Baby seals and other loved ones, by Catriona

Bouchercon San Diego is in the rearview mirror. What is your favorite Bouchercon memory, past or present, and what advice would you give to writers interested in attending Bouchercon, so they could get the most out of their experience?

My first Bouchercon was San Fancisco in 2010, when I had lived in the US for about twelve weeks. Val McDermid and Russel McLean were there from Edinburgh and that helped me feel a bit less at sea. Two abiding memories: I was late checking in and the conference-rate rooms (you know, small with a view of the bins) were finished. Three hotel employees huddled over the computer trying to find a way to not do what they had to do in the end . . . give me a massive room with a balcony overlooking the bay. Result! The downside is that the experience turned me into a serial upgrader. 

The other memory that will stay forever is dancing with Toni Kelner at the 70s disco. 

Note that neither of these memories are about books or writing. That's as good an introduction as I can think of to a pictorial trip through eleven Bcons. (Eleven? In thirteen years? Yes, eleven in thirteen years. Curse you, COVID!)

I met Mary Higgins Clark at the librarians' tea in Cleveland. I also won my first ever award there and MHC was the only one who admitted that I made a complete spectacle of myself accepting it. "Congratulations, Honey. Boy, you were surprised!"

I met the late, great Doris Ann Norris and the incomparable Frankie Bailey at Bcon Albany. Frankie is who I want to be when I grow up (although I think she's younger than me) and Doris Ann is who I plan to be if I'm lucky enough to grow old - waving my ear trumpet and changing my will a lot.

Picked up Celine, the official (baby) seal of the office of the president of Sisters in Crime at Long Beach. Also won an Anthony, which was a raven, who is called Deon, obviously.

Had to hand Celine over to the incoming president, Leslie Budewitz, at Raleigh. Before you scoff that it's a teddy bear and I'm a grown woman, have you tried to do it? Laura de Silverio, who preceded me, said that Celine had heard her use language no one else - including midwives - would believe she knew. 

A very big moment at Bcon New Orleans was organising SinC into Great Writing, on diversity and inclusion in stories: characters of colour, LGBTQ+ characters and characters with disability. It was the other half of my legacy project, Report for Change, which looked at diversity and inclusion for writers. Both seem kind of quaint now, and thank God CWoC and QCW are in charge these days. (If WWD is brewing I'd love to know). But it was a step that needed to be taken and I'm still proud of it.

Sob. I was going to be the Toastmaster, my parents were coming, my serial upgrading had got us a two bedroom suite . . . but 2020 had to 2020. And so did 2021 as it turned out.

So imagine how high we all threw our hats in the air in 2022 at Bcon Minneapolis! It was joyous. Also hilarious to see two of the least attention-enjoying people I have ever met, Devin Abraham and Terri Bischoff, manage to chair a Bcon while reamining functionally invisible throughout.

And finally, this year's Bcon San Diego. I can't believe I made it! The week before it started I got my first positive COVID test and was sure I'd have to cancel. Five days later I was negative. So off I trundled, down through the state to - among other things - witness the Barbification of Kristopher Zgorski's banquet look. 

When I got to the check-in desk I told the clerk I wasn't ten days clear yet so would be eating alone in my room Wed, Thur, Fri and how much would it cost to upgrade to a room with a view. "Nothing!" she said, and threw in a balcony.

So, what makes Bouchercon Bouchercon? For me, it's the people., especially the SinC sibs. But - full disclosure - every file of photos I've just looked in to select these pics has a final snap of the book haul too. Here's just one example:

Which brings me to my top Bouchercon tip. Hang on though. Actually,  I've got three. 

No.3 Ask for late check out when you check in, before they're all sick of us.

No.2 Writers, talk about the books you've read and loved, not about the book you wrote (no matter how much you love it).

No.1 If you've bought so many books you can't get them all in your case for the flight home, put them in first. Then pack your dirty clothes in the conference bag and send that from the UPS kiosk that's laid on. This way, you get home with new books instead of laundry.

Cx