Honolulu Havoc Newsletter: March 2, 2017
Aloha!
Welcome to all our new registrants since the last newsletter. Only 14 more days until Left Coast Crime in Honolulu, Hawaii!
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
Banquet Menu Choice
When you registered, you picked among three entrées for the Awards Banquet. We are sending out an email very soon asking you to confirm whether you still plan to attend, and if so, to reaffirm or change your earlier selection. We need to place our orders with the hotel very soon, so please respond promptly.
Left Coast Crime 101
Welcome to all of you who are attending Left Coast Crime for the first time. Here are some hints to help you enjoy the convention.
Registration: Early registration will open on Wednesday from 3:00–5:00 PM. The registration table will be open beginning at 8:30 AM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and remain open for most of the day for registration and to answer any questions.
Materials: When you register you will receive an envelope with your name tag, LCC Awards ballot, and your banquet ticket. Inside your book bag you will find a Name Tag Holder, the Program, a Pocket Program that will fit inside your Name Tag Holder, and of course several books. It's a good idea to tuck your banquet ticket inside your Name Tag Holder so you don’t lose it!
Please wear your Name Tag at ALL times during the convention. It is your ticket into all the events and helps us all get to know each other.
Exchange Table: Somewhere in the Palace Lobby/Lounge you will find an Exchange Table. If you receive a book or magazine you've already read, please place it on the Exchange Table and help yourself to anything you find there!
Promotional Materials Table: Also in the Palace Lobby/Lounge you will find a table to place bookmarks, postcards, or other promotional materials. (Please do not place promotional materials on the Exchange Table.)
Voting: Don’t forget to deposit your Lefty Award Ballot in the Ballot Box at Registration by 1:30 PM on Saturday. The Awards will be presented at the Banquet on Saturday evening.
LCC 101 Panel: Come to the Left Coast Crime 101 panel on Thursday at 11:15 AM in Honolulu 1 for more tips about enjoying the convention from experienced LCC attendees, and LCC 202 on Sunday morning to learn how to become more involved in future LCCs.
Volunteer: Stop by the Volunteer Table and volunteer! It's a great way to make new friends while helping our all-volunteer-run convention. Please check our
online list of Volunteer Needs and email Volunteer Coordinator
Lucinda Surber with the Volunteer Job(s) you would like along with some times you are available.
Don’t be shy! Introduce yourself to those sitting next to you at a panel, standing in line to get a book signed, browsing in the Book Room, or enjoying a cup of coffee in the Hospitality Room, and share your passion for the mystery/thriller genre!
Reminder: Opportunities for Authors & Readers
At Left Coast Crime 2017 we are offering several opportunities outside the normal panel and book signings for readers and authors to interact.
Author-Reader Connections
Interested in a lively talk with an author? A walk on the beach? A ukelele seranade? Visit our
Author-Reader Connections Page to sign up for a free author-hosted event. Please sign up for a no more than two Author-Reader Connections, and no more than one per author. (Authors, there is still time to set up a Connection. Email Lucinda for information about setting up your Author-Reader Connection.)
Author Speed-Dating
Author Speed-Dating will take place Thursday March 16, 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 and 144 fans to sit and enjoy the 2-minute pitches. Les and Leslie Blatt will be our Speed-Dating Hosts. (Authors, we still have a few open slots.
Email Lucinda to sign up.)
Author-Hosted Tables
When you register, look for the Author-Hosted Table sign-up sheets near Registration and sign up to sit at an Author's Table during the Awards Banquet on Saturday evening. (Authors, we have many open tables.
Email Lucinda to sign up.)
Police Museum Tour on March 16th
We are very excited to announce a tour of the Honolulu Police Museum where you can see the bullwhip that Officer Chang Apana, the real-life inspiration for Charlie Chan, carried while patrolling Chinatown in the 1920s as well as other unique items unique. The Hawaiian Islands were a monarchy before Queen Lilioukulani was placed under house arrest. Martial law was imposed when the government was taken over by wealthy business leaders in the early 1900s. Eddie Croom, presenting as part of the Hawaii Crime Series on Saturday morning, will entertain you with tales from King Kamehameha to yesterday’s news, when the current Police Chief left office because of an FBI investigation into misconduct. The tour leaves Hilton Hawaiian Village at 8:45 AM on Thursday, March 16, and returns by 11:15 AM, after a drive through Chinatown, passing the Iolani Palace and other important Honolulu landmarks. The cost is $15 to cover the charter bus.
Email Gay Gale to reserve a spot and pay when you get to Honolulu. The tour is limited to the first 25 people who reserve a spot.
Book your Oahu Tours Now
Honolulu has as many tours as London or Paris. March discounts are available online for everything from Pearl Harbor to parasailing. Pick up the free brochures when you get to the airport. If you have never been whale watching, consider a two-hour breakfast cruise to catch the humpbacks before your flight home. They are amazing! The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort has a list of recommended
tours and activities.
