GIVING YOUR BEST AUTHOR TALK: Laurie R. King

Don't miss this exceptional talk...well, it's all about Giving Your Best Author Talk and who is the best author to gove this? Why, Laurie R. King, of course. Sponsored by MWA NorCal, this will be on Facebook Live, November 20 at 1 p.m. PST. 

HISTORICALS: Stepping into the Past - Crafting the Historical Mystery: MWA NorCal

Mystery Writers of America NorCal continues panels and events celebrating Mystery Month. All events are free. Please register. 

Wednesday, October 20
HISTORICALS: Stepping into the Past – Crafting the Historical Mystery
Via Zoom; advance registration required
5 PM Pacific Time

Historical: of, relating to, or having the character of history; History: a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events.

How are readers transported into the past through novels? Join us, on Zoom, for this discussion to hear how historical mysteries are imbued with vibrant descriptions of the culture and consciousness of the past. How life was lived in a different time and place, and how crimes were solved using only wit, wisdom, intelligence, and the technology at hand – which did not include cell phones or GPS!

Moderator: Laurie R. King is the New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels and other works, including the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes stories. She has been a member of MWA since dinosaurs walked the earth, was president of the NorCal chapter for years, and is probably the only writer to have both an Edgar and an honorary doctorate in theology.

Panelists:

• Catriona McPherson is a crime-fiction writer over many genres: modern psychological thrillers, 1930s detective stories with a gently-born lady sleuth (After the Armistice Ball is the first); and comedies set in California.
• Ann Parker earned degrees in Physics and English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Her award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series is set in the 1880s silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, and features Silver Queen Saloon owner Inez Stannert. The first in the series, Silver Lies, won the Willa Literary Award for Historical Fiction and the Colorado Gold Award and was a finalist for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award as well as for the Western Writers Association Spur Award for Best Novel of the West. It was chosen a best mystery of the year by Publishers Weekly and the Chicago Tribune.
• Michael J. Cooper immigrated to Israel in 1966 and lived in Jerusalem during the last year the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. He studied and traveled in the region for eleven years and graduated from medical school in Tel Aviv. Cooper now lives in Northern California.
• Priscilla Royal is the author of several books in the Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas medieval mystery series, grew up in British Columbia and earned a BA in World Literature at San Francisco State University where she discovered the beauty of medieval literature.

PLOTTING: Great than the Sum of Its Parts: MWANorCal Free Event!

Mystery Writers of America NorCal Mystery Month. Free! Register Now! 

Next up: Saturday, October 16 

PLOTTING: Greater than the Sum of Its Parts – Plotting it all Together 

Via Zoom; advance registration required 

2 PM Pacific Time 

Plot: to plan or contrive especially secretly; to scheme Plotters and Pantsers have a lot in common. They all strive to include every necessary element of a good plot. But, what are those elements and how do they all join together to become something greater than the parts themselves? To find out join us, on Zoom, for this lively discussion! 

Moderator: 

Camille Minichino received her Ph.D. in physics from Fordham University. She is currently on the faculty of Golden Gate University, San Francisco, and teaches writing throughout the Bay Area. Camille is Past President and a member of Mystery Writers of America NorCal, NorCal Sisters in Crime, and the California Writer’s Club. 

Panelists: 

Glenda Carroll wrote a weekly sailing column for the Marin Independent Journal for 19 years. During that time, she also wrote for local, national, and international sailing publications. She branched into travel writing and her features have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Travel & Leisure, Ford Times, Chevron USA, Defenders of Wildlife, and Bay & Delta Yachtsman. 

Deborah Crombie’s fifth novel, Dreaming of the Bones, was a New York Times Notable Book in 1997, was named by the Independent Mystery Booksellers as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century, was an Edgar nominee for Best Novel, and won the Macavity award for Best Novel. Subsequent novels have been published to critical acclaim and in a dozen languages. 

Eileen Rendahl is a national-bestselling award-winning author of mystery, thriller, urban fantasy, romantic comedy, and romantic suspense. She also writes as Kristi Abbott, Lillian Bell, and Eileen Carr.

REGISTER HERE.

MWA NORCAL MYSTERY WEEK: October 24-30

MWA NorCal Mystery Week (Virtual!) 

October 24-30, 2020 

Seven nights, 40+ writers, something for every reader—and writer! 

All online. 

October 24, 7 PM: “Stayin’ Alive: How to stay creative while the city’s breaking and everybody’s shaking” — Camille Minichino (M), Rhys Bowen, Ann Parker, Margaret Dumas, J.J. Lamb | Register here 

October 25, 7 PM: “Crime Through Time: Writing the Historical Mystery” — Janet Rudolph (M), Jacqueline Winspear, Janet Dawson, Priscilla Royal, Hal Glatzer | Register here 

October 26, 7 PM: “Where? How? Settings & Research in a Mystery” — Laurie Sheehan (M), Catriona McPherson, John Billheimer, Gigi Pandian, Michael Nava | Register here 

October 27, 7 PM: “Where’s My Hero? Finding Characters Who Work for You” — Claire Johnson (M), David Corbett, Camille Minichino, Ann Parker, Janice Peacock | Register here 

October 28, 7 PM: “Dangerous Ideas: Does Genre Fiction Matter?” — Randal Brandt (M), Faye Snowden, Rae James, Laurie King, Owen Hill | Register Here.

