I returned from the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento earlier this week and thought I’d give you a little wrap-up.
The highlight of my experience was the “Cultures & Communities” panel. My latest thriller, SNARE (last year’s Finalist for The Hillerman Sky Award at LCC 2011), features a Native American rock star and takes place on the Taos Pueblo Indian reservation so it was an honor acting as monitor for this fascinating subject.
Joining me on the panel: bestselling authors Cara Black who writes the Paris-based Aimée Leduc series, and Naomi Hirahara author of the Mas Arai series. Also on the panel, Edmonton, Canada novelist and journalist Wayne Arthurson, and Heidi Naroozy who writes Persian-American stories. I had a blast hearing of the different cultures and characters these fascinating writers present in their work.
The photo below is provided by Clark Lohr who took loads of excellent pictures at LCC.
I also appeared on the short story panel with Gigi Pandian, Jack Erickson, Richard Lupoff and Tim Wohlforth. The gentlemen on the panel have published hundreds of short stories and I learned a lot about their process.
Fellow Sisters in Crime (SinC) members were well represented at LCC. It was great to finally meet Second Wind Publishing author Mickey Hoffman and her SinC Chapter hosted an excellent hospitality room, constantly stocked with tea, coffee and snacks. Way to go Sacramento Sisters!
There was much excitement at the Awards ceremony where Darrell James won the Eureka! award for his debut mystery Nazareth Child (Midnight Ink). And one of my all-time favorite Sister in Crime, Kelli Stanley, was presented the Golden Nugget prize for her latest California-based PI noir historical City of Secrets (Minotaur Books).
Kudos to Co-Chairs Robin Burcell and Cindy Sample, as well as their extraordinary and hardworking crew. You all did an incredible job. Well done, indeed!
If you’ve never attended a mystery conference, I urge you to register for Left Coast Crime 2013 to be held in Colorado Springs, March 21-24, 2013.
Deborah J Ledford’s latest suspense novel SNARE, The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist, is book two of her Deputy Hawk/Inola Walela thriller series. STACCATO, book one of the serial, is also available. Both novels are published by Second Wind Publishing. To find out more about Deborah, receive a Free Download of the first chapters of her novels, and to read a few previously published short stories, she invites you to visit her website.
Indigo Sea Press Blog 
I wonder why the attendees were mostly over 50 years old. If not, they sure haven’t worn well. Anyway, does this mean our genre is dying out? Or perhaps younger people don’t like conferences? Are the other conferences more mixed in age? The panel I was on (Sacramento Authors) had an audience of very senior looking seniors and I fear after our flippant remarks about how we love to kill people off, many of them were wondering if they’d come to a very dangerous city. Poor dears. I suppose they take it in stride if they read mysteries.
Fans who attend the LCC conference, as well as Bouchercon, tend to be an older crowd. It is a bit daunting to know that the demographic that buys printed books of the mystery genre may deem “fan” conferences a thing of the past before too much longer.
I’m planning to attend Bouchecon in Cleveland this October, and Left Coast Crime in CO next spring would be great–it’d be fun to meet more Second Winders! Congrats on the panels, Deb, and Mickey, you are too funny.
I don’t think I’ll be doing Bouchercon this year, but plan to attend LCC in Colorado next year. Will great to meet you!
It’d be fun!