ShortCon, the first conference focused on short-story writing by crime fiction authors, was held June 22, 2024, at Elaine’s Restaurant in Alexandria, VA. Forty-plus writers, including myself, heard Brendan Dubois talk about writing short stories for “fun and occasional profit.” Jackie Sherbow addressed what happens at the editor’s desk at …
This post is probably way too long, but bear with me… It’s hard to believe 2020 is coming to a close, and we’re no closer to life returning to “normal” than we were six or seven months ago. The coronavirus is forcing us to search for a new normal, but …
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the world in ways I never thought possible only a few months ago. All of us have learned, or are learning, how to live under the constant threat of infection, social distancing, wearing masks, stay-at-home orders, and washing hands more than any sane person has …
Joseph Finder signed his new Nick Heller thriller, House on Fire, yesterday at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. The book is about the opioid crisis in the United States and one very rich family’s involvement in it. Joe says the book “is not preachy.” Barbara Peters, owner of The …
I am thrilled to announce my publication debut! “Francesca,” a short story, appears in the Sisters in Crime, Desert Sleuths Chapter, 2019 anthology SoWest: Ladykillers. The anthology, which features short stories from 22 authors, was unveiled at the group’s annual WriteNow! Conference on Friday, September 27. Special thanks go to …
I attended a workshop on August 10, 2019, presented by award-winning author Glen Erik Hamilton. The Orange County Chapter of the California Writers Club hosted the workshop, titled First Class Ticket: Your Setting is Your Hook. Glen focused on the importance of setting for any story, regardless of genre. For …
March 31 – The last panel discussion I attended was PR & Marketing Ideas, with panelists Sue Trowbridge (moderator), Kimberley Cameron, Linda Joffe Hull, Jane Ubell-Meyer, and Linda Wiken. This was an interesting group. Of course, any errors are due to faulty notetaking and/or memory on my part. Sue Same …
March 31 – Today is the final day of this fabulous conference. It has been a great experience and, as you can see from the previous posts, a lot of information about writing, writers, readers, editors, and publishers has been shared. The first session today, Setting as Character, has panelists …
March 30 – The final Saturday panel, Keeping a Series Alive, included panelists Janice MacDonald (moderator), Anne Cleeland, Mary Jane Maffini, Jeffrey Siger, and Marty Wingate. The panel answered questions about knowing whether they had a series on their hands, reading their books in order, how to age their characters, …
March 30 – The next-to-last panel I attended on Saturday was The Great Outdoors, consisting of Dave Butler (moderator), Ellie Alexander, Christine Carbo, Owen Laukkanen, and Margaret Mizushima (left to right in photo above). The conversation centered on the role the great outdoors plays in our novels, how real-life outdoor …
