In several previous years I’ve posted on this site about my experiences at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. That gathering of mystery fans, writers, and others in the business takes place in a different city each autumn. This year, neither I nor my colleague at Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Linda Landrigan, attended Bouchercon; instead, the senior managing editor for both magazines, Jackie Sherbow, represented our publications. I was as interested to read of Jackie’s adventures at Bouchercon and the subsequent C3 conference as I think you will be. For those who don’t already know Jackie, she’s not only an excellent editor, she’s a published poet and a mystery writer whose work has appeared in Mystery Magazine and in the anthology The Beat of Black Wings. —Janet Hutchings

September has been a busy time for EQMM and AHMM! The first weekend of the month, I traveled to San Diego for the fifty-third year of Bouchercon (the World Mystery Convention). It was a delight to experience a city I know very well transformed into a gathering-place for all my friends and colleagues in the mystery-fiction (and nonfiction) world. I have been able to attend two past Bouchercons (Albany and Toronto), but this was my first time staying in the convention hotel for the entire weekend.

During Thursday night’s opening ceremonies, Steve Steinbock (author, translator, and EQMM The Jury Box book reviewer) and I accepted the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Derringer award on behalf of Melissa Yi (who won in the Short Story category for “My Two-Legs,” which appeared in AHMM). Martin Edwards (historian and author) was honored with the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement; later in the weekend, he won the Anthony Award for Best Nonfiction for his book The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators. We’re proud to say that Martin’s first work of fiction appeared in EQMM’s Department of First Stories!

Friday night, I was honored to give one of the several traditional toasts at the Nero Wolfe Banquet (put on each year by The Wolfe Pack). Saturday evening before the Agatha Awards banquet and presentation, authors and friends of the Dell mystery magazines met poolside for a toast and get-together, which was a treat. And on Sunday Chris Dreith, Rob Pierce, Julie Leo, and I closed out the conference with a panel about writing at different lengths (“The Long and Short of It”) in the very last programming slot.

The following weekend, after a few days home in NYC, I took the train to Baltimore and from there went on to Columbia, MD to attend the Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con (C3), where I was the Publishing Industry Guest. Although EQMM and AHMM have sent magazines to the conference for years, it was my first time attending, and I was so lucky to have been invited by founders and organizers Austin and Denise Camacho.

On Friday, I gave a talk about my job, the history of the magazines, and writing and submitting short stories. Throughout the weekend, I was on several panels—in one, I shared the panelists’ table with Josh Pachter (author, editor, and translator), with whom I spent much of the weekend, along with Laurie Pachter (also a writer). Ed Aymar was in attendance, as was Jeffery Deaver, who served as one of the keynote speakers. Attendees could enjoy talks and interviews during mealtimes as well, and Noir at the Bar on Friday night. C3 is a small, unique conference—a “boutique” conference, as Austin told me he’d heard it called; I had never been to a convention quite like it before, and the connection and mutual inspiration amongst attendees was palpable.

Below, you’ll find a photo gallery that I hope gives you a little taste of the experience. By mid-September, I was fresh off time well spent with old friends and new ones, enlightening programming, and a tremendous amount of fun. I’m happy to say I’ll be back to both conventions next year! Hope to see you there.