Bouchercon 2015, Part One

PGB and Barb Goffman (Photo by Gloria Alden)

As Riley Miller and I left for Raleigh, NC, my home was under an evacuation warning due to the previous weekend’s 1000 year flood event. Fortunately, the dam remained strong. We headed north on I-95 and avoided the area where it had been closed. On Wednesday, we attended the SinC into Great Writing presentation by James Scott Bell, who taught us how to write from the middle. The Guppies met for a Mexican buffet at Twisted Mango the next day. Barb Goffman and I discovered we had the same taste in Halloween attire. Thanks to Gloria Alden for the photo!

City of Oaks

Fayetteville Street, a major thoroughfare in Raleigh, NC, connects the old State Capitol with the Convention Center. It is recognized as the city’s ceremonial center, where parades and seasonal events occur. Oak trees line the street, shedding leaves on the plentiful benches, and reminding visitors that they are in the “City of Oaks.” Columns adorned with silver oak motifs are lighted in the evening. Because it takes place in Raleigh, this year’s Bouchercon has been designated as Murder Under the Oaks. Art Taylor’s edited an anthology, with the same title, featuring stories by the conference’s honored guests and selected contributors.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Raleigh, NC, the state capital and second largest city, and Raleigh County, WV, are named after Sir Walter Raleigh (1554–1618), an English gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer. His mother was the niece of Elizabeth I’s governess. Without the Queen’s permission, he secretly married Elizabeth Throckmorton, a lady-in-waiting, and both were imprisoned in the Tower of London for the offense. Raleigh searched for a golden city of El Dorado in South America and sent others to establish Roanoke, which became known as “the Lost Colony.” While imprisoned for treason, he wrote a History of the World.