The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: The SMFS at Bouchercon 2015 (Raleigh, NC, Oct. 8-11)

Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, took place October 8–11, 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel and the Marriott City Center.

Here is everything Society-related at Bouchercon 2015:

2015 Derringer Presentation

SMFS member and three-time previous Derringer winner Art Taylor presented the 2015 Derringer medals during Bouchercon opening ceremonies (Thursday, October 8, 5:30 P.M. at the Marriott City Center - State Ballroom).

On hand to accept were Best Flash Story winner Joseph D'Agnese; Best Long Story winner Hilary Davidson; Long Island Sisters in Crime President Kathleen A. Ryan on behalf of Best Short Story winner Cathi Stoler; and Ellery Queen's editor Janet Hutchings on behalf of Best Novelette winner Doug Allyn and lifetime achievement award recipient James Powell.

Art Taylor

As usual, feel free to share photos or video of the presentation with SMFS blog admin Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM) for posting here.

The Short Mystery Fiction Society began awarding the annual Derringers in 1998 as electronic certificate images honoring outstanding published stories, living writers' outstanding bodies of work, and people who've greatly advanced or supported the genre.

Our physical Derringer presentations date back to Bouchercon 2009, when then-VP Jim Doherty began funding, constructing, and presenting award plaques.

Derringer submission, judging, and voting take place January–March. The Derringer Awards Coordinator announces the winners March 31, but the physical awards are presented at Bouchercon so the winners can receive the recognition of the assembled mystery community along with them.

The voluntarily group-funded Derringer medals superseded Jim Doherty's plaques in 2015. In May, President Jan Christensen shipped 2009–14 medals to some Derringer winners Jim owed plaques; the rest received medals from Art Taylor at Bouchercon 2015.

If you are involved in planning a Bouchercon, particularly 2016 in New Orleans, feel free to contact our officers and help ensure the Derringer presentation is included.

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Friday Meetup Lunch

Available SMFS members went to lunch at The Plaza Cafe (411 Fayetteville Street, Suite 109) during a gap in the panel schedule, Friday, October 9, 11:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.

L to R Barb Goffman, Gigi Pandian, Harriette Sackler
Photo courtesy of Gigi Pandian

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Flash and Bang Anthology

Untreed Reads published the first SMFS member anthology, Flash and Bang, October 8. Flash and Bang authors at Bouchercon distributed promotional postcards.

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Also at Bouchercon 2015

Art Taylor edited the Bouchercon 2015 short fiction anthology, Murder Under the Oaks, which includes several SMFS members' stories and benefits the Wake County Public Libraries.

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The SMFS's Toni L.P. Kelner sponsored the hospitality suite at the Marriott City Center Thursday, October 8, 1:00–3:00 P.M.

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The Macavity Awards were presented by Mystery Readers International director and Mystery Readers Journal editor Janet Rudolph during the October 8 opening ceremonies.

Voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal subscribers, and friends and supporters of MRI, congratulations to our Macavity-winning members Craig Faustus Buck (Best Mystery Short Story, "Honeymoon Sweet") and Hank Phillippi Ryan (Best Mystery-Related Nonfiction, Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer’s Journey).

Also Macavity-nominated were members Lori Rader-Day, Barb Goffman, Paul D. Marks, Travis Richardson, and Art Taylor.

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2015 Best Flash Derringer finalist Eryk Pruitt hosted a Noir at the Bar Thursday, October 8, 7:00 P.M. at Common 414 (414 Fayetteville Street) with readings by SMFS member S.W. Lauden, Jedidiah Ayres, Eric Beetner, Joe Clifford, Jen Conley, Les Edgerton, Christa Faust, Ed Kurtz, Tom Pitts, Thomas Pluck, and Johnny Shaw.

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Forge sponsored the hospitality suite at the Marriott City Center Friday, October 8, 1:30–4:30 P.M. for signings and giveways by six authors, among them the SMFS's Hilary Davidson and Hank Phillippi Ryan.

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The Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Awards banquet was Friday, October 9, 6:30 P.M. at Big Ed's City Market Restaurant.

Congratulations to our Shamus finalist members Richard Helms for Best P.I. Short Story and B.V. Lawson for Best Indie P.I. Novel.

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S.J. Rozan's Basketball at Bouchercon annual game was Saturday, October 10, 12:40–2:40 P.M.

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The Anthony Awards ceremony and reception was Saturday, October 10, 6:45 P.M. at the Marriott City Center - State Ballroom.

