Whale of a Crime Newsletter: January 15, 2019

Welcome to all our new registrants since the last newsletter. Only ten more weeks until Left Coast Crime in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada!

Don’t forget to renew your passport! Visit our Hotel & Travel page for more information about traveling to Canada.

Lefty Awards

Our thanks to all who submitted their nomination forms. There are more nominees in each category this year due to unusually close voting. The Lefty awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, March 30, at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. We are delighted to announce the Lefty nominees.

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. The nominees are:

Ellen Byron, Mardi Gras Murder (Crooked Lane Books)
Kellye Garrett, Hollywood Ending (Midnight Ink)
Timothy Hallinan, Nighttown (Soho Crime)
Leslie Karst, Death al Fresco (Crooked Lane Books)
Cynthia Kuhn, The Spirit in Question (Henery Press)
Catriona McPherson, Scot Free (Midnight Ink)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1960. The nominees are:

Rhys Bowen, Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (Berkeley Prime Crime)
David Corbett, The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday (Black Opal Books)
Laurie R. King, Island of the Mad (Bantam Books)
Sujata Massey, The Widows of Malabar Hill (Soho Crime)
Ann Parker, A Dying Note (Poisoned Pen Press)
Iona Whishaw, It Begins in Betrayal (Touchwood Editions)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel. The nominees are:

Tracy Clark, Broken Places (Kensington Books)
A.J. Devlin, Cobra Clutch (NeWest Press)
A.J. Finn, The Woman in the Window (William Morrow)
Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (Kensington Books)
Aimee Hix, What Doesn’t Kill You (Midnight Ink)
Keenan Powell, Deadly Solution (Level Best Books)
J.G. Toews, Give Out Creek (Mosaic Press)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories). The nominees are:

Lou Berney, November Road (William Morrow)
Matt Coyle, Wrong Light (Oceanview Publishing)
Louise Penny, Kingdom of the Blind (Minotaur Books)
Lori Rader-Day, Under a Dark Sky (William Morrow Paperbacks)
Terry Shames, A Reckoning in the Back Country (Seventh Street Books)
James W. Ziskin, A Stone’s Throw (Seventh Street Books)

Questions about the Lefty Awards? Email Awards Co-Chairs Lucinda Surber & Stan Ulrich

Whale of a Crime Panel Programming

The Left Coast Crime Panel Team is busily organizing the panels. Our goal is to send the panel notifications out to panelists by the end of January, and to post the panel schedule by February 15th.

This year we are continuing two popular additions to the standard panel programming. Those who are interested must sign up to reserve a spot in advance.

One Shots
Fifteen minute presentations held throughout the day in a dedicated room, featuring attendees with particular and interesting information or specializations they’d like to share! If you’re interested in signing up, please email your name, presentation, and credentials to Chantelle Aimée Osman.

You Had Me At…
Authors! Time to meet new readers. Five minute slots will be offered throughout the day in a dedicated room for you to read the first page of your novel (novella, or short story, up to 800 words), just enough to provide a respite from the busy conference and get new readers interested and wanting more. If you’re interested in signing up to read, please send your name and the title of the work you’ll be reading to Chantelle Aimée Osman.

Note: Examples of LCC 2018 One Shots and You Had Me At readings can be found here.

Whale of a Crime Events

At Left Coast Crime 2019 we are offering four opportunities outside the normal panel and book signings for authors and readers to interact.

Meet the New Authors Breakfast
Authors who have a first mystery, crime, thriller, or suspense novel published between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019, and did not present last year at LCC 2018 in Reno, are eligible to present at the Meet the New Authors Breakfast, Friday, March 29th, hosted by Mike Befeler.
New Authors: Email Mike Befeler with your title and publication date
Participants: All LCC registrants are welcome.

Author Speed-Dating
Author Speed-Dating will take place Thursday March 28, from 9:00–11:00 AM, before the panel programming begins, and is a fun way for authors to connect to a new set of readers. The time frame and setup allows 40 authors to circulate in pairs and 144 fans to relax and enjoy the 2-minute pitches. Les and Leslie Blatt will be our Speed-Dating Hosts.
Authors: Email Lucinda Surber if you would like to date 144 new fans! Authors who have not participated in Speed Dating at LCC before will be given priority through the end of January. Please let Lucinda know if this is your first time. The remaining spots will be filled by repeat Speed Daters in the order emails are received. Please mention your Speed Dating partner if you’ve already made arrangements to pair up with another author. You will receive a return email with more information sometime in February.
Participants: First come, first seated!

