The Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas chapter will staff a booth at the upcoming Texas Book Festival on Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, 2018. The Festival takes place in downtown Austin on the streets surrounding the Capitol Building. The Festival runs from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, and from 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.
HoTXSinC authors will sell and sign their books in Tent 4, near the Capitol.
HoTXSinC’s TBF Coordinator K.P. Gresham setting up booth in Tent 4
HoTXSinC’s TBF Coordinator K.P. Gresham, Secretary Francine Paino, and President Helen Currie Foster — with HoTXSinC table all set for the weekend — Tent 4, near the Capitol of Texas
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
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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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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.
Our mission is to promote
the ongoing advancement, recognition,
and professional development of women crime writers. ~ SINC Mission Statement
Program: Michael Noll on the Writers League of Texas Upcoming Programs The Word on Our Members
Blog Challenge: Blogging From A to Z Selected Sites
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Writers’ League of Texas Program Director Michael Noll, author of the recently published book The Writer’s Field Guide to the Craft of Fiction, will discuss strategies for solving problems of character, scene, plot, and structure. A great way to find such strategies is by doing close readings of great writing and adapting the techniques gleaned from these close readings to your own work. The approach presented by the book and his blog, Read to Write Stories, is used in more than three dozen university classrooms around the country. This presentation will offer practical tips for reading like a writer, plus a preview of upcoming Writers’ League programming that could help with your writing and publishing goals.
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Michael Noll is the author of The Writer’s Field Guide to the Craft of Fiction, the Program Director at the Writers’ League of Texas, and the editor of Read to WriteStories,where he posts writing exercises based on published work and interviews authors about the craft behind their novels, stories, and essays. His short stories have been published widely, including in The Best American Mystery Storiesanthology.
The first thing we see about a story is its mystery.
And in the best stories, we return at last to see mystery again.
Every good story has mystery, not the puzzle kind, but the mystery of allurement.
~ Eudora Welty
I believe I could commit a crime. We all can.
It depends on which situations we find ourselves in.
In despair, I would steal food if my children were hungry. ~ Karin Fossum
Patty Flaherty Pagan of Houston has a new collection of crime, literary & speculative short stories, and flash fiction, ENDURING SPIRIT, coming from Spider Road Press in May 2018.
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NoreenCedeño, KP Gresham, Helen Currie Foster, and Dave Ciambrone have joined the blogging team at Writing Wranglers and Warriors. Recent posts there by HoTXSinC members:
Starts Sunday, April 1. The last day to sign up is March 31–click here for instructions.
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I think it was Freud who said that we’re all arrested at a certain age.
For me, it was always 13. ~ Megan Abbott
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Upcoming Events
Events listed below appear on the blogTexas Book Lover: Great books and all things Texas. Check Texas Book Lover for info on calls for submissions, workshops, conferences, book clubs, and other topics related to reading and writing.
On the sidebar at the right, scroll down to the words ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WE’LL SEND REMINDERS TO YOUR EMAIL. Type in your email address below.
As instructed, Click to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
WordPress will send you an email asking for your permission to notify you when HOTSHOTS! is published. Click on the indicated link. You’ll then receive an email every time a new issue of HOTSHOTS! goes online.
*****
To me thin people never had any meaningful problems. ~ Dorothy Cannell
*****
No Lo Contendere
Members, send news to kathywaller1 at gmail dot com. Include both past and upcoming events.
Also send head shots and a list of your book titles/short story titles for theHOTXSINC author page.
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
NEW LOCATION on March 11: CAFE EXPRESS!
Program: Billy Kring on Creating and Stealing New Identities
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Billy Kring
on
Creating & Stealing New Identities
Our Sisters in Crime speaker for Sunday, March 11, will be Billy Kring. In the world of entertainment, Billy Kring is a prolific writer, authoring over twenty books, as well as an actor. His years as a Border Patrol Agent, brought him into situations that color his stories with first-hand experience. He has been a consultant on terrorism and international border issues in such places as Mexico, South America, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pan Pacific.
Billy has also written a romantic suspense novel under the name B.G. Kring, because his wife asked him to, and his latest novel, Hunter’s Moon, has met with great success. He will speak on creating or stealing new identities, a topic that is of particular value to many writers.
On the sidebar at the right, scroll down to the words ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WE’LL SEND REMINDERS TO YOUR EMAIL. Type in your email address below.
As instructed, Click to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
WordPress will send you an email asking for your permission to notify you when HOTSHOTS! is published. Click on the indicated link. You’ll then receive an email every time a new issue of HOTSHOTS! goes online.
Some members have already received the email from WordPress (because the editor subscribed for them). If you received the email and didn’t respond but would like to subscribe, follow the steps listed above. If you don’t want to receive notifications, just ignore the email.
***
HOTSHOTS! Wants You
HOTSHOTS!welcomes reviews and articles written by members. Query kathywaller1 at gmail dot com.
*****
“What I am telling you, before you begin my story, is this — two things:
I crave truth. And I lie. ” ― Tana French, In the Woods
Sue Meredith Cleveland and Dixie Lee Evatt, aka Meredith Lee, were featured in a four-part article in February in AARP Texas. The authors of SHROUDED: A Crispin Leads Mystery spoke about their book and writing as a team.
Meredith Lee’s SHROUDED received a starred Blue Ink review in the February 15, 2018 issue of Booklist. Sue Cleveland and Dixie Evatt write together under the pen name Meredith Lee.
“Here’s a little tip for you. If you don’t like being called a murderer, don’t kill people.” ― Tana French, Faithful Place
*****
No Lo Contendere
Members, send news to kathywaller1 at gmail dot com. Include both past and upcoming events.
Also send head shots and a list of your book titles/short story titles to Kathy for theHOTXSINC author page.
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
_______________
NEW LOCATION on January 14: CAFE EXPRESS!
Program: US Army Lieutenant Colonel Michael Grygar
Art Taylor: Sue Grafton, A Remembrance (of Sorts)
HOTXSINC Election of Officers
The Word on Our Members
Selected Sites
May Your Coming Year
Nolo Contendere
Our dues remain the same
~ $20 for the year ~ and should be paid
at the first meeting. Cash or check, please.
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Our 2018 programs will be terrific
starting with
US Army Lieutenant Colonel Michael Grygar
LTC Grygar will speak about his work as a Military Police officer (MP) and Foreign Area Officer (FAO).
If you have questions about the Army, military police, or how the US Army trains and supports foreign military forces, bring them to the meeting.
LTC Michael Grygar entered military service in June of 1992, enlisting in the US Army Reserve as a Combat Medic. He was commissioned as a 2LT in the Military Police Corps through the University of Texas at Arlington ROTC program in 1996, while simultaneously earning a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. LTC Grygar entered Active Duty in 2002. In 2009, he began Foreign Area Officer training at the Defense Language Institute where he studied Portuguese. He has completed a Masters in National Security Studies with a focus
on Latin America at the Naval Postgraduate School.
LTC Grygar has been assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, MO; USAG Bamberg, Germany; Iraq; Monterrey, CA; US Military Group, Guatemala; Fort Polk, LA; Afghanistan; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Fort Sam Houston, TX. He has served in a wