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!

Join the Tradition: Attend Mystery in the Midlands (Virtually June 26, 2021), Part One

 by Paula Gail Benson

For the fourth summer, the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America are partnering to present a mid-summer mystery writing extravaganza, featuring award-winning novelists and short story authors that represent every aspect of the genre. Originally an in-person conference, set in “Famously Hot” Columbia, S.C., the pandemic caused us to go virtual last year and we were delighted to attract an audience of over 900.

This year, we continue the virtual tradition on Saturday, June 26, 2021, from 10:00 am to 2:45 pm ET. We hope you’ll join us for a stellar line up of authors talking about their craft.

Our guest of honor is Dr. Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan series that became the television show Bones. Dr. Reichs will be interviewed by Debra Goldstein.

In addition to Dr. Reichs, we’ll have three panels about: writing short stories (with Frankie Bailey, Michael Bracken, and Barb Goffman); American authors penning British historicals (with Laurie R. King, Lori Rader-Day, and Caroline Todd); and writing great suspense (with Yasmin Argoe, Robert Dugoni, and Alex Segura).

Already this year, these authors have been nominated for multiple awards: Lori Rader-Day’s The Lucky One was a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark award and has pending nominations for an Agatha and an Anthony. Laurie R. King’s Riviera Gold was an Edgar finalist for the Sue Grafton award. Alex Segura has Anthony nominations for Best Short Story and Best Juvenile/Young Adult Novel. Barb Goffman’s “Dear Emily Etiquette” has been nominated as Best Short Story for an Agatha and an Anthony and won the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award. The Beat of Black Wings, an anthology that features stories by Barb Goffman and Michael Bracken, is nominated for and Anthony in the Best Anthology or Collection category.

What’s the cost to spend half a day listening to these wonderful authors? Just $5 (to help defray our costs). If you can’t listen live, by registering, you’ll have access to the recording

Just click on the following link to register:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-2

I asked our panelists some questions and they were kind to share the following intriguing answers.

Do you have a good luck writing item or habit?

Yasmin Angoe:

No I don’t. I just have a certain set up in my workspace that I always have to have which is either music or some mindless movie (background noise I guess) playing.

Frankie Y. Bailey:

I have a small silver dragon who is reading a newspaper (Knightly News). I found him in a shop in St. Ives (Cornwall, England). That was the setting of Death’s Favorite Child, the first book in my Lizzie Stuart series. I keep him on my desk. Like Lizzie, I met up with a friend from grad school to spend a week’s vacation there.

Robert Dugoni:

As for a good luck writing instrument, I read the novel The Green Mile while I write each book. It is a novel in which the characters come to life and it inspires me to do the same when writing my own novels.

Alex Segura:

I don’t. I actually think the less we ceremonialize writing, the better - because it means we can jump into the work with more immediacy.

Who was your first favorite (for our historical panel, that can be favourite) author?

Yasmin Angoe:

My first favorite author was Beverly Cleary and then Harper Lee.

Frankie Y. Bailey:

My first favorite mystery writer was Richard Martin Stern. His Johnny Ortiz series, set in New Mexico, had the first African American (biracial) professional woman I had encountered in crime fiction. Dr. Cassandra Enright was the curator of small museum in Santa Rosa and worked on archeological sites. I wrote Mr. Stern a fan letter, and he wrote back (in the days when people used snail mail). Years later when I contacted him to ask if he would respond to the questions that I was asking authors about their black characters for the nonfiction book (Out of the Woodpile) I was writing, he graciously agreed. He also sent me the proofs of the next book in the series.  

Michael Bracken:

My first favorite author was Walter R. Brooks, author of the Freddie the Pig series of children’s books. At the time, though, it was Freddie more than Walter who caught and captured my attention.

Barb Goffman:

I believe it was in first or second grade when we first got to borrow books from our school library, and the first book I remember picking up (and adoring) was “B” is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood. That was nearly fifty years ago, but I still remember the title of the book and its author. That book is what inspired me to write my first book, C is for Carolyn. (I know, original, right?) I don’t think I got anywhere past the title, but the seeds of wanting to write were planted. I wrote to the author (or maybe my parents wrote the letter for me), and she responded. I read every book in the series. An online search tells me there were only four, which surprises me. I feel like there were more.

Laurie R. King:

Walter Farley. All those clever, beautiful horses, lovely fantasy for a girl who lived in tract houses with back yards too small for a decent-sized dog.

Lori Rader-Day:

My first favorite was Beverly Cleary. She was the first author I was aware of, the author who made me aware authors existed. EL Konigsberg, Judy Blume—then it started to go dark with Lois Duncan, then Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. The most lasting is probably Agatha Christie, whose books I still pick up. Writing Death at Greenway has brought me closer to her life and work, making me even more of a fan.

Alex Segura:

Probably Sherlock Holmes or HG Wells.

Caroline Todd:

Author--Dorothy Dunnett--she made the past come so alive in her historical mysteries that you felt you were THERE. She became the godmother so to speak of our books.

Check in tomorrow at Writers Who Kill for Part Two of this message! And, don't forget to register!

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-2

Magic Moments for Readers and Writers

Magic Moments for Readers and Writers by Debra H. Goldstein

Sometimes a good thing only gets better. Last weekend, I was part of one of those perfect magic moments as a participant at Mystery in the Midlands

Let me tell you about how it came together.

