Killer Nashville - August 15 - 17

[Perks]

http://www.killernashville.com/

New York Times bestselling author
& internationally-renowned founder of The Real Body Farm (http://www.killernashville.com/Content2008/guestofhonor2008.htm)

Dr. Bill Bass (http://www.killernashville.com/Content2008/guestofhonor2008.htm)

3 days of authors, contacts, & publishing

Over 40 panels & discussions available on mysteries, thrillers, and
general writing and promotion techniques applicable to any genre



I just registered. Looks like good fun and the guest of honor is Dr. Bill Bass, founder and director of 'The Body Farm' at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Bass' work has revolutionized forensic science.

Who's with me?

[bluntforcetrauma]

the guest of honor is Dr. Bill Bass, founder and director of 'The Body Farm' at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Bass' work has revolutionized forensic science.

That guy is amazing.

[maestrowork]

I wish I could go.

[bubbagringo]

I'll be there

if anybody wants to organize a get together just lemme know

my garage is always open...

[Perks]

Somebody's gonna steal your car.

[Perks]

Anyone signed up? I need to find my peeps.

[san_remo_ave]

:rant:Aargh. I'd go but I have to be in Vegas that week for work.

[Perks]

Aw, man. Look at the schedule - LOOOOOOOK at it.

You know you want to be there!

http://www.killernashville.com/Content2008/schedule2008.htm

[Perks]

No one? Does this mean I'm going to have to make new friends of non-AWers? Do you know how much that makes me have to bite back on a gag-reflex? My peeeeeps! Where are you?

[Melenka]

Aw, man. Look at the schedule - LOOOOOOOK at it.

You know you want to be there!

http://www.killernashville.com/Content2008/schedule2008.htm

Damn you, now I DO want to be there. Hmph. My kids start school that week, a traditionally broke time for me. I'll have to see if it can be managed. That schedule is excellent.

[Perks]

It really is. My kids start school that Thursday, but I'm sort of forcing my way around it. They forgive me. They think it's neat. Dammit, I'll have to buy them a present.

Keep in touch if you work it out! I'd love to meet some more AWers.

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

I don't even write that kind of stuff and I wanna be there! :)

[Perks]

Are you going to? You won't be cool if you don't. We could be roomies.

[san_remo_ave]

Check with Alleycat, too. If memory serves, he was looking to go last year....

[Hobbes]

This would be sweet! I wish I could go but I'm busy that weekend! But I've bookmarked the site so I can plan on next year. Thanks Perks! Hope you have fun.

[Perks]

dang it

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

I wish I could, girl! Think of the terror the two of us-- uh-- think of the fun we'd have!

[alleycat]

Sorry, Perks, I didn't know you had posted this until today. A couple of weeks ago I'm posted a similar thread in the Announcements forum.

I went last year, and am going to try to go this year.

Michael Connelly was the Guest of Honor last year.

[Perks]

Hahahahaha! I get to meet alleycat!

[alleycat]

Hahahahaha! I get to meet alleycat!
Have you been to Nashville before?

[Perks]

Nope. Is it cool? Will you show me the town?

[alleycat]

Nope. Is it cool? Will you show me the town?
The event itself is held in the Cool Springs area, which is between the towns of Brentwood and Franklin. Franklin is a charming, small southern town. Brentwood is a very upscale area (several stars live there, including Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman).

Nearby is shopping, several good restaurants, churches the size of some states, a classic downtown in Franklin, golf courses, and some very large houses.

[Little Red Barn]

I wanna go, but I --wait maybe I could write crime, yes, this might be good--where you coming from Perks?

[Perks]

Asheville, North Carolina

[Little Red Barn]

Asheville, North Carolina
Hmm. Are you staying the whole weekend? I've got a lil book on the back burner this might be of help...

[Perks]

I am. What's the book? And you can be my roomie if OFG is gonna ignore me.

[Little Red Barn]

Yes, it'd be too expensive going it alone. OFG ignoring you? NEVER! ;)

I'm about 2 1/2 hrs from Nashville. Let me talk w/ hubby as school starts this day and see if he can handle it all and I'll pm you.

Whoa, we get to meet Alley!!!!

[Little Red Barn]

I am. What's the book? And you can be my roomie if OFG is gonna ignore me.
The book would be one I'm just starting on, policing/police crimes, but I have an agent. This conference may fit though, etc...