Lori Rader-Day accepts Anthony
Photo courtesy of Suzanne Berube Rorhus
Like Bouchercon itself, the Anthonys are named in memory of author and editor Anthony Boucher. The Anthony nominees have received the most mentions in a poll of full-time Bouchercon registrants and those who registered for last year's event. Bouchercon 2015 attendees vote on the nominees throughout the con.

Congratulations to our Anthony-winning members Lori Rader Day (Best First Novel, The Black Hour), Hank Phillippi Ryan (Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work, Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer’s Journey), and Art Taylor (Best Short Story, "The Odds are Against Us").

Also Anthony-nominated were members Craig Faustus Buck, Kate Flora, Barb Goffman, Paul D. Marks, and Karen Pullen.

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CDs and MP3 files of Bouchercon 2015 panels are available from VWTapes.com:
- Saturday, October 10, 10:30 A.M., Marriott: University A, B, C - Bouchercon 2015 Murder Under the Oaks Anthology Panel with moderator Art Taylor, guests of honor Magaret Maron, Kathy Reichs, Tom Franklin, Zoë Sharp, and Allan Guthrie, and other contributors.
  
  After the panel, the contributors will sign the anthology 11:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
- Sunday, October 11, 10:00 A.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room I - "Short, Sharp, and Shocking: The Mystery Short Story" with moderator Harriette Sackler, Art Taylor, Barb Goffman, John Shepphird, and Gigi Pandian.
  
