Ellen Byron

Back from Bouchercon – All the Pix and Feels

I’ve been back from Bouchercon for two weeks and you’ve probably seen a million pix by now, including some of mine. But… I feel a need to share.

I haven’t been to a Bouchercon since 2016. I was all set to go to B’con in New Orleans in 2021 – and I actually did go, even though it was cancelled. My daughter was in college at Loyola, I’m a Tulane alum, and I was writing a series set in the Big Easy. We wound up in a hair-raising evacuation from the city thanks to Hurricane Ida.

To be honest, I haven’t raced to Bouchercons because I wasn’t sure there was enough interest in cozy authors to justify the expense. The cost of attending conventions really adds up, which forces me to be selective. But as an author who wasn’t a mystery author once said, the past is the past. And as he or she may also have said, that was then, this is now.

This year, Bouchercon had a Cozy Guest of Honor, Kate Carlisle; there was a Best Humorous Mystery Anthony category. (Not all cozies are funny, nor do they have to be, but at least this category gives some authors of the genre a chance to be recognized.) And I got to host an event I’ve thought about for years: Cocktails & Cozies, inspired by the classic mystery event, Noir at the Bar.

At Cozies & Cocktails, seven authors did brief readings. (It would have been eight, but poor Cheryl Hollon was waylaid by yet another hurricane). There twenty-five giveaways, ten of which were thanks to Karen Cantwell and Kathy Wiley’s Destination Murder anthology, Murder at the Beach. (They also supplied these cute gift bags as a sponsor. We had a sponsor – yay!) I made a hundred cookies with an edible logo and we had a swag table, plus a no-host bar. The evening succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. (Look for another Cozies & Cocktails event at Bouchercon 2024 in Nashville. Whoo hoo!)

There were many other highlights of the con. Seeing friends, meeting with my publishers, great panels, the view from the room I shared with fellow Chicks Lisa and Leslie…

Most importantly, there were cool shoes. (Vanessa Riley’s sneakers and my less cool but entertaining gold Crocs.)

I wish I had better photos to share but I’ve found I’m so busy running from one event to another at a convention that I wind up not taking a lot of pictures.

Attending Bouchercon 2023: Murder at the Marina convinced me that I’ve been underestimating the value and power of Bouchercon. I won’t be making that mistake again.

Nashville, New Orleans, Calgary, D.C., etc., etc., here I come!

Readers and authors, what cons are must-go’s for you? What criteria do you use when deciding to spend the money it costs to attend a con?

52 thoughts on “Back from Bouchercon – All the Pix and Feels”

  2. ELLEN: It was so wonderful to see you at San Diego Bouchercon! I met you in person at your Body in the Bayou book launch during the 2016 NOLA Bouchercon.

    I am a mystery convention veteran. My first Bouchercon was in 1992 in Toronto (my hometown) & I was hooked. I got to meet authors I read and found out about so many new books/authors to try. When I was working for the Canadian federal govt, I got 4-5 weeks paid vacation/year. While temporarily stationed in Ottawa in 2000, I found about Tucson Left Coast Crime (LCC) & went. LCC’s pluses: it was a smaller, more intimate convention held in a warm-weather location during the depths of a Canadian winter.

    I tried Malice Domestic in 2002 but since I mostly read police procedurals, PI, & thrillers, it wasn’t for me. Malice is also held in the same location and I prefer going to different cities each year. Another negative: Malice often takes place just a few weeks after LCC & I could not go to both. I have been to several smaller mystery conventions (Mid Atlantic mystery in Philadelphia in the late 1990s, Cape Fear Crime Festival, New England Crime Bake) but none of these have stuck.

    Bouchercon & LCC are my main mystery conventions. I have been to 24 Bouchercons and 17 LCCs. I am registered for 2024 Nashville Bouchercon & am looking forward to the Calgary & Washington DC Bouchercons. But I now that I am retired, I would also like to try going to Sleuthfest (in FL) and a UK mystery convention in the future!

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      1. Grace, Our apologies–WordPress has been playing weird tricks on us. It seems completely random, and keeps changing, but we’re trying to get to the bottom of the “anonymous” deal. Thanks for letting everyone know who you were (but no worries, we already guessed!).

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          2. I knew it was you, too, Grace, and I’m piggybacking on your comment because WordPress doesn’t want me to comment either. Grr.

            I wish I could go to ALL the cons! They’re always so much fun. And, of course, it’s a business expense. I love Malice Domestic (completely aside from the fact my son, DIL, and new grandson live nearby) and Left Coast Crime. I’ve been to a couple of Bouchercons, but gosh, they’re so big! I’m thinking about going to Nashville, though, mainly because I’ve never been to Nashville. I love being on the faculty of writer’s conferences too, but they also take up a lot of time and energy … and I only have so much of both!

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        1. Thanks! Yes, I very much enjoy exploring each city for a few days before going to the cons.
          Reno LCC was the longest trip: 19+ hours each way! I should be able to go to Asia in that amount of time instead of Nevada!!

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  3. Ellen, it was great seeing you at Bouchercon. I loved your sparkly Crocs.

    I always make it to Malice. I went to Bouchercon this year because I’d never been to California and here was a built-in excuse. But the cost! I probably won’t do B’con again until DC when I can drive.

