Bouchercon 2025

This past weekend I celebrated a lot of firsts. It was my first Bouchercon, my first time on a panel, and my first time in New Orleans, of legal age (I don’t think it counts when you are ten-years-old).

The more events I attend, the more excited I become. I not only get to see some of the same faces, but opportunities to meet new ones as well. I was happy to see Elise Hart Kipness and congratulate her on Close Call, which just became a USA Today Bestseller. She even had a guest spot on CBS! I was also fan girling when I spoke to Lisa Jewell who I’ve been a long time fan of and we got to discuss some of our favorite conferences we’ve attended. I also gushed to Alafair Burke, on the success of The Better Sister, which streamed this past summer on Amazon.

My panel was This is How We Do It: Getting inside an Author’s Brain. We talked about our writing process (whether we were plotters or pantsers) and what were some of the approaches we take if we ever get stuck in our writing.

Side note: I have a theory that if you like to bake, then you are a plotter because you like to lay out your measured ingredients before you start. If you like to cook, then you are a pantser because you go by instincts and by seeing what works and what doesn’t. So far I’ve gotten mixed reviews on this theory, but let me know what your thoughts are. I’m a plotter and baker through and through.

I did enjoy going to other panels as well. Not only is it helpful to go and support your friends who might be on them, but I find even if it’s regarding a topic I think I know a lot about, I still learn so much. Just by sitting in and listening to these amazing authors, you learn how they approach certain situations and why. Not only did I walk out of a domestic thriller panel with how I can fix a storyline that I’ve been struggling with, but it also gave me an idea for my next book. So again, it’s always great to attend these. Even if you aren’t a writer, I am more eager to read someone’s book after I’ve heard from the author how they came up with the idea and what inspired them. P.S. most of the people that attend these conferences are readers!

It’s also important though to get outside the hotel every once in awhile and enjoy the city you’re in. Like I mentioned earlier, I remember coming to New Orleans as a kid for my grandparent’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. But at that age, I didn’t really get a chance to understand and appreciate the culture like I was able to do this time around. I went to the Jazz Museum and even got to enjoy a live performance. I also stopped in a voodoo museum because after all, I am a thriller writer and love stuff like that. I also checked out Bourbon Street, the French Quarter and stopped for a chicory coffee with a side of beignets. I do regret that I missed out on the ghost tour that the rest of my fellow author friends did.

My favorite event at Bouchercon combined both the conference and the culture, when they got a brass band to lead everyone in a parade from the hotel and over to the World War II Museum where the opening ceremony was held. It was a way to really get into the spirit of the town and the conference.

In regards to my book, audio and digital for The Tutor are available in the US with the paperback releasing on November 11th. I have been gearing up with guest spot articles in publications such as Writer’s Digest, She Writes and Book Trib, as well as starting to do podcast interviews. Be sure to check them out on my website, under the media tab.

My next book, The Hostess, will be releasing audio and digital in January. The cover reveal will be later this month, so I’ll be sure to include it in my next newsletter. For now, I’ll leave you with the blurb.

Natalie and her husband decide to escape the city for a much-needed break. After suffering from a terrible accident, Natalie needs some time and space to recover. So when they find a gorgeous rental home on an estate in the Hamptons available at the last minute, it seems too good to be true.

The owner of the estate, Sadie, is beautiful, elegant and wealthy, and Natalie is immediately drawn to her.

But as the women begin to bond, Natalie can’t shake the feeling that Sadie is hiding something beneath her polished exterior.

When Natalie discovers that the previous guest disappeared without a trace, dark questions surface: Who exactly is the hostess? What are her secrets? And can Natalie uncover the truth, before it’s too late?

What I’m Working On:

Now that the summer is over and the kids are in school, I finally have the time to get back to my favorite part of this whole business, writing. I’ve got a couple of ideas floating around, so I’m going to start outlining both and see which one I should start with.

What I’m Reading:

I came home with a bunch of books from Bouchercon, but I’ll tell you about the one I just finished yesterday. It’s Samantha Downing’s newest release. Too Old for This. She was at Bouchercon too!

It’s about an older woman named Lottie who keeps to herself. She lives alone at home and looks forward to her church’s bingo night once a week. That is until someone comes knocking on her door with the idea of making a documentary-series about her life and the not one, but three murders she was (falsely) accused of. Lottie of course doesn’t want to dredge up the past. She has spent years trying to hide from the media, so of course she has no choice but to kill her. This of course, leads to other people looking for the victim, which leads to more deaths, and suddenly Lottie is out of retirement again. This is such a fresh take on serial killers. It’s suspenseful, but also funny at just how casual Lottie is about some of the gruesome stuff she finds herself doing. Highly recommended.

What I’m Watching:

So I guess there is sort of a theme here this month. The Thursday Murder Club is about a retirement community who forms a club where they look into solving cold cases. That is until a real murder happens and these amateur sleuths decide to take it upon themselves to start up their own investigation. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you aren’t a bad-ass. This is based off of Richard Osmond’s book with the same title, The Thursday Murder Club. As I always say, it’s worth reading the book first.

Next month we get into my favorite month of the year, for obvious spooky reasons, but overall I’m excited to get back into a routine. I won’t be traveling for awhile so I’ll really get the opportunity to focus on my craft and again try to tackle my TBR list. I swear every time I think I’ve gotten a dent into it, I wind up adding more to the list. Luckily, fall is a cozy time to read, even if you do live in Florida. But I’ll be sure to just order something pumpkin-spiced and transport myself, if only mentally.

Until then, enjoy that last few days of summer.

Best,

Courtney Psak