Rocky Mountain High Jinks News

February 17, 2025


Author-Reader Connections

One of the best things about Left Coast Crime is the chance to get to know your fellow readers and writers. But sometimes, during the excitement and flurry of activities, it’s not always easy to find time to meet your favorite writer. Author-Reader Connections provide an easy forum for readers and authors to enjoy some time together in a small group. These Author-Reader Connections are free, and in some cases may include some special benefits from the authors. 

Fans

  • Visit our Author-Reader Connections page and click the links to learn more about each Connection (scroll down) and to sign up.
  • Only registered attendees may sign up for Author-Reader Connections. 
  • Individuals may sign up for no more than two Connections and no more than one per Author.

NOTE: Because of the way EventBrite works, all the Connections are listed as “online” even though they obviously are not. We are not allowed to specify individual locations for each Connection so each location is “To Be Announced.” The real location is listed in the details.

Authors: Email connections@leftcoastcrime.org for information about setting up a Connection. We will be setting up Connections through the end of February.
 


Rocky Mountain High Jinks Events

At Left Coast Crime 2025 we are offering our usual opportunities outside the normal panel and book signings for authors and readers to interact.

Author Speed-Dating
Author Speed-Dating will take place Thursday, March 13, 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 in pairs and 144 fans to relax and enjoy the 2-minute pitches. (More about Speed Dating for Authors)
  • Authors: If you are interested in Speed-Dating, please email Speed Dating Hosts: Les and Leslie Blatt  at lccspeeddate@gmail.com. First-time Speed-Daters have priority if requested by February 21, so do mention if you are a newbie. If you have a partner in mind, provide the name and email and we will do our best to pair you up. More about Speed Dating for Authors
  • Fans: First come, first seated!
 
Meet the New Authors Breakfast, sponsored by Sisters in Crime
Debut Authors who have a first mystery, crime, thriller, or suspense novel first published between January 1, 2024, and March 16, 2025, and who did not present at LCC 2024, are eligible to present at our 2025 Meet the New Authors Breakfast on Friday, March 14, hosted by Mike Befeler, assisted by Les and Leslie Blatt.
  • Debut Authors: If you have not yet received an invitation from Mike Befeler, please contact him at mikebef@aol.com.
  • Fans: All LCC registrants are welcome to attend the breakfast. 
Author-Hosted Tables
Authors are invited to partner with another author to host a table at the Lefty Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 15. Convention attendees will sign up to sit with you at dinner. There is no fee for hosting. Table favors and decorations optional.
  • Author-Hosts: Email Lucinda.LCC@gmail.com with BOTH of your names and email addresses. You will receive a return email with more information.
  • Fans: After you pick up your registration materials, look for the Author-Hosted Table nearby to sign up. First come, first served


Rocky Mountain High Jinks Needs You!

As an all-volunteer organization, LCC can’t run conventions without volunteers like you! There are plenty of volunteer opportunities for everyone. To volunteer for any of the opportunities listed below, please email volunteer4lcc@gmail.com with the Volunteer Job(s) you would like along with some times you are available.

We still need MANY volunteers!

Registration
Sign up for a two-hour shift helping Registration Captain Dotty Morefield manage the registration table. We need both experienced Registration volunteers and those who have never done this fun job of welcoming convention registrants and handing out the envelopes and book bags. We need volunteers for two-hour shifts on Thursday (10:30 AM – 5:00 PM), Friday (10:30 AM – 5:00 PM), Saturday (8:30 AM – 5:00 PM), Sunday (8:30–10:30 AM). If you would like to volunteer for Registration, please email volunteer4lcc@gmail.com and note some time blocks you would be available.

Panel Room Timekeeper/Monitor
Sign up for a shift managing a panel room. We need 70 volunteers for this fun and important job! Responsibilities include picking up the Panel Packet and arranging the panelist name tents before the panel, holding up signs so the Panel Moderator knows how much time is left before the end of the panel, and escorting the panelists to the signing space after the panel. Written instructions will be provided. If you are interested, please look over the Panel Schedule and  email volunteer4lcc@gmail.com with a list of some panels you would like to help with. Please include a maximum number of panels if you are sending several possibilities.

Book Signing Room Helper
Sign up for a shift helping with the book signings. Duties include placing signage for each panel, greeting and directing authors to their seats, and managing lines to avoid congestion. Please email volunteer4lcc@gmail.com with some time blocks you would be available.

Silent Auction & Hospitality Room Monitor
Sign up for a two-hour shift monitoring the hospitality room and Silent Auction items.  We need volunteers for two-hour shifts on Thursday (Noon – 4:00 PM), Friday & Saturday (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM), and Sunday (8:30–10:30 AM). If you would like to help out in the Hospitality Room, email volunteer4lcc@gmail.com with some time blocks you would be available.
 


Day Passes Are Now Available

Do you have friends unable to attend the entire convention? Day Passes are now on sale HERE.
  • Thursday Day Pass $50
    Day Pass to Thursday panels and interview; does not include evening reception.
  • Friday Day Pass $75
    Day Pass to Friday panels and interview; does not include the New Authors Breakfast.
  • Saturday/Sunday Day Pass $90
    Day Pass to Saturday & Sunday panels and interview; does not include the buffet breakfast or Awards Banquet.


Sponsorship

Our thanks to our generous sponsors: Sisters in Crime, Rocky Mountain MWA, Sibylline Press


Silent Auction Donations

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. The 2024 beneficiary is Brink Literacy Project which is devoted to utilizing the power of storytelling to positively affect the lives of people on the brink. All proceeds from our auctions go to Brink Literacy Project. Anyone — reader, writer, bookseller, librarian, blogger — may donate items to the silent auction. You can either mail your Silent Auction donations to yourself at the hotel or bring them with you. Silent Auction Co-Chairs Silent Auction Co-Chairs Linda Joffe Hull and Sandra Murphy will be accepting Silent Auction donations and preparing them for display on Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday.

