It’s hard to pass up a writers’ conference when you have the opportunity to meet and mingle with a world-class group of writers in Hawaii. In March 2017, I attended the Left Coast Crime 2017 Honolulu Havoc conference, and I was not disappointed!
The trip began with two days at the Tucson Festival of Books on the University of Arizona campus, one of the premier book festivals in the United States. The campus is a wonderful place to spend time wandering and, because the festival is held during Spring Break, attendees aren’t competing for space with thousands of college students who would otherwise be on campus. Authors, including Craig Johnson, April Smith, Michael McGarrity, Anne Hillerman, Johnny D. Boggs, Shannon Baker, Chris Enss, and J.A. Jance presented panel discussions on a variety of topics and were available to sign books after each session. Volunteers from a number of writing organizations, including Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, answered questions from festival goers and signed books.
After Tucson, it was on to Los Angeles to catch our flight to Honolulu. The island of Oahu is as beautiful as you see in all the photos, and I had to keep my head on a swivel to take it all in as we shuttled from the airport to the conference hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We checked in, upgraded our room to the “ocean side” of the hotel, and settled in. The view and the accommodations were fabulous!
The conference was as good as advertised, with headliners Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, Dana Stabenow, Colin Cotterill, and Laurie R. King. Each day of the conference was filled with panel discussions. I knew Honolulu awaited, but I was there to learn, so I spent every day listening, taking notes, and schmoozing. I especially enjoyed listening to authors whom I had not read before, including Michael J. Cooper, Nadine Nettman, Terry O’Dell, Reavis Z. Wortham, and D.P. Lyle. At the Saturday evening banquet, Lefty Awards were presented to Ellen Byron for Body on the Bayou (Best Humorous Mystery Novel), Catriona McPherson for The Reek of Red Herrings (Best Historical Mystery Novel), Alexia Gordon for Murder in G Major (Best Debut Mystery Novel), and Louise Penny for A Great Awakening (Best Mystery Novel).
Left Coast Crime is a conference for authors and fans and changes locations every year. In 2018, the conference was held in Reno; in 2019, the conference will be in Vancouver; and in 2020 it will convene in San Diego. If you write or like to read and want to meet some of the people who create mysteries and thrillers, you would enjoy this conference.