Southwest Sleuths Newsletter
February 15, 2022
Where are the Panels?
Panel Programming is moving slower than expected this year, but we are hot on the trail. Rest assured that you will all be the first to know as soon as the panels are finalized!
What About All the Other Stuff?
At Left Coast Crime Albuquerque we will be offering offering our usual four opportunities outside the normal panel and book signings for authors and readers to interact. Information about the
Meet the New Authors Breakfast,
Author Speed-Dating,
Author-Hosted Tables, and
Author-Reader Connections will be announced along with the panels in our next newsletter.
Book Room Operations at Southwest Sleuths
All authors at LCC ’22 will have the opportunity to have books for sale in the Book Room.
Dale Johnson of Cross Genre Books is our Book Room Chair.
“Traditionally Published” Authors
op.cit.books in Santa Fe — New Mexico’s largest independent bookstore — will handle sales of traditionally published books, those returnable through major publishers or distributors. If you are a traditionally published author, you need to fill out <
THIS FORM> with up to three books you would like
op.cit. to stock in the Book Room. The deadline for submitting the form is February 28.
“Indie-Published” Authors (self-published and small press)
Cross Genre Books will be handling consignment sales for the authors who publish their works through alternate avenues that are not returnable. Authors will need to bring or ship their own books to the convention. Cross Genre Books will ask you to fill out this
Consignment Form (with a the details) to keep track of how many books you leave with them. Books left for consignment must have a price listed on the book, or a price sticker for those books that do not have a listed price or will be sold for a different price than listed on the books. 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.
Silent Auction Information
Each Left Coast Crime Convention raises money to support a local literacy organization with funds raised through a silent and live auction and the annual Quilt Raffle. This year our recipient is Croak & Dagger’s Great (Little) Library Adventure. Croak & Dagger is the New Mexico chapter of Sisters in Crime and a New Mexico non-profit social organization. The Great (Little) Library Adventure is C&D’s free community-outreach program to libraries identified by the NM Rural Libraries Initiative: the 50+ smallest public and community libraries in the state. All proceeds from our auctions go to the Great (Little) Library Adventure. Anyone — reader, writer, bookseller, librarian, blogger — may donate items to the silent auction. You can either mail your Silent Auction donations to yourself at the hotel or bring them with you. We’ll be accepting donations on Wednesday from 2:00-4:00 PM, on Thursday morning while setting up the Silent Auction Room, and on Friday morning as well. Details about the location of the Silent Auction Room will be shared closer to the convention. Questions about your donation? Email Auction Co-chairs Molly Moeglein and Donnell Ann Bell at <
writerdonnellannbell@gmail.com>.
Convention COVID Situation
We are determined to meet in-person once again at Left Coast Crime convention #32 in April 2022 — face to face, even if masked! Currently the situation is looking more hopeful.
Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination Will Be Required for Left Coast Crime 2022
To protect us all and in line with convention best practices, LCC attendees will be required to provide proof of full vaccination before check-in. We’ll be finalizing things when we get closer to April, but are planning to have a pre-clearance procedure in the weeks leading up to the convention, as well as the option of on-site proof. For administrative reasons and to support the effectiveness of the vax rule, we are not allowing for any exceptions.
Masks?
We will follow the New Mexico guidelines for masks at the time of the convention. At this point, nobody knows what things will be like in April, but we will not require masks if the government does not, although you are all encouraged to take whatever protective measures you prefer.
Cancellation Deadline
Due to the Covid uncertainties, we have extended our normal cancellation deadline to two weeks before the convention. Cancellations by March 24, are entitled to a refund; starting March 25, there is no refund unless the convention is cancelled. We have also suspended the traditional cancellation fee until things return to normal. If you need to cancel your registration, email
Registar Stan Ulrich.
Sponsorship at Left Coast Crime
Interested in sponsoring Left Coast Crime? Available options include the Saturday breakfast, the hospitality suite, sponsoring one of our Guests of Honor, plus the convention book bag and name tag holder.
Books for Book Bags
We are happy to accept crime fiction and non-fiction books for distribution to all attendees in our book bags. There is no charge, but you will need to ship the books to arrive in early 2022. We accept any quantity of books, but 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.
Please
email Lucinda Surber if you are interested in learning more about our sponsorship opportunities or would like to donate books.
Writing Workshop
Get Your Kicks on Route 66: David Morrell Shares Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing
A Writing Workshop for authors, published or not, will take place from Noon–4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, the day before the convention begins, at the convention hotel.
Drawing on his many decades as a bestselling author and the creator of the Rambo film series, David will discuss numerous topics, including his method of starting a novel, the steps to its completion, the mistakes he watches for, and his assessment of the current publishing market. The session will conclude with a long question-and-answer session.
Cost: $66 for LCC Registrants, $99 for non-LCC registrants
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Noon–4:00 PM
Location: Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, 330 Tijeras Avenue NW, 87102
Details: Lunch on your own before the workshop
Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination Will Be Required for the Writing Workshop
Online registration
David Morrell is the author of the novel
First Blood, in which the character of Rambo originated. His numerous New York Times bestsellers include the classic espionage novel,
The Brotherhood of the Rose, the basis for the only television mini-series to air after a Super Bowl. An Anthony, Edgar, Ellis, Left Coast Crime, and Thriller Award finalist, Morrell has Comic-Con, Macavity, Nero, and Stoker awards as well as ITW’s Thriller Master award and a Bouchercon Lifetime Achievement award. His writing book,
The Successful Novelist, discusses what he has learned in his many decades as an author. [
David Morrell’s Website]
Left Coast Crime 2023
Tucson, Arizona
When: March 16–19, 2023
Where: El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort
Lifetime Achievement: J.A. Jance
Guest of Honor: Glen Erik Hamilton
Guest of Honor: Sujata Massey
Fan Guest of Honor: Dru Ann Love
Toastmaster: Ellen Byron
Ghost of Honor: Winn Bundy
Registration: $250 through April 10, 2022
Online Registration
El Conquistador Tucson spans 50 acres, overlooking Pusch Ridge in one direction and the Santa Catalina Mountains to the other. The resort has a swimming pool, spa, hiking and cycling trails, tennis courts, and a golf course. Our convention rate is $195 for the convention nights, plus three nights before and after the convention (subject to availability) so you can extend your stay in Tucson. The standard daily resort charge has been waived for Left Coast Crime registrants.
More information about the convention