HoTXSinC will meet on Sunday, October 14, 2018 @ the Yarborough Branch Library 2200 Hancock Drive, Austin.
Our mission is to promote
the ongoing advancement, recognition,
and professional development of women crime writers. ~ SINC Mission Statement
@ the Yarborough Branch of Austin Public Library Program: Robert Ansley on Paranormal Research
New Venue for October 14: Yarborough Branch Library Upcoming Programs Texas Book Festival: It’s Time to Bring Your Books! HoTXSinC Authors @ Boerne Book and Arts Fest Ghost Story Contest Winner to Be Announced The Word on Our Members Who’s Blogging? Opportunities HOTSHOTS! Wants You
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS! Nolo Contendere
Robert Ansley
on
Paranormal Research
Robert Ansley is an actor, director, and producer of short films that have screened at many film festivals including SXSW, Tribeca, and Cannes. He started his crime fighting career in 1979 with the Austin Police Dept, and was promoted to Sgt. just three years later. Austin author Bruce Sterling noted in his book “Hacker Crackdown – Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier” that Robert was one of the first police officers in the nation to set up a sting operation to catch hackers committing computer crimes. In 1989 Robert was lured away by a small computer company called “Dell” to provide executive protection for Michael and his new wife Susan. In addition he eventually traveled the globe designing security systems and practices for Dell facilities worldwide. After suffering a serious spinal injury Robert retired and once he was on the mend he began pursuing his fascination for paranormal investigations. His company, Imagine Your Dreams LLC had been producing short films for festivals and now produces paranormal films for his new organization Austin Paranormal Research. Together with his business partner, Elizabeth Lloyd they investigate client claims of hauntings and Poltergeist activity in the greater Austin area. Their work has appeared in the prestigious magazine Paranormal Review, published by the Society for Psychical Research in London, UK.
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Plusthe winner of the HoTXSinC Ghost Story Contest will be announced.
Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month at 2:15 p.m.
New Venue: The October 14 meeting will be held at the Yarborough Branch of Austin Public Library, 2200 Hancock Drive.
Future venues will be announced in next month’s HOTSHOTS!
Sisters in Crime is an international organization of women and men whose mission is to promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry. Speakers include published mystery authors and technical experts who help writers craft better mysteries and readers enjoy what they read. Meetings are free and open to all. For more information, check out the Sisters in Crime website at https://sinc-heartoftexas.com.
For information contact Joyce Arquette, Publicity (512) 266-6543
HoTXSinC’s Short Ghost Story Contest winner will be announced at the meeting on October 14.
The winner will receive a $25.00 Target gift card and the Parrish Knife, first donated by Eugenia Parrish as the prize in a HoTXSinC short story contest in 2017. MK Waller, winner of the 2017 contest, is donating the knife back to HoTXSinC for the Ghost Story Contest prize.
The Word on Our Members
Four HoTXSinC members read from their works at Malvern Books on Novel Night, September 13. N. M. Cedeno read from THE WALLS CAN TALK;Laura Oles read from DAUGHTERS OF BAD MEN; and Sue Cleveland and DixieEvatt, aka MeredithLee, read from DIGGING UP THE DEADand SHROUDED.
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Alexandra Burt, Valerie Chandler, Laura Oles, MK Waller, George Wier, and Scott Montgomery appeared on a panel discussing Austin Mystery Writers’second crime fiction anthology, LONE STAR LAWLESS, at Tim Bryant’s BosslightBooks, in Nacogdoches, Texas, on September 20.
On September 19, Alexandra, Valerie, Laura, and MK attended ScottMontgomery’s interview with Craig Johnson, author of the LONGMIRE series, at Murder by the Book in Houston.
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GHOST NEXT DOOR IS OUT!
GHOST NEXT DOOR, by Helen Currie Foster, was published September 22, 2018. Now available on Amazon and at independent bookstores, this is the fifth novel in the Alice MacDonald Greer Mystery Series. During night-time fireworks at Coffee Creek’s first official barbecue cook-off, deep in Texas Hill Country, lawyer Alice MacDonald Greer trips over the body of a sharp-tongued food writer. The hotly competitive grill-masters all possess well-honed knives and stout alibis. With local law enforcement baffled, the mystery darkens when a malevolent stalker pursues Alice and her engaging but secretive client using arson, assault and highway terror. Alice finds herself needing far more than her legal skills to survive.
An Alice MacDonald Greer legal thriller, full of smoke, music, mayhem and suspense.
A “simply outstanding mystery series.” Midwest Book Review.
“Hi there! Hallmark Publishing is open to unagented submissions of completed full-length novels through Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 3), 2018. We will also have an open reading period in February 2019. Follow us on Twitter, @HallmarkPublish, to be the first to learn about future calls for submissions.”
HOTSHOTS! Wants You
HOTSHOTS!welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Query hotx2014 (at) gmail (dot) com.
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS!
You can receive notification each time HOTSHOTS! is published.
Our mission is to promote
the ongoing advancement, recognition,
and professional development of women crime writers. ~ SINC Mission Statement
@ CAFE EXPRESS! Program: Dr. Kim Rossmo on Geographic Profiling Upcoming Programs
The 2018 Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest The Writers’ Police Academy by K. P. Gresham
Search and Rescue K9 Units by N. M. Cedeño Texas Book Festival: Bring Us Your Books! Boerne Book Festival: Table for HoTXSinC Authors For Members Only: Short Ghost Story Contest Submission Deadline The Word on Our Members
Congratulations and Best Wishes Who’s Blogging? Opportunities Selected Sites
HOTSHOTS! Wants You
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS! Nolo Contendere
Bulwer Lytton Winner – Detective/Crime
Dr. Kim Rossmo
on
Geographic Profiling
of serial killers / rapists / terrorists
Geographic profiling is a criminal investigative methodology for analyzing the locations of a connected series of crime to determine the most probable area of offender residence. Its major function is suspect prioritization in serial murder, rape, and similar investigations. Such cases are difficult to solve because they involve stranger offenders. These “whodunit” investigations can involve thousands of suspects and often suffer from problems of information overload. In such situations, geographic profiling can assist in case information management. Crime locations are not distributed randomly in space but rather are influenced by the road networks and features of the physical environment. Consequently, when properly interpreted, crime sites can function as spatial clues. A focus on the crime setting – the “where and when” of the criminal act – offers a conceptual framework for determining the most probable area of offender residence. The area of research known as environmental criminology studies the interactions between people and their surroundings, and views crime as the product of offenders, victims, and their setting. The three theories underlying geographic profiling – crime pattern, routine activity, and rational choice – provide the foundation for understanding the target patterns and hunting behavior of criminal predators.
Dr. Kim Rossmo holds the University Chair in Criminology and is the director of the Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation in the School of Criminal Justice at Texas State University. He has researched and published in the areas of the geography of crime and criminal investigations. Dr. Rossmo was formerly the Detective Inspector in charge of the Vancouver Police Department’s Geographic Profiling Section, which provided investigative support for the international law enforcement community. Dr. Rossmo is a member of the Police Investigative Operations Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is a Commissioner on the Austin Public Safety Commission. He has studied the geospatial structure of terrorist cells, patterns of shark foraging, and the geography of illegal border crossings. He has published books on geographic profiling and criminal investigative failures, and a crime atlas for Texas. Dr. Rossmo has been awarded the Governor General of Canada Police Exemplary Service Medal.
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Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month at 2:15 p.m. We meet at Café Express at 3418 N. Lamar.
Sisters in Crime is an international organization of women and men whose mission is to promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry. Speakers include published mystery authors and technical experts who help writers craft better mysteries and readers enjoy what they read. Meetings are free and open to all. For more information, check out the Sisters in Crime website at https://sinc-heartoftexas.com.
For information contact Joyce Arquette, Publicity (512) 266-6543
October: Robert Ansley on Paranormal ResearchandAnnouncement of Ghost Story Contest Winner
November: Mark Pryor, District Attorney and Author
December: Party and Showcase of Members’ Writing
And for 2019:
February: Jan Burke, Guest Speaker from SinC National Speaker’s Bureau
The 2018 Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest
Grand Prize Winner
“Cassie smiled as she clenched John’s hand on the edge of an abandoned pier while the sun set gracefully over the water, and as the final rays of light disappeared into a star-filled sky she knew that there was only one thing left to do to finish off this wonderful evening, which was to throw his severed appendage into the ocean’s depths so it could never be found again–and maybe get some custard after.” ~ Tanya Menezes
Read the rest of the winners and dishonorable mentions here.
The Writers’ Police Academy
by K. P. Gresham
I’ve just returned from the tenth annual Writer’s Police Academy in Green Bay,
K. P. and Rob at fire demonstration
Wisconsin. The three-day forensics conference was packed with seminars, clinics, high intensity training courses and experts, experts, experts! Sisters in Crime is a major sponsor for this event, and I and my fellow Heart of Texas Sisters in Crime member, Rob Robertson, ran ourselves crazy for three days of non-stop learning!
The event was held at the Northwest Wisconsin Technical College’s Safety Training Academy using instructors from the Academy as well as specialists from around the United States. Lee Lofland, the founder and director of this fabulous experience, had one goal in mind when he put this event together. He wanted to bring law enforcement and writers together in a realistic setting. To quote the conference program, he “wanted to place writers behind the wheel of a patrol car in a pursuit (which I did!)…let them shoot rifles & pistols…fire a taser (again, something I did!), etc. He believes the best way to write believable make-believe is to live it. Writers can breathe more life into tales by adding the senses of touch, taste, sound & smell.”
Blood Spatter Demonstration
S.W.A.T. Gear Is Heavy
Jeffrey Deaver, Keynote Speaker
My personal takeaway from the exhausting three days of mayhem—putting out fires (literally), wearing S.W.A.T gear (Holy Toledo, it’s heavy!!!!!) and trying to apprehend a bad guy, checking out blood spatter investigation techniques—is that I AM GOING BACK! There’s no way I could get everything in that I wanted to do, and frankly I’m not sure I could’ve wrapped my head around one more fact.
By far the best part of the conference was getting to know the law enforcement professionals as well as my fellow writers. Unbeknownst to me, I found myself sitting at a bar between a Hollywood producer and a best-selling author talking about storytelling. When I figured out who they were, I almost choked on my margarita! The guest of honor at Saturday night’s banquet was international Best Seller, Jeffery Deaver. Talk about a writer who gets procedurals right! He was gracious and friendly, as were ALL of the specialists there to teach us.
Thank you to everyone who put this conference together! My writing will be better because of all your help and expertise!
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K.P. Gresham, author of the Pastor Matt Hayden Mystery series and Three Days at Wrigley Field, moved to Texas as quick as she could. Born Chicagoan, K.P. and her husband moved to Texas, fell in love with not shoveling snow and are 30+ year Lone Star State residents. She finds that her dual country citizenship, the Midwest and Texas, provide deep fodder for her award-winning novels. Her varied careers as a media librarian and technical director, middle school literature teacher and theatre playwright and director add humor and truth to her stories. A graduate of Houston’s Rice University Novels Writing Colloquium, K.P. now resides in Austin, Texas, where life with her tolerant but supportive husband and narcissistic Chihuahua is acceptably weird. She is a member of SINC Heart of Texas Chapter.
Search and Rescue K9 Units
by N. M. Cedeño
A representative of the Travis County Texas Search and Rescue K9 unit was kind enough to come and speak to Sisters in Crime, Heart of Texas Chapter this summer. She provided a wealth of information for crime writers on the workings of Search and Rescue K9 Units.
Most Search and Rescue group members are unpaid volunteers. The volunteers go through training and must pass a fitness test in order to qualify to join the team. Dog handlers train their dogs to participate in the searches following training guidelines. There are three different kinds of S & R dogs: live find, trailing, and human remains detection (HRD). Searches may be categorized as wilderness, urban, or disaster. Police in cars or on foot handle most urban searches. Dogs are mostly used for wilderness and disaster searches.
