Southwest Sleuths Newsletter
December 1, 2021
Welcome to all our new registrants since the last newsletter.
Only five more months until Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque, New Mexico! We hope you are all keeping safe and well.
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.
We recently visited the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque and walked the convention spaces. It was fun to see the Ballroom where we will have our Lefty Awards Banquet all dressed up in University of New Mexico Lobos red and black.
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.
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
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
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
