Trouble in Tucson Newsletter
November 1, 2022
This newsletter is going out to all registrants of Albuquerque 2022 and Tucson 2023. Albuquerque registrants will remain on our newsletter list through the Lefty Nomination period. (Not sure if you are registered for Tucson? Check the Tucson Attendee page for your name.)
To unsubscribe, click the link at the bottom of the newsletter and you will be removed from our list (and will not receive a Lefty Nomination form).
Meet the Special Guests for Left Coast Crime 2023
Guest of Honor Glen Erik Hamilton
Hello Left Coast Crime! I'm Glen Erik Hamilton, native Seattleite, former President of the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and repeat offender of dad jokes.
When Lucinda first contacted me to ask if I’d be a Guest of Honor in Tucson, I was certain LCC had intended to laud one of the many other mystery authors named Hamilton. There's a passel of us crowding the shelves; confusion is understandable. Once Lucinda had confirmed her note was *not*, in fact, the email equivalent of drunk dialing, I was over the moon. Then promptly over the rest of the solar system to learn that Sujata Massey, Dru Ann Love, and the one and only J.A. Jance would also be honored, and that Ellen Byron would be the Toastmaster keeping us all in line. What incredible company.
My six novels to date are about Van Shaw. Raised by his career-criminal grandfather to be an expert thief, Shaw escaped that life to find new purpose in the US Army Rangers. Once his military career met an abrupt end, Shaw returned home and now balances — shakily — on the line between what’s legal and what’s expedient. While Van can be an unsocial beast at times, he’s hardly a lone wolf. His own stunted childhood drives him to protect other neglected kids. His patchwork family of misfits and accomplices frequently force him to confront his own scars and missteps. Those characters are, I feel, the lifeblood of the series. I call the Shaw books “mystery thrillers,” because as much as I love a good action scene, I might love a whodunit even more. Why choose, when I can mash those genres together and make kissy noises?
Left Coast Crime is the conference I recommend to mystery fans and authors taking their first plunge into the convention circuit. It offers the warmest greeting any newcomer could want, combined with superb facilitation and panels. I am tremendously thrilled to be an LCC guest of honor in 2023. Thank you. There’s no better celebration than to be surrounded by friends.
Guest of Honor Sujata Massey
Sujata Massey is the author of fifteen mystery and suspense novels, including the Perveen Mistry legal mystery series set in 1920s Bombay. The first Perveen novel, The Widows of Malabar Hill, explores the journey of Bombay’s first woman lawyer and her efforts to protect three widows from losing their assets — and being charged with murder. The book won the Agatha, Macavity, Mary Higgins Clark and Lefty awards of 2019. Her preceding series set in modern Japan numbered eleven books featuring Rei Shimura, an amateur sleuth solving mysteries that delve into Japanese culture.
Sujata’s most recent series novel, The Bombay Prince, takes place amidst the rioting spurred by the 1921 visit to India by Edward VIII, Prince of Wales. Sujata lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where she began her writing life as a student in the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars and then as a features reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun newspaper. Her life is enriched by travels to India, where she spends time with family and continues her research for the Perveen Mistry novels. Find out more about her writing and travel adventures at sujatamasseyauthor on Facebook and Instagram.
Fan Guest of Honor Dru Ann Love
My name is Dru Ann Love and I’m a native New Yorker, born and bred. Since I have a unique name, people have asked where did it come from? My father liked an actress named Joanne Dru and took her last name and part of her first name and there you have it.
I was born a reader and have cultivated this experience by reading picture books, cereal boxes, regular books, billboards, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and wherever words were present. The library was my second home. My mom was a reader, and she had an eclectic taste in reading, but she did enjoy her romance books, those that were called “bodice rippers.” So, I snuck and read them until I discovered mysteries and I was hooked. Love the notion of solving a puzzle and seeing justice for the victim. I mostly read traditional mysteries but fell in love with the cozy genre and that’s my place of escapism and relaxation. I do branch out to other genre, but cozies keep me sane and able to function in a world of mischief and mayhem.
As a result of reading, I started my blog July 2008 that listed very, very short reviews of books that I read. At some point, I decided I needed more to keep my readers coming to my blog and came up with the “day in the life” feature where a character talks about a day in their life. That first post was published August 8, 2011. Since then, I’ve welcomed and introduced so many authors to my reading public and I’m happy to be able to support the crime fiction community. Currently, I now have two additional features, “get to know you” – a Q&A with the characters and “a word with the author” – this time the author speaks.
Again, I’m grateful for this community that let readers like me shine as well as what they give back to the authors. Thank you, Lucinda and Stan, for this fabulous honor.
Toastmaster Ellen Byron
At my first Left Coast Crime convention, 2014’s Calamari Crime, my past as a sitcom writer and future as a mystery author collided. Although still an unpublished author, I was invited to fill in for a participant who dropped out of the screenwriting panel. My daughter was in a school play that weekend, so I went to her Thursday night dress rehearsal and made the drive to Monterey at five a.m. the next morning. I zipped into the panel and everything was going great until I responded to a question from the audience by casually dropping a term used in the writers room that was so wildly inappropriate among general company it drew a collective gasp from panel attendees. “Uh oh,” I thought. “So much for my relationship with Left Coast.”
