Fan Of Genre Since 1975

I was five years old in March of '75. Yes, I've been a fan since then, only I didn't come to that conclusion until recently. I'd always thought '77 was the year I became I fan. Do I need to spell out what franchise debuted in 1977? Didn't think so.

What made me think of writing this was an author interview I participated in over on the mylifemybooksmyescape blog. I brought up Kolchak: The Night Stalker as one of the influences for the novel Iron Angels, which I co-wrote with the wonderful Eric Flint.

The more obvious influence was The X-Files, but to anyone who reads Iron Angels that should be somewhat obvious. Kolchak, for the uninitiated, stars Darren McGavin (you know, the dad from A Christmas Story) as a reporter who finds himself embroiled in the fantastic and unbelievable. The show only aired for one season (there were also two TV movies that aired earlier that were highly rated) but this show was cited as an inspiration for The X-Files. I remember my great-grandmother babysitting me watching Kolchak while sipping a Pabst Blue Ribbon. The show scared me to death (there are plenty of horror elements), but it stuck with me.

Two more shows I remember from my childhood are Quincy and Columbo. Both of those are genre, too--you didn't think I only meant science fiction/fantasy/horror, did you?

The shows all have something in common, solving a mystery. Investigating. It doesn't matter if it's fantastic or based more on what we believe is reality, what obviously stuck with me was the mystery.

Let's take it even further! Another show I adored as a child was Scooby Doo. More mystery! More monsters! More investigation! Scooby Doo was my absolute favorite cartoon back then, and I still enjoy it--which is why I bought the full DVD collection housed in The Mystery Machine! And now I'm reading Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero.

What brought Scooby Doo back around to me was when I came across the most awesome cosplay at Dragon Con (annual multi-media convention held in Atlanta with around 80,000 attendees!). Not only did they have the Scooby Doo gang there, but the monsters was almost every episode! It was like I was in the cartoon!

When I got a little older, I used to watch all the classic mystery films and suspense films such as those from Hitchcock, which also influenced me and my choice of career. These are all genre, and I love to watch and read across the different genres.

Now that I'm looking back at my formative years, prodded by these recent rediscoveries I mentioned above, I think it's safe to say that genre, and in particular anything that involved mysteries and investigation led me to my career in law enforcement.

I could go on and on about television and film that influenced me, but for now, this is a good start! Thank you Granny for introducing me to genre (and horrible beer).

Rogues In Saratoga Springs: World Fantasy 2015

I'll be on the road again this week and attending World Fantasy in Saratoga Springs NY, November 5th-8th. The con organizers have graciously put me on a panel the opening day-- Thursday, November 5th at 4pm. Here is a description along with the panel participants from WFC's website:

The Rogue
Assassins, thieves, rogues of all stripes, it seems that no quest party™ is complete without a wisecracking roguish sidekick. But is there more to the Rogue than that? 
Ellen Kushner (mod.), Alistair Kimble, Cinda Williams Chima, James Alan Gardner, Ryk E. Spoor

About World Fantasy:

The World Fantasy convention will always be special to me--I attended my first one in 2010 when it was held in Columbus, Ohio. This particular convention is less fan-oriented and more professional, by which I mean, this is a great place to hang out at the bar and meet writers, editors, and literary agents.  Another aspect of the con that I like is that the membership is capped, so one has to purchase their ticket early enough in the year to be sure of getting a spot, otherwise there is a waiting list.

So many of the friends I have in the writing community became friends of mine in Columbus back in 2010. That first convention was interesting, since I went by myself and decided to wing it. Given my day job and the fact that I get paid to talk to people made meeting others not that difficult--but even so, I sat at the bar and the other writers and professionals were friendly and didn't mind talking to a stranger. At that convention I realized the old saying about writers was true--they like to drink. But no one got out of control and I found all my interactions with others to be quite engaging and informative.  I've learned so much about the industry over the years simply by attending conventions--but especially World Fantasy.

Anyway, World Fantasy will always have a special place in my heart, and I'm really looking forward to attending this one and having a chance to hang out with friends.

Lone Wolves & Loose Cannons

I attended Bouchercon, the world mystery convention, earlier in October. This year it was held in Raleigh, NC, a city I'd never visited before.  A friend of mine, and a very generous one at that, Mark Van Name (be sure to check out his Jon & Lobo series, published by Baen Books), allowed me to stay at his home while I was in town.

The trip to North Carolina was really two trips in one: the convention/writing and friends/food/entertainment.

Bouchercon:  This was my first time attending Bouchercon, and I have to say, I really enjoyed myself. I met so many wonderful writers and fans of crime fiction. I was on an early morning panel (8:30am), but unlike other conventions I've attended, people were up and about and filled the room!  The panel was Lone Wolves & Loose Cannons in Crime Fiction. The other panelists were gracious and friendly and well-read.

While my name tag is blocked, at least my fellow panelists name tags can be seen: Bruce deSilva, Andrew Grant, Mick Herron, and Ben McPherson.

An aspect of Bouchercon that I think other conventions might try is the schedule and signing after each panel. My panel was at 8:30am and ran until around 9:20am. Just outside the room there was a table setup for the authors on the panel to sign books and chat with fans until the next panel began (which wasn't until 10:00am). This was a lot of fun. I signed a copy of an anthology I have a story in, an iPad cover, and a bunch of Bouchercon programs which had my photo and bio inside.  I enjoyed chatting with people after the panel, and even though we were signing and chatting, we had plenty of time to make it to the next panel at 10:00am.