The human remains detection (HRD) dogs are not referred to as cadaver dogs anymore. HRD dogs must be able to identify hundreds of odors that come from decaying human remains and be able to differentiate those smells from those of decaying animals. Training the dogs to identify these odors requires the handler to obtain appropriate materials for training exercises. These materials may be donated to the trainer by dental surgeons, midwives, and other doctors or organizations with access to amputated or removed body parts. Places such as the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, also known as the Body Farm, at Texas State University’s Freeman Ranch, will allow dog handlers to use the facility for training only once a year. The dogs can identify these smells even when underground or mixed with other smells.
My dog, Petra, who is not a S&R dog. Picture by N. M. Cedeño.
Trailing dogs are usually on leashes and are following a scent trail looking for a missing person. These dogs are used when authorities know exactly where the missing person was last seen, giving them a starting point for using the dogs. The dogs are given a sample carrying the missing person’s scent to smell, such clothing the person wore recently. Then the dog is told to find that specific scent. Each person’s individual scent is distinctive, created by soaps, sprays, detergents, shampoos, conditioners, and their own skin particles. Relatives in the same home who use the same products may have similar scents. The dogs are trained to distinguish between the missing person and close relatives.
Live find, or live search, dogs are trained to find a person in a large area of land. They can be made to work in a grid pattern or can be sent to search an area independently, off leash. The dogs are fitted with GPS trackers so that the area they search can be followed and mapped. These dogs love their game of search and find so much that they will not stop unless their handler forces them to rest. Live search dogs are trained to find the missing person’s scent as it drifts in the wind. If the dog is working independently and locates the subject, the dog can be trained to either stay with the subject and bark, or run back and forth between the searchers and the subject, leading the searchers to the missing person.
Research has shown that lost people tend to follow specific patterns depending on their age, mental state, and what they were doing when they got lost. Search and Rescue operations will begin their search for a missing person based on what the research says the person is most likely to do. For example, small children, ages 1 to 3, tend to walk in circles. When they get tired, they lay down and go to sleep where they are. Children ages 3 to 6 get scared when it gets dark, find a protected area, and curl up in a ball. Hunters who think they know the area in which they are lost tend to keep walking, reasoning that if they keep walking, they will find their way back.
If a missing person stays still in one place, their scent will build up around them like a puddle or pool. When the wind blows the scent pool, it will be stronger, allowing a dog to find and follow the scent more easily. If the person keeps moving, the scent will be harder for the dog to follow, a small scattered trail, rather than a concentrated pool. This is why it is important to stop moving if you know that someone is looking for you. A search dog will find you faster if you stop moving.
Finally, if an area has been thoroughly searched by Search and Rescue and the missing person is not found, the search ends with the missing person declared “R.O.W.,” rest of world. The searchers know the missing person isn’t in the search area, therefore, he or she must be somewhere else, out in the rest of the world.
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N. M. Cedeño was born in Houston, grew up in the Dallas Metroplex, once lived in Amarillo, and currently lives near Austin, Texas. She writes mystery short stories and novels that are typically set in Texas. Her mysteries vary from traditional, to romantic suspense, to science fiction. She is working on the second novel in her Bad Vibes Removal Services Series. She is a member of SINC Heart of Texas Chapter.
It’s almost time for the 2018 Book Festival! Starting at our September 9th Chapter meeting, I encourage everyone to bring the books you would like us to feature at our Heart of Texas Sisters in Crime Booth.
Here are the specifics.
Please bring no more than 10 copies of each book you want to sell, a short synopsis of that book, and a short bio about you! You can throw in any business cards, flyers, cha-chas or other publicity giveaways if you so desire.
Help us help you sell your books! If you are working the booth, please remember to enclose an 8 x 10 publicity photo of yourself (can be black & white or color).
If you have any questions or need to make separate arrangements for getting your books to us, please call me at 713-962-9992 or email me at kpgresham(at) aol (dot) com.
The last day to turn in your books for the festival is at our October 14th meeting. Thanks for all of your support!
Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month at 2:15 p.m. We meet at Café Express at 3418 N. Lamar.
Boerne Book Festival: Table for HoTXSinC Authors
THE BOERNE BOOK FESTIVAL – OCTOBER 6, 2018 – 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. We have been invited to share in Boerne’s rich literary tradition. HoTXSinC WILL HAVE A TABLE AT THEIR BOOK FESTIVAL. We are asking for volunteers to work either of two shifts: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Please contact Fran Paino at franpaino.com if you can volunteer for either or both shifts. Booksellers must be present at the HoTXSinC table in Boerne to sell their books. Standard rules apply: Sellers must be current members in both local and national levels.
For Members Only: Short Ghost Story Contest Submission Deadline
Just a friendly reminder for those who are interested in entering our ghost story contest. All submissions due no later than Sunday, September 9th. They can be handed in at the meeting OR, preferably, sent to either Noreen Cedeno , noreenm74 (at) yahoo (dot) com, or Fran Paino, franpaino (at) gmail (dot) com
Submission should be double spaced, one inch margins and MAXIMUM 6,000 words.
The winner will be notifed in advance. The prize for first place is a $25 Target gift card plus the Waller Knife, and announced at the October regular meeting.
The contest is open to current, paid members only and excludes the board of directors.
Authors ofAustin Mystery Writers‘ second crime fiction anthology, LONE STAR LAWLESS, will appear atThe Bosslight in Nacogdoches, Texas, on September 20.
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Congratulations and Best Wishes
… to our friends Manning Wolfe and Bill Rodgers on their marriage
“Hi there! Hallmark Publishing is open to unagented submissions of completed full-length novels through Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 3), 2018. We will also have an open reading period in February 2019. Follow us on Twitter, @HallmarkPublish, to be the first to learn about future calls for submissions.”
