Rocky Mountain High Jinks News
February 3, 2025
The Panels Are Here!
We are thrilled to announce that we have posted the Hopefully Final Panel Schedule. It’s always a challenge to find places for everyone who requests panel appearances, and the available panel slots are limited. Our ultimate goal is to make sure the LCC audience is entertained and informed. A few panelists have yet to confirm, so do check back over the next week or so to view additions and changes.
Rocky Mountain High Jinks Events
At Left Coast Crime 2025 we are offering our usual four 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.
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.
- Authors: Email connections@leftcoastcrime.org for all the information about setting up a Connection.
- Fans: Information about signing up for Author-Reader Connections will be shared in the next newsletter.
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.
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 Wednesday (3:00–5:00 PM), Thursday (8:30 AM – 5:00 PM), Friday (8:30 AM – 5:00 PM), Saturday (8:30 AM – 5:00 PM), Sunday (8:30–10:30 AM).
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.
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.
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).
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.
Advertising in the Program Book
Attention Authors! Please think about advertising 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 has been extended to February 15, 2025.
Details and Advertising Form
Books for Book Bags
We are happy to accept crime fiction and non-fiction books for distribution to attendees in our book bags. There is no charge, but you will need to ship the books to arrive in Denver by March 1, 2025. 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.
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.
- Rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.) pick-ups are on Level 5 just outside baggage claim.
- Denver Airport Ground Transportation Information
Shuttle, Bus, Train, Bike, etc.
Hotel Parking
The Westin does not own the Tabor Center parking facility under the hotel and is unable to offer discounted parking. They suggest downloading the
Tabor Center Garage ParkChirp mobile app, which offers some discounts at the Tabor Center and other Denver locations.
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 and interactive workshop where we’ll develop a plan and strategy for your social media presence that not only gets you in front of new users, but helps you sell books.
Z.S. Diamanti is the award-winning author of the Stone & Sky series, an epic fantasy adventure, and
Guard in the Garden, the first book in the Fables of Finlestia cozy fantasy series. He went to college forever and has far too many pieces of paper on his wall. He is a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and worked in ministry for over 10 years before pursuing creative endeavors full-time. He and his wife live in Colorado with their four children, where they enjoy hikes, camping, and tabletop games.
Z.S. Diamante’s Website
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.
David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is the author of the national bestseller
Winter Counts (Ecco, 2020), which won the Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel (and numerous other awards) and was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The novel is included in
Time magazine’s list of the 100 best mystery and thriller novels of all time. Weiden is also the author of short stories and nonfiction. He’s the series editor of
Native Edge, an imprint of the University of New Mexico Press specializing in Indigenous literature. Weiden received the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship and is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale, Vermont Studio Center, Sewanee, and Tin House. He was the Indigenous Visiting Artist in Residence at Brown University in spring 2024. Weiden received his MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He’s professor of English and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University and also serves on the faculty of the Cedar Crest Pan-European MFA Program. He lives in New York and Colorado with his family.
David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s Website
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