There was a great bar at one of the convention hotels (which were next door to each other and easily accessible) and I spent a fair amount of time there (and even chatted and had a few beers with Tim Akers (a great guy and wonderful fantasy writer, and oh yes, pre-order his book that is coming out in January 2016 -- The Pagan Night) who was attending with his father who writes mysteries). The attendees were friendly, and more than one author and agent strolled up, introduced themselves, and joined us for drinks.

I'm looking forward to attending future Bourchercons, since this one was run so well and everyone I met was friendly.

Friends & Food

I already mentioned Tim Akers, but another friend, Mark Van Name graciously put me up at his house. I got to meet his family and circle of friends, and went out to a few nice dinners and a couple of great lunches.

If you're ever in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, I highly recommend the following restaurants:

[one] -- this restaurant was amazing. The executive chefs have worked in some of the best restaurants in the world--The French Laundry and Alinea to name just two. The tasting menu (which they created just for our group on short notice) was delicious and varied. The presentation was creative and the choreography of the wait staff delighted. If you go to just one restaurant in that area, make it [one].

Panciutto -- this restaurant featured locally harvested food and generous portions. The restaurant itself had a rustic vibe, which suited the menu. The crafted cocktails and food I ordered were delicious. The food, combined with the atmosphere, and the company (about 8 of us) made the evening a delight.

lucettegrace -- this was a wonderful surprise, and so close to the convention in Raleigh.  The lunch items were simple, but so delicious (try the Traditional French Ham Sandwich--a house made baguette, soft butter, naturally cured ham, and Parrano Cheese), and we ordered a bunch of pastries (all rich and delicious) and later, we shared a selection of macarons. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn I was in Paris, relaxing at a left bank patisserie.

One more thing...

Two weeks after I returned to Colorado I was browsing the mystery section of a bookstore and was approached by an older gentleman, who asked, "this may be a stupid question, but, are you the law enforcement guy who writes mysteries."  I had no idea how this man knew me or recognized me, and I must have had a puzzled look on my face, so he added, "I recognized you by the hat and the way you wear the hat, tilted like you're wearing it now."  He then told me he had attended the Lone Wolves panel at Bouchercon and had enjoyed the panel.  Looks as if I'm doomed to wearing hats and attiring myself a certain way. Oh, darn.

Murder Under The Oaks - Bouchercon 2015

I'll be leaving for Raleigh, North Carolina around midnight tonight to attend Bouchercon 2015, the world mystery convention. Even though this is my first Bouchercon, the organizers were kind enough to invite me to participate in the program!

I'll be a panelist on Lone Wolves & Loose Cannons in Thrillers with some wonderful writers. My fellow panelists will be: Andrew Grant, Ben McPherson, Bruce DeSilva, and Mick Herron.  It's an early panel--8:30am on October 9th.

I'm looking forward to Bouchercon for many reasons (like being able to hang out with friends such as Mark Van Name), but given my law enforcement background and some of the straight-up crime fiction I've been writing lately, I'm excited to attend a mystery con.

Twin Peaks & Sasquan

My wife and I decided we'd use traveling to Spokane for Sasquan (World Science Fiction Convention) as an excuse for a mini-vacation at Snoqualmie Falls for a stay at the Great Northern--I mean the Salish Lodge & Spa.

The Salish Lodge and nearby towns were the inspiration for the town of Twin Peaks in the David Lynch mystery/drama of the same name. We booked the 'Twin Peaks' package at the Salish Lodge which included a map of locations used in the filming of the show, Dale Cooper cocktails (a wonderful mix of Gin, clove & cardamom infused Salish honey, Salish Lodge Dry Honey Cider, lemon twist and lychee), and cherry pie and damn fine cups of coffee. Our room overlooked the river close to the famous falls.

We explored many of the locations provided by the included map as well as some found on fan sites. Pretty neat to experience them up close. Our first stop was the Double R Diner, which is actually Twede's Cafe', and we enjoyed some cherry pie and coffee (damn fine cups of). The diner is a little rundown, but I believe David Lynch will be shooting there for the continuation of Twin Peaks on Showtime, and therefore they will likely refurbish the location. They were busy (but then, it was Sunday around noon). The Salish Lodge from the outside of course looks like it did in the show, the interior is nothing like what we see in the show, but that doesn't mean it's bad, I think the Salish Lodge is wonderful and full of atmosphere and the staff are kind and attentive. The rest of the locations throughout the area were interesting, but more along the lines of wow, seeing them in the context of real life is so different than how they're presented in the show.

I've been going for runs each day since being here and asked for easily accessible trails nearby, but I obviously didn't pay attention since I ended up on a road that was closed. I took along an old iPod Nano to simply use as a timer since I wanted to hear the sounds of the forest rather than music. As I jogged along the deserted road, the forest on each side of the road pressed in and I glanced left, noticing a trail beckoning me into the forest. I accepted the invitation. Towering ferns straight out of the Devonian period draped over the little-used trail. Towering trees poked the sky, obliterating direct light. The trail quickly became a path and closed in on me on both sides. Light poked through the canopy, with the sun on my left, but the path twisted and turned and forked--I kept the sun on my left. Eventually, I decided to turn around rather than get stuck in some endless Blair Witch loop.

I emerged from the forest and jogged back down the deserted road. I checked my iPod Nano for the time elapsed and found the device dead. The battery had been full when I left. I've taken great care of the Nano. I plugged it into power and then the computer. Nothing. Dead. Coincidence or some bizarre Twin Peaks-like occurrence? I eventually got the device to reboot--having to hold the center button and menu button at the same time for 6-10 seconds. But still, that was odd, it had never died on me before.

Today we leave for Spokane to attend Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention. There we will meet up with old friends and make new friends!