‘In November, when most of us settle in for a long, chilly winter, participants at the Kauai Writers Conference gather at the Marriott Resort to learn and network, kayak and surf, and stroll across white sands under palm trees. “We have such a rich and diverse faculty that writers are torn,” explains conference director David Katz. “Should they go see a best-selling author or go to the beach?”’
OR Ask Kathy to register for you. hotx2014 (at) gmail (dot) com
No Lo Contendere
Members, send news to hots2014(at) gmail (dot) com. Include both past and upcoming events. Include pictures if you have them.
Also send head shots and a list of your book titles/short story titles to Kathy for theHOTXSINC author page.
And send titles/authors of books (articles, websites, blogs) you’ve read or are reading, and that you recommend to other Sisters in Crime.
HOTSHOTS! welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Email hotx2014 (at) gmail (dot) com.
2018 Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest
Winner – Crime/Detective
“He glanced at his unsuspecting guests, his slight smile hiding his hateful mood, his calm eyes hiding his evil intentions, and his smooth skin hiding his tensed muscles, skeletal structure, and internal organs.” ~ Dave Agans, Wilton, NH
Our mission is to promote
the ongoing advancement, recognition,
and professional development of women crime writers. ~ SINC Mission Statement
@ CAFE EXPRESS! Program: Manning Wolfe on Legal Issues for Authors Upcoming Programs HoTXSinC Interview Published in Austin Chronicle Texas Book Festival: HoTXSinC Authors Update Boerne Book Festival: Table for HoTXSinC Authors For Members Only: A Fun Short Ghost Story Contest The Word on Our Members Who’s Blogging? Opportunities Selected Sites
HOTSHOTS! Wants You
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS! Nolo Contendere
Manning Wolfe
on
Legal issues for Authors
Manning Wolfe will speak to Heart of Texas Sisters in Crime on August 12, 2018, at Café Express about Legal Issues For Authors. Manning’s legal thrillers include Dollar Signs, Music Notes and Green Fees.Manning’s a member of our chapter.
Have you ever wondered if someone could steal your manuscript? Have you ever badmouthed someone in your book and wondered if they could sue you? Have you ever wondered if it’s safe to say your character drank a Coke or a Lone Star Beer? These are the questions that Manning will cuss and discuss. She’ll also provide information on copyright, use of photos, ISBN’s, tax obligations, and more. Expect plenty of handouts for more in-depth study, and as a reminder of the tips she gives in her talk.
Don’t get caught with your proverbial pants down! Come out and learn the nuts and bolts of Legal Issues for Authors! Hope to see you there!
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Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month at 2:15 p.m. We meet at Café Express at 3418 N. Lamar.
Sisters in Crime is an international organization of women and men whose mission is to promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry. Speakers include published mystery authors and technical experts who help writers craft better mysteries and readers enjoy what they read. Meetings are free and open to all. For more information, check out the Sisters in Crime website at https://sinc-heartoftexas.com.
For information contact Joyce Arquette, Publicity (512) 266-6543
“Sisters in Crime Prefer Their Ink Mixed With a Little Blood”—an interview with HoTXSinC President Helen Currie Foster, President Elect Noreen Cedeño, and HOTSHOTS! editor M. K. Waller–appeared in the July 5, 2018 issue of the Austin Chronicle. Read it online here. It also ran in the Chronicle’s print edition under the headline “Murder, They Write.”
*****
“Why do cats sleep so much?
Perhaps they’ve been trusted with some major cosmic task,
an essential law of physics – such as:
if there are less than 5 million cats sleeping at any one time
the world will stop spinning.
So that when you look at them and think, “what a lazy, good-for-nothing animal,” they are, in fact, working very, very hard.” ― Kate Atkinson
*****
Texas Book Festival: HoTXSinC Authors Update
The 2018 Texas Book Festivalis drawing near, and we are hard at work putting together the HoTXSinC booth! This year the festival takes place in and around the Capitol grounds and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, 10/27 and from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, 10/28. Here are some things our members need to know!
You can still sign up to staff the booth! Here’s the link to the sign-up page! Just copy and paste this address into your browser:
We want to sell your books! HoTXSinC members may bring their books to any of our meetings between now and the festival. (October 14 is the date of the last SinC meeting before the festival.) We are asking for the following items:
–No more than ten copies of each book
–A brief synopsis of the book (think elevator pitch plus just a few more details)
–A brief bio of yourself
An 8 X 10 photo of yourself, ESPECIALLY if you’re staffing the booth. This can be color or black and white. We noted last year that the festival attendees did not realize that the folks who were manning the booths were the actual authors of the books.
I have no problem with folks dropping off their books at my home. I live at 7520 Moon Rock Rd., ATX, 78739. That’s in the Circle C area south of town. If you need some help getting the books to me, please call me at 713-962-9992 or email me at kpgresham (at) aol (dot) com.
Thank you to all for your work in helping with this great P.R. event for both our authors and our Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter! K.P.Gresham
*****
“They said love made you strong, but in Louise’s opinion it made you weak.
It corkscrewed into your heart and you couldn’t get it out again,
not without ripping your heart to pieces.” ― Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn
*****
Boerne Book Festival: Table for HoTXSinC Authors
THE BOERNE BOOK FESTIVAL – OCTOBER 6, 2018 – 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. We have been invited to share in Boerne’s rich literary tradition. HoTXSinC WILL HAVE A TABLE AT THEIR BOOK FESTIVAL. We are asking for volunteers to work either of two shifts: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Please contact Fran Paino at franpaino.com if you can volunteer for either or both shifts. Booksellers must be present at the HoTXSinC table in Boerne to sell their books. Standard rules apply: Sellers must be current members in both local and national levels.
All who are interested in writing a ghost story, please submit no later than September 9, to Noreen Cedeño at noreenm74 (at) yahoo (dot) com, or Fran Paino atfpaino (at) gmail (dot) com.
Up to 6,000 words. The winner will be announced at the Member Showcase at the October meeting, when a paranormal expert will be the guest speaker. More information on the contest will follow.
*****
A truth is what it is.