October 29, 7 PM: “A Highly Suitable Job for a Woman: The Female Sleuth in Mystery Fiction” — Heather Haven (M), Cara Black, S. A. Lelchuk, Daisy Bateman, Robin Burcell | Register here 

October 30, 7 PM: “A Bit of This, a Lot of That: Mixing Up Genre” — Laurie R. King (M), Maya Bohnhoff, Stephen Hockensmith, Nick Mamatas, Margaret Lucke | Register Here

UPDATED MYSTERY WEEK SCHEDULE: MWA NorCal

Here's the updated MWA NorCal Mystery Week Schedule. Hope to see you at one of the events!

MWA NORCAL MYSTERY WEEK: October 19-26

MWA brings mystery to NorCal!  Scattered across the chapter area, MWA NorCal members will be on panels and talks. Come for a panel and nibbles. Books sold at most venues—details are on the MWA NorCal events page, here. 

Saturday, Oct. 19 - LitCrawl, San Francisco
Noir at the Bar
Laurie R. King (emcee)  Randal Brandt,
David Corbett, Alan Jacobson, Claire Johnson, Eileen Rendahl, Kelli Stanley
Monday, Oct. 21 - Fremont Library
Writing Mysteries Can Be Murder
Heather Haven (M), Janet Dawson, Camille Minichino, Ann Parker, Rob Swigart
Tuesday, Oct. 22 - El Cerrito Library
Chills, Spills, and Mystery Writing Thrills
Randal Brandt (M),  Kelli Stanley, Gigi Pandian, S.A. Lelchuk, Terry Shames
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - Redwood City Library
How Writers Scare Readers and Why Readers Love It
Ellen Kirschman (M), Mysti Berry, Margaret Dumas, Jerry Kennealy, John Billheimer
Thursday, Oct. 24 - Santa Cruz Library
Murderous Intent: Making a Killing on Mystery
Laurie R. King (M), Ellison Cooper (Jennifer Dornan-Fish), Katherine Hyde, Mary Feliz
Friday, Oct. 25 - Lafayette Library
From Historical to Cozy to Romantic Suspense, There's a Mystery for Every Reader
Janice Peacock (M), Laurie R. King, Heather Haven, Peggy Lucke, Michael Cooper
Saturday, Oct. 26 - Petaluma Library
The Why of Where
Nancy Tingley(M), Susan Shea, Patricia Royal, Glenda Carroll, Domenic Stansberry

First Responders and PTSD: March 2, San Francisco

Free to the Public. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America, NorCal Chapter:

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE: FREE MWA NorCal WORKSHOP

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE 

Saturday, January 26, 2019 
10:30 AM-1 PM, Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave., Oakland (parking in the area, or 5 minutes to BART) 

For all authors and would-be authors, whether traditional- or self-published: a workshop on social media, newsletters, websites, and more—all the essentials of your digital outreach.

Maddee James (xuni web design) and Zoë Quinton (literary strategist)
will help you figure out how to:

• make the best use of your social media time 

• focus on your target audience 

• choose the essentials for your website to attract readers (and sell books!) 

• write a great newsletter that makes people want to open it 

• join exciting group promotion ideas understand and use affiliate links to discover the basic principles of branding 

All this and more!

Plus, nibbles & coffee with your fellow writers.

Free and open to all.

MWANorCal MYSTERY WEEK: October 20-28, 2018

October 20-28, 2018
Mystery Week: A week of events across the NorCal chapter area

Saturday, Oct. 20, 6:30 PM: San Francisco/ LitCrawl
Amnesia, 853 Valencia
Noir at the Bar with Laurie R. King (moderator), Heather Haven, Terry Shames, Mary O’Shaughnessy, Pamela O’Shaughnessy, Gigi Pandian, Kirk Russell, Sheldon Siegel & Jacqueline Winspear

Sunday, Oct. 21, 2 PM: Belmont
Belmont Library, 1110 Alameda de las Pulgas
The Mystery of Writing Mysteries with Laurie R. King & Ellen Kirschman

Monday, Oct. 22, 6 PM: San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo Library, Greenhouse Community Room, 395 Paseo Grande
As You Like It: Mysteries Across Genre with Terry Shames (moderator), John Burley, Reece Hirsch, Camille Minichino, Ann Parker & Nancy Tingley

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6 PM: Fremont
Fremont Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd.
Getting to Know Your Protagonist, or, Did We Really Write That? with Heather Haven (moderator), Susan Bickford, John Billheimer, Mary Feliz & Vinnie Hansen

CANCELLED

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 6:30 PM: Petaluma
Petaluma Regional Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive
With Randal Brandt (moderator), Bill Pronzini, Bette Lamb & J.J. Lamb

Thursday, Oct. 25, 6:30 PM: Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Library, 224 Church Street
The Case of the Mystery Panel with Laurie Sheehan (moderator), Sandra Balzo, Alan Jacobson, Leslie Karst & Laurie R. King

Saturday, Oct. 27, 2 PM: Sacramento
Pocket-Greenhaven Library, 7335 Gloria Drive
With Robin Burcell (moderator), Pat Canterbury, James L’Etoile, Catriona McPherson & Eileen Rendahl

FORENSIC ART WITH ROBIN BURCELL: September 22

Forensic Art: Join Mystery Writers of America, NorCal chapter, for a lunch event on Saturday, September 22, in Sacramento with Robin Burcell.

