Since I have not been traveling or buying anything USA-related, I was pleased Bouchercon was held in Calgary this year. We took advantage and visited Banff, Lake Louise and more for about one week - beautiful places, wonderful crisp clean air and at this time of year, few tourists. The magpies were ginormous. It was really great. Onto the convention in Calgary.
I was fortunate to have been selected for the Debut Author Breakfast at the crack of dawn hosted by Louise Penny. There were 30 debut fiction authors and 250 attendees. It was well organized and I met some very nice people. The biographies were read out loud by two hosts and again fortune struck as Louise read mine. Each of us had one minute to discuss our novels. The whole event moved along at a good pace. Afterwards, I thanked Louise for “not butchering my last name.” She is a gracious and likeable person.
I’d urge readers to look into some of the writers I met. Here is a small sampling.
Jack MacTavish is an American novelist, retired U.S. Army colonel, and social media creator known for high-stakes adventure, espionage, and a distinctly old-school approach to storytelling. https://jackmactavish.com/
Andrew Bridgeman is the internationally published author of the Emma Noble thriller series, with editions in Germany and Hungary. A former rugby player, jazz singer, and entrepreneur, he is a graduate of Dickinson College and Washington University in St. Louis. https://www.andrewbridgeman.com/emma-noble-series
Kevin P. Bartlett is a fiction writer with a background in physics, oceanography, and history, living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. https://www.kevinpbartlett.com/#novel
Loretta Colton worked as a lawyer with Canada’s Department of Justice for 30 years, including nine years spent living and working as a prosecutor in the Northwest Territories. https://www.lorettacolton.com/
Adrian Andover is an avid reader, lifelong mystery lover, and the author of the Mixology Lounge Mystery series. https://www.adrianandover.com/
Jessie Kwak, editor of the anthology No I Have a Ray Gun Ho-Ho-Ho. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1888444
Originally there were no panels assigned to me and I reached out and asked them to reconsider, which they did and I was placed on a panel about police in crime fiction. Reaching The organizers were fantastic when I reached out to request a topic change, and I was instead placed on a panel with Jonathan Payne, Matt Lavoie, Sam Reaves and the great Mark Greaney. I have accosted Mark a few times at previous Thrillerfests and Bouchercons and he is a good sport and very approachable. We briefly discussed Jack Murphy’s new book The Most Dangerous Man, for whom he provided a blurb. Then we talked soccer and other stuff before the panel began. I also told him I no longer read his work because I am promoting my work as the subversive anti-Tom Clancy guy - I think he took it well enough - hahahaha - but I aim to read one of his more recent books soonish (and the other panelists as well). Over the years I have turned from a loyal foot soldier in the US Army to a complete opponent of the US and Israeli empires. He shouldn’t feel too bad as I also no longer read Don Bentley or Brad Taylor both of whom I like as guys but they are imperial stormtroopers…
Jonathan Payne is a British-American writer based in New York City. His first novel, CITIZEN ORLOV, was named a Book of the Month by Apple Books. It won the 2024 IBPA Silver Medal for Mystery/Thriller and the 2024 IPPY Bronze Medal for Suspense/Thriller. https://www.jonathanpayne.org/
Matthew Lavoie was raised in Hopkinton, MA by loving parents who bear much of the credit for success and little blame for his missteps. Early on his mother instilled a deep love of reading and language. https://matthewplavoie.com/
Sam Reaves writes gritty, character-driven mystery and suspense rooted in American settings. He has penned two crime series and several stand-alones, in addition to co-authoring a mobster memoir. https://www.samreaves.com/
#1 NYT bestselling author Mark Greaney’s debut international thriller, THE GRAY MAN, was published in 2009 and became a national bestseller and a highly sought-after Hollywood property. https://markgreaneybooks.com/
Jonathan was an excellent panel moderator and Liverpool FC supporter. We talked about Man City and Kloppo. We had met at Thrillerfest before which I had forgotten. Anyway onto the panel. The subject was: What has replaced the Cold War in Espionage Novels?
We talked about a few things but mostly tech and we all pretty much agreed that tech makes writing more difficult for our protagonists to deal with - more research, harder to deal with certain situations etc. I mentioned the lack of regulations makes me anti-tech including the entire invasive bio-metrics bullshit. 20-25 million dead made the Cold War a hot one and that I never have Arab terrorists or even really use that term (we used to call the enemy revolutionaries, guerrillas, freedom fighters or even commies) that my work is anti-US/Israeli imperialism and anti-genocide, and anti-the people who are in the Epstein files… that kind of thing. Solid answers and thoughts from everyone and I ate up too much time which meant there was little time for audience questions but we did have a few and the attendees were very engaged - we really are only there because of them. The room was pretty much packed and Jonathan took some great pics which you can see below. Shoutout to the woman who asked me about a potential novel set in ancient Rome.
Mir Bahmanyar, Matt Lavoie, Jonathan Payne, Sam Reaves, Mark Greaney.
Copyright Jonathan Payne
I abused former Green Beanie Alex Dekker who handled me well enough especially when I said things about US empire and him being part of the problem. https://www.alexdekkerofficial.com/
Another regular victim of my abuse is former Green Beret Steve Stratton. https://stevenstrattonusa.com/
Former Ranger and Green Beanie Jack Murphy always gets a good hammering from me. https://crookedlanebooks.com/jack-murphy/
James L’Etolie is a super nice guy and former warden of a prison, uh oh… https://jamesletoile.com/
Bumped into author Stephen England twice but had little time on both occasions, sorry https://www.stephenenglandbooks.com/
I really need to find a new anti-Empire crowd… no offence you imperial stormtrooper types.
Will I attend Thrillerfest next year? Don’t know. The difficulties crossing the border because of my birthplace (Iran) and all that 51st State rhetoric… not too interested in being sent to a CECOT…