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I’ve got a new piece up at The Lineup, about how to survive a writing conference. Trust me, it ain’t easy. So much walking! So much drinking! It’s nuts.

Here’s the first tip, for free:

1. DRINK WATER, EAT FOOD.

At my first Bouchercon, I went the whole first day without drinking any water. My hangover on day two persisted until the early evening. This year, I forgot to eat dinner one night. With the time difference and the heavy restaurant meals, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Remember, your body has already been hammered by travel (unless you’re lucky enough to be a local). Be smart. And pack some aspirin, just in case.

Click over to see the rest of the article, which is also free.

On Thursday I’m flying out to Long Beach for Bouchercon, the year’s biggest crime and mystery convention. Last year was my first, and it was a blast, even though it was in Albany, one of the worst cities in America.

(I can say that—I lived in Albany on and off when I was a political reporter. Albany in the winter makes the ice planet Hoth look like a fun and friendly place.)

Here’s a guide to MysteriousPress.com at Bouchercon—what I’ll be doing, what Otto Penzler will be doing, and what our authors will be doing.

You know those book bags you get when you check into the conference? Some of them are going to include a Polis Books sampler, which has the first chapter of New Yorked. I’ll also have a handful of copies of The Last Safe Place: A Zombie Novella for sale—if you want one, let me know, or track me down at the conference.

Otherwise, I will be bouncing between panels and hanging out at the hotel bar, because, as we all know, that’s where the real business of these cons goes down.

I’m reading this Sunday at Noir at the Bar! It’s taking place at Shade in the West Village!

I still don’t know what the hell I’m going to read. So this will either be a lot of fun or a horrible mess.

Come on by! 241 Sullivan Street, 6 p.m.

Also reading: 

Russel D. McLean
Hilary Davidson
Scott Adlerberg
Laura K. Curtis
Dave White
Alison Glasgow
Josh Bazell
Clare Toohey
Gregg Rossi

Here’s the page on Facebook where you can RSVP, which if you have Facebook, you should do that. 

Do you live in or around Boston?

Then come to this thing.

Do you know someone who lives in or around Boston?

Tell them about this.

I’m going to read a story about a heroic writer who is trying not to cry about the loss of his book deal and the only way to cheer him up is to attend the reading that he is driving to Boston for. It may or may not be inspired by true events.

Sunday, June 29 at 6:00pm

The Pour House in Boston, Massachusetts

Here’s the line-up, and it’s killer:

Todd Robinson
Dana Cameron
Rob Hart
Chris Irvin
Bracken MacLeod
Chris F. Holm
Jen Conley
Dave Zeltserman
Paul Tremblay
Toni L.P. Kelner

If you’re on the Facey-book, you can RSVP here.

It’s official: Exhibit A is shutting down, so my two book deal just turned into a no book deal. You all showed a lot of love and support these past few months, and I am blown away by how many people wanted to read something I wrote. Thank you, truly. I’m not up to talking right now, so if you reach out and don’t hear back, please don’t think me ungrateful. It took years to write and sell this book, and I was six months out from publication, and I just don’t have words for how low I feel right now. I’m going to keep my head down for a bit. Thanks for understanding.

It’s official: Exhibit A Books is going to publish my first novel, New Yorked.

I’ve been sitting on this news for a few weeks, so it feels pretty damn good to get it off my chest. And it’s still a little surreal. There’s a part of me that’s waiting to wake up.

There’s a lot to be happy about right now. The folks at Exhibit A are very enthusiastic. They put out awesome books. They’re affiliated with Angry Robot, which also puts out awesome books. They’re open to the idea of turning New Yorked into a series. They’re forward-thinking on issues like DRM-free eBooks and print/digital bundling. They’re distributed by Random House, so they’ve got the guts of an indie and the reach of a monolith. This thing will be in bookstores.

Take all that together, it’s a slam-dunk-home-run-touchdown type situation.

There are a lot of people to thank. Friends and family members and fellow writers who inspired me, or gave me comfort, or offered me counsel. A lot of people. I could spend the next week doing just that. Their time will come. There are a few people I need to thank right now:

My agent, Bree Ogden, who worked extremely hard on this, and is a rockstar superhero, and just that she spent the last 10 months putting up with me probably qualifies her for sainthood.

The acquiring editor at Exhibit A, Bryon Quertermous. We met up before they made the offer, and I left our breakfast meeting convinced this was the kind of person I wanted to work with. I got my wish.

Cheers to the folks at The Cult and LitReactor. Everyone. That’s where I cut my teeth on this writing thing. Without those communities, I wouldn’t be here.

Most importantly, thanks to my wife, Amanda, who is a constant source of love and support, and is also really good at smacking sense into me when I’m glum, which is something I sometimes need.

That’s it for now. More soon. And, save your pennies, because about a year from now, this book that I’ve been hammering away at for a big chunk of my life is finally going to be a thing that you can buy. And I expect you to buy it, so I can keep myself in Whistle Pig rye.

Sláinte.