  L to R (Standing: Art Taylor, Gigi Pandian
  Sitting: Harriette Sackler, Barb Goffman, John Shepphird)
  Photo courtesy of Gigi Pandian
- Thursday, October 8, 11:30 A.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room II - "True Criminals/True Detectives" with moderator Kathleen A. Ryan, Claire Booth, Carla Norton, Lynn Chandler Willis, and Michael Wiley.
- Thursday, October 8, 11:30 A.M., Sheraton: Oak Forest A,B - "New Faces: Best First Novel Nominees" with moderator Margaret Maron, Kristi Belcamino, M.P. Cooley, Julia Dahl, Allen Eskens, and Lori Rader-Day.
- Thursday, October 8, 11:30 A.M., Marriott: State C - "The Resurgence of the Traditional Mystery" with moderator Wendi Corsi Staub, Marcia Talley, Dorothy Cannell, Helen Smith, and Terrie Farley Moran.
- Thursday, October 8, 1:00 P.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room I - "The Courtroom Criminals" with moderator Ken Isaacson, Kait Carson, Charles Rosenberg, Nancy Allen, and Anthony Franze.
- Thursday, October 8, 1:00 P.M., Sheraton: Oak Forest A, B - "The Private Sector: Professional Investigations" with moderator Reed Farrel Coleman, Dave White, J.L. Abramo, Christine Goff, and Michael Koryta.
- Thursday, October 8, 1:00 P.M., Marriott: State C - "What's in a Location? Location as Character" with moderator Sean Doolittle, Christine Carbo, Bryon Quertermous, James W. Ziskin, and Glenn Eric Maganck.
- Thursday, October 8, 2:30 P.M., Sheration: Governor's Room I - "Beyond Hammett, Chandler, Macdonald, and Spillane" with moderator Peter Rozovsky, Kevin Burton Smith, Jordan Foster, Mark Coggins, and Sarah Weinman.
- Thursday, October 8, 2:30 P.M., Marriott: University A, B - "Tweet This: Taking Social Media to the Next Level with moderator Deborah Lacy, Maddee James, Janet Rudolph, Cara Brookins, and DruAnne Love.
- Friday, October 9, 8:30 A.M., Marriott: State A, B - "Plot Twists in the Mystery Narrative" with moderator Lori Armstrong, Kate Flora, Karen E. Olson, Matthew Clemens, and Penny Warner.
- Friday, October 9, 10:00 A.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room I - "Jewish Noir" with moderator Kenneth Wishnia, Suzanne Solomon, Michael J. Cooper, Rob Lopresti, and Jason Starr.
- Friday, October 9, 10:00 A.M., Marriott: State A, B - "Paranormal in Mystery" with moderator Rochelle Staab, Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff, Lorena Peter, and Toni Kelner.
- Friday, October 9, 10:00 A.M., Marriott: State C - "Write What You Know, The Day Job or Not?" with moderator Deborah Lacy, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Joe Clifford, Nancy G. West, and Susanna Calkins.
- Friday, October 9, 1:00 P.M., Marriott: State E, F - "What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of the Working Cadaver Dog" with moderator Cat Warren and Kate Flora.
- Friday, October 9, 1:00 P.M., Marriott: University A, B, C - "Crime in the Metropolis" with moderator Patricia Abbott, Steph Cha, Edith Maxwell, Rory Flynn, and Laura Caldwell.
- Friday, October 9, 2:30 P.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room II - "Acorns Nurtured Here: The Talent, Past, Present, & Future" with moderator Chris Roerden, Ruth Moore, Karen Pullen, Leslie Budewitz, and Alan Orloff.
- Friday, October 9, 2:30 P.M., Sheraton: Oak Forest A,B - "The Masters That Influenced the Masters in Crime & Mystery" with moderator Mark Coggins, Bill Crider, Karin Slaughter, Laura Lippman, and Lawrence Block.
- Friday, October 9, 4:00 P.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room II: "Importance of Book Clubs and Young Adult Literacy" with moderator Tina Whittle, Kaley Whittle, Destiny Geddis, Matthew McGrath, and B.K. Stevens.
- Friday, October 9, 4:00 P.M., Sheraton: Oak Forest A,B - "Beyond The Wire, Bosch, and True Detective: TV Crime Evolves" with moderator Lee Goldberg, Megan Abbott, Alison Gaylin, Christa Faust, and Tim O'Mara.
- Friday, October 9, 4:00 P.M., Marriott: State E, F - "New Faces, New Crimes, New Challenges" with moderator Paul D. Marks, C. Michele Dorsey, Lyn Brittan, Craig Faustus Buck, and Sam Wiebe.
- Saturday, October 10, 8:30 A.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room I - "Taking the reader on a journey..." with moderator Catherine Dilts, P.A. De Voe, Mary Anna Evans, Janet Hubbard, and G.M. Malliet.
- Saturday, October 10, 8:30 A.M., Marriott: Congressional A, B - "Toastmaster Spotlight" with moderator Simon Wood, Lori Armstrong, and Sean Doolittle.
- Saturday, October 10, 8:30 A.M., Marriott: State A, B - "Where Crime & Mystery Meets Horror and The Weird" with moderator Nanci Kalanta, David Morrell, Chris F. Holm, Reece Hirsch, and John Rector.
- Saturday, October 10, 10:00 A.M., Sheraton: Oak Forest A, B - "Human Nature: Our Fascination with Law-Breakers and Law Enforcers in Fiction with moderator Hank Phillippi Ryan, Sara Paretsky, Lawrence Block, David Housewright, and Michael Koryta.
- Saturday, October 10, 10:00 A.M., Marriott: Congressional A, B - "Weaponry in Crime, Mystery, and Thrillers" with moderator John Gilstrap, Dianne Emley, Charles Salzberg, Seth Harwood, and Mark Troy.
- Saturday, October 10, 1:00 P.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room I - "Maintaining Pace in the Mystery Narrative" with moderator Monette Michaels, Laura Benedict, Hilary Davidson, Rebecca Drake, and Annette Dashofy.
- Saturday, October 10, 1:00 P.M., Marriott: Congressional A, B - "Small Towns, Big Secrets" with moderator Donna Andrews, Tom Franklin, Maya Corrigan, LynDee Walker, and Judy Penz Sheluk.
- Saturday, October 10, 2:30 P.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room I - "High Tech/High Concept in Mystery with moderator Keith Raffel, Ray Daniel, Neely Tucker, Andrew Mayne, and Owen Laukkanen.
- Saturday, October 10, 2:30 P.M.. Marriott: State C, D - "In Honor of Librarians: A Southern Tea" with moderator Hank Phillippi Ryan, Karen Pullen, Toni Kelner, Richard Helms, and more.
- Sunday, October 11, 8:30 A.M., Sheraton: Governor's Room II - "Matching Motivation to Character in Propulsive Narrative" with moderator Richard Helms, Jeff Cohen, Barbara Graham, Daniel Palmer, and Lou Berney.
- Sunday, October 11, 8:30 A.M., Sheraton: Oak Forest A, B - "True Grit: Narrative Technique for Gritty, Pithy, & Page-Turning Dialogue with moderator Jack Getze, Colin Campbell, David Terrenoire, Jack Bludis, and Con Lehane.
- Sunday, October 11, 8:30 A.M., Marriott: State E, F - "Choose Your Voice: First, Third, or Omnipotent in Mystery Fiction with moderator Debra H. Goldstein, Bill Crider, Patricia Coleman, and Julieanne Holmes.