    I tried to go to LCC a couple years ago, but again – cost! With The Hubby retiring in two weeks, I suspect my conference going will be limited to Malice, Pennwriters, and the odd B’con I plan and save for.

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    1. Liz, I am glad you made it to your first California Bouchercon!
      I am a retiree so I have plenty of time but cost is an issne for me, too.
      The US/CDN exchange rate is $1.41 so I am going to cringe when I get my next credit card bill!
      Also the 15-hour+ travel time to the west coast is draining. Nashville will be a much easier trip for me.

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    5. And now you know one reason why it’s hard to get to Malice as often as I would like. The cost! (It’s also not really planned well for this accountant. Stupid month end.)

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      3. Yes all. This was me.

        I’m having computer issues, so I am back on my old computer from two years ago, and I kind of forgot I’m having to relog into everything. Sorry.

        Liz, it is possible we met at Malice. I did make it two years in a row back when I was at my last and close didn’t start until the first of the month. Now, we start on day -2.

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  4. Ellen, you are a cozy-champion whirlwind (take that, Hurricane Ida!), and I’m glad I was your roomie so I got to see you a tiny bit more in San Diego. Can’t wait til the next conference! (For me, Crime Bake in MA and then LCC.)

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  5. I’m trying to make it to two per year. I’m trying different events to find the ones that give me the best bang for my limited budget. I going to the Midwest Mystery Conference in Chicago in November and then B’con next year with both of them within easy driving distance. See you in Nashville!

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  6. My fave con is Killer Nashville, probably because they gave me an award :-). But I couldn’t go this year because my youngest son was moving into college that weekend. So I opted for a different con–Creatures, Crimes and Creativity, held last weekend in Columbia, MD. I had never heard of it before, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise. Indie and hybrid authors were given equal status with trad published authors (I won’t attend a con where that is not the case). There were six communal meals included with registration-the food wasn’t exemplary, but it wasn’t bad, either, and the meals provided ample time to mix and meet new people. It had a bookstore and there were signings each day. The awesome Jeffery Deaver was a guest of honor, as was Nancy Holder, known for her Buffy tie-in novels. I even got to take a class she taught. Another highlight for me was when we got to read our one-star reviews at Sunday breakfast. I will certainly be back next year.

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  9. Vickie: Surgeries have picked my pocket the past couple of years. I hope to take care of a knee replacement later this year. If I’m past my orthopedic surgeries, I hope to make it to one of the cons next year. One a year is generally all I can afford! (WordPress is listing me as anonymous again. Aaargh!)

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  10. I was thrilled to make it to Boucheron for Saturday. Wish I could have been there longer, but it was quarter end at work – no way I could get away. But with it being within driving distance, I had to go.

    I would love to attend more conferences, but it’s so often a scheduling issue these days. (Used to be more about the money, now it’s the schedule.) Malice is always at the end of the month. Bouchercon next year is the same Labor Day weekend, and it’s not worth trying to fly across the country for one day.

    I am thinking I might be able to swing Left Coast Crime next year. But I haven’t talked to my boss about it. We’ll see if it’s a pipe dream or not.

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  11. Sounds (and LOOKS!) like a great con!! I was so sorry to miss it–and y’all.

    Hanging out with this amazing community is at the tippy-top of my list of musts! Hopefully, future scheduling is more conducive to a future con (fab).

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  12. Sorry for the late post, but I’ve been traveling. But now that I’m ensconced in my new digs in Oxford, England, I have a chance to sit down and check my email. And yes, Bouchercon was fantastic! It was my first real one (yes, I attended the 2020 edition via Zoom in Sacramento, but it’s just not the same thing if you can’t personally hang out with all your fellow mystery lovers!), and I enjoyed every minute! And having fellow Chicks Ellen and Lisa made it all that much more fun.

    My favorite con is Left Coast Crime, since I’m a left-coaster, and it’s relatively small, and always quirky and super fun. But I also love Malice, since it concentrates on traditional and cozy mysteries. And now that I’ve been to B’con–and now that they’re paying proper respect to light-hearted mysteries–I’m sure I’ll be back for more of those!

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  13. Well, the only con that I have gone to was one here in Atlanta that was for the end of my favorite and oldest soap opera at the time “Guiding Light.” It was wonderful. I sure do miss that soap as they had become like family. And now I feel the same way about my favorite authors and these blogs. I love them and love to hear from you all. When you go to Bouchercon next year in Nashville, if you can get away, go to see the Parthenon. Their advertisement for it is, “it ain’t broke” like the one in Greece. You will love Nashville and country music. Maybe I will get to attend this one as it is near me in Georgia. I don’t like to do long drives anymore though as I am getting up in years. I doubt that I could get Hubby Dearest to go, but we shall see as I would love to see and meet all of you–my favorite authors. I was glad that I had read three of the cozies up for the award–Ellen Byron, T. J. Herren and Jennifer J. Chow and I loved them all. I am now going to read the other two. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos. I know that it gets expensive to go to those cons but you gain so much from them and maybe you can write them off as business on your taxes.

    Madeleine Gilbert Spangler in case it makes me anonymous as it usually does.

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  14. Thank you, Ellen. It has been a pleasure to be email friends with you. I hope I can do it also as I would love to meet you and many others. But you hold a special place in my heart for NOLA.

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