For the last six days the Bouchercon festival hotel – the glorious Sheraton Toronto – has been my home. It’s been a whirlwind of a week starting with a visit to Niagara Falls and ending with the launch of Scottish crime writer Gordon Brown’s latest thriller – Falling Too.

I’ve met some fantastic people, fought jet lag and hangovers, and eaten a lot of veggie burgers. Here are some of my highlights:

1. Niagara Falls with the lovely Karin Salvalaggio and Jacques Filippi. If you get the chance to go definitely take the Maid of the Mist tour – you get very wet but it’s so worth it.
2. Speed Dating breakfast – partnering up with the lovely Margaret Mizushima and meeting over 150 readers in two hours over breakfast. It was an early start (7.30am!!) but so worth it.
3. Debut breakfast – another 7.30am start but again very worth it to meet all the other debut authors and readers (plus getting to eat the best lemon and poppyseed bread ever!).
4. Talking about how I mess with Lori on the ‘My Poor Puppet’ panel with fab moderator Prof Dean Jobb, and awesome crime writers Steve Burrows, Blake Crouch, Karen Dionne, and Matthew Fitzsimmons.
5. Being one of the debut authors on the ‘New Kids in Town’ panel with the dynamic Eric Beetner as moderator and fellow debuts Matt Goldmann, Kristen Lepionka, Jennifer Soosar, and Mary Torjussen.
6. Hanging out in Quinn’s Bar with fellow UK crime writers William Shaw, Mark Billingham, Mark Edwards, and Guy Bolton.
7. Dinner at Little Anthony’s with Team Orenda.
8. Grabbing coffee and cookies with the brilliant NYC blogger Abby Crime by the Book.
9. The whole Bouchercon vibe.
10. Celebrating Gordon Brown’s latest book – Falling Too – in Quinn’s.