The Absent Girl’s Guide to Bouchercon 2009

I’m not going to Bouchercon this year. “It’s the economy, stupid” is a flippant way to express my reasons but it’s the truth, more or less – not to mention ironic in light of the fact that I have never worked harder on BCon-related matters in the eight years (off and on) I’ve been attending the convention. I know I’m missing out on a good time, but the beauty of the Interweb is that I’ll likely have a better sense of what’s happening in Indy than I would have had I gone in person, what with my usual custom of eschewing (almost) all forms of technological communication. But Jared Case sums up the top 10 reasons for going pretty well, I must say.

The Twitter hashtag appears to be #BCon for those who want up-to-the-minute reports in 140 characters or less. Dan Wagner previews his picks of the best panels (zeroing in on Guest of Honor Michael Connelly’s keynote interview with Michael Koryta) while The Rap Sheet will be one of the central hubs of reporting after the fact (in part because of the efforts of one Ali Karim). And Jim Huang, one of the convention’s co-chairs, sums up BCon’s primary appeal in the Indianapolis Star: “(It’s) not a writer’s conference. It’s something that’s put together by readers and fans for the benefit of readers and fans. Everyone is there because they love mysteries, and they want to celebrate the mystery genre.”

The celebration begins Thursday and continues through Sunday, October 18.