PROGRESS REPORT THREE

RANDOM NOTES

from Debbie Cross, LCC 12 Co-Chair

The Left Coast Crime Committee is now in full gear getting ready for the convention. We are really excited about how things are shaping up. Not only do we have great Guests of Honor, but many other talented and interesting authors will on hand to share in the fun. We are especially looking forward seeing those that have agreed to entertain us Friday evening.

Memberships keep rolling in and we are projecting that we may exceed our original estimate of 500 attendees. This includes folks from all over the US, Canada, and as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom. We hope not only to meet your expectations for interesting and informative programming, but also that you will remember Left Coast Crime 12 as a fun convention.

We have worked to keep the registrations rates well below most recent mystery conventions. One of the ways we have been able to do this is by not paying outrageous hotel prices to provide mediocre hotel meals (therefore you should plan accordingly). Although no meals will be provided, we will be hosting two receptions, one featuring desserts and another featuring hors d'oeuvres in addition to our well-stocked hospitality suite with extensive open hours. Plan not only for days full of programming, but for evenings full of entertainment and socializing!

Many thanks to Nancy Wirsig McClure and Stu Shiffman for the donation of their artwork, and David Levine for the map.

Registration will be located in the lobby of the Doubletree Columbia River (the convention hotel). Just look to the right as you walk in to the hotel--you can't miss it.

Hours:	Thursday	Noon to 7PM
	Friday	9AM to 6PM
	Saturday	9AM to 4PM

(During other hours, Registration will be in the Left Coast Crime Office. Follow the signs to the "Tualatin Room" in the Interstate Wing.)

One-day admissions will be available at the door.

Your registration fee covers all four days of the convention (Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon), including special events both Friday and Saturday evening.

Subscribing memberships are also available for people who want the publications but cannot attend. For $30, you will receive all the mailed publications and the program book.

Full refunds are no longer available. However, you may still convert an attending membership to subscribing until 2/15/2002, and receive a refund for the difference.

Our room block expires on February 28, 2002. After that date, the remaining rooms are released to the general public. If you wait until then, you may encounter a full hotel, or might not get the convention rate. So it's important to make your room reservation soon! (They're going fast.) The room rate will be a flat $99 a night (no energy surcharge, or corkage charges) for up to four people in the room, not including the room tax. (Currently 11½%, but there's no general sales tax in Oregon.) There's also a $10 a night additional charge if you request a river view room.

There occasionally have been problems when people have tried to make room reservations through the national reservation office. That seems to have slacked off now, but the best way you can make sure to get someone who has the proper convention room information is to call or fax the hotel directly, and ask for "In-House Reservations". Then you should have no problem. (If you do, contact us right away and we'll work to get it fixed.)

By the way, the tentative sale of our hotel fell through, so we're still part of the Doubletree/Hilton family and you'll still get those Hilton Honors points for your stay here for LCC 12.

Doubletree Hotel, Columbia River
1401 N Hayden Island Dr
Portland OR 97217
(503) 283-2111 (voice) - (503) 283-4718 (fax)

Suite reservations must be made directly through the Left Coast Crime committee, by no later than February 15th!

The deadline for submitting your short stories or novel synopses (see progress report 2 or the web page for the complete rules) is February 15th, 2002. (Don't forget the $20 fee.)

Most program participants will be doing book signing sessions during the convention. This is a wonderful opportunity for fans to meet the authors. However, we would like to address the question of autographing etiquette.

When ever possible, please try to have your books signed during the specified periods and let the authors enjoy their convention. Please be polite when asking for an autograph and do not bother authors when they are otherwise engaged. Restaurants, bars, and rest rooms should be considered off limits.

If you have an exceptionally large number of books to get signed, please wait until others with just a few books have had a chance to get theirs signed. If you abuse the system, you may be asked to step to the side until the end of the session.

If you acquire more than you can carry home in your luggage, we've arranged for The Packaging Store will be on hand to ship packages. They will be available on-site Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Friday: Music To Die For!

After dinner, on Friday night at Left Coast Crime, March 22, 2002, join us in the beautiful Riverview Room for some fabulous desserts and drinks while enjoying some comedy and music to die for.

The entertainment features the Charles Crosman Jazz Band, with comedy routines by April Henry and Barbara Seranella, and songs performed by Judy Jance, Deni Dietz, Glenn Meganck, and others. With special guests: The Knott Sisters. The MC is Jerry Ford.

And don't forget the Hawaiian Shirt Contest!

Saturday: The Lefty Award Ceremony

Left Coast Crime 12 will present the Lefty Award for the most humorous mystery novel published in 2001. This year's finalists are:

• Donna Andrews, Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
• Selma Eichler, Murder Can Upset Your Mother
• Jerrilyn Farmer, Dim Sum Dead
• Bill Fitzhugh, Fender Benders
• Susan Isaacs, Long Time No See

Any registered (attending or subscribing) member of Left Coast Crime 12 may vote for one of these titles. You may submit your vote in writing to:

Left Coast Crime 12
PO Box 18033
Portland OR 97218-0033

The committee has volunteered hundreds of hours to present this convention and we could use your help for a few hours during the convention. If you volunteer, we will have a great time. I don't know why, it's a mystery!

Now that you have finished your groan and I have your attention, please think about what you can do to join in. As you can see in the many department reports there are many activities planned. I would like to match your preferences or skills to help with these events.

The auction needs five people to help with item checkouts beginning about 9:30pm. There will be a fifteen-minute "training" sometime in the afternoon. During the auction, duties are to collect each bidder's purchases in neat piles for their easy retrieval, to use a custom computer program to provide bidders with receipts, and to take payments and mark the receipts.

We would also like to recruit people for shifts to staff a table during the con to promote the auction and sell raffle tickets. Some roving volunteers might want to just sell raffle tickets as they move about the con to help promote the event. The prize will be given at the auction.

The LCC 12 Dealer's Room is currently sold out. Here's an updated list of who you'll find in the room:

• Blue Sky Books
• Cardinal Books
• Deadly Alibi Press Ltd.
• Fantasy Connection
• Hawkline Books
• InterContinental Publishing
• Mary Mason Bookseller
• Metheglin Press
• Murder By the Book
• Mysteries Plus
• The Mystery Bookstore
• Poisoned Pen Press
• Rue Morgue
• Sleuth of Baker Street
• Tantalus Books
• Whodunit?
• Wrigley-Cross Books
• WYSIWYG Books & Collectables

HOURS

Are you a self-published or print-on-demand author? Are you concerned that your book will not be for sale in the Dealers' Room? A table will provided, probably in the lobby area of the hotel, for authors to sell their own books. There will be a sign-up sheet for one hour blocks of time. Just find the table when you arrive and sign up for your time slot. If there are still blocks of time left by the end of the day Friday, you can choose to sign up for a second slot. (This will be operated on the honor system.)

Current List of Members (as of 12/17/01)