Author-Hosted Tables
Partner with another author to host a table at the Lefty Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 30th. Convention attendees will sign up to sit with you at dinner. Table favors optional.
Authors: Partner up with another author to host a table and email Lucinda Surber with BOTH of your names and email addresses. You will receive a return email with more information sometime in February.
Participants: When you register, look for the Author-Hosted Table signup sheets near the registration desk.

Author-Reader Connections
One of the best things about Left Coast Crime is the chance to get to know your fellow readers and writers. But sometimes, during the excitement and flurry of activities, it’s not always easy to find time to meet your favorite writer. For Left Coast Crime 2015: Crimelandia, Co-Chair Bill Cameron launched Author-Reader Connections to provide an easy forum for readers and authors to enjoy some time together. An Author-Reader Connection might include a snack or a drink, or a walk together near the hotel. These Author-Reader Connections are free, and in some cases may include some special benefits from the authors.
Authors: Author-Reader Connections are open to all authors. Email Lucinda Surber for more information. Connections won’t be scheduled until after the panel schedule has been posted in mid-February to avoid conflicts.
Participants: We will announce some Author-Reader Connections in the February newsletter, along with directions for signing up.

Hotel Update

Our basic contracted group rate at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver was $217 CAD. We tried to increase our room block in December, but the Hyatt refused. Mid-morning January 2, the Hyatt unexpectedly raised their room rates to approximately $369 CAD. There are rooms available at the higher rate. Please email Co-Chair Linda McNab if you would like to be added to the Hyatt waiting list if anyone cancels their room reservation in our block. Note: Please do NOT share our dedicated hotel links with anyone not registered for the convention. Rooms are in short supply and must be reserved for registered attendees.

Overflow Hotels

The Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver is located two blocks (.2 miles) from the Hyatt at 845 Burrard Street. Our conference rate is $215 CAD. Free wifi is included. Limited rooms available. The Sutton registration link is included with all new registration confirmations. If you are registered for Vancouver and need the link, please email Co-Chair Linda McNab.
Hotel Website

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is located across the street from the Hyatt at 900 West Georgia. We are working on obtaining a special rate of $239. If you are registered for Whale of a Crime and need the link when available, please email Co-Chair Linda McNab.
Hotel Website

Looking for a Hotel Roommate?

Noemi Levine is our Roommate Liaison. Email Noemi if you would like to be matched with a roommate and share a hotel room.

Author Couch Surfing

Vancouver author Sam Wiebe has offered to match up local authors willing to host a visiting author during the convention. In search of a couch or a local with a couch or spare room to offer? Please email Sam Weibe to be matched up. [Dog optional]

Book Room Operations at Whale of a Crime

All authors at LCC 2019 will have the opportunity to have books for sale in the Book Room. Fan Guest of Honour Don Longmuir of Scene of the Crime Books is our Book Room Chair.

“Traditionally Published” Authors
Black Bond Books, a Vancouver independent bookstore, will be in the Book Room selling traditionally published books, those returnable through major publishers or distributors. Traditionally published authors will be asked to submit a list of up to three books they would like Black Bond Books to carry in the Book Room. Authors: Information about submitting your list will be included in the panel assignment emails going out the last week of January.

“Indie-Published” Authors (self published and small press)
Cross Genre Books will be handling consignment sales for authors published through alternate avenues that are not returnable. Consignment authors will need to bring or ship their own books to the convention and fill out this Consignment Form. Books left for consignment must have a price printed on the book or a price sticker. Consignments are accepted at the rate of 60% for the author and 40% to the bookseller. At the end of the convention you will need to pick up any unsold books. Email Cross Genre Books directly <crossgenrebooks@gmail.com> with questions about the consignment policy.

Whale of a Crime Sponsorship Opportunities

Left Coast Crime encourages organizations to sponsor a variety of events such as the Opening Reception, the Awards Banquet, the Friday “Meet the New Authors” breakfast, the Saturday breakfast, and the hospitality suite. Other options include sponsoring one of our Guests of Honor or supporting Left Coast Crime by sponsoring products such as the convention book bag.

Books for Book Bags
We are happy to accept crime fiction and non-fiction for distribution in the book bags. There is no charge, but you will need to ship the books to arrive in late February. For non-Canadian donations, we are negotiating with a Canadian company to accept international shipments with no additional cost to the shipper. We prefer not to have more than 200 copies of a single title; multiple titles are recommended if you would like to place a book in every bag. In order to make book distribution work for both the participants (who will love receiving your books) and the booksellers (who will plan to bring different books to sell), we ask that you provide the title(s) and number of books you would like to donate. Due to customs, storage, and delivery costs we are not able to accept small donations from individual authors this year.