[alleycat]

38 Special is playing the Wildhorse that weekend.

The Tennessee Titans are playing Oakland.

Bruce Springsteen plays the Sommet Center the week after.

[Perks]

The Tennessee Titans are playing Oakland.

God, it is that time again already isn't it? No time for football likely, but I'm sure some fun could be had.

So, are you going or not?

[Little Red Barn]

Yeah, Alley, give it up, are you going to meet us? :D

[alleycat]

God, it is that time again already isn't it? No time for football likely, but I'm sure some fun could be had.

So, are you going or not?
I'd like to, but I haven't decided yet. I have to say that I like last year's lineup a little better than I do this year's. Still, it's a fun event. I only live about twenty minutes from where the event is held, so it seems a shame not to go.

[Williebee]

Anybody have a link to the room rate? The conference website is hosed on that detail.

[Perks]

Anybody have a link to the room rate? The conference website is hosed on that detail.

http://www.killernashville.com/Content2008/hotelinfo2008.htm

Rooms at the Marriott and Wyndam are going for $109, but the area is fat with hotels and I've it under good authority that there are perfectly decent rooms within four minute's drive time for about $70.

[alleycat]

There are plenty of hotels in the Brentwood/Cool Springs area.

[Williebee]

Nevermind, I found it.

Hmm, ok, let me check the work calendar tomorrow.

ETA: Oh, sorry, thanks for the input.

[san_remo_ave]

I am so jealous. I LIVE here and can't even go....

Dang work!

*grumble, grumble*

[Perks]

You could always come down with a case of the shingles.

[san_remo_ave]

You could always come down with a case of the shingles.

Ugh. My hubby had that it was NOT pleasant.

I'd totally skip out on anything but this event. I'd be missed and likely be jobless if I tried.

*sigh*

Have fun!

[Williebee]

OK, I'm in. Registration is done, room's done. wheee.

I went ahead and ponied up for the convention center hotel room. (Hey, it's my birthday present.)

See ya there!

[Perks]

yay! We should meet up for lunch or dinner or something.

[Williebee]

Sounds like a plan. Are you doing the dinner with Dr. Bass thing? If not, maybe we do an alternate dinner gathering...

[Perks]

You know it. I think Dr. Bass will be the most influential person I've ever met. I'm very excited to hear him speak.

But I've got no plans for the other nights.

[Perks]

*bump* for a week left to go --

Any more AW takers?

[Williebee]

I think Dr. Bass is admirable and amazing, and I'm looking forward to his presentation.

But, I don't know that I want to talk shop with him later that evening over medium rare meat, if you know what I mean.

OK, so sound off: Who all's going to Nashville?

[Perks]

Willie, I think it's just you and me and Bubbagringo (who doesn't love us all that much anyway, although he did offer his garage.)

[storygirl]

Man, I'd love to go. It's just an hour from my house, but I'm all booked that weekend. I wonder if I could at least clear up one day. Hmm. It would be so fun!!! I'll see what I can do. I'd at least like to get in a day of it.

[Perks]

That would be wonderful! PM if I can help with any arrangements. Would love to meet you in person!

[Perks]

I daresay, Willie, we're on our own. Bubbagringo is somewhere and alleycat doesn't love us... so sad.

[Williebee]

I believe that we can be more than enough to represent AW in loud and furious fashion (ok, maybe just loud.)

[Perks]

Oh lordy, look out. Willie's a drinker. How old are you? I need to know to make sure I bring enough vitamin B tablets and red Bull to keep up with you.

[Perks]

Ha! I'm here and I wrangled me a much nicer room. I had booked a place at one of those could be fine/could be gross places. Guess which one I got?

They put me on the scary back lot with all the truckers and the room smelled like a wet dog. And I was less than encouraged that the management would only brave 25 watt light bulbs. So I asked for a different room. Same story, but possibly darker -- and the phone didn't work.

So I called around and the clerk at the Wyndam gave me the conference rate for a sweet-smelling suite. And it's four miles closer. All for just $25 more a night. Well worth it.



All that and I gained an hour in time zones!

[Williebee]

How old am I? Ancient. My drug of choice is Maalox.

Glad you got out of the creepy room.

I should be there about a half hour before the 10 am session (traffic willing.)

