Whale of a Crime Newsletter: October 2018
Welcome to all our new registrants since the last newsletter. Only five more months until Left Coast Crime in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada!
It's time to renew your passports and brush up on your French, or maybe your Cantonese and Mandarin, as you will be coming to Vancouver. There are lots of things to see and do in Vancouver! Visit our
Hotel & Travel page for more information about traveling to Canada.
Meet the Whale of a Crime Committee
Program Book Chair: Linda L. Richards
Linda L. Richards is an author and journalist. Her published books include three series of novels featuring strong female protagonists. She is president of the Western Canadian Chapter of Sisters in Crime, the former publisher of Self-Counsel Press and the founder and publisher of January Magazine. Her short story, “Terminal City” will appear in Vancouver Noir (Akashic Books) November 2018. Linda divides her time between Vancouver; Phoenix, Arizona; and Paso Robles, California.
Silent Auction Chair: Pam Fairweather Thomson
Pam Thompson is a retired teacher who has always loved reading mysteries. She has attended Malice Domestic, Mayhem in the Midlands, three Bouchercons, and seven Left Coast Crime conventions: 2002, Portland, OR; 2004, Monterey, CA; 2009, Waikoloa, HI; 2010, Los Angeles, CA; 2014, Monterey, CA; 2016, Phoenix, AZ; 2018, Reno, NV. She is looking forward to helping welcome everyone to the debut of Left Coast Crime in Canada. Beautiful British Columbia has been Pam’s home since she was three years old. After growing up in Powell River on the Upper Sunshine Coast and working in Greater Vancouver, she then retired to live on the Lower Sunshine Coast (only one short ferry ride from Vancouver!).
Email Pam Thomson with your questions about donating to the Whale of a Crime Silent Auction to raise money for ONE TO ONE, a unique children’s literacy program that provides one-to-one tutoring to children in elementary schools during regular school hours. Visit our
2019 Charity page for more information about ONE TO ONE.
Vancouver Local Organizing Committee
Colleen Glynn, Linda Quan, Linda McNab, Iona Whishaw, Merrilee Robson, Linda L. Richards
Whale of a Crime Sponsorship Opportunities
A big round of applause to
Sisters in Crime for stepping up as our first sponsor for the Whale of a Crime Name Badge Holders!
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. Please
email Lucinda Surber if you are interested in learning more about our sponsorship opportunities.
Black Bond Books
We are thrilled that Black Bond Books will appear in our Whale of a Crime Book Room, handling the sale of books published by major publishing houses. The roots of
Black Bond Books span three generations of book lovers and many miles to Brandon, Manitoba. The original store is depicted in this wall mural painted by Rick Lee (Surrey, BC) from an original photo of the street. Madeline Neill assumed management of the store in the mid 1960's, and the company has never looked back. The name was derived from the combination of Celia Black and Catherine Bond, the great grandmothers of current President and daughter of Madeline, Cathy Jesson. Cathy joined Madeline in the running of the Brandon store, eventually taking over management in 1972 when Madeline moved to the BC coast. The first BC location was opened in White Rock that same year. Madeline eventually coaxed Cathy and her family to move to the coast in 1977 where Cathy opened their second location in Langley. Making it a true family operation, Madeline’s other children, Vicky Plett and Michael Neill, joined the company in ensuing years. This allowed for further growth of the business with locations opening around the Lower Mainland. Black Bond Books celebrated its 50th year in 2013. From their small beginning in Brandon to eight Lower Mainland locations, Black Bond booksellers enjoy sharing their favourites and putting the right book in the hands of readers.
Lefty Awards
The Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Awards are fan awards chosen by registered members of the Left Coast Crime convention. Nominations for the Lefty awards to be presented at each annual convention are made by people registered for that convention and also the immediately prior convention. A ballot listing the official nominees is given to each registrant when they check in at the convention, and final voting takes place at the convention. The ballots are tabulated and that year’s Lefty Awards are presented at the Awards Banquet.
Left Coast Crime 2019, “Whale of a Crime,” will be presenting four Lefty Awards at our 29th annual LCC convention. The Lefty awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at the Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.
Registrants of the 2018 and 2019 Left Coast Crime Conventions will be able to nominate three titles in each Lefty Award category. Nominations will be accepted the first two weeks of January, for the four 2019 Lefty Awards:
- Best Mystery Novel
- Best Debut Mystery Novel
- Best Humorous Mystery Novel
- Best Historical Mystery Novel (The Bruce Alexander Memorial), covering events before 1960
To be eligible, titles must have been published for the first time in the United States or Canada during 2018, in book or ebook format. (If published in other countries before 2018, a book is still eligible if it meets the US or Canadian publication requirement.)
It’s time to start making a list of all your favorite books published in 2018. Nomination forms will be emailed to all 2018 and 2019 LCC registrants in late December. The Lefty Award nominees will be announced on January 15, 2019. Final voting for the Lefty Awards will be by paper ballot at the convention in Vancouver.
Questions about the Lefty Awards? Em
Email Awards Co-Chairs Lucinda Surber & Stan Ulrich
Hollywood North: A Workshop for Writers
Wednesday, March 27, 2019, separate fee
Have you ever wondered how you could get your novel turned into a movie? Do you want to know how to write a screenplay? Then our Hollywood North workshop may be for you. On Wednesday before the convention, Mark Leiren-Young will lead a workshop covering the myriad topics in screenwriting, drawing on his wealth of experience in working with the film industry in BC. More details and online registration will be available soon.
Optional Side Trips
The Vancouver Committee is presently working on organizing three Side Trips. Registration information will appear on our
Vancouver webpage soon.
Tuesday, March 26: Day Trip to Victoria
Victoria is the capital of BC and is located on Vancouver Island. The bus trip would include a ferry ride through the scenic Gulf Islands.
Wednesday, March 27: Babes in the Woods Cold Case Tour
This 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 would be a half-day trip around Stanley Park and then a visit to the Vancouver Police Museum, which is the oldest police museum in North America. Forensic evidence from the case is on display. The Police Museum is in a heritage building which used to be the City Morgue. Many TV shows and movies are filmed here, including X-Files. Because the building is old, there is no elevator and it is not wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 31: Museum of Anthropology at UBC
This would be a Sunday afternoon trip. The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver houses one of the world’s finest displays of Northwest Coast First Nations arts in a spectacular Arthur Erickson designed building overlooking the mountains and sea. Spaces are limited for this private tour. Please
email Miriam Clavir with the subject “MOA Visit” for more information.
The Raven and the First Men by Bill Reid
Whale of a Crime
Whale of a Crime T-shirts and other merchandise are now on sale through our
CafePress Store. Order your T-shirt now and arrive at the convention in style!
Not sure if you are registered for LCC 2019? Check our Whale of a Crime
List of Attendees. Then visit the LCC 2019
Registration Page if you need to register for Left Coast Crime 2019.
There is lots to see and do in Vancouver — Canada’s third-largest city — and the convention hotel rate can be applied three days before and after the convention, depending on room availability. Come for the convention and stay for a holiday!
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.