So, I got invited to do the "continuous conversation" at Bouchercon--

[Jon Loomis]

Saturday from 10:00 to 10:45. Any of my crimespace buddies taking part in this shindig? Anyone ever been to one? I'm not at all sure what to expect. Will it matter if I'm a tad hung-over?

[Dana King]

Not me, though I may stop by to see how hung over you really are. I've never heard of anyone being "too hung-over" for a Bouchercon event.

[Jude Hardin]

You're kidding, right? Nobody's going to give a shit if you have a hangover. All the cool kids (including all the other authors you're supposed to be having a continuous conversation with) are going to be lining up to hear Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton. Sara Paretsky, ect. talk about Poe's influence on mysteries. You can sit there and barf into your fedora for all anyone cares. ;)

[Jon Loomis]

Michael who?

[Daniel Hatadi]

Hey, wasn't he one of the actors in a recent episode of Castle? ;)

[Eric Christopherson]

Yes, I didn't see the episode but read about it. I think there were three famous authors playing themselves, in fact, but I'm not sure of the other two.

[Daniel Hatadi]

They have these scenes turning up every so often. I've seen James Patterson among others.

[Jennie Spallone]

I also got invited to do Continuous conversation. Mine is on Sat. How 'bout you? I did something similar at Magna cum Murder a couple of years ago. In that one, all three authors moved to a new table every five minutes.

[Jon Loomis]

Sounds interesting...were there snacks?

[I. J. Parker]

This is a new one to me. Moving from table to table? I suppose that helps if the conversation flags. Is there an audience? Do you have to talk about Poe's influence? What a boring crock! Is anyone running this? And if so, can you prepare via setting up topics (always hoping that Edgar Alan can be scuttled)? How is this an improvement on the usual themed chats?

[Jon Loomis]

No, I think it's a free-ranging (or free range, maybe) discussion of the crime-writing biz, kind of like this forum. No Poe, unless he comes up. As for his influence on crime writing: obviously seminal, but you'd have a hard time getting away with the "monkey did it" resolution these days--contemporary readers would snort with derision (the Victorians lapped it up, though). You could also talk about Poe's gleeful invocation of violence against women, and his evident fascination with gore--both of which were completely fine with the audience he was writing for. When I teach "Murders In the Rue Morgue" I like to show my students a selection of Victorian post-mortem photographs--they really were obsessed with death.

[I. J. Parker]

They had other nasty habits, too.

[Jon Loomis]

They liked their sado-masochistic porn, for instance. And their prostitutes!