A lie, a thought out deception more brutal than a truth could ever be. ~ Charlotte Armstrong
*****
“He was born a politician. No, Ursula thought, he was born a baby, like everyone else.
And this is what he has chosen to become.” ― Kate Atkinson, Life After Life
*****
The Word on Our Members
Nancy G. West’s THE PLUNGE, the first Aggie Mundeen Lake Mystery, will be released in October 2018.
“THE PLUNGE infects readers with the threat of looming disaster and the helplessness of being swept along by an untamable force. Do survivors really survive if disaster changes them forever?
“THE PLUNGE, a Lake Mystery, takes Aggie in a new direction.”
Nancy says, “In honor of first responders who save so many lives in a disaster, my royalties from sales of THE PLUNGE will go to the Texas National Guard and the 100 Club.
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Manning Wolfe joined BookPeople’s crime fiction coordinator ScottMontgomery and Hopeton Hay for a live in-studio interview about her latest legal thriller, GREEN FEES, on Sunday, June 27, on KAZI 88.7 FM. More information on GREEN FEES is available at http://manningwolfe.com/breaking-news-green-fees-is-live. They also did their crime fiction picks of the month with Molly Odintz, associate editor of crimereads.com, joining them by phone from New York.
*****
“Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested.” ― Kate Atkinson, Life After Life
“With the recent closing ofBlack Mirror Press,their planned anthology celebrating the works of Poe sits orphaned. After giving this situation a great deal of thought, and discussing it with our partners and staff, we at Camden Park Press have decided that the efforts of the authors who have been working on stories for the past several months should not be wasted, and Black Mirror Press’ efforts in inspiring the project and motivating the authors to create their own, re-imagined versions of Poe’s work need not be in vain. To that end, we are now opening submissions for Quoth the Raven, a contemporary re-imagining of the works of Edgar Allan Poe.”
“An annual anthology of hardboiled and noir crime fiction to be released each fall beginning in 2020, Mickey Finnwill pick up where the three-volume Fedora anthology series left off, pushing hard against the boundaries of crime fiction. Contributors will be encouraged to push their work into places short crime fiction doesn’t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule.
“The ideal submission will be approximately 5,000 words—less than 3,000 is likely too short, more than 8,000 is likely too long. Originals only. No reprints.
“The first Mickey Finn is scheduled for release fall 2020.”
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Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible – Call for Submissions
“Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible will be presented by Parnell Hall and published by Wildside Press in time for Malice Domestic 31, which will take place May 3 – 5, 2019. . . Mystery Most Edible: ‘Mystery Most Edible’ means that the story must have a significant gastronomic or culinary aspect.”
*****
“If they would all sleep all the time
she wouldn’t mind being their mother.” ― Kate Atkinson, Case Histories
*****
“Men had no purpose on earth whereas
women were gods walking unrecognized among them.”
― Kate Atkinson
*“Fiction had never been Jackson’s thing. Facts seemed challenging enough without making stuff up.
What he discovered was that the great novels of the world were about three things – death, money and sex. Occasionally a whale.” ― Kate Atkinson, Started Early, Took My Dog
*****
HOTSHOTS! Wants You
HOTSHOTS!welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Query kathywaller1 (at) gmail (dot) com.
*****
“Sylvie’s knowledge, like Izzie’s, was random yet far-ranging,
‘The sign that one has acquired one’s learning from reading novels
rather than an education…” ― Kate Atkinson, Life After Life
*****
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS!
You can receive notification each time HOTSHOTS! is published.
OR Ask Kathy to register for you. kathywaller1 (at) gmail (dot) com
*****
My father, whose hobby was collecting secondhand cricket books,
came back from a book fair one day
with a copy of ‘The Body In The Library.’ ~ Sophie Hannah
*****
No Lo Contendere
Members, send news to kathywaller1 (at) gmail (dot) com. Include both past and upcoming events. Include pictures if you have them.
Also send head shots and a list of your book titles/short story titles to Kathy for theHOTXSINC author page.
And send titles/authors of books (articles, websites, blogs) you’ve read or are reading, and that you recommend to other Sisters in Crime.
HOTSHOTS! welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Email kathywaller1 (at) gmail (dot) com.
Our mission is to promote
the ongoing advancement, recognition,
and professional development of women crime writers. ~ SINC Mission Statement
@ CAFE EXPRESS! Program: Dave Ciambrone on Off-the-Shelf Poisons for Writers
***Watch for It! July 6 – HoTXSinC in The Austin Chronicle***
Upcoming Programs
HoTXSinC Members: Two Festivals for Selling Your Books
Guest Post by Kaye George: To Go or Not to Go October: Paranormal Research and Member Showcase: Ghost Stories
What Can SinC Do for You? The Word on Our Members Who’s Blogging? Opportunities Selected Sites HOTSHOTS! Wants You
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS! Nolo Contendere
Dave Ciambrone
on
Off-the-Shelf Poisons for Writers
Dr. David Ciambrone is a retired aerospace and defense company executive, scientist, professor of engineering, and a forensics consultant and is now a best-selling, award-winning author living in Georgetown, Texas with his wife Kathy. He has published twenty-one books, four non-fiction, two (2) textbooks for a California university, and fifteen mysteries and has new mysteries in work.
Dave has been a speaker at writers groups, schools, colleges, writer’s conferences and business/scientific conferences internationally.
Dr. Ciambrone also wrote three newspaper columns and wrote a column for a business journal.
Dave has been VP of the Sisters in Crime Orange County, California chapter and President and treasurer of HoTXSinC. He was also president of the San Gabriel Writer’s League and was on the Board of Directors of the Writer’s league of Texas. He is a member of MWA and the International Thriller Writers.
Dr. Ciambrone worked with a police agency and was a consultant to police/sheriffs and coroners, including the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office.
Dave is a Fellow of the International Oceanographic Foundation. He has a Bronze Trowel Award from the Archaeological Institute of America. He is also a member of the Order of Merlin of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The Chinese Government appointed him a Dragon Master (龍重要資料).
