Tag Archive for: Epicon.

How Do You Decide Which Mystery or Writing Conference to Go to?

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Going to mystery cons are so much fun–and I used to go to a lot more than what I do now. The main reason I’ve cut down is I no longer enjoy flying. I’ve always had to change planes at least twice and often three times. Once I had to change concourses which meant a bus ride and going through security again.

Back when it was easier, I went to Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime no matter where they were (well in the U.S. anyway.)  After a while it was like going to a reunion because of meeting old friends–some of whom I met at previous cons.

One of my favorite cons was Mayhem in the Midlands which is no longer in existence. Too bad, Omaha was a great place to visit. And that was part of the whole experience, because all these cons are held in different cities, there is the opportunity to see places you’d never get to otherwise.

I went once to Love is Murder and loved it. Being a California native, what I didn’t love was flying in right in front of a snow storm–though loved the snow once we got settled in the hotel. Also loved meeting new people, and spending time with old friends too.

I’ve been twice to Malice Domestic–loved it, but it’s just too far away.

Left Coast Crime is another favorite–and I will be going to the one in Monterey CA–that’s drivable for me. Whether or not I’ll go to Bouchercon (also in CA–Long Beach) hasn’t been decided. Driving in L.A. traffic is another things I’ve given up.

One writing conference I go to every year is Public Safety Writers Association’s conference. The participants are made up of men and women in many public safety field, active and retired: police, FBI, dispatchers, firefighters, the Air Force equivalent of NCIS, on police psychiatrist, most of whom write mysteries or want to write mysteries and a small contingent of mystery writers who have figured out this is a good place to make friends with people who know how it really is. A small conference, it’s easy to really network.This one is always in Las Vegas in July–another I can drive to, and the month it’s held makes the hotel price cheap.

Epic is a conference for e-published authors and publishers. I’ve been to most of them. This is small and moves around each year. Whether I go to anymore will depend upon where they are

The big question is why go? First off, it’s fun. Mystery readers attend Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime. An author can meet readers with a little effort (means speaking to strangers), being friendly, and handing out business cards or bookmarks. I’ve met several readers this way who have since become my fans..

Because most of us are mystery fans too, it’s great to see your favorite authors and tell them how much you love their books.

What Mystery or Writing Conferences do you go to, and why?

Marilyn

Coming very, very soon. #13 in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series!

Back From New Orleans and Epicon

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We left at 3:30 a.m. to go to the closest airport to us, a small regional airport in Bakersfield. At 6:15 a.m. we left and arrived in Phoenix where we not only had to change planes–but also airlines. Which meant leaving the terminal, catching an airport bus to go to a different terminal, and going through security again. None of this was easy. We’d chosen to take two personal items apiece rather than sending anything on through for fear of it not getting to our destination, so we had to haul these bags with us everywhere.

From there we flew to Houston, where we changed planes once again. We had very little time in-between any of these transfers. Finally we arrived in New Orleans and we took a taxi to the hotel. (Set fee of $33 one way for two people.)

The hotel was lovely and no sooner did we get out of the cab when we ran into a couple we knew. However, by this time, all we could think of was getting to our room, unpacking and finding someplace to have dinner and going to bed.

The next day we spent sightseeing (or eating our way through the French Quarter) until the first Epicon event began that evening. Of course we ran into many people we knew.

Though the con was well-planned with lots of good presentations, not many people took advantage of what was going on because the draw of the nearby French Quarter was too much.

I gave two presentations, “How to Write A Mystery” for the adults and more or less the same thing for the New Voices students the following day. That was truly a highlight of the trip. I had so much fun with the two kids who attended. Together we planned a mystery and what great ideas they had.

On Friday night, many of us went on a dinner cruise in a steam boat up and down the Mississippi River. After eating, hubby and I sat out on the deck and watched with amazement the many freighters and tug boats lined up one after another. We walked there and back–on the way back, hubby was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find our way. No fear–it was easy.

Of course Saturday was the big banquet and awards ceremony–this was well-attended. We sat at the table with two of the other authors up for the same award as I was–best mystery-thriller e-book. I knew in my heart who was going to win and I was right, Michael Orenduff for his wonderful mystery, The Pot Thief. The first in his series.

The next a.m. we were up at 4 a.m. so we could catch our flight home at 6. We almost went through the wrong security line–realized it before we got too far. Finally got to the right spot for our plane in enough time to breathe–then the same wild trip back, only this time we flew to Georgia first then to Phoenix where again, we had to exit the terminal, catch a bus, got through security again and then we had a long, long walk to find the place leaving for Bakersfield and just go there in the nick of time. Phew!

Were we ever glad to get back into California and climb into our car and head for home.

