
The morning began with the Sisters in Crime breakfast. Patricia Coleman and I didn’t just show up for the buffet, although it was fabulous. Our main focus was watching our roomie Maria Kelson accept the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award. Frankie Bailey presented the award, after which Maria gave a wonderful acceptance speech.
Then outgoing SinC president and Colorado author Laura DiSilverio passed on the Seal of Office to incoming president Catriona McPherson.

A Fine Palate for Death – Dessert, Wine, and Crime was an unexpectedly hilarious panel. Moderator and author Ovidia Yu threw her panelists curve balls with creative questions. The authors of novels involving cuisine of some variety responded with unconventional answers. The audience was in stitches.

My author session was up next. I brought my prospector’s hammer and geodes to demonstrate an important element in my Rock Shop Mystery series. Things did not go quite as planned. I hammered and hammered on the geode, and nothing happened. Well, I shouldn’t say nothing happened. Lots of sparks flew off the geodes, and there was enough noise to wake the dead. Charlene Dietz even took a turn with the prospector’s hammer, but she had no better luck than me.
The twenty minutes went too fast, as I spent my precious time mostly hammering on the geode. People assured me it had been most entertaining. Sigh. I am sure my author session was unforgettable, although not perhaps in the way I intended.

Liesa helped me carry my prospector’s gear and posters back to the hotel, and then I accompanied her to lunch. We are both Five Star authors, and we had a great time talking shop.
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One enterprising bird tried to steal the daisy off Liesa’s bag. The flower symbolized Liesa’s Daisy Arthur mystery series. The bird did not seem to realize the flower was not real, but it gave up after a few beaky plucks at the flower.

I have to admit that by this point in the conference, I was dead on my feet. I had to muster up the energy to go to the Anthony Awards ceremony. Liesa and I were prepared to cheer for our Five Star editor Deni Dietz, who was nominated in the short story category. We were devastated when she did not win, but just being nominated is an honor.

Walking back to the hotel, I tried to soak up the beautiful warm evening, hoping to store it away for later remembrance during the cold days of winter. As a colorful fountain splashed, I enjoyed the camaraderie of other Bouchercon attendees who had experienced their own adventures that day. This was my last night in Long Beach. I didn’t want it to be over.
Sunday would be short, and couldn’t possibly have anything more to offer. Or so I thought.