If interested in donating books or other sponsorship opportunities, please email Lucinda Surber for details.

Advertise in the Whale of a Crime Program Book

Attention Authors! Please encourage your publisher to advertise in the Left Coast Crime Program Book. There are sizes and prices for every budget. Don’t be left out! The deadline for reserving ad space is February 15, 2019. Details and Ad Form

Writing Workshop: Hollywood North

Left Coast Crime 2019 is pleased to announce a Writing Workshop for writers, published or not, interested in learning about adapting work for the screen and screenwriting. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, from 9:00 AM to Noon, at the convention hotel, the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.

Cost: $75 CAD for LCC registrants, $100 CAD for non-LCC registrants
REGISTRATION LINK

Note: So far workshop registration numbers are low. If we do not meet the minimum enrollment by mid-February, the workshop will be cancelled so potential participants have time to rearrange their plans.

Hollywood North
The film industry in Canada is alive and well and is often referred to as Hollywood North. How does a book become a TV series, a movie, a play or anything else people are turning “properties” into in the 21st century? How do you pitch a project? And would you rather pitch your book, option it or hide under the covers when a producer calls to ask about your baby? How “attached” do you want to be an adaptation of your work? And how attached can you be? Mark Leiren-Young explores the realities of navigating the media scene.

Presenter: Mark Leiren-Young
“Mark Leiren-Young, who has a background in pretty much everything — journalism, television, comedy, theatre and film — is without a doubt one of the most talented, multi-disciplinary voices in Canada.” – National Post.
Recent screen projects include writing and directing the award-winning documentary, The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, writing and acting in ReBoot: The Guardian Code and writing the MOW thriller, The Perfect Match. Mark has several screenplays in development, including an adaptation of sci-fi legend Spider Robinson’s sci-fi crime thriller, Very Bad Deaths. Mark was a story editor of the horror crime series, Blood Ties, and has been through the development dance with most of Canada’s major TV networks. Mark is the author of The Killer Whale Who Changed the World (winner of The Canadian Science Writers Book Award) and Never Shoot a Stampede Queen (winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour). Mark was the editor of Reel West and covered the Canadian entertainment scene for most of Canada’s major newspapers and magazines like The Hollywood Reporter.
Mark’s website

Optional Side Trips

Wednesday, March 27: Babes in the Woods Cold Case Tour
More spaces have opened for this optional Side Trip
The Babes in the Woods Case is one of Vancouver’s most famous cold cases: the discovery of the remains of two children in Stanley Park in 1953. Although many police hours were spent on the investigation, the murderer was never found. This tour is organized through the Vancouver Police Museum. A bus with a Vancouver Police Museum tour guide will pick up people at the hotel at 1:00 PM. The bus will take people for a drive around Stanley Park and the tour guide will talk about Vancouver crimes and murders. Then everyone will visit the Police Museum for a private behind-the-scenes tour. The bus will return at 3:30 PM to take everyone back to the hotel. The Vancouver Police Museum is the oldest police museum in North America and is in a heritage building, which used to be the City Morgue. Because the building is old, there is no elevator and it is not wheelchair accessible. Many TV shows and movies are filmed here, including X-Files. You can even see the mortuary table where Errol Flynn’s autopsy was performed. This is an exclusive tour for Left Coast Crime attendees and there are limited spaces available. The cost of the tour is $39. Registration link

More optional Side Trips can be found on our Side Trips webpage

Good-bye to Reno Registrants

Now that the Lefty nomination period is finished, those of you who attended LCC 2018 in Reno and are not registered for LCC 2019 will be removed from this newsletter distribution list. Interested in receiving occasional news about future conventions? Sign up for the Left Coast Crime eNews List.

Not sure if you are registered for LCC 2019? Check our Whale of a Crime List of Attendees. Then visit the Registration Page if you need to register for Left Coast Crime 2019.

Left Coast Crime 2020: San Diego

Registration is Now Open!
When: March 12–15, 2020
Where: San Diego Marriott Mission Valley
Guest of Honor: Rachel Howzell Hall
Guest of Honor: T. Jefferson Parker
Toastmaster: Matt Coyle
Fan Guest of Honor: Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
Visit the Murder’s a Beach website for all the details and to register.