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West Side!

Not at Bouchercon this year and it is a bummer. There was a long layoff between my attendance at Indianapolis in 2009 and Long Beach last year. Of course being there reminded me of all things I love about Crime Fiction and Bouchercon. It is a great place to be among something I dearly love.

What is troubling as I look over Bouchercon past, present, and future is the startlingly few West coast B'Cons. Before Long Beach last year the last West coast B'Con was San Francisco in 2010. 

After Raleigh this year we are looking at New Orleans, Toronto, and St. Petersburg. After that there is a bid for Dallas in 2019, before we get a to possible Sacramento B'Con in 2020. 

Dating back to 2000 West Coast Bouchercons are a bit of rare bird. Long Beach in 2014, SF in 2010, Las Vegas in 2003. Thats it. Add Sacramento in 2020 and that is four Bouchercons in 20 years. Maybe that's just the way it shakes out. The very early years of B'Con are on the West Coast, so this is just the market correction of that history. Still, including Raleigh, Bouchercon will be in the South for three out the next four years.

Seems weird.

I get that the B'Con is fan run and the show goes where there is support for it. This all worked in my favor when I lived on the East Coast. If that were true today I would be sitting in an air conditioned banquet hall in Raleigh right now. But I'm not so I'm resorting to the time honored American tradition of complaining.  
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Kasandra said…
The food was always great, I think they just updated their menu and it's off the hook. Who would expect delicious pizza at such big events. Not me, but you can get some of the best pizza there. The best venues in this area.
4:23 AM
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