We’ve made up our minds we’ll never take such a complicated trip again. We’re too old for all that running all through the airport loaded down with luggage to get from one airplane to another.

Despite all that, we did have a great time and the French Quarter looks just like it does in the movies.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Growing Old Gracefully

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How does one grow old gracefully?

I know that I don’t really feel old inside–of course it’s always a shock when I look in the mirror and this older person looks back at me that resembles a cross between my grandmother and mother.

I can tell my husband is getting older because he just doesn’t get much done anymore and he used to be a dynamo. When he watches TV he spends more time asleep than not. He stays up much later than I do, but he’s sleeping in his chair while I’m in the bed.

If you’d seen him this past weekend though, he worked as hard if not harder than most of the younger men when we were visiting down in Dana Point at the ill-fated book launch with no books.

He knew how to and helped so many younger people put up and take down their tents who didn’t have a clue how to do it. He hauled tables and put tables away. He helped in anyway he could and worked right alongside our host who is thirteen years younger.

I’ve always had friends who were older than I am, now most of my friends are younger. My older friends have retired to places where older people go and they’ve taken up leisure activities.

I can’t imagine spending my days doing “leisure” activities.

If I’m not writing a book I’m planning a new one. Right now my efforts are all geared toward promoting Dispel the Mist.

Hubby and I have a lot of places to go planned for the next month, places where I’ll be promoting but we’ll also have fun and visit with some of our younger friends.

Our calendar for next year is filling up too–we’re headed for New Orleans for Epicon–New Orleans is some place we’ve never been before so we’re definitely going to do some sightseeing.

We don’t plan to stop until we have to–not sure that fits the bill of growing old gracefully, but it will have to do.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Now It’s My Turn to Prepare for a Conference

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I’ll be heading off to Las Vegas (actually Henderson) for the EpiCon tomorrow. Epic is the organization for electronically published writers. http://www.epicauthors.com

Our first stop though, will be to see my sister who lives in Las Vegas. I love going to Vegas for conferences as I can visit my sis and write the trip off. We don’t get to see each other often enough and we’re the only two left in our immediate family.

I’m going to be giving a presentation on writing mystery series–good topic for me since I write two, the Rocky Bluff PD series and the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. I’m also on two panels that are going to be for young writers: one is about putting it all together and the other is on World Building or settings.

There will be lots of good presentations to go to also as this conference is really geared for e-publishing and promotion. The publisher of my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Dan Reitz of Mundania Press, will be there and it’s always good to be able to touch base with your publisher in person.

Like so many cons, I’ve gone to enough of them that I’ve made good friends that I’m eager to see again. Lee Emory, Treble Hear Books publisher, is a special friend and we’ve enjoyed each other at several Epicon. She bravely published my Christian horror novels. Of course there are many others I’m looking forward to seeing.

The conference is located at the Montelongo Resort and it looks like a fun place to explore. I’m not a gambler so that part of Las Vegas never appeals to me.

My books are already packed to the bookstore. Next, it’s deciding what clothes to pack–always a major decision. I’ll give my sis a call and find out what the weather’s like–it’ll surely be warmer than it is here.

The next conference for me after this one is Mayhem in the Midlands in May. I’ve already been contacted as to what kind of panels I’d like to be on. Mayhem is where I first met Susan McBride.

Now, back to packing.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Back from Epicon

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Yep, I went to another convention–this time Epicon–the convention for electronically published authors. All cons are fun–unless you’re someone who doesn’t like to have a good time, and thank goodness, I’m not one of those.

This time we flew to Portland OR. Straight foreword to get there: Bakersfield to San Francisco to Portland. We had such a wild taxi ride to get to the hotel, I feared for my life (well, not really, but I did grip my hubby’s hand pretty tightly.)

This was the kind of conference where there were panels to teach writers something. A whole track was on different kinds of promo–in fact I taught one on promoting trade paperbacks. Also taught another on Bringing Characters to Life. One of the others I went to that was fun was Mayhem and Murder (always good to learn more ways to do it), and a fun one on the serial killers that Oregon has produced. (Well, I am a mystery writer, after all.)

Best part of any of these shindigs is seeing old friends and meeting new ones–something we did a lot of. Though I came down with a cold or allergies or something annoying like that, I didn’t let it stop me.

On Saturday night there was a great awards ceremony–far more entertaining than the Academy Awards even if I didn’t win an Eppie for mystery. I’ll just have to be happy being a finalist.

Sold a few books and bought some others.

The trip home was a bit stranger–Portland to Phoenix, Phoenix to Bakersfield. Of course there was a pile of mail, jobs to finish, laundry, and emails to answer. It was worth it.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com