THIS INFORMATION APPLIED TO LEFT COAST CRIME 16, A CONVENTION HELD IN MARCH 2006. DETAILS MAY NO LONGER BE UP TO DATE AND/OR VALID.

Friday, 10 March 2006.
Tuesday, 21 February 2006.
Sunday, 8 January 2006.
Friday, 16 December 2005.
Monday, 22 August 2005.
Thursday, 21 July 2005.
Thursday, 07 July 2005.
Monday, 23 May 2005.
Friday, 18 March 2005.

Friday, 10 March 2006.

Hi all,

This will be the last update for Left Coast Crime 2006, and we both hope you are looking forward to the convention as much as we are.

This final update is a bit bare because the illustrations we included in the past stopped some of you from receiving the LCC emails. Another reason may be due to us sending them out to 50 addresses at a time and your servers or email programmes recognising the message as spam. We have sent this email out in bulk again because it just is not feasible to send it to 400 people individually. However, this update, just as all the previous ones are available on the website.

Now, for the latest information.

Bristol has two Marriott Hotels. Left Coast Crime is being held at the Bristol Marriott ROYAL HOTEL on COLLEGE GREEN.

Some of you have asked about money. Since different companies have different charges for using ATMs; we can't tell you whether that is a better option than Traveller's Cheques. Both will work, and there are plenty of ATMs around. To use an ATM you will need to know your 4 digit PIN number. Britain, like the rest of Europe, has gone over to using the 4 digit PIN number when buying anything with debit or credit cards. Overseas visitors are exempt from having to use their PIN but you will probably have to show an ID. So, if you can, it may be an idea to try and find out what the PIN number is anyway. (For more info visit www.chipandpin.co.uk)

Weather and how to get to the Bristol Marriott ROYAL HOTEL by car and taxi/shuttles: we've put up links for both of these on the website.

People who plan to drive to the Bristol Marriott ROYAL HOTEL will be pleased to know that the hotel offers parking. They might be less pleased to know that it costs £7 per day, but those used to parking in UK cities will know that that is a bargain.

Some of you have asked why we have scheduled panels opposite the interviews with our Featured Guest Authors. There are a number of reasons. Much as we like our Guest Authors, we recognise that they may not be everybody's cup of tea. Therefor we felt it was right to offer an alternative. Also, the Kings Room holds 250 people, and Merchant 1 and 5 hold up to 80. Do the math, with up to 400 people attending, not everybody is going to fit in one or two rooms. That is why we have three tracks throughout the day.

So who is on at what time in which room? Check out the programme online.

That is it until you get here. From now on only the most urgent and necessary emails will receive a response because we'll be busy preparing everything for your arrival.

We look forward to seeing you next week. Have a safe journey to Bristol!

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
Co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time,
LEFT COAST CRIME!

Tuesday, 21 February 2006.

Hi all,

Wow, it is hard to believe that Left Coast Crime 16 is less than a month away!

As I write this the programme book is being sent to the printers, the itinerary is up on the PROGRAMME page, the convention bags and pins are being made up, and we have just received a cheque from David Torrans at No Alibis for complimentary wine at the Gala Dinner! So, knock on wood, everything is going according to schedule!

Some announcements, news and updates follow below. However, if you still have questions, please send an email to info@leftcoastcrime2006.com before the 28th of February, and we will address them in the final update.

RECEIVING UPDATES
A number of you have contacted us to say that you are not receiving the updates. This may be due to your email programmes and/or servers identifying the email as spam. Unfortunately we can not ensure that each and every one of you receives the update. However, as previously mentioned, this and all previous updates are available on the website.

Also, if you have registered for Left Coast Crime and don’t see your name on the PARTICIPANTS page, then please let us know as soon as possible.

AWARDS
The final date for nominating books for the Lefty and Bruce Alexander awards is the 27th of February. We hope to announce the shortlist within 48 hours of the closing date.

The Lefty is the award for best humourous crime novel published in the English language for the first time in 2005. The Bruce Alexander History Mystery Award is for best historical crime novel—set anywhere in the time period up to 1956, fifty years before LCC16—published in the English language for the first time in 2005. This award honours the memory of historical crime novelist Bruce Alexander—aka Bruce Cook.

Registered delegates may nominate one book for each award. If you haven’t already sent in your nominations then please do so before next Tuesday. For your vote to qualify you must send your nomination to awards@leftcoastcrime2006.com, and list your nomination in the following order: award - author - title – publisher

The awards are being sponsored by the makers of traditional Bristol Blue Glass.

HOW TO GET TO BRISTOL
If you are still trying to work out how to get to Bristol, we have links to bus/coach, plane and train services on our website from the HOW TO GET THERE page.

