Rocky Mountain High Jinks Final Newsletter

March 24, 2025

Our thanks to everyone for making Rocky Mountain High Jinks so enjoyable, especially our amazing Guests of Honor Manuel Ramos, Sara Paretsky, Grace Koshida and Toastmaster John Copenhaver, as we celebrated the power of our community to make a difference.

We are so grateful to the moderators who were willing to help their fellow panelists shine, and all the volunteers who make this all-volunteer convention possible.

And we can’t thank volunteer convention photographer Darrell Hoemann enough. The photographs below are thanks to Darrell, except for the few amateur iPhone pictures he should not be held responsible for. Links to Darrell’s videos of the four Guest of Honor Interviews are included below. Darrell sold his first photo to a daily newspaper at 16, starting a nearly 50-year career as both a journalist and a visual communicator. Visit www.dhoemann.com to see Darrell’s work.

Volunteers helping to stuff the book bags on Wednesday.

Les & Leslie Blatt (Speed Dating MCs) and Mike Befeler (New-Author Breakfast Chair)

Been There, Wrote That panel: Matt Coyle, Glen Erik Hamilton, Gar Anthony Haywood (M), Wendall Thomas, Tracy Clark

Resistance in Crime Fiction, How to Take Risks and Still Entertain panel: David Heska Wanbli Weiden, John Copenhaver, Terry Shames (M), Robin Gigl, Rob Osler

Fan Guest of Honor Grace Koshida mulling over an answer to yet one more surprise question from Leslie Karst.
Watch the Interview

Lefty Debut Novel Nominees panel: Peter Malone Elliott, Cindy Goyette, Audrey Lee, Lucinda Surber (M), Jennifer K. Morita, K.T. Nguyen

Lefty Best Novel Nominees panel: Margot Douaihy, James L’Etoile, Wendall Thomas (M), Claire Booth, Rob Hart, Leslie Karst, Duane Swierczynski

Lefty Humorous Novel Nominees panel: Janet Rudolph (M), A.J. Devlin, Rob Osler, Ellen Byron, Catriona McPherson, Jennifer J. Chow

Guest of Honor Manuel Ramos in conversation with David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Watch the Interview

Balancing Storytelling with Support of Basic Rights panel: Margot Douaihy and Sara Paretsky

Toastmaster John Copenhaver in conversation with Christa Faust
Watch the Interview

The Readers Panel: Grace Koshida, Lucinda Surber (M), Janet Rudolph, Catriona McPherson (Timekeeper & Photo Bomber), Pat Sellers, Laurie Sheehan

What Drives Someone to Murder panel: Gar Anthony Haywood and Manuel Ramos

Guest of Honor Sara Paretsky in conversation with Leslie Budewitz
Watch the Interview

Author-Hosted Table: Dänna Wilberg, Terry Shepherd, and Michelle Drier with the Golden Gate Bridge to honor Left Coast Crime 2026: San Francisco Schemin’

Lucinda Surber presenting John Copenhaver with the Toastmaster Award
(These beautiful awards were designed for Left Coast Crime 2025 by local kiln-fired glass artist Patti Gill.)

Toastmaster John Copenhaver presenting Grace Koshida her Fan Guest of Honor Award

Toastmaster John Copenhaver presenting Manuel Ramos his Guest of Honor Award

Toastmaster John Copenhaver presenting Sara Paretsky her Guest of Honor Award

Cynthia Kuhn, the lucky winner of the annual Quilt Raffle, with quilt creator Vallery Feldman.

High bidder Baird Nuckolls (R) receives copies of John Copenhaver’s novels along with Phillippa Watson and Judy Peabody dolls created by artist Jeffery Paul Herrity (L). Also auctioned was a name in a future Sara Paretsky novel. The Silent Action featured donations by Manuel Ramos and many other authors. All funds from the Live and Silent Auctions as well as the Quilt Raffle went to this year's beneficiary Brink Literacy Project. We are grateful to all who donated and bid!

Janet Rudolph (one of the founders of Left Coast Crime) presenting James L’Etoile with the Lefty Award for Best Novel.
(These beautiful Lefty Awards featuring a Colorado mountain glaze were created for Left Coast Crime 2025 by Denver potter Anita Garfein.)

Janet Dawson and Margaret Lucke (attendees of Left Coast Crime #1, San Francisco 1991) presenting Jennifer K. Morita with the Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel

Rob Osler receiving the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Novel from Ana Manwaring & Michele Drier (Co-Chairs for LCC 2026: San Francisco Schemin’). Rob urged us all to accept Burley's (a key character in Cirque du Slay and Devil's Chew Toy) "Every Fifth Challenge." For the rest of the year, every fifth book you purchase, choose a novel whose author and main character(s) represent a lived experience vastly different from your own. Rob and Burley promise that readers taking up the Every Fifth Challenge will be enlightened, educated, and entertained.

John Copenhaven receiving the Lefty Award for Best Historical Novel from Randal Brandt (Fan Guest of Honor for LCC 2026: San Francisco Schemin’)

Behind the scenes peek at LCC’s Brain Trust: Stan Ulrich & Dotty Morefield plotting their next action.

Why Are Historicals Appealing to Modern Readers? panel point-off between Linda McNab (M) & S.J. Rozan

Humorous nominees A.J. Devlin, Jennifer J. Chow, Ellen Byron, and Catriona McPherson prepping for their panel.

We’d all like to know what happened what just happened in the Touch of Romance panel to cause this reaction from Michele Drier and Anne Louise Bannon.

And a final reminder to seek out joy whenever possible, like dancing the can-can when the hotel has removed the stage and most of the mics before the Final Guest of Honor panel.

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.

More information about LCC 2026 & Online Registration