Becky Clark – Thonie Hevron Author

Fans and Flowers: Mystery Fan Conventions

By Becky Clark

I launched my newest book, FICTION CAN BE MURDER, the first in a light-hearted mystery series, on April 8th. My publisher made sure copies were available for the Left Coast Crime convention in March, though. As I write this, I’ve just returned from the Malice Domestic convention, and in October 2017, I attended Bouchercon.

If you’ve never been to a mystery fan convention, it’s essentially a long weekend of hobnobbing with authors you love and discovering new authors you’ll soon love. Bouchercon is huge and caters to all genres. Left Coast Crime isn’t quite so big, but also covers the spectrum of crime fiction. And Malice focuses more on traditional mysteries, like Agatha Christie’s.

All these fan conventions have a similar agenda, to connect authors with readers.

There are tons of books given away and sold, and numerous opportunities to get them signed by the author.

There are also panels scheduled all weekend where four or five authors discuss a single topic … for example, small town settings, research in crime fiction, amateur sleuths, gender roles in crime fiction, writing a great villain … and a gazillion more.

There’s a New Authors Breakfast where debut authors have a minute or two to talk about their new book, so you get 30+ titles to add to your TBR pile.

There’s also an Awards Banquet honoring fans’ favorite books.

When I attended my first Bouchercon, I went strictly as a fan, but a fan with a purpose. I wanted to meet certain authors and ask them to read and blurb FICTION CAN BE MURDER before it came out. I culled my list from the Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Humorous Mystery Award nominees over the years (since FICTION CAN BE MURDER is humorous), then cross-referenced them against the authors who’d be attending Bouchercon. I figured it’s harder to say no to me in person.

It’s very stressful to ask famous authors you admire to do you a favor for which they get absolutely nothing in return. But I screwed up my courage and did it anyway. I probably asked a dozen authors, some on the spur of the moment. To a person, they were thrilled to help, most saying something like, “people did this for me when I started out and I’m happy to return the favor.” I was nervous for absolutely no reason. For folks who kill people for a living, mystery writers are a lovely and generous bunch.

At both Left Coast Crime and Malice Domestic, I was lucky enough to attend as both a fan and an author. I wrote about splattering fangirl all over the place at the Mysterista’s blog.

It’s still a bit surreal and I can’t help think this is all some weird cosmic prank, but there’s nothing quite like having people line up at my book signing table with a copy of my book, shyly asking if I’d sign my name to it.

They needn’t worry. The day I’m not thrilled by someone asking me to sign a book is the day I’m dead.

________

Here are the live links to the fan conventions —

Left Coast Crime … http://www.leftcoastcrime.org/

Malice Domestic … http://malicedomestic.org/

Bouchercon … http://www.bouchercon.com/

And the Mysterista’s blog post I refer to is here …. https://mysteristas.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/i-splattered-fangirl-all-over-the-place/

Becky Clark —

Becky Clark is the seventh of eight kids, which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them too. She surrounds herself with quirky people and pets who end up as characters in her books. Readers say her books are “fast and thoroughly entertaining” with “witty humor and tight writing” and “humor laced with engaging characters” so you should “grab a cocktail and enjoy the ride.”

Becky’s website …. https://beckyclarkbooks.com/

Follow Becky Clark on Amazon … https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004NQO14I

on Facebook at Becky Clark Author … https://www.facebook.com/BeckyClarkAuthor/

and at Goodreads … https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4730815.Becky_Clark

Fiction Can Be Murder Ordering Links

Amazon

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-can-be-murder-becky-clark/1126441808

IndieBound

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780738753324

May Writer’s Notes: Fans and Flowers

By Thonie Hevron

What’s that mean? The term ‘Fans’ is clear: anyone who likes reading your books. ‘Flowers’ can mean accolades, awards, positive reviews, or any other “Yay” moment. Fans and flowers are two terrific benefits to publishing your work.

I chose this month’s topic because as writers, we so often go long periods of time without feedback about our work. Being writers means being alone—even if you write in a coffee shop, the story is in your head. It’s safe to say most writers would like to earn big money, but the sorry truth is most of us don’t. I would also bet that most of us write what we like to read. This means we write because the story drives us. It’s what we delight in—writing the worlds that are behind the blank stare in the grocery store check-out line. I cannot NOT write.

All the above being said, there are few moments in a writer’s life that bring that warm glow like someone telling us what a great job we’ve done. Having someone else recognize our efforts is gratifying. It’s not necessarily what keeps us going but a well-timed 5-star review can jump-start faltering inspiration. We don’t have to have accolades but they sure are nice!

Oddly, most award-winning authors don’t tell you about their prizes. Oh sure, honors and exceptional acknowledgements are posted on book covers, websites, business cards and promotional items. But face to face, no author I’ve met has shaken my hand and told me how wonderful he is. Most writers are modest introverts who do promo as a matter of necessity (usually kicking and screaming).

If an author has one fan he has an inherent responsibility. The author must fulfill the fan’s expectations with every book. That means writing the next story—and writing it well–better even.

I’ll never forget the first time I overheard a conversation between two women who had read my books. One posited that “Meredith would understand given her background.” The other proposed that Meredith’s childhood ghosts might get the better of her.

Talk about a warm glow! I loved that readers came to know my characters well enough to talk about them like they were friends. I felt I’d done my job—brought the story from my head and into readers’ minds.

To do this, did I abandon my muse and write to market? Yes and no. I wrote my story, but I did my research to figure its marketability. It’s a stroll on a tightrope, for sure. I looked over market trends, attended author events (soliciting attendees critiques) and conferences, even perused a forum or two. I also read reviews of books I felt were similar to mine.

In the end, I hope to listen to those readers who comment (yay or nay—and why) and continue my balancing act. Thanks for indulging me.

Join Writer’s Notes on May 11th for Joanell Serra’s take on “The First 100 Books Sold,” celebrating May’s theme of Fans and Flowers. On May 18^th, read Becky Clark’s observations after returning from a mystery fan convention; she’ll talk about what it’s like from both sides of the book signing table. Finishing up the month, Ally Shields shares how “Fans are the Heart of the Writer’s Life.”

And don’t forget to check in on Sundays for stories behind the badge. Read about how different eras of law enforcement (specifically LAPD) survived day to day business. These guys are the real deal, not celluloid cops.

Share this:

Share this: