Should I Start Packing Yet?

OK, now I’ve gone and done it—registered for Bouchercon 2023, that is. It’s been seven years since I last attended one of these crime-fiction conventions, which took place then in New Orleans. The intervening period​ has seen the outbreak of COVID-19, the unfortunate cancellation of so many such assemblies (or, just as bad, their unsatisfying transference to Zoom), and my declining interest in attending very large business or social gatherings.

I had been all prepared to pass on this year’s Bouchercon, which is to be held in San Diego, California, from August 30 to September 3. But several back-to-back inquires from author friends such as Mark Coggins and Art Taylor made me think twice. Although I’ve made multiple trips to Los Angeles, only one time did I visit (briefly) San Diego, back when I was in college, on my way one summer to Tijuana, Mexico. My curiosity about it, though, had been piqued during the research I undertook for a CrimeReads piece about David Janssen’s Harry O TV series, which was originally set in that Pacific Coast city. Stories about the favorable architectural development of downtown San Diego have also crossed my radar in recent years. As I mused on the idea of attending this year’s Bouchercon, I figured, Why not? It helped that my wife has also voiced an interest in traveling there.

So now I’m committed. Hotel reservations have been made, and flight arrangements are in the works. My name already appears on the lengthy list of registered convention attendees. I am looking forward to reconnecting with some people I haven’t seen in years, and—despite my inclination toward introversion—possibly encountering a few new ones worth knowing. If nothing else, I know there will be plenty of free new books to be had there. I’ll just have to restrain myself.

Only 213 more days to go. Yikes!