Whale of a Crime Newsletter: March 2019

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

Vancouver Information from Co-Chairs Colleen Glynn & Linda McNab

Getting to the Hotels
If you are arriving in Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is actually located in Richmond, take time to look at the airport art collection! You can see a sampling by browsing the airport website.

To get to downtown Vancouver from the airport, you can take a taxi or the Canada Line. There is not a hotel shuttle to the Hyatt or other overflow hotels. A taxi costs approximately $40 to $45, including a 15% tip. (YVR Taxi Information)

The Canada Line (built for the 2010 Olympics) is our Sky Train rapid transit line. At the YVR station, there is a $5.00 Canada Line YVR AddFare. Because the airport is in Richmond and you are travelling to Vancouver, you need to buy a two-zone ticket. The regular adult fare is $4.20; for Seniors 65 and over and students, the fare is $2.90 (Concession Fare). The transit tickets (called Compass) use a tap-in and tap-out system, so don’t throw your ticket away until you have reached your destination!

The downtown stop closest to our three hotels is Vancouver City Centre. When you come out of the Canada Line station, you will be on Georgia Street, so turn left and it is one block to the Fairmont Hotel, and two blocks to the Hyatt. Turn left at Burrard Street for another block to reach the Sutton Place Hotel.

Local Taxi companies: The Hyatt uses MacLure’s Cabs 604-731-9211 and there is also Yellow Cabs 604-681-1111, and other taxi companies. We don’t have Uber or Lyft in Vancouver yet.

Parking at the Hotel
Hotel Guest Rate with full in-and-out privileges is $40.66 for Self-Park and $50.82 for Valet Parking. Enter the parking lot and then take your ticket to the front desk when you check in and they will give you a Parking Pass. (If you don’t do this, you will be charged an hourly rate, which can add up pretty quickly.) It is a large parkade and evidently, there are lots of spots on Level P3. Make sure that you don’t leave anything valuable in your car.

Canadian Money
If you are coming from outside Canada, we recommend that you arrive in the country with some Canadian cash. You can get this at your bank or at a Currency Exchange. Your ATM bank cards will automatically give you Canadian cash, and your charge cards will automatically charge you in Canadian dollars while you are here. A note about Canadian currency: yes, it is quite colourful! The bills are different colours. Also, please note that we have no one- or two-dollar bills and no pennies. We have a one-dollar coin called a loonie and a two-dollar coin called a toonie.

NO GUNS PLEASE, WE’RE CANADIANS! — Tips on crossing the Canadian border

Left Coast Crime is hosting its first ever convention in Canada this year and we want to make sure you arrive here without encountering any problems. Prepare for your visit in advance by checking the requirements for travel documents if you are visiting Vancouver from outside Canada.

It’s probably best if you leave your firearms and recreational drugs at home, and don’t load up on alcohol and tobacco. For limitations on bringing these types of items into Canada, consult the Canada Border Services Agency. There are also limitations on food, plants, and animals. Leave those pufferfish at home!

Questions? Email Linda McNab or Colleen Glynn. We hope these tips help make your trip an easy and enjoyable one. See you at the convention!

Sponsorship

Name Tag Holders
Our thanks to Sisters in Crime for sponsoring the convention Name Tag Holders. Be sure to stop by the Sisters in Crime table in the Regency Foyer to thank them yourself!

Books for the Book Bags
Our thanks these generous publishers and authors for donating books for the book bags. Getting the books across the border has been more of a challenge than anticipated, so we are extra grateful this year for their added effort filling out customs forms.
Publishers: Forge, HarperCollins, Midnight Ink, Penguin Random House, Thomas & Mercer
Authors: Tim Burgess, William Deverell, Loreth Anne White

Whale of a Crime Needs You!

As an all-volunteer organization, LCC can’t run conventions without volunteers like you! Thanks to all who have already volunteered to help at Whale of a Crime. Volunteering is a great way to make new friends! We are still searching for volunteers to help at Registration, the Volunteer Table, with Author-Hosted Table sign-ups, and in Panel Rooms. Can you donate a couple of hours to LCC? Please check our Volunteers Needed page to pick your volunteer job.

Banquet Menu Choice

When you registered you picked among three entrées for the Awards Banquet. We just sent out an email asking you to confirm whether you still plan to attend, and if so, to let us know if you would like to change your earlier selection. We need to place our orders with the hotel very soon, so please respond promptly. If you are happy with your selection, you don’t need to respond to the email. If you have questions or want to change your extra banquet ticket choice, email Registrar Stan Ulrich. Be sure to include your full name.