But no. That proved to be my introduction to the warmth, humor, and generosity of spirit that imbues a Left Coast Crime convention. Nobody judged me. In fact, I was embraced by the con. Eight years after debuting at LCC with that blooper, I’m the proud author of eleven mystery novels, include three winners of the Best Humorous Mystery Lefty Award. (And thank you so much, Left Coast Crime, for giving humor the respect it deserves.) Even with these wonderful awards, I think my favorite LCC offering is the Author Reader Connections. I have a blast coming up with unique ways to connect with readers, and as a result of these intimate get-togethers, many of my “connections” have blossomed into dear friends.
When I got the invitation from Lucinda and Stan to be the 2023 Toastmaster, I literally jumped up and down with (for?) joy. I was overwhelmed by the honor. I can’t wait to break bread and talk mysteries in March with the extraordinary tribe that is Left Coast Crime.
And if you’re wondering about that inappropriate term I used, I’ll be happy to share it with you privately at Trouble in Tucson. Preferably over poolside drinks.
Note: Lifetime Achievement Honoree J.A. Jance will be featured in an upcoming newsletter.
Meet the Trouble in Tucson Committee
Local Co-Chair: Evelyn Cirincione
Evelyn Cirincione writes under the pen name Catherine Paul. She is the current president of Tucson Sisters in Crime. She is a retired Special Needs teacher, specialty, the deaf. Her books in the Cousins Books series have touched on the deaf and have been well received. She lives in Tucson with her two dogs: Bonnie, a West Highland Terrier, and Fiona, a chihuahua rescue dog. Evelyn enjoys research into the history of the Southwest from the earliest times. She is working on her next book Dane of Sinclair.
[website]
Local Co-Chair: Elaine A. Powers
Elaine A. Powers, originally from Peoria, IL, currently resides in Tucson. After a career as a laboratory biologist, she is now pursuing her dream of writing science-based children’s books, murder mysteries, and audio theatre scripts. Elaine continues her work as a citizen scientist for iguana conservation, serving on the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group. She is a founding member of the Tucson Sisters in Crime chapter and President of the Tucson Poetry Society.
[website | YouTube]
Local Co-Chair: D.R. Ransdell
D.R. Ransdell writes from the heart of the mariachi world where men cry over lost love and women exact revenge! The protagonist for her murder mysteries is a violinist, but Andy Veracruz spends his time chasing lost musicians rather than rehearsing for his latest show. In Brotherly Love he confronts a scary new challenge: teaching mariachi to high school students.
[website]
Left Coast Crime National: Lucinda Surber & Stan Ulrich
Email Lucinda Surber | Email Stan Ulrich
Lucinda & Stan joined the LCC family with Left Coast Crime 2011: The Big Chile in Santa Fe, were co-chairs (with Bill & Toby Gottfried) for 2014: Calamari Crime in Monterey, and chaired LCC 2021: The Unconvention, and LCC 2022: Southwest Sleuths. Stan, a retired lawyer, is President and Treasurer of Left Coast Crime Conference, Inc., and Lucinda is Secretary. Their first mystery convention was Bouchercon 2007 in Alaska, and they’ve enjoyed exploring new places and meeting fellow mystery enthusiasts at Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime ever since. Lucinda & Stan were the Fan Guests of Honor at Bouchercon 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Together Lucinda and Stan are Stop, You’re Killing Me!, an Anthony award-winning web resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. Lucinda and Stan try to give away as many books as they can, but still seem to have piles everywhere.
El Conquistador Tucson:
A Hilton Resort
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. LCC amenities include:
◉ Two bottles of water upon arrival
◉ Free parking
◉ Free wireless Internet in guest rooms and convention meeting spaces
◉ Daily use of fitness facilities and wellness classes for two people
◉ One hour use of putting green and driving range per room per day
◉ Discounted golf green fees based on availability
◉ Two hours of bike usage per room per day for two people
◉ Shuttle service to Oro Valley Recreation Center (8:00 AM – 6:00 PM daily)
Dining at the Resort
◉ Epazote Kitchen serves dinner nightly featuring a Southwestern-infused menu.
◉ Sundance Café serves breakfast every day.
◉ Desert Springs Bar & Grill is open Friday–Sunday from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
◉ Colibri Lobby Lounge serves lunch daily and is open for drinks until 10:00 PM.
◉ The Grab & Go in the lobby includes a Starbucks.
Side Trip Options Coming Soon!
The Left Coast Crime Tuscon Committee is working on several options for Side Trips before the convention on Tuesday and Wednesday, and possibly Thursday. Options will include the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, Sabino Canyon, Biosphere 2, and a 4-Wheeling Jeep Adventure. All side trips will pick up and return participants to the El Conquistador Tucson. Full details about days/times/price/registration will appear in our next newsletter.
Sponsorship at Left Coast Crime
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 Room. Other options include sponsoring one of our Guests of Honor or supporting Left Coast Crime by sponsoring products such as the convention book bag or name badge holder.
Our thanks to Kensington Books for sponsoring Saturday in the Hospitality Room. Closer to the convention we will share a schedule of the Kensington authors who will appear in the Hospitality Room to sign books and meet fans.
Please email Lucinda Surber if you are interested in learning more about our sponsorship opportunities.
Advertising in the 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 January 20, 2023.
Details and Advertising Form
Get Ready for the Lefty Nominations!
Don’t forget to make notes about all the wonderful books published in 2022 that you’ve read this year so you are ready when your Lefty Nomination Form arrives at the end of December.
