Left Coast Crime

I'm at it again.  

What? 

Travel! 

I leave tomorrow morning for Phoenix, where I'm attending Left Coast Crime, a mystery writers and readers conference.  I'll be on a panel on Saturday called Four Legged Companions.  My fellow panelists and I all have pets in our stories and will be discussing how we write about them and how they inspire us.  Seems entirely appropriate to me! 

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of other mystery writers.  LCC isn't all about cozy mysteries like Malice Domestic, which occurs at the end of April.  And yes, I'll be there, too.  But LCC features mysteries and suspense of many kinds.  I'll unfortunately not be there tonight when a lot of people are meeting at Noir at the Bar, but I intend to go to many fun workshops over the next few days. 

I admit I'll appreciate the travel respite between LCC and Malice--although I will be attending another conference in April: Sisters in Crime in Hollywood.  But I don't have to travel there.  It's pretty much in my own backyard in--what else?--Hollywood, or at least close to it. 

And, oh yes, I'm a bit swamped, as usual, both with final edits on two books and working on a couple of proposals... and writing the book I'm currently under deadline for.  I'll need the time back in L.A. to handle that! 

Any trips in your near future?