WATERSHED FILM NOIR PROGRAMME
Watershed, Britain’s premier media centre, is located next to the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel. To celebrate the arrival of Left Coast Crime in Bristol, Watershed is presenting a programme of films and discussions around the work of hard-boiled fiction writer James M. Cain in the lead-up to the convention. Delegates arriving a few days before the convention are encouraged to attend these rare cinema screenings. For more information, please visit the Watershed Media Centre website.

LEFT COAST CRIME EXCURSIONS
All of Tours of Discovery’s Left Coast Crime excursions will be departing from the main entrance of the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel.

Please be present 15 minutes before departure.

The departure and return arrival times are:

• Tuesday 14th March – Tintern Abbey & Berkeley Castle (lunch with Edward Marston)
  Depart 8.30am – Return 5.30pm
• Wednesday 15th March – Oxford (tea with Colin Dexter)
  Depart 8.30am - Return 6.00pm
• Thursday 16th March – Bath (tea with Peter Lovesey)
  Depart 8.30am - Return 1.30pm
• Monday 20th March – Brecon Beacons & Hay on Wye
  Depart 8.30am - Return 6.00pm

All return times are approximate. However, Tours of Discovery has assured us that Thursday’s tour will be back by 1.30pm at the very latest, to ensure that everyone can be present for the first Left Coast Crime panels at 2.00pm.

There is still room available on a couple of tours. For tickets please visit the WHAT TO DO/TRIPS page on the website.

Tours of Discovery will also be offering a walking tour of Bristol from 2.00pm until 5.00pm on Sunday the 19th of March. Tickets will be £12 and can be bought from Tours of Discovery before the walk.

LEFT COAST CRIME REGISTRATION
Registration starts on Thursday, the 16th of March at 10.00am in the lobby on the first floor. Do remember that in Europe the first floor is one up from the ground floor!

BUFFET DINNER
We are organising a buffet dinner on Sunday evening for delegates who are staying on. The after dinner speaker will be Simon Brett, crime writer and raconteur extraordinaire. This will be Simon’s ONLY APPEARANCE at Left Coast Crime 2006. Tickets are £19.50/$37.50 and they can be booked on the REGISTRATION PAGE.

SHIPPING
How are you going to get all those books back if you are flying into Britain for the convention? Mail Boxes Etc will be in the College 1 Room on the 3rd floor from 1.00pm until 5.30pm on Saturday, and from 10.00am until 2.00pm on Sunday to handle all your shipping needs at regular British UPS prices.

I think that is probably is it for now. Don’t forget to email us those unanswered questions you may have, and we will try to deal with them in the next update.

We look forward to seeing you in Bristol next month.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
Co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 16.

Sunday, 8 January 2006.

Dear Left Coast Crime delegate,

Left Coast Crime 16 will be awarding the Lefty and the Bruce Alexander
History Mystery Awards at the Gala Dinner in Bristol on Saturday, the 18th
of March.

The Lefty is an award for best humorous crime novel published in the English
language in 2005.

The Bruce Alexander History Mystery Award is for best historical crime novel
published in 2005. It may be set anywhere in the time period up to 1956—fifty years before LCC16. This award honours the memory of historical crime
novelist Bruce Alexander (aka Bruce Cook).

Every fully registered delegate is allowed to submit one title for each
award. All fully registered attending delegates are allowed one further vote
for both categories to select a winner from the top five shortlisted
nominees. (The shortlist will be announced shortly before LCC 16.)

For your vote to qualify you must send your nomination to
awards@leftcoastcrime2006.com, and list your nomination in the following
order:

award - author - title - publisher

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

With best wishes,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

Friday, 16 December 2005.

Hi all,

It has been a while since the last update, and we have lots of news for you:

• Convention hotels
• Dinners
• Awards
• Non-attending registration
• Limited edition short story
• Crime writing workshops
• Convention trips
• Shipping

CONVENTION HOTELS

The Bristol Marriott Royal, the convention hotel, has only a very few rooms left at the convention rate—£90 per night with a £20 discount for single occupancy. (The convention rate only applies to registered delegates.) So, if are thinking about registering and wish to stay at the convention hotel, do so before it is too late!

After months of chasing Travelodge, the budget alternative to the convention hotel, we have finally been told that they will not be offering LCC delegates a convention rate. The regular price at the Travelodge Bristol Central is £55 per night for a room (allowing up to four to share). Don’t hold off too long booking here either: it is the closest budget accommodation to the convention hotel, and once the Bristol Marriott Royal is full, the Travelodge will fill up fast also. (Make sure you book Bristol Central because Travelodge’s three other Bristol hotels are out of town.)

