Marla Cooper, Mysteries

The Case of the Last-Minute Conference Attendee

So I decided last minute — because that’s my favorite way to do things — that I was going to hop on a plane and go to New Orleans for Bouchercon next week. When I say last minute, I mean that I literally booked my tickets yesterday.

I don’t always book my conferences with only a week left to go, but when I’d originally looked at the dates, I thought September would be busier and I passed. But since then I’ve had a serious case of FOMO, and the travel bug is tugging on my arm and wheedling me to hit the road.

Besides, after taking a break from writing for (ahem) a few years, it’s just time! I decided earlier this year to go back to writing and publishing mysteries, after getting my rights back from my publisher. It’s funny, I had reached out just to see if it was a possibility, and suddenly, they were mine. So now I’ve been busy doing all those pre-launch activities entirely in a vacuum. 

In the last few months, with only my cat to keep me company, I’ve:

  • Built my author website (which required a ton of research just to decide where to host it).
  • Worked on my prequel novella called Viva Las Vengeance (two guesses where it’s set!) as well as book 3, set in Hawaii.
  • Changed my mind about when I’m going to re-release the books — twice. Spring seems like a million years away, but multiple sources have confirmed that would be the best timing because: weddings.
  • Set up my MailerLite account, which looks SO EASY on the surface, but I’m here to tell you, it literally had me in tears one day. 

I need a break! More importantly, I need humans. The kind who read and write mysteries. I need to go to panels, cheer on my book besties, eat some gumbo, and load up on an absurd amount of books in the book room.

So here I go… and as the Bouchercon registration receipt said: CASE CLOSED.

Now it’s your turn: Are you a conference person? If so, what’s your favorite mystery conference memory? 

Marla Cooper is the author of the soon-to-be-relaunched Kelsey McKenna Destination Wedding Mysteries. Learn more at www.marlacooper.com.

44 thoughts on “The Case of the Last-Minute Conference Attendee”

  2. I also decided to skip Bouchercon this year, because I went to Killer Nashville instead. I just returned home last Monday. Unlike Bouchercon, KN is primarily a writers’ con. I was on three panels – Southern Noir, Character-driven Stories and I was the moderator of the Writing Noir panel. And my novel To Keep Our Honor Clean was a semifinalist for their prestigious Silver Falchion award, and they gave me a little ribbon saying so to wear on my name badge. I had a great time and made many new friends. I’ll also be attending the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity (C3) Con in Maryland at the end of September, which is a readers’ and writers’ con. It’s a smaller con and includes meals, so there’s a lot of opportunity to meet new people. I was a little sad to miss Bouchercon and New Orleans, but two cons in two months is plenty.

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    2. Sorry to miss you this year at Bouchercon, Tom!!! But yes, conferences can be exhausting (in a good way, but still) and tough on the wallet.

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  3. Bouchercon is my favorite! It has something for everyone, and I always get to meet new readers, ones I don’t see at the smaller conferences. If things get overwhelming, I just head for my hotel room and chill for as long as I need to.

    Have a wonderful time!

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    2. I learned the hotel-room-and-chill from Marla herself at a long-ago Left Coast Crime in Portland. (Or was it Bouchercon?)

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  4. You make me feel a little better for only registering and buying my tickets a week ago! This will be my first Bouchercon, and I can’t wait; please don’t anyone tell my day job that I’m spending most of my time there thinking about how I get to take off only a week after the start of the semester. 😆

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    1. This will make you feel even better: I started a chain reaction and now two more friends have signed up to come!

      As for your job, this should definitely count as professional development!

      Say hi if you see me! I’ll be on the lookout.

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    1. Agreed! It is so fun to reconnect in person. Left Coast in San Francisco will be a double whammy for me because I used to live there so I’ll have tons of catching up to do. Hopefully we’ll see you at a con next year!

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  8. I am SOOO happy that you’re coming to Bouchercon, my dear–it will be so fab to get to hang with ya!

    My favorite con is Left Coast Crime, because of its smaller size, and also because of the quirky left coast of it all–Lucinda and Stan do such an amazing job of organizing it all. And this February in San Francisco (with yours truly as toastmaster)–woo hoo!

    See you in a few days, Marla!

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    1. LCC is my favorite, too — and San Francisco is one I wouldn’t miss for the world. Especially with you as toastmaster! LCC + SF + LK = Yesssss!

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  9. Marla, have a great time at NOLA Bouchercon!

    I cancelled my NOLA trip in February because of what’s happening between Canada & the US. (I am not the only Canadian who has made this choice).

    FYI, I have been going to B’con since 1992 but have found the last few (San Diego, Nashville) just too big to really enjoy. I ended up not seeing a bunch of friends at all & I know they were there.

    So, Left Coast Crime is now my preferred crime fiction conference.

    I will be going to LCC in San Francisco next February.

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    1. I get it! I find B’con a little overwhelming, and TBH, if I didn’t know several friends were going I don’t know if I’d brave the crowds. But Left Coast Crime is going to be amazing. So glad you’re coming!

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  10. I love conferences! Hanging out with friends, hanging out with authors, hanging out with author friends…

    My fave has got to be LCC because of its general proximity, smaller size, and mix of subgenres.

    Yay for your last-minute conferencing!

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  11. Bravo to you for getting your rights back. I have yet to get mine back for my first 5 books. One of these days (soon) I will deal with that. Right now I’m focusing on my upcoming cataract surgeries.

    I love going to conferences largely because I love the community. My favorite conference is Malice Domestic.

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  12. Have fun, Marla! My fave is Malice Domestic, which has so many kind and creative people. Bouchercon will be here in Indy in 2028, so I’ll have no excuse for not attending then! 😅

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    1. How fun to have Bouchercon come to your city. I wish they’d do one in Austin. I’d be all over that! Malice is great, too. I may go next year. I love getting to meet people in person who I’ve only known online.

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  13. Oh Marla. You will have a great time. This is the first year in a few that I am skipping Bcon but have already registered for Calgary. Hope you make it to that one. It’s been a looong time since I have seen you! Glad the wedding mysteries are out again!

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    1. Chris! Lovely to hear from you! I don’t know if you’ll get an alert that I responded to your message since it’s a couple of days later but just in case you do, hello there! Let’s find each other on social.

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  15. Many of my favorite conference memories are set in that god-awful, swirly-carpeted casino hotel in Reno. You know, with the raining inside, the creepy deserted mall underneath and the bed display in the lobby that looked nothing like our rooms.

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    1. “Favorite”? It was definitely a colorful memory. Man, that was a rough conference for me! Between the recirculated, nicotine-filled air and that altitude sickness I felt physically ill the entire convention. Oh, well, onward and upward!

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