A Tale of Two Chapters: Sisters in Crime Across the Country, Part One

by Paula Gail Benson

During 2020, the year of the pandemic, when so many meetings went from being in-person to virtual, I had the good fortune to meet Sonja Hazzard-Webster online. Sonja was the President of the Capitol Crimes Chapter of Sisters in Crime (based in Sacramento, California) and I was the President of the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime (based in Columbia, South Carolina). When Palmetto Chapter had to convert its annual Mystery in the Midlands program to an online format, we sent the information out on the Sisters in Crime Presidents’ List Serv. We were lucky. With Charlaine Harris as our keynote and people anxious to attend writing conferences, we had over 900 people to register.

What meant a great deal to me in 2020 was that Sonja reached out to me with encouragement. She had links to South Carolina and registered to support us. Our friendship was online only, but very genuine. I remember “meeting” her in person at a virtual cocktail hour hosted by then SinC President Lori Rader-Day. I witnessed Sonja’s vivacious charm, which captured everyone’s heart.

Sonja Hazzard-Webster

Sonja passed away suddenly on June 15, 2020, but her happy spirit continues to guide the Capitol Crimes Chapter. Because Sonja’s kindness meant so much to me, I decided to join the Capitol Crimes Chapter. Penny Manson, who succeeded Sonja as President, became another friend. As Presidents of two chapters, Penny and I began talking about a joint program, sponsored by both Capitol Crimes and Palmetto, to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of Sisters in Crime.

This year, with Sarah Bresniker as President of the Capitol Crimes Chapter and Carla Damron as President of the Palmetto Chapter, the two chapters are working together on a Killer Workshop to be presented on Saturday, May 14, 2022. This unique program combines two events in one: (1) if you are in or near Sacramento, you can attend a day-long in-person workshop featuring authors, forensic and publishing professionals, and an exciting keynote, and (2) if you can’t get to Sacramento, you can join us virtually for three panels of authors and an exciting keynote.

Both the in-person and virtual events will share the exciting keynote, who is Gregg Hurwitz, the New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of 23 thrillers, including the ORPHAN X series. His novels have won numerous awards and been published in 33 languages.

Gregg Hurwitz

The ORPHAN X novels are part of what got me through the pandemic. Hurwitz’ protagonist, Evan Smoak, is the rumored “Nowhere Man,” a person who can rescue anyone from the most dire of circumstances. Evan was trained as a government assassin, but left the program to use his skills for individuals whose troubles seem unresolvable. DARK HORSE, the seventh novel in the series, has just been released. In addition to the ORPHAN X novels, Hurwitz has written screenplays, comics, poetry, and articles.

Early bird registration rates are available for the Killer Workshop through March 31, 2022. For the in-person event, members pay $65 and nonmembers $80. After March 31, members pay $75 and nonmembers $90.

For the virtual event, the early bird rate is $25. After March 31, the virtual event rate is $35.

Here’s a link to register for the Killer Workshop (in-person or virtual): https://capitolcrimes.wildapricot.org/Workshop

By checking out the information about the Killer Workshop, you can sign up for a dream editing giveaway at: https://capitolcrimes.wildapricot.org/Dream-Editing-Giveaway (Those who register for the Killer Workshop are automatically eligible for the giveaway!)

During our planning for this in-person/virtual joint chapter event, I’ve felt Sonja Hazzard-Webster’s continuing enthusiastic influence. She would have loved the opportunity to bring writers together.

Please consider joining us. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 14, 2022. If you can’t attend during the event, the virtual program will remain available to registrants until July 31, 2022.

And, please check out tomorrow’s post on Writers Who Kill for more information about how our two chapters planned the Killer Workshop and selected its participants!