Southwest Sleuths Newsletter
December 21, 2021
Happy Winter Solstice!
Now that the longest night of the year is over (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) we are looking forward to more sunlight and hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel. We hope you are all keeping safe and well.
Welcome to all our new registrants since the last newsletter. Only 15 more weeks until Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
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!
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. We regret that some folks will not wish to attend under these circumstances — but please consider LCC in Tucson in 2023!
Masks?
We will follow the New Mexico guidelines for masks at the time of the convention — currently New Mexico requires masks in public, except when drinking or eating. At this point, nobody knows what things will be like next 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 ongoing Covid uncertainties, the usual cancellation deadline has been moved by about seven weeks, to two weeks before the convention. Cancellations by March 24, 2022, are entitled to a refund; starting March 25, 2022, there is no refund unless the convention is cancelled. We have also suspended the traditional cancellation fee until things return to normal. We’re hoping this will provide enough flexibility so that you can all make plans that fit your particular situations.
Convention Updates
Panel Placement
The registration deadline for priority panel placement is December 31, 2021. Panels are scheduled from noon Thursday through noon Sunday. Authors attending the full convention have a much greater chance of receiving a panel assignment. If you are unable to attend certain days, please let us know prior to December 31, 2021. In January our panel team will begin creating the panels. Panel assignments will be sent out sometime around mid-February.
Other Opportunities for Authors
After the panels have been announced, we will begin taking requests for other events like Meet the New Authors Breakfast, Author Speed-Dating, Author-Hosted Tables, and Author-Reader Connections. Watch your newsletters for information abut signing up for these events when it is time. (We do not accept requests in advance.)
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 February 12, 2022.
Details and Ad Form
2022 Lefty Awards
We hope you have been making lists of all your favorite mysteries published in 2021. If not, start looking back over your notes because your Lefty Nomination Form will be coming your way very soon! Registrants will be able to nominate three titles in each category. Nominations will be accepted in early January for the four 2022 Lefty Awards:
Best Debut Mystery Novel
Best Humorous Mystery Novel
Best Historical Mystery Novel covering events before 1970
Best Mystery Novel
To be eligible, titles must have been published for the first time in the United States or Canada during 2021, in book or ebook format. (If published in other countries before 2021, a book is still eligible if it meets the US or Canadian publication requirement.)
Nomination forms will be emailed in late December. The Lefty Award nominees will be announced on January 17, 2022. Final voting will be by paper ballot at the convention in Albuquerque.
Questions about the Lefty Awards?
Email Awards Co-Chairs Lucinda Surber & 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]
Registration Fee Increase December 31
The registration fee of $215 for LCC 2022 will increase at midnight on December 31 to $235. Please remind your author friends to register by December 31, 2021, for priority panel placement.
Register for LCC 2022
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