Why I LOVE My Colleagues

by Kaye George

 I’m a part of the mystery community. It consists of writers, readers, editors, publishers, agents, book sellers, cover designers, formatters—I’m sure I’m leaving some people out.

These members of that community did themselves proud this last week—conference organizers. They always have a hard job. And always pull off conferences to be proud of, even when there are glitches.

Left Coast Crime was in San Diego last weekend. This conference could not have happened at a more inauspicious time, though no one knew it until the very last minute. Hundreds of writers signed up—it’s a rather large conference that changes location every year, just to make it that much more challenging. Local people put it on, so the organizers always include people who haven’t done this before.

This year of course, the extra challenge was COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the latest edition of coronavirus. I’m sure you know some of all of this: the most susceptible people are older and have comprised lungs. The former applies to a whole heck of a lot of us. Mysteries appeal to our generation. The former and the latter apply to me. I reasoned through this. I could go, get sick, and most likely get better. But, if one person at the hotel tested positive for that strain of virus, we would all be quarantined there for two weeks, and with good reason. (We MUST contain this or we’ll end up like Italy.) For those reasons, and because my children were urging me to stay home, I cancelled.

I think about half of those who registered showed up, 400 people, just as the situation was ramping up and changing almost hourly. The first night, the county declared that meetings of more than 250 were prohibited. The conference was then officially disbanded. Some elected to stay on, some were able to leave. But it’s the response to the announcement at the conference that evening that touched my heart.

Here’s what the lovely and talented Ellen Byron had to say about her experience there. (Copied with permission.)

Regardless of what anyone feels about the virus over-reach or under-reach, here's what I can tell you. The LCC committee had to wait until the hotel acknowledged it was a force majeur situation before pulling the plug or the costs they would incurred would have bankrupted them. Not just the organization, but for the chairs and committee members of this all-volunteer organization who personally sign contracts that put them on the hook as well.  (Also true of Bouchercon.) The San Diego committee has been planning this event for three years, putting their heart, soul, and time into it. I cannot tell you how heartbreaking it was to see one of the chairs weeping as she saw all her dreams and efforts wiped away in literally one fell swoop.

After Lucinda read the statement they'd written to explain the cancellation, she asked if there were any questions. The first question was, "Will there be a way NOT to ask for a refund so that the money stays with LCC to support it?" The room burst into applause. The second person who raised their hand didn't have a question. She just wanted to acknowledge all the committee members and volunteers who worked so hard to create what was - for one day - and what would have been an amazing conference. More applause. The love and support of the mystery community was overwhelming. By 5 p.m., people who weren't changing their flights were in the bar and restaurant. Many of those who adjusted their travel plans joined us after. We agreed that if nothing else, the day gave us a chance to see dear friends in the community and give each other elbow, jazz hands, foot bump, and other creative greetings.

Unless things get worse and more bans are put in place, I'm going to Malice. Any decision on whether or not to cancel the Malice committee makes to cancel the convention will be based on what comes down from the MD Health Dept. Whatever decision they make, I will support, emotionally and financially.

I am happy to let my registration fee ride so this conference can continue next year in Albuquerque. So proud of my community!

Photos from

https://morguefile.com/ by bahenska

https://www.ellenbyron.com/