Once these hotels are booked up, all we can suggest is that you try the usual websites like Expedia, HotelDiscount.com, Orbitz, etc.

And don’t forget, the Left Coast Crime registration fee includes a complimentary continental breakfast at the convention hotel on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of March.

DINNERS

Tickets to the Gala Dinner have now sold out. However, for a limited time we will continue to allow people to register for the dinner, and they will be added to a waiting list.

We are organising a buffet dinner for delegates who are staying on until Monday or Tuesday. The after dinner speaker will be Simon Brett, crime writer and raconteur extraordinaire. This will be Simon’s ONLY APPEARANCE at Left Coast Crime 2006. Tickets are £19.50/$37.50 and they can be booked on the website.

AWARDS

Left Coast Crime 16 will be awarding the Lefty and the Bruce Alexander Awards at the Gala Dinner. The Lefty is an award for best humorous crime novel published in the English language in 2005. The Bruce Alexander is for best historical crime novel (set anywhere in the time period up to 1956—fifty years before LCC16) published in 2005. All registered delegates will be sent an award ballot, and a winner will be voted on from the top five shorlisted nominees. Registered delegates will be allowed to vote once in each round for both awards. The awards are being sponsored by the makers of traditional Bristol Blue Glass.

NON-ATTENDING REGISTRATION

Some long-time LCC fans have said how sad they are that they will not be able to make it to the Bristol convention, and they have asked whether we will be offering an ‘associate registration’ for ‘non-attending delegates’. The answer is yes! The Non-Attending Registration is £15 (in the UK)/$35 US (outside the UK), and non-attending delegates will be sent the convention bag and contents (programme, pin, and the limited edition short story).

LIMITED EDITION SHORT STORY

With the help of a grant from Brunel 200 we have been able to commission a short story written especially for LCC. (Brunel 200 is the organisation set up to celebrate the life and achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineer behind some of Bristol’s most famous sights.)

Clifton Suspension Bridge by local artist Trevor Haddrell

An obvious choice for this task was Andrew Taylor, an author with strong ties to the city, and two-time winner of the CWA’s Dagger for Best Historical Crime Novel. Staying true to the spirit of Brunel’s time, the story will be serialised in newspapers, but delegates will receive a limited edition in their convention bag.

CRIME WRITING WORKSHOPS

In the UK, the Arvon Foundation is recognised as one of the leading organisers of (crime) writing courses. In the US, Book Passage offers one of the best conferences for aspiring crime writers. Left Coast Crime is proud to offer workshops by award winning crime writers who have participated in each of these programmes: Andrew Taylor and Jan Burke respectively. On Sunday afternoon they will teach a crime writing workshop. Throughout the convention there will be a number of related panels that will compliment the workshop. (These panels will offer insight into research; the relationship between authors, agents, and editors; tips from professionals like police, laywers, etc.) The workshop will only be held if there are a minimum of eight registrations. (The maximum capacity is sixteen registrations.) Registration includes one free submission to the British Crime Writers’ Debut Dagger Competition for qualifying writers. The workshop will run from 1 until 4pm on Sunday the 19th of March, and registration fee is £75/$135.

CONVENTION TRIPS

The pre- and post Left Coast Crime convention trips are close to selling out. However, we will continue to allow people to register because, if enough delegates do so, it may allow Tours of Discovery, the company organising the trips, to organise a second group for the same trips.

This is a unique opportunity to get a private tour of Berkeley Castle and visit Tintern Abbey; see Oxford and have tea with Colin Dexter; wander through Bath and have tea with Peter Lovesey; or drive through the Brecon Beacons and go on a spending spree in Hay-on-Wye, ‘Britain’s largest second hand bookstore’.

We are excited to announce that Edward Marston is the latest, and final, addition to the author line-up for the convention trips. Marston is the perfect speaker for the Tintern/Berkeley outing. Not only is he a native of Wales—home to Tintern Abbey, but also because his short story, "Perfect Shadows," is set at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. (The story is available in the new anthology Murder, Ancient and Modern from Crippen & Landru.) Delegates who have booked for this tour may be interested in the author's The Owls of Gloucestershire as well.
Visit the Trips page for more information.

SHIPPING

And how are you going to get all those books back if you are flying into Britain for the convention? Mail Boxes Etc will be on hand on Saturday and Sunday to handle all your shipping needs at regular British UPS prices.

Finally, if you have registered, but your name does not yet appear on the website under PARTICIPANTS, please let us know.

We look forward to seeing you in March.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time:
LEFT COAST CRIME!

