At the risk of incurring Jeff, my blog brother's wrath, I have to say that LCC is my favorite conference. It has the best of the biggest and the best of the smaller ones: high levels of discourse, lots of accomplished colleagues, but an intimacy that allows people to connect more than superficially.
But I am, this time, remiss in my documentation. I have to admit that I had been having too good a time to remember to take pictures.
Here are the photos I have. They will not do justice at all to the pleasures of being there.
I flew into San Francisco airport the Tuesday before the conference, and after a visit with a friend, went by car to Reno. A path that took me over the Donner Pass. I did not see Hannibal Lector anywhere in the vicinity.
The venue for this year's LCC was unusual, to say the least—a Reno casino.
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On our way to and from the hotel restaurants, we passed phalanxes of slot machines, which until Friday evening were largely vacant.
My first event was early Thursday morning—Author Speed Dating, in which forty writers work in pairs. They visit tables where readers are sitting and have a minute and a half apiece to sell their stories to the folks seated around the table.
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| Authors setting up before the Author Speed Dating event |
At LCC the hosts of the event are Les and Leslie Blatt , the most delightful couple in crime fiction fandom. Les made the announcements and Leslie rang the bell for starts and stops of author presentations.
The Book Room, like all the others venues, was huge. When I checked the stock of my books, I found that the copies had not arrived because of weather delays both on the East Coast and in the Sierras. Thankfully, they arrived during my first panel and so were on sale in time for my signing.
On the panels, the audience was treated to the wisdom of both sophisticated New Yorkers —like my buddy Charles Salzberg (center)—and Texans in cowboy hats.
I moderated a pantser vs plotter debate that was lively, to say the least.
The banquet on Saturday evening was a huge success. If I had not had the pleasure of dining with my fans, I would have wanted to be at the Tim (Hallinan) and Jim (Ziskin) table.
Leaving unlovely Reno, I had a glimpse of its beautiful mountains on take off.
A great foil for all he neon loaded slots that “graced” even the airport.
The trouble started at the change of planes in Phoenix. The cabin crew did not make it on time from their previous flight. The sign you see here is a bit optimistic. We took off about 3:30, nearly a four-hour delay.
It looks like I will get home around midnight New York time. I hope I have the strength to fix the problems with this post when I do. I am struggling to write on an iPad mini, with in-flight WiFi. They charge passengers for it. They ought to pay us to use it, and provide free tranquilizers.
Update: I arrived at home 11:45. I've cleaned this up as best I can in my current depleted condition. Forgive me any flubs.
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Sorry to have missed you, AmA, alas. Maybe another year. Not sorry to have missed Reno. Ick.
ReplyDeleteThank you, EvKa. Next year's LCC is in Vancouver. Barring catastrophes, I will be there. It's a place I have always wanted to visit and never have. Please come and make it even more special.
DeleteI've stayed at that hotel several times. The best you can say about it is that it is cheap.
ReplyDeleteReno itself has attractions, but mainly because of what it is near.
Glad the conference was such a success and so much fun. I hope to make it one day...
And now, for your next trip...?
Michael, What I just said to EvKa!! Seriously, I really do hope you can come at some point. It's delightful. And the author to fan ratio is much more in our favor than it has been lately at B'con.
DeleteDespite my long involvement on the Board of Bouchercon, there is no reason to fear my wrath at your love for LCC. I too am a great fan of LCC, and would have been there but for my ''shoulder" doctor forbidding me to travel for another few weeks. LCC actually grew out of a Bouchercon and several LCC founders are Bcon Board members...as is the Executive Director of MWA. You see, sis, we're all one big supportive family!
ReplyDeleteOne question. I don't know what you meant in your comment to Michael. Are you saying there are more fans or less fans per author (proportionately) at LCC?
You’re right about the family, bro. I knew that and brag about it a LOT!
DeleteI have no data to support this, but I think there is a much greater proportion of fans to authors at LCC. I meet many more fans face to face at LCC than I do at B’con, and that proportion seems to me to be widening in favor of LCC. B’con attracts many international authors and many, many from the USA. Lately, it has seemed there are more authors than fans at B’con. Perhaps it’s a study worth doing for the B’con people.
I don't know the data for LCC, but I 'm sure the folks there have it. Bcon keeps close track of that sort of information, and as it's an all-volunteer, fan driven convention directed mainly by fans (I was a relative aberration), I can assure you the fan population outnumbers the authors and industry types. Yes, it most certainly does draw a huge number of authors from the US and abroad, but that's because of it's reputation as the largest fan-oriented mystery convention in the nation. It's a symbiotic relationship. Fans come because of the number of authors, and authors because of the number of fans. Another variable, of course, is location. Some cities are a more attractive draw for authors (and fans) than others.
DeleteAs I said, I have no data to support my conclusion. Perhaps it’s that I get more attention from the fans at LCC. Maybe, without so many stars of the genre available, they have some time for a second stringer like me.
DeleteAlso, as a person, I prefer a more intimate atmosphere, something that feels more like a reunion, than a mass gathering of folks. Say, the Schubert Theater, instead of Madison Square Garden or the Meadowlands Stadium.
As a fan, I definitely prefer LCC (though I do plan to go to B'con in Sacramento, since it's practically in my own backyard). The intimacy is great, and I love the tradition of author-hosted tables at the banquet -- they really try to outdo each other with decorations and giveaways, and it's a ton of fun!
DeleteSo fun being on a panel with you Annamaria - but we had no time to catch up! thanks for the goodbye hug and glad you made it home
ReplyDeleteBeing side by side with you! What a treat! I wish we had had some one-to-one time. One day soon ! I hope.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I missed LCC - I'm no fan of casinos (the smoke sets off my asthma in bad ways) but I truly missed seeing all my friends, the readers, and everyone who comes out for the love of mystery. Next year in Vancouver!!
ReplyDeleteIt was my first, and I had a great time. Thanks for the shout out, Annamaria. It was great to see you and your publisher, Maggie.
ReplyDeleteCharles, Next time we meet will be at your launch of Second Story Man. YIPPEE!
DeleteThank you for weighing in on this discussion, Sue. I think the banquet is delightful too. B’con doesn’t have one, understandably. There are just too many people for it I guess.
ReplyDeleteOn the banquet, your instincts are essentially correct, Sis, but it's somewhat more complicated than just the number of people. Bouchercon is unique in that virtually all planning, fundraising, and operational control is vested in its Local Organizing Committees leaving each LOC to decide whether or not to hold a banquet. Most conclude that they can provide far more interesting experiences for the attendees by putting the cost of a banquet into events highlighting local color. Also, as the Anthonys are generally awarded on the final night, any banquet must allow those who opted out of the dinner to be in attendance for those awards...a logistical nightmare.
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