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Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month at 2:15 p.m. We meet at Café Express at 3418 N. Lamar.
Sisters in Crime is an international organization of women and men whose mission is to promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry. Speakers include published mystery authors and technical experts who help writers craft better mysteries and readers enjoy what they read. Meetings are free and open to all. For more information, check out the Sisters in Crime website at https://sinc-heartoftexas.com.
For information contact Joyce Arquette, Publicity (512) 266-6543
…it seems to us that the readers who want fiction to be like life
are considerably outnumbered by those who would like life to be like fiction. ~ Sarah Caudwell
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Watch for It! July 6 – HoTXSinC in The Austin Chronicle
A story about HoTXSinC will appear in the Austin Chroniclethis Friday, July 6, 2018. W. A. Brenner, the Chronicle’s Arts Listings and Food Events editor, interviewed President Helen Currie Foster, President-Elect Noreen Cedeño, and Web Editor Kathy Waller about the history, mission, and activities of the both the chapter SINC International. Discussion ranged from HoTXSinC’s programming to individual members’ favorite mystery authors. The print story will be released on Thursday, July 5. It will also appear on the Chronicle’s website, https://www.austinchronicle.com/
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Oppression works in such a way that it holds every person responsible for the acts of any wrongdoer of the oppressed group. ~ Rita Mae Brown
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Upcoming Programs
August: Manning Wolfe on Legal Issues for Writers
September: Dr. Kim Rossmo on Geographic Profiling (of serial killers/ terrorists/ rapists)
October: Robert Ansley on Paranormal Research and Showcase of Members’ Writing and Announcement of Ghost Story Contest Winner
November: Mark Pryor, District Attorney and Author
December: Party
And for 2019:
February: Jan Burke, Guest Speaker from SinC National Speaker’s Bureau
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What I find is that it’s the middle-aged authors who have lived a life who have the most important, interesting voices. They just need someone to give them the key to unlock the door. ~ Fiona McIntosh
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HoTXSinC Authors: Two Festivals for Selling Your Books
Current author members of Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter will be able to sell their books, and all members will have the opportunity to actively participate, network, and meet authors, publishers, and great readers at two book festivals.
THE TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL – OCTOBER 27 & 28, 2018
CHAIRED BY KATHY GRESHAM
HoTXSinC WILL HAVE A TABLE AT THE TBF. There are still slots available for volunteers to sign up and help at the HoTXSinC booth. Updates will be forthcoming from the chapter’s TBF chair.
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THE BOERNE BOOK FESTIVAL – OCTOBER 6, 2018 – 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. We have been invited to share in Boerne’s rich literary tradition. HoTXSinC WILL HAVE A TABLE AT THEIR BOOK FESTIVAL. We are asking for volunteers to work either of two shifts: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Please contact Fran Paino at franpaino.com if you can volunteer for either or both shifts. Booksellers must be present at the HoTXSinC table in Boerne to sell their books. Standard rules apply: Sellers must be current members in both local and national levels.
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I’ve never lost my capacity to be shocked. ~ Kathy Reichs
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Guest Post by Kaye George:
To Go or Not to Go
For me, as for many other writers, conferences are high points of the year. They make me feel like a real writer, an actual author. I can tell people I’m going to a conference and it makes me sound so businesslike and professional.
If you don’t already know, you can deduce from my opening that I (again like many other writers) am insecure in the profession. We feel like frauds. We wrote a book and got it published, but maybe it was a fluke. Can we ever do it again? I’ve written and gotten ten of them published, but I always wonder if I can do it again. A conference is a chance to be with other people who are just like me. People who write and wonder if we’re real writers. Neurotic, interesting people.
I love going to both kinds of conferences, those for fans and readers, and those for writers. The former concentrate on telling the attendees who we are and what we’ve written and on trying to sell our books to them. The latter concentrate on craft and, for a lot of gatherings, putting writers together with agents and publishers. They both have appeal.
At a fan conference, the panels tell the audience what our books are about and give them behind-the-scene glimpses at how we put them together. Nothing technical, just things that would interest a reader (we hope). Background for the stories we write.
Short Story Panel from Malice Domestic 2017
Mayhem self-defense demo 2008
At a writers’ conference, we try to impart whatever knowledge we’ve acquired on to our fellow scribes. We discuss character formation, plot arcs, chapter lengths, sentence lengths, forensic details (we’re mystery writers, after all), even how to market and sell.
2014 Murder in the Magic City
Fan cons tend to be very large: Bouchercon and Malice Domestic are two well-known and well-attended ones. The writers’ cons are generally smaller and regional, more intimate.
At both of them, we writers get together over meals and drinks and discuss where to hide the bodies and how to create our villains. These are not lunch and dinner conversations you can have with just anybody. They are the finer points of our art.
It couldn’t be more fun!
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Photograph of mountain from morguefile Photograph of 2014 Murder in the Magic City from Kaye Wilkinson Barley
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Kaye George, national-bestselling and multiple award-winning author, writes several mystery series: Imogene Duckworthy humorous mysteries, Cressa Carraway musical mysteries (Barking Rain Press), People of the Wind Neanderthal mysteries (Untreed Reads), and, as Janet Cantrell, Fat Cat (Berkley Prime Crime cozies). The third cozy, Fat Cat Takes the Cake, and the second Cressa Carraway novel, Requiem in Red, were published in April, 2016. The second People of the Wind, Death on the Trek, came out in June, 2016. Her short stories appear in anthologies, magazines, and her own collection, A Patchwork of Stories. The anthology, Murder on Wheels, with the Austin Mystery Writers, recently became a Silver Falchion Winner. She now lives in Knoxville, TN, where she also reviews for Suspense Magazine. http://kayegeorge.com/
There is in the end no remedy but truth.
It is the one course that cannot be evil. ~ Edith Pargeter
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October Program: Member Showcase – Ghost Stories
The theme for the October program is Ghost Stories. Members interested in submitting a ghost story for this meeting should contact Fran Paino at franpaino@gmail.com. A winner will be announced at the meeting. DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2018.