PS Please help us spread the word about Left Coast Crime 16. If you have a website, please put a link up. If you would like the LCC 'skeleton Bob' logo (courtesy of Bill Selby) for your site, let us know and we will send you one.

Monday, 22 August 2005.

Hi all,

We must open this Left Coast Crime update with some sad news. Crime novelist Dennis Lynds, also known as Michael Collins, died this weekend at the age of 81. Dennis and his wife, thriller writer Gayle Lynds, were to be the Guest Authors at the 2007 Left Coast Crime in Seattle. Our thoughts are with Gayle and their family. Please visit www.dennislynds.com for more information.

As for the updates, each time one is sent out, some of you don’t seem to receive them. So, from now on, all of the updates will be posted on the Left Coast Crime website as well.

Those of you who are thinking about coming to Bristol with easyJet, or who plan to use the airline to travel around the UK or Europe before or after Left Coast Crime: now is the time to book the flights if you want to get the cheapest prices. The later you book the more expensive the prices will become. People in the UK you might also check out the cost of easyJet flights to Bristol because, if you live near one of the airports they fly from, it may be cheaper than other public transport options!

Delegates who have tried to book rooms at the Travelodge, the recommended budget hotel, have not yet been able to do so. This is because rooms are released six months in advance. So, if you plan to stay until the 20th or 21st of March, you will be able to book your accommodation at the Travelodge towards the end of September. (Another email will be sent out if we are able to negotiate a conference rate at the Travelodge.) It is not just because the Travelodge prices are lower that we recommend this as an alternative to the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, it is also very close to the convention hotel. Anyone looking for alternative places to stay should visit Destination Bristol’s website: visitbristol.co.uk

The Left Coast Crime website has been updated, and the PARTICIPANTS page has had the appropriate names added and removed. Please visit the page, as some of your favourite authors may have registered since you last checked.

Though we don’t expect to have a draft version of the Left Coast Crime programme up until early 2006, a PROGRAMME page has been added. From time to time we will be adding snippets of information. The first big item of news is that the newly formed International Thriller Writers organisation will be co-programming a number of thriller orientated panels, as well as announcing their first ever shortlist for their awards, the Thrillers, at the convention in Bristol!

And finally—in more ways than one—you can book for the pre- and post conference trips! Tours of Discovery, long-time UK collaborators of Smithsonian Tours' Classic Mystery Lover's England, will be in charge of the excursions. This is your chance to have lunch or tea with Colin Dexter or Peter Lovesey. And Berkeley Castle, scene of the gruesome death of King Edward II, is opening up its doors especially for Left Coast Crime! All outings will be accompanied by a Blue Badge Guide from The Guild of Registered Tourist Guides. A link to the registration form can be found at the bottom of the WHAT TO DO/TRIPS page on the website. Please note that tickets can only be booked by registered delegates. (However, registered delegates may book tickets for friends and family.)

That is it for now. If you are going to Bouchercon, the world mystery convention, in Chicago, please come by the Left Coast Crime booth to register, or just to say ‘hi’ and have a taste of Harvey’s Bristol Cream and some chocolate.

We’ll look forward to seeing you.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time:
LEFT COAST CRIME!

Thursday, 21 July 2005.

Hi all,

Good news on the hotel front! The Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel has agreed to extend the conference room rate to cover period from the 12th of March until the 21st of March. The room rate is £90 per night, with a £20 discount for single room occupancy.

Something that we did not make clear to our US delegates is that the conference room rate includes taxes. So, when we say that the room rates are £70 per single room, and £90 for a double, that is all you pay. Please note, however, that these rates do not include breakfasts outside the conference dates of the 17th, 18th, and 19th of March. Only on the latter three dates will a continental breakfast be served to all delegates, regardless of whether you are staying at the conference hotel or the budget hotel (Travelodge Bristol Central).

Better yet, contrary to earlier reports, you can now also book rooms at the conference hotel online. Just go to

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage.mi?marshaCode=BRSRY

and use the following group code: LCCLCCA

Hopefully the above news will allow more of you to attend the pre-conference trips to Oxford (including tea with Colin Dexter), Tintern Abbey/Berkeley Castle, Bath (including tea with Peter Lovesey), and Hay-on-Wye.

Please visit WHAT TO DO/TRIPS for more details.

We  look forward to seeing you in Bristol.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time:
LEFT COAST CRIME!

PS Please help us spread the word about Left Coast Crime 16. If you have a website, please put a link up. If you would like the LCC 'skeleton Bob' logo (courtesy of Bill Selby) for your site, let us know and we will send you one.

Thursday, 07 July 2005.

Hi all,

Welcome to the third Left Coast Crime 16 newsletter.