A year ago, Jeffrey Deaver, as president of Mystery Writers of American (MWA) offered to cover his own expenses and put on workshops throughout the country. On behalf of SEMWA (the Southeast region), he came to Columbia, South Carolina. His program was such a success, that involved members of SEMWA and the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters of Crime hoped they could partner for another dynamic program. But how?

Perhaps it was divine providence, but they discovered Sisters in Crime had started a national speakers

bureau program that permitted a chapter to apply for one of a finite number of grants which would sponsor designated speakers to come to the chapter for whatever type of program the chapter wanted. The SinC educational initiative, which was just starting, was designed to enable all SinC chapters access to writers and programs they would never be able to fund.

Fingers crossed, Palmetto’s leadership applied for a SinC grant and was awarded the opportunity to

have Elaine Viets come to Columbia. Rather than simply inviting local people to hear Elaine speak, Paula Gail Benson and Riley Miller put their heads together and decided to forge a partnership between the Palmetto Chapter of SinC and SEMWA to offer a mystery workshop for readers and writers headlined by Elaine, but which would also showcase other authors as panelists and master class teachers.

Because of Paula and Riley’s vision, what could have been a local affair, became Mystery in the Midlands, an event attended by eighty plus people from five different states. Besides Elaine, eighteen other authors were showcased amidst book sales, signings, and networking. Not only did the conference run smoothly, but a silent auction of books donated by the participating authors generated scholarship funds for three children to participate in My First Books SC, a statewide partnership affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It provides books for registered children from birth to age five.

Mystery in the Midlands was held in Columbia’s beautiful St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. The church’s main fellowship hall was used for registration, refreshments, and the panel discussions, but the three master classes were held in the boardroom, choir room, and sanctuary. And yes, it was Jewish me, who was assigned to teach my master class on conflict under the stained windows depicting the Good Shepherd and other scenes from the Bible. Apparently, things went okay because I had a good audience and none of us was struck by lightning or any other disasters.

Participants left the day looking forward to next year’s Mystery in the Midlands. Amazing what magic a simple idea, good leaders, partnerships and enthusiasm can create. Will I see you there or 

perhaps in Decatur, Georgia on October 6, when SEMWA and the Atlanta Chapter of SinC co-sponsor an all-day workshop on the Psychology of Writing featuring Toni L.P. Kelner – Leigh Perry, Dr. Stephen M. Kelner, and fifteen other authors?

The Stiletto Connection (with Sisters in Crime)

by Paula Gail Benson

Diane Vallere

What do stilettos have in common with Sisters in Crime (SinC)? They are both significant factors in current national SinC President Diane Vallere’s writing life.

For example, her first manuscript, Just Kidding, won the RWA Get Your Stiletto in the Door contest, then became Designer Dirty Laundry, the first novel in her Samantha Kidd series. Her upcoming release in that series will be titled Cement Stilettos. The hashtag in the header for her website is #shoescluesclothes. (I’m thinking Diane should feel completely at home here at The Stiletto Gang.)

When she visited by Skype with the SinC Palmetto Chapter (Columbia, S.C.) this past weekend, Diane said that she attributed her writing success to membership in Sisters in Crime. She joined SinC after she left a lucrative job in the fashion industry to write mysteries. Her first publication was a short story in the SinC Guppy Chapter’s anthology, Fish Tales.

Diane with SinC Seal

This year, it seems particularly appropriate that a person who credits SinC with helping her to attain her goals should be SinC’s national President as that organization celebrates its 30^th anniversary. For thirty years, SinC has been bringing media attention to all crime writers’ efforts, as well as providing grants to libraries and book stores to encourage mystery collections. Now, Diane continues that legacy of support and encouragement by emphasizing that SinC does not differentiate in manner of publication, but celebrates the different journeys of all authors in the mystery community.

The fact that she takes her own advice seriously is in clear evidence when you consider her body of work. She currently writes four series: Samantha Kidd (a designer shoe buyer who returns to the town where she grew up), Madison Night (an interior decorator who resembles and dresses like Doris Day), Material Witness (a business woman who inherits the fabric store where she was born), and Costume Shop mysteries (a former magician’s assistant who returns home to run her family’s costume shop--the first novel, A Disguise to Die For, has been nominated as Best Humorous novel at this year’s Left Coast Crime Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii).

Diane began her own press in 2011. Without her knowing, her novel had been given to an editor at Penguin. She turned down an offer to publish that novel with Penguin and went the indie route, then wrote a new series Penguin bought.

She continues to self-publish her Samantha Kidd books, while Penguin issues two of her series (Material Witness and Costume Shop) and Henery Press releases her Madison Night mysteries.  

One of the questions Diane received from the Palmetto Chapter members was about the following sentences found on her website:

She is also a firm believer in not just following your dreams, but in creating a roadmap of goals, tasks, and benchmarks to keep on track. She claims that being a textbook Capricorn accounts for her drive, though she's never been a big fan of being told there's something she can't do.

Diane laughed as soon as she heard the quote, because she had recently spoken to another group that had asked her about it. She said the most important thing about being a writer was finding ways to move forward and make writing a priority, because writing will be as important as you want it to be.

Another of Diane’s great talents is her ability to pack for a writing conference. Here’s a photo of her outfits for last September’s Bouchercon in New Orleans.

Diane's Bouchercon wardrobe

Don't you think her next project should be a coffee table book on how to pack fashionably?

Thanks, Diane, for writing excellent mysteries that also feature good fashion. And, thanks for your support of the mystery writing community, particularly in this special anniversary year for Sisters in Crime.