Left Coast Crime 101

Here are some hints to help you enjoy the convention.

Registration: Early registration will open on Wednesday from 3:00–5:00 PM in the Regency Foyer on the 3rd floor of the Hyatt. 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, Lefty Awards ballot, and your Banquet ticket. Inside your book bag you will find a Name Tag Holder, the Program Book, 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.

Have Questions? Need help during the convention? Visit the LCC Registration Table in the Regency Foyer or ask any of the Whale of a Crime Committee folks. We want to help!

Book Swap Table: Somewhere in the Regency Foyer you will find an Book Swap Table. If you receive a book you've already read, please place it on the Book Swap Table and help yourself to anything you find there!

Promotional Materials Table: Also in the Regency Foyer you will find a table to place bookmarks, postcards, or other promotional materials, AKA swag. (Please do not place promotional materials on the Book Swap Table; misplaced materials will be removed and recycled.)

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 Panels: Come to the Left Coast Crime 101 panel on Thursday at Noon in Regency B for more tips about enjoying the convention from experienced LCC attendees, and How You Can Be Part of Left Coast Crime on Sunday morning in Regency A to learn how to become more involved in future LCCs. Form a team and join the Whale of a Game on Saturday at 4:00 PM in Regency C. There will be prizes!

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 (constantly changing) online list of Volunteer Needs and email Volunteer Coordinator Lucinda Surber with the specific Volunteer assignment(s) you would like to help with.

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 tea in the Hospitality Room, and share your passion for crime fiction!

Whale of a Crime T-shirts and other items featuring our logo are on sale through our CafePress online store. Order your T-shirt now and arrive at the convention in style!

Reminder: Opportunities for Authors & Fans

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

Author-Reader Connections
Interested in a lively talk with an author? Visit our Author-Reader Connections Page to sign up for a free author-hosted event. You MUST be registered for the convention to sign up for an Author-Reader Connection. Your Whale of a Crime Name Badge will be required to participate. You may sign up for a MAXIMUM of two Author-Reader Connections, but no more than one per host. (Authors: there is still time to set up a Connection. Email Lucinda for information.)

Author Speed-Dating
Author Speed-Dating will take place in Regency C-D on Thursday March 28, from 9:00–11:00 AM, before the panel programming begins, and is a fun and crazy 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.

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. There will also be open tables. (Authors, we have some available tables. Find a partner and email Lucinda to host a table.)

One Shots & You Had Me At…
The One Shots and You Had Me At events will alternate in Oxford-Wales throughout the day on Friday and Saturday. There will be a five-minute break between the 15-minute presentations and 5-minute readings. Drop by and stay as long as you like! (Schedule)

One Shots: Fifteen minute presentations by authors and attendees with interesting information or specializations they’d like to share.
You Had Me At… Readers! Time to meet new authors. Authors read the first page of their novel, novella, or short story — just enough to provide a respite from the busy conference.

Hospitality & Silent Action

There will be occasional service of coffee and tea in Balmoral-Winsor along with the Silent Auction items for your viewing and bidding pleasure. The Hyatt will not allow us to bring in the usual packaged snacks this year, so bring your own if you are a snacker! We are looking into purchasing a limited amount of snacks through the Hyatt, but they are quite pricey — $6.10 US for a single CLIF energy bar! And just FYI, those much-needed cups of coffee/tea in our Hospitality Room cost the convention $8.35 US per cup.
Hours: Thursday-Saturday 11:00 AM–4:00 PM, Sunday 8:30–10:30 AM

Silent Auction

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. Whale of a Crime’s auction recipient is ONE TO ONE, a unique children’s literacy program that provides one-to-one tutoring to children in elementary schools during regular school hours. Trained volunteer tutors work with students who are identified by their teachers as needing a boost in their literacy skills. Typically, each student spends approximately 30 minutes two to four times a week with a volunteer tutor. ONE TO ONE provides these children with an opportunity to practice their reading in an environment where it is okay to take risks, make mistakes, and learn at their own pace.

All proceeds from Left Coast Crime 2019’s auctions go to ONE TO ONE. Anyone — reader, writer, bookseller, librarian, blogger — may donate an item or two to the silent auction. A few of you are probably working on your auction donations right now — it’s a good excuse not to do actual work! You can either mail your Silent Auction donations to yourself at the hotel or bring them with you. [Hyatt mailing information] We’ll be setting up the Silent Auction Room on Thursday morning, but we will accept donations on Friday as well.

Questions? Email Auction Chair Pam Fairweather Thomson

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.