As some of you have discovered, details of the pre- and post-conference trips are now online. We are very pleased to announce that Colin Dexter and Peter Lovesey have agreed to participate with the excursions to Oxford (14 March) and Bath (16 March) respectively. Though no author is yet attached to the Tintern Abbey/Berkeley Castle outing (15 March), it is not to be missed, as it is a great way to get into the British countryside.

Many of you have already enquired how to register for these excursions. Only (!) registered delegates will be entitled to sign up, and those of you who have already done so will receive an email announcement within the next two months with details on how to do so.

We also have received a number of queries about whether the conference hotel rate would apply to the dates of the excursions. At the moment this is not the case. However, we are negotiating with the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel to extend the conference room rates to cover the week running up to Left Coast Crime, as well as the Monday for those of you who wish to go to the Hay-on-Wye trip (20 March). Any developments will be announced by email.

Please don't forget that the Travelodge—a five minute walk away from the conference hotel—is the suggested budget hotel if the Marriott rates are too high for those of you travelling on a limited budget.

All full weekend delegates will be entitled to a continental breakfast on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Details of the excursions, the conference- and budget hotel can be found on the Left Coast Crime 16 website.

The Gala Dinner, which will include numerous award presentations, is limited to the first 250 people who sign up—less than 150 tickets remain. So, if you haven't done so already, why not visit the website and sign up for the conference and the dinner!

We look forward to seeing you in Bristol.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time:
LEFT COAST CRIME!

Monday, 23 May 2005.

Hi all,

Welcome to the second Left Coast Crime 16 newsletter—or perhaps not so much a newsletter as an update.

The reason for this missive is let you know that that the Guest Author line-up for LCC 16 has been completed. We are very pleased to announce that, joining Toastmaster Lee Child and UK Guest Author Anne Perry, are Jeffery Deaver and Boris Akunin, US and Mainland European Guest Authors respectively.

With one possible exception, our Guest Authors need no further introduction. If you haven't heard of our Mainland European Guest Author, that will soon change! Boris Akunin, one of Russia's most popular authors, has written ten Erast Fandorin mysteries. To date, three titles have been published in the UK and US—The Winter Queen, Murder on the Leviathan, and The Turkish Gambit—and they have met with popular and critical acclaim. A forth title will appear later this year (The Death of Achilles), and the first instalment of his Sister Pelagia series is scheduled for a 2006 release.

Pictures of all the Guest Authors, as well as the UK and US Fan Guests can be found on the LCC 16 website.

Talking about the website, in early June it will undergo a major overhaul. The existing information will be expanded, and added will be details of how to get to Bristol, entertainment tips, and details of extra pre-conference day trips to Oxford (Tuesday, March 14th); Tintern Abbey & Berkeley Castle (Wednesday, March 15th); and Bath (Thursday, March 16th). Each of these three excursions will include a tea or lunch with an award-winning author who’s books are set in those locales. (Can you guess who?) There will also be a post-conference trip to Hay-on-Wye (Monday, March 20th), a village of second hand bookstores.

The Gala Dinner, which will include numerous award presentations, is limited to the first 250 people who sign up—less than 200 tickets remain. So, if you haven't done so already, why not visit the website, and sign up for the conference and the dinner!

We look forward to seeing you in Bristol.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time:
LEFT COAST CRIME!

Friday, 18 March 2005.

Hi all,

Welcome to the first Left Coast Crime 16 newsletter!

The site has already undergone minor alterations, but some major changes have occurred today, thanks to our wonderful webmistress Sue Trowbridge (www.interbridge.com). We also want to thank Bill Selby (www.billselby.com) for designing Skeleton Bob, our fantastic logo.

Online registration is now possible, and we have images up of our Toastmaster and our UK Guest Author, as well as our Fan Guests of Honour. A list of registered authors, as well as fan attendees is also on view.

Subscription (non-attending) registrations will be available soon.

Coming soon will be details of pre-conference day trips, together with details of how to get to Bristol.

Those who have recently registered will soon be receiving email confirmation. For those who want to book rooms at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, the conference hotel, the Left Coast Crime rates are £90 per night, with a £20 discount for single room occupancy. The rates only apply if booked by phone or fax directly with the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel. The telephone number for the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel is +44 (0)117 925 5100, the fax number is +44 (0)117 925 1515.

The suggested budget hotel (£55 per night) is the Bristol Centre Travelodge (www.travelodge.co.uk), a five minute walk from the convention hotel.

We look forward to seeing you in Bristol.

Cheers,

Myles Allfrey & Adrian Muller,
co-hosts of Left Coast Crime 2006.

For a bloody good time:
LEFT COAST CRIME!

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