Hibiscus and Homicide
A Murder Mystery supporting a global literacy charity founded in Honolulu
A disgruntled business partner, a wronged wife, an unstable mistress, and a faithful secretary make for one dead publisher. Assist Detective Charlie Chan in solving the murder of Don Rush of Rush & Delay Publishers. Interview the suspects and search the crime scene for clues to solve the murder, all for the benefit of READ ALOUD AMERICA. Two Guests of Honor are among the suspects you will question before casting your ballot for who did the dastardly deed. Friday, March 17, from 8:00-9:15 PM in Honolulu 3, just after the Hilton’s fabulous Friday fireworks! Suggested Donation: $10
Hilton Hawaiian Village ABCs from Chair Gay Gale
There are 22 acres and 4000 rooms on the Hilton Hawaiian Village property so here are a few helpful hints to ease your transition after a long flight. There is only one “Front Desk.” If you’re at the covered portico, you are there. If not, just ask anyone in a uniform (and there are hundreds) where you can check in. The lines at the front desk can look formidable, but they generally move quickly. LCC sleeping rooms are in the Tapa Tower, and all Convention activities except the Welcome Reception are on the second floor of the Tapa Convention Center. There are eight elevators that go to all floors, plus escalators and stairs that go from the ground floor to the convention floor. And there is a large bar just outside the elevators, so stop and stress reduce whenever you need it.
HHV and Waikiki Bad News/Good News
- BN – There are lots of other visitors trying to eat at the restaurants or bars at HHV and LCC lunch breaks are short.
GN – There are lots of eateries of every price and taste within two blocks. Check the concierges or ask any member of the HHV staff. Locals love to share island information.
- BN - Prices in Hawaii are high for everything. You will adjust quicker if you just acknowledge it and let it go.
GN – Every store you’ve ever heard of is on Kalakaua Avenue or at Ala Moana Center, both within walking distance. Also, Honolulu’s sales tax is only 4.712% so it is a great place to shop.
- BN - There are a lot of homeless and many like Waikiki.
GN – They don’t usually interact with tourists and therefore are not generally a source of crime.
- BN – Traffic in Honolulu has been rated the 2nd worst in the world during rush hour.
GN – You don’t have to go anywhere unless you want to, and you can walk to everywhere (almost).
- BN – LCC organizers know that while authors are “working” at this convention, you will succumb to the “beach effect” and cut out of some sessions.
GN – Like Ghost of Honor Earl Derr Biggers, who visited Honolulu for the first time in the 1920s, you may find inspiration for a life-altering new character or series.
Airport Transfers
SpeediShuttle is the only authorized on-demand shuttle service at the Honolulu airport and has greeters stationed throughout the terminals. They are also the only airport shuttle that can drop off and pick up guests in the Main Lobby at the resort. The Shared Ride fee starts at $15.48; private cars and limos also available.
Advance reservations strongly recommended. (Those saving money to buy books can take the City bus for just $2.50.)
Hotel Daily Resort Charge
When you check in, you will be offered the opportunity to add the optional Daily Resort Charge, which includes sleeping room Internet access, PS3 console games/movies, cultural activity lessons, resort audio tour, outdoor exercise classes, personalized postcard, and dive-in movies. We were sorry to learn that HHonors members will not receive complimentary wifi access if the Daily Resort Charge is declined, since this Hilton property is “Resort” and the usual HHonors complimentary wifi does not apply. (No wifi is available in the Convention rooms.)
Shipping Services
There is a Xerox Business Services Center with US Post Office, UPS & FedEx shipping options onsite in the Diamond Head Tower. Business Center hours: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily, payment by credit card or cash. (Note: Xerox adds service/convenience fees for shipping.)
If you would like to mail a box to the hotel, use this address:
Guest Name
Left Coast Crime Convention
Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
2005 Kalia Road
Honolulu, HI 96815
Boxes should indicate number shipped: "Box 1 of ___"
Your box will be delivered to:
Xerox Business Services
Ground Floor of Diamond Head Tower
Phone: (808) 949-0656
E-mail: xerox@hawaii.rr.com
Here is the incoming box acceptance fee schedule they have provided:
Left Coast Crime 2018
Crime on the Comstock
Guests of Honor: Naomi Hirahara & William Kent Krueger
Toastmaster: Todd Borg
Ghost of Honor: Mark Twain (McAvoy Layne)
Early Bird Registration: $175 until March 19, 2017 (close of LCC 2017)
Register Online Now or visit the Future LCCs Table in the Palace Lobby to register in person.
Left Coast Crime 2019
Whale of a Crime
Guests of Honour: C.J. Box & Maureen Jennings
Fan Guests of Honour: Don & Jen Longmuir
Toastmaster: Cathy Ace
Visit the Future LCCs Table in the Palace Lobby to register in person.
Online registration available later this Spring on the
Whale of a Crime website.
If you are interested in learning more about hosting or helping with a future Left Coast Crime Convention, come to LCC 202 on Sunday, and/or stop by the Future LCCs table in the Palace Lobby to pick up the Left Coast Crime Want Ads.