Which means.... I'm off to bed, I'm so old.

:)

Oh, I'll be the red headed guy with the beard.

[Perks]

I'll be the same chick from my profile picture, but maybe not grinning quite so monkey-like.

I'll find you.

[Williebee]

Don't know where the rest of the Nashville contingent is, but Perks and I had dinner at the Bonefish Grill tonite.

Hey locals, if'n you have time to get together tomorrow night, (Saturday), let us know!


Folks, I said something similar about III and JComp, after we met last month in San Antonio. I'm even more happy to say that Perks is most definitely someone worth traveling 400 miles to have dinner with.

Killer Nashville is a pretty good time, too. TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is presenting on all manner of investigative, forensics, and arson subjects. They even have a crime scene set up, body and all, for us to "investigate".

[Perks]

How nice are you? I'm having a blast and the lectures are food for thought on however deep a level you want to take it.

It was always going to be interesting, but Mr. Williebee is hilarious, irreverent and company enough to make a good time something not to be forgotten.

ETA - It's quite funny to hear twenty-some year veteran homicide investigators oooh and aahh and swap recipes for fake blood.

[Perks]

And we drove around singing seventies songs after dinner. Williebee can sing. I cannot. But it was still fun.

[joe pye]

Now that you two have attended this year do you plan on making it next year?
Which did you find to be the most valuable session?

[Williebee]

Hey Joe! Welcome to AW.

Yup, I figure to be back.

Dr. Bass was amazing, entertaining, and informative. My favorite session was actually the panel discussion that included an experienced, published writer (Gregg Hurwitz), an agent, a publisher, a publicist, and a rep from Barnes & Noble. Clay did a great job of "holding their feet to the fire", asking potentially tough questions and laying out a clear, informative picture of how a book gets from the writer's head to the reader's hand; the part that each link of the chain plays, and what each link in the chain expects from the others.

Hanging out, listening to stories, with Hurwitz (http://www.gregghurwitz.net/), Don Bruns (http://www.donbrunsbooks.com/), and Bill Fitzhugh (http://www.billfitzhugh.com/) one night was a blast, too.

(And, it didn't hurt that my pitch resulted in a request for the first 50 pages.)

[Perks]

Now that was a good time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this conference. Most useful to me were the content lectures - in this case, primarily from the experts on loan to us by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (by all appearances, a class operation.) Fascinating information all day every day, but for me, watching these people talk about their jobs and being able to observe their different, but meshing, personalities was just so great and thought-provoking. They were so generous with their time and there were even a couple of them who were nurturing the itch that may become the desire to write, which was very neat to talk to them about.

The guest lectures from Dr. Hugh Berryman and Dr. Bill Bass were the highlights of, if I'm honest, my summer, my year, dunno, pretty darn cool. Dr. Bass, at eighty years old, is absolutely incandescent; an outstanding person. I was a bit starstruck.

But for me, the tops was the group of people I met. The organizers of the event were delightful and clever, and just so many writers hanging out, paying it forward with bought beers and dispensed advice and shared stories made it a weekend I won't forget. Chief among them, our own Williebee. What a great guy this is and such a pitchman! He's got a gift for presentation that I can only hope to learn a glimmer of. Go on - meet him. Ask him what he writes. You'll be reaching for your wallet before he's even done.

It was truly a blast. I'm having me coffee out of my Killer Nashville coffee mug and wishing it wasn't over.

[Perks]

And look! Here we are, now. I mean not now, the picture was taken yesterday, but now as when I've unpacked and sorted myself out:

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s40/Perks_album/ButchI-1.jpg

[Stew21]

Great Pic! (and congrats on the request for a partial, Willie!)

[Williebee]

Thanks!

I'm the cute one. (not.)

[Perks]

There's no uncute people in that photo. Except Shadow Ferret told me I needed a shave.

[Williebee]

Except Shadow Ferret told me I needed a shave.

How rude!

I wasn't going to mention it.
:)

[Hobbes]

Hey Perks and Williebee,
Sounds like you had a good time! Thanks for the reviews of the conference--it seems like a good one to go to. I'll have to mark next year's calendar now - and maybe book a nice room. :)

[Perks]

You know, if you have to sleep there three nights, a bit of light and the assurance of reasonable cleanliness makes a big difference.

It really was a terrific conference, able to be enjoyed on many levels.