Bouchercon 2021--New Orleans, LA!!!!!

Well, I am officially registered for Bouchercon 2021 Blood on the Bayou Post Mortem. I and everyone involved with Bouchercon are hoping that this year, the con will be held face-to-face Aug. 25-29.

I contacted a fellow writer friend of mine, Dave Ciambrone, last month to see if he was considering going, and he had already registered for the con and the hotel. Of course, that meant I had to register immediately (well, last time it was in NOLA, the conference hotel was sold out and so were the next two backup hotels!) to make sure Bouchercon would be a reality this year.

A long time ago, I was introduced to the idea that, if you make a commitment--as small as saying "I will do this" or writing it down--you set in motion the forces of the universe to accomplish it. Sure, I've seen things I and my family have made commitments to not materialize, but I firmly believe that our commitment to do something, started the wheels turning.

Sometimes, things just don't work out. Ask my wife about our attempts to own a newspaper after working on and running ones for 20 years. Three separate possibilities that we were nearly down to the signing on the line that fell through. But we know that we did everything possible to make that a reality.

Or last year, when I was chosen as a presenter for the DFW Writers Conference in Dallas. I was SO looking forward to that one, especially the presentation they had accepted. And then COVID hit and it got cancelled. So, since March 15 of last year, I've been teaching online for both the college and the university, with all the changes that brought about. But still we know...

Sometimes, "it just ain't to be."

That's another thing we believe, that some things just are not to be. There's a country song about "Unanswered Prayers." Love the song, but every time it comes on, I look at my wife and she says, "I know. I know." then let's me say it again...

Sometimes, the answer is "NO."

Whether you believe in God, gods, The Force, Yoda, Mother Earth, or just the laws of the universe, sometimes, the answer is "NO."

But I do believe that a good dose of positive thinking, commitment, and preparation may well set in motion all the forces for there to be an in-person Bouchercon this fall. So, I've done my part. Have you? LOL