As a group dedicated to fictional death, in its more traditional forms, I feel compelled to point out to my fellow classic mysteries readers that we are approaching the final days of 2010 - which means we are arriving at a couple of significant deadlines for those interested in meeting great mystery authors, readers and other hangers-on in the world of literary crimes.
First, there's Malice Domestic, the annual convention for people who love traditional mysteries. In 2011, the 23rd annual gathering will be held from April 29 through May 1 in Bethesda, MD, just outside Washington, D. C. If you register before midnight, December 31, 2010, you can save $25 from the registration fee. Full details are at the link; I was at the convention last year and will be attending again this year. It's great fun and an excellent opportunity to meet fellow readers and some of your favorite authors - and, if you act NOW, you can save some money too.
And then there's the granddaddy of mystery conferences, Bouchercon, which will be held in St. Louis from September 15-18, 2010. It's the oldest and largest of the mystery conferences, and this will be the 42nd annual conference. This one is for readers and writers of all kinds of crime fiction, and it's about three times the size of Malice Domestic. Hey, when it comes to mystery people, the more the merrier. This is another conference where you are pretty well guaranteed to have a great time - and here too, if you sign up before midnight on December 31, 2010, you can save $25 off the registration fee. I'm registered and planning to be there in September. I hope to see you all there.