A Special Trip

I wrote this blog article before I found out the news that my father, Bill Crider, was being admitted into hospice care.  This post might seem a bit light-hearted considering what my father, my family, and I are experiencing right now, but I wanted to go ahead and share it since it describes a special trip my dad and I took together.  I'm extremely grateful that we got to spend this time together just this past October.

For my last blog post, I wrote about fan conventions and my impending trip to Toronto for Bouchercon World Mystery Convention 2017.  So today, I thought I would tell you a little bit about that trip.  

I had brilliantly arranged my flight to arrive at the same time as that of my father, Bill Crider.  With no delays for either of us, we arrived at the same time.  We headed from the airport to the hotel together and soon met up with friends Jeff and Jackie Meyerson and George and Diane Kelley.  The Kelleys generously treated us to a steak dinner with delicious food and entertaining company, so our time in Toronto started off with a bang.  

For the next few days, I attended the panels of authors, editors, and other experts in the mystery world.  So far, although you tend to hear similar things about writing and the book world at these conventions, I have never gotten bored of these panels and enjoyed every minute of them - perhaps because the schedulers do such a great job of mixing up the different topics and the people who share their perspectives about them; or maybe because I'm still somewhat new to attending these conventions.  Dad was feeling good for this trip (in fact, I struggled to keep up with his pace), and it was especially nice to attend the panels on which he participated.  

Doctors Demento:  Authors with PhDs.  Front:  Frankie Bailey, Dana Cameron, Bill Crider.  Back:  Radha Vatsal, Catriona McPherson, Kenneth Wishnia 

We had a great time each evening mingling with friends and enjoying the panoramic skyline views of Toronto from the hotel’s lounge.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (EQMM) was being honored at the convention for 75 years in publication and its distinguished contribution to the genre, and Janet Hutchings was honored for her 25 years as its editor.  This was a special treat to me since I have a story being published in one of EQMM’s upcoming issues, and was thrilled to be invited to attend a dinner that included some of EQMM’s distinguished contributors, including Dad.  

Clockwise from left to right:  Toni L.P. Kelner, Dana Cameron, G.M. Malliet, Bill Crider, Janet Hutchings, Angela Crider Neary (feeling unworthy in the midst of greatness), Charlaine Harris, Paula Woldan, Brendan Dubois.  Photo courtesy of Dana Cameron.

Myth Hawker Traveling Bookstore had Li’l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau:  The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos for sale and invited me to be a featured “author of the hour” to promote the book.  

Then, there was time to explore Toronto.  The CN Tower (the third tallest tower in the world) was just a short walk away from our hotel.  

We met some nice bears and moose (mooses?).

We also took a subway trip to Casa Loma, a majestic castle-type structure built in 1911 as a residence for a wealthy financier.  It is now a museum, and is also used for special events and as a filming location for movies (for example, X-Men) and TV.

I even made my way up winding staircases to the top of the castle’s towers.  It was a bit windy up there, but the view was incredible.

It was a wonderful trip (an unsettling aspect was that the Sonoma County fires were blazing uncomfortably close to my home while I was away, but that’s a story for another day, and in the end my husband and I were lucky to have suffered no personal or property damage).  I will always cherish this special time spent at the convention and exploring Toronto with Dad.  

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  Stay tuned for her second book in the series, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon. To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.