 

Colorado Mystery Merge Carnival Extravaganza
FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2025
7:30–9:30 PM
Platte River Ballroom (right across from the bar)
 
Friends, Mystery Lovers, Fresh-Faced Newcomers!
For one night and one night only, Sisters in Crime Colorado promises you a spectacle the likes of which you have never seen this side of the stratosphere. Games, giggles, and acts of supreme silliness await.
 
An event not to be missed … the Colorado Mystery Merge Carnival Extravaganza!

Join Sisters in Crime Colorado in celebrating the release of their Colorado Mystery Merge Anthology! Colorado authors will accompany you down the mystery-themed midway where fun and laughs greet you at every turn.

  • Show up any time after 7:30 PM where you and your friends will be escorted to your first attraction
  • Test your mettle against our mystery-themed carnival games
  • Mix and mingle with existing friends while making new ones
  • Meet the anthology authors and members of SinC-CO
  • Buy your copy (between 7:30-8:30 PM) and get it signed at the end of the event
  • Make Left Coast Crime Denver the most fun you’ve ever had
  • Stay until the end for your chance to win tons of awesome prizes, including gift certificates to the conference bookstore!
  • Help launch Colorado Mystery Merge, our debut anthology!

 
This event is FREE and open to all registered attendees of Left Coast Crime. Left Coast Crime Name Badge required for admittance. Prizes and giveaways awarded at the end so stick around, you must be present to win!

See you at the COLORADO MYSTERY MERGE CARNIVAL EXTRAVAGANZA!


Ground Transportation from the Denver Airport

  • Train from the Denver International Airport
    Catch this on the south side of the airport (follow signs for the Train; there is only one so you won’t get lost.) Take the A line to Union Station, runs every 15 minutes, $10/one way (buy your ticket at the station.) It’s a 0.5 mi walk from Union Station to the hotel. You can also take the free 16th Street MallRide bus from the bus stop 2 blocks NW of Union Station CRT terminal, and get off at Lawrence St. where the Westin is located.
    Denver Metro Regional Transportation District website
     
  • Rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.) pick-ups are on Level 5 just outside baggage claim.
     
  • Denver Airport Ground Transportation Information
    Shuttle, Bus, Train, Bike, etc.


Writing Workshop

Left Coast Crime will host a Writing Workshop on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the day before the convention begins, at the convention hotel, Westin Denver Downtown.

      9:00 – 11:30 AM: Morning Session with Z.S. Diamante
      11:30 AM – 1:00 PM:  Lunch Break (on your own)
      1:00 – 3:30 PM: Afternoon Session with David Heska Wanbli Weiden

You can register for the full day including both workshops or choose just the morning or afternoon session.
      Single session: $52.80 (Denver’s altitude)
      Both sessions: $100.00 (altitude of Kenosha Pass)

Z.S. Diamante: Using Social Media To Promote Your Books
Whether you’re a debut author trying to come out the gates swinging, or you have a great backlist to offer readers, the time to start selling books via social media is now. Come learn the ins and outs of different social media platforms and how to sell loads of books! Join award-winning author Z.S. Diamanti in this hands-on workshop.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden: Compelling Conversations, Great Stories: Strategies and Techniques for Dialogue and Plot
Improving your dialogue is the quickest and easiest way to take your writing to the next level. In this seminar, we’ll examine techniques used by writers and playwrights for crafting effective dialogue. We’ll examine the purpose of dialogue; using conflict and tension in speech; the use of subtext, action, and emotion beats; and strategies for using internal monologue in dialogue scenes. We’ll also examine plot and narrative structure, and techniques for creating compelling storylines from screenwriters, authors, and literary theorists.

Writing Workshop Registration

Note: Online registration closes at 4:00 PM on Monday, March 10, 2025. Onsite registration will be available.


Book Room Information

Author, Author! specializes in online sales, special events, books for writers, and books for authors. Author, Author! will handle sales in the convention Book Room of traditionally published books — in general, titles returnable at a regular discount through major publishers or distributors — as well as consignment sales.

Traditionally Published Authors
The DEADLINE to submit your requests to Author, Author was Friday, January 31, 2025.  If you missed the deadline, you will need to use the consignment option described below.

Consignment Sales
Author, Author! will also be handling Consignment Sales for  authors who publish through alternate avenues. Consignment authors must bring or ship their own books to the convention and fill out this Consignment Agreement by email by February 28, 2025. (Email & phone number on Consignment Agreement for questions.)


Left Coast Crime 2026

San Francisco Schemin’, the 36th Left Coast Crime convention, will be held February 26 – March 1, 2026, in San Francisco, California, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

Our Guests of Honor are authors Robin Burcell and Kwei Quartey. Randall Brandt is our Fan Guest of Honor and author Leslie Karst will be our Toastmaster.

The historic San Francisco Cable Car stops right outside the Hyatt, the Presidio Go Shuttle provides free trips to the Presidio National Park, and the Embarcadero BART station is steps away. The 1898 Ferry Building is right across the street from the Hyatt. The Ferry Building Marketplace is packed with restaurants and shops. From the Port of San Francisco you can catch a ferry to Treasure Island, Angel Island, Alcatraz, Jack London Square in Oakland, and many other destinations.

The Registration Price is $299 through March 17, 2025, the close of LCC Denver.

More information about LCC 2026 & Online Registration