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Do you know what they call people who hoard books? Smart. ~ Lisa Scottolini
No good ever comes from putting up walls.
What people mistake for safety is in fact captivity.
And few things thrive in captivity. ~ Louise Penny
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The Word on Our Members
Dixie Evatt will represent author Meredith Lee in a panel discussion, “Marketing, Schmoozing, and Building Connections as a Writer,” at the Writers’ League of Texas’ Third Thursday meeting, on July 19, 2018. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Meredith Lee is the author of SHROUDED.
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Manning Wolfe’s GREEN FEES, the third in her Merit Bridges Legal Thriller series, was published in June. Manning appeared on a panel with Jay Brandon at BookPeople on June 24. Crime Fiction Coordinator Scott Montgomery moderated.
I’m always astonished to see how badly people can behave
when they think no one is noticing. ~ Diane Mott Davidson
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I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process
would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn’t have found it
so frightening to write. ~ Elizabeth George
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To understand a cat, you must realize that he has his own gifts,
his own viewpoint, even his own morality. ~ Lilian Jackson Braun
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Opportunities
Mystery Weekly Magazine “Submissions must be original works of short fiction that have never appeared online or in print in any form. Avoid scenes of animal cruelty or excessive profanity/violence, and please make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors. We currently pay 1¢ / word for accepted stories.”
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Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible
“Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible will be presented by Parnell Hall and published by Wildside Press in time for Malice Domestic 31, which will take place May 3 – 5, 2019. . . Mystery Most Edible: ‘Mystery Most Edible’ means that the story must have a significant gastronomic or culinary aspect.”
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The Wyrd “The Wyrd is a speculative short fiction market for authors and artists who have a fondness for weird and slipstream themes. What that means is we’re looking for works that cross, combine or redefine traditional genre boundaries. We enjoy stories that come with a heavy dose of the uncanny, the strange, and blend literary, science-fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror tropes.”
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Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“We are interested in nearly every kind of mystery: stories of detection of the classic kind, police procedurals, private eye tales, suspense, courtroom dramas, stories of espionage, and so on. We ask only that the story be about a crime (or the threat or fear of one). We sometimes accept ghost stories or supernatural tales, but those also should involve a crime.”
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Mystery Tribune
“In addition to fiction, Mystery Tribune accepts submissions in other categories during the following periods: Art and Photography – 24 January – 24 February; Non-fiction – 24 April – 24 May”
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Suspense Magazine “Suspense Publishing continues to expand its reputation and influence in the publishing industry, offering some of the best titles in the suspense, thriller, mystery, and horror genres.
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
“We publish every kind of mystery short story: the psychological suspense tale, the deductive puzzle, the private eye case—the gamut of crime and detection from the realistic (including the policeman’s lot and stories of police procedure) to the more imaginative (including “locked rooms” and “impossible crimes”). We need hard-boiled stories as well as “cozies,” but we are not interested in explicit sex or violence. We do not want true detective or crime stories. With the exception of a regular book review column and a mystery crossword, EQMM publishes only fiction.”
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The Dark City
“The Dark City is dedicated to the love of story, and in particular, the rough and tumble of the world of crime and violence. We are fans of story that has roots in reality but we do consider humorous situations and characters to be part of reality. We hope to acquire stories that leave readers thinking about the characters and their dilemma.”
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Mystery Weekly Magazine
“. . . 2500-7500 word mystery. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but not multiple submissions; please send only your best available story. Submissions must be original works of short fiction thathave never appeared online or in print in any form. Avoid scenes of animal cruelty or excessive profanity/violence, and please make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors.”
Journals listed above are taken from 180 Literary Journals for Creative Writers, cited above. Quoted descriptions are drawn from the journals themselves.
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The rain it raineth on the just And also on the unjust fella; But chiefly on the just, because The unjust steals the just’s umbrella. ― Marion Chesney, The Wicked Godmother
“Aubrey Davenport was dressed like a fop, had the manners of a fop, and appeared to have the intelligence of a potato.” ― Marion Chesney, Miss Tonks Turns to Crime
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HOTSHOTS! Wants You
HOTSHOTS!welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Query kathywaller1 at gmail dot com.
OR Ask Kathy to register for you. kathywaller1 at gmail dot com
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My father, whose hobby was collecting secondhand cricket books,
came back from a book fair one day
with a copy of ‘The Body In The Library.’ ~ Sophie Hannah
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No Lo Contendere
Members, send news to kathywaller1 at gmail dot com. Include both past and upcoming events. Include pictures if you have them.
Also send head shots and a list of your book titles/short story titles to Kathy for theHOTXSINC author page.
And send titles/authors of books (articles, websites, blogs) you’ve read or are reading, and that you recommend to other Sisters in Crime.
HOTSHOTS! welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Email kathywaller1 at gmail dot com.
Our mission is to promote
the ongoing advancement, recognition,
and professional development of women crime writers. ~ SINC Mission Statement
@ CAFE EXPRESS! Program: Elizabeth Bryant on
Travis County Search and Rescue K9 Unit
Subscribe to HOTSHOTS! The Word on Our Members
Who’s Blogging?
WLT Manuscript Contest
Opportunities
Conferences & Festivals Selected Sites
HOTSHOTS! Wants You Nolo Contendere
Elizabeth Bryant
TravisCountySearch and Rescue K9 Unit
on
Search and Rescue
and
How Dogs Work
Elizabeth Bryant, K9 Unit Leader at TravisCountySearch and Rescue, will present a general overview of Search and Rescue at the June 10 meeting of Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter . She will also share specific information about how dogs work.
Elizabeth Bryant with Border Collie, Jude, a live search dog
Elizabeth Bryant is the K9 Unit Leader at TravisCountySearch and Rescue, a nonprofit group of volunteers who work with law enforcement to find lost and missing persons in wilderness areas. Previous to joining TCSAR in 2013, she was a professional dog trainer and over the years has trained service dogs, taught pet obedience and dog sports classes, and provided consults for behavioral problems. At TCSAR, she became the first team Field Training Officer, trained new Ground Unit members in basic SAR skills, and developed the K9 Unit and Search Management Unit Task Books. She also worked both live find and human remains detection dogs. She has certifications with both the National Association of Search and Rescue and the International Police Work Dog Association.
Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month at 2:15 p.m. We meet at Café Express at 3418 N. Lamar.
Sisters in Crime is an international organization of women and men whose mission is to promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry. Speakers include published mystery authors and technical experts who help writers craft better mysteries and readers enjoy what they read. Meetings are free and open to all. For more information, check out the Sisters in Crime website at https://sinc-heartoftexas.com and our newsletter/blog, HOTSHOTS!, at https://sinc-heartoftexas.com/posts/
For information contact Joyce Arquette, Publicity (512) 266-6543
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The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty.
People who read your books are sick, sad, traveling,
in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying.
Books are written by the alone for the alone. ~ Donna Tartt
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Subscribe to HOTSHOTS!
Receive notification each time HOTSHOTS is published.
OR Ask Kathy to register for you. kathywaller1 at gmail dot com
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The thing about being a mystery writer, what marks a mystery writer out from a chick lit author or historical fiction writer, is that you always find a mystery in every situation. ~ Tana French
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The Word on Our Members
Meredith Lee
Dixie Evatt and Sue Cleveland, aka Meredith Lee, are delighted to announce that our mystery, DIGGING UP THE DEAD: A CRISPIN LEADS MYSTERY, is a finalist in the 2018 Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest.
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Meredith Lee (aka Sue Meredith Cleveland and Dixie Lee Evatt) will be at The Twig Book Shop in San Antonio (https://www.thetwig.com) on June 6th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.talking about SHROUDEDand signing copies of the book. Attendees will also hear about the planned sequel, DIGGING UP THE DEAD, scheduled for release later this year.
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Manning Wolfe
GREEN FEES, the third in my Texas Lady Lawyer legal thriller series, will be published on June 21, 2018.
I’ll be signing GREEN FEESand MUSIC NOTESat BookPeople on Sunday, June 24th at 2:00 p.m. I’ll be speaking with Jay Brandon, another legal thriller writer and attorney from San Antonio who also has a new book out.
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If you rewrite a paragraph fifty times and forty-nine of them are terrible, that’s fine; you only need to get it right once. ~ Tana French
If you’re writing a scene for a character
with whom you disagree in every way,
you still need to show how that character is absolutely justified
in his or her own mind,
or the scene will come across as being about the author’s views
rather than about the character’s. ~ Tana French
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WLT Manuscript Contest
The Writers’ League of Texas announces winners and finalists in its 2018 Manuscript Contest, here.
Winners and finalists in the Mystery category are–
WINNER Keep Austin Weird by Erin Brown
FINALISTS Search and Rescue by Jane Hammons Digging up the Dead: A Crispin Leads Mystery by Meredith Lee Hunter’s Way by LD Masterson A Work of … Art by Judith Parsons Nobody’s Darling by Jolynn Rogers
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Both back when I was acting and now that I’m writing, I’ve always wanted the same thing out of my career: to be able to get up in the morning and do what I love doing. ~ Tana French
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Opportunities
Call for Submissions
From Elizabeth Zelvin, editor: Short stories up to 5,000 words for the anthology Me Too: Crimes Against Women, Retribution, and Healing. Deadline is July 1. Fiction, no reprints. Full guidelines are available at http://www.metooanthology.net.
I thought I could never write a proper book; I’d never done it before.
But I thought I could write a sequence. Then I had a chapter.
The next thing I knew I was turning acting down. ~ Tana French
HoTXSinC received the following from Constance Frenzen of the Kauai Writers Conference:
The Kauai Writers Conference has become one of the premier events in the literary world.
The 2018 line-up includes some of the nation’s most acclaimed authors: Jane Smiley, Garth Stein, Alice Hoffman, Kirstin Hannah, Ellen Bass, Jane Smiley, Sara Gruen, Scott Turow, Jeff Arch, and Nicholas Delbanco among others.
Intensive Master Classes, limited to small groups, will be offered November 5th—8th. Choose from Fiction, Memoir, Screenwriting, Poetry, How to Get Published and more. We encourage you to
register soon if you would like to participate.
One-on-one Pitch & Critique Sessions with top literary agents, editors and publishers will also
be available. This is an opportunity for these powerhouses to get to know you and your work.
Meet and connect with writers from around the world.
We look forward to everyone getting the most out of their experience. If you would like assistance in
choosing from the extensive list of program choices based on your specific genre and interests,
“Since 2007, the Austin African American Book Festival has worked to promote empowerment through literature. We are a community event that brings readers and writers together and produces and facilitates collaboration, dialogue, creativity and activism.”
I’ve got this theory that human beings are innately religious;
we have a belief system.
It doesn’t have to be a theist form, necessarily.
But we need a belief system, some framework on which to hang our behavior. ~ Tana French
Remember the great film with Bette Davis, All About Eve? There’s a scene after the scheming Eve steals Margo’s role through trickery & then gets this magnificent review. Margo of course is effing & blinding all over the place. And crying. Her director rushes into her house, puts his arms around her & says,
“I ran all the way”. That’s what I want. ~ Martha Grimes
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HOTSHOTS! Wants You
HOTSHOTS!welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Query kathywaller1 at gmail dot com.
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I get a lot of letters from people. They say “I want to be a writer. What should I do?” I tell them to stop writing to me and to get on with it. ~ Ruth Rendell
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No Lo Contendere
Members, send news to kathywaller1 at gmail dot com. Include both past and upcoming events. Include pictures if you have them.
Also send head shots and a list of your book titles/short story titles to Kathy for theHOTXSINC author page.
And send titles/authors of books (articles, websites, blogs) you’ve read or are reading, and that you recommend to other Sisters in Crime.
HOTSHOTS! welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Email kathywaller1 at gmail dot com.