NYT bestselling author Robin Burcell spent nearly thirty years in law enforcement before retiring to write fiction full time. She is an FBI Academy-trained forensic artist whose drawings have been used to solve a number of crimes, including homicides, bank robberies and hate crimes. Her skills have helped multiple Central Valley law enforcement entities, including the FBI. She has worked with live witnesses, and with the dead, sometimes having to set up shop in a morgue to draw the corpses for identification purposes after they have been found in a state beyond recognition (hence the term forensic artist). Robin will speak about what it takes to do this unique and specialized job and talk about some of the real cases in which forensic art has played a role.
Pay at the door—$25 non-members, $15 NorCal members.

Location: Echo & Rig Steak & Butcher Shop, Sacramento

REGISTER HERE.

GET A CLUE...ABOUT WRITING MYSTERIES!

This great event will take place in Albany, CA, this Thursday, July 19. Don't miss it!

The Self-Published Writer: MWA NorCal Workshop

The Self-Published Writer: January 27, 2018 

Mystery Writers of America welcomes self-published writers—so MWA NorCal will be hosting an all-day workshop for the indie writer.

Rockridge Public Library, Oakland, 10:30-3:30 

From research to cover art and promotion, the Indie writer runs a one-person business. This is a one-day NorCal academy that covers the nuts and bolts of getting your Indie career moving. Free and open to the public—but with limited seating, priority will be given to MWA members.

I. 10:30-11:20: So many publishing options!
Where on the spectrum am I, from Big 5 to self-pub? Drawbacks and delights: what are my own strengths?

II. 11:30-12:20: The Editorial Tangle: finding your way to a good, clean manuscript.
Yes, you need fresh eyes! Editorial software—how well does it work? Professional help—editor vs. book doctor; editor vs. copyeditor How much does help cost? Finding good help.

III. 12:30-1:15: Lunch ($8.00 or bring your own)
 …and networking

IV. 1:15-1:45: An Intriguing Face: great cover art 
 DIY covers: how to? Cover design services: how much?

V. 1:45-2:35: The Web of Connections—from web site to social media.
What’s the bare minimum? Do I have to do it all? How to get the most out of my efforts

VI. 2:45-3:30: Money money money—an outline of writer as retailer
Setting up Square; using PayPal ISBN? LLC? MWA! Pricing your e-book E-book only, or print? Rights: audio, print, etc

Ongoing during the day: professional photographer Charles Lucke doing author head-shots! MWA NorCal is covering the cost of a low-res digital image for covers, promotion, and what-have-you, or order a high res for just $20.

Sign up for the workshop, the portrait, and for the $8.00 sandwich lunch, here.

Mystery Week Returns: MWA NorCal

Mystery Week returns!  October 14-20, 2017!

Six days’ events (it’s a mystery, what happened to the Friday…) celebrating the work of MWA NorCal, throughout the chapter area.

Saturday, October 14
5-6 PM
Noir at the Bar
Latin American Club
3286 22nd St.
San Francisco, CA
Cara Black, Tony Broadbent, Jerry Kennealy, Laurie R. King, Ellen Kirschman, Kelli Stanley & Jacqueline Winspear

Sunday, October 15
2-4 PM
Fact and Fiction in Mysteries: The Challenge of Research
Castro Valley Public Library
Castro Valley, CA
Janet Dawson, Jim Guigli, Camille Minichino, Judith Overmier & Ann Parker

Monday, October 16
7-8:30 PM
Motives for Murder: Mystery Writers Plotting the Perfect Crime
Santa Clara Public Library
Santa Clara, CA
Susan Bickford, John Billheimer, Ellen Kirschman, Robin Stuart & Susan Wolfe

Tuesday, October 17
6-8 PM
Bad Guys, Scary Stuff, and Why We Write About Them
Davis Public Library
Davis, CA
Michael Cooper, Rae James (R.F. James), Catriona McPherson, Beth McMullen & Eileen Rendahl

Wednesday, October 18
6-8 PM
Crime Does Not Pay… Enough! MWA NorCal, Yesterday and Today
Morrison Library (UC Berkeley)
Berkeley, CA
Randal Brandt, Laurie R. King, Sheldon Siegel & Kelli Stanley
Kindly RSVP if you’re thinking of attending, here.

Thursday, October 19
6-7:30 PM
Entertainment With an Edge: The Suspense in Mystery Writing
Santa Cruz Public Library
Santa Cruz, CA
John Burley, Heather Haven, Katherine Hyde, Laurie R. King & Gigi Pandian