since before 9/11, showed me around the memorial pools, saying they make him feel as if the attacks happened the day before yesterday.

Finally, the Church Street Tavern Burger is well recommended and totally worth $19 (fries included).

The photo you see was taken by John. I have no photos myself, just because I prefer soaking in moments to live-tweeting or photoing them.

Something to Remember

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com

My Canadian cousin Richard, loving husband and father of three, and friend to countless more, had been studying to become a permanent Roman Catholic deacon. His ordination and 25th wedding anniversary fell on Saturday and Sunday respectively so that's where I was, along with my brother, mother, and just a few dozen aunts, uncles, and cousins. We are and always have been close enough to pick right back up. Due to limited seating, I have no pictures of the ceremony, but fine memories.

There and Back Again

In the wee hours last Friday, I switched off the computer and turned down the thermostat for a nine-day family road trip to sunny, not oppressively hot Orlando. I visited three aunts, two cousins, two flea markets, CiCi's Pizza, Sweet Tomatoes, and Golden Corral.

On Wednesday, my brother and I tried CSI: The Experience. Cool, if outdated.

We spent Thursday at Disney's Hollywood Studios, my first visit to a Disney Park since 1988. Memories of walking and waiting kept me away more than anything else, but thanks to yoga, I handled the day with no ill effects. Pictures soon.

All seems fine on my return except some combination of forces knocked my mailbox off its post. Ah, home.

Thanksgiving

Yesterday was a terrible travel day, apparently. My family gathering is close enough that I'll only be traveling today. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's about sharing and being grateful at the core. I'm also reminded of everything we would do without thought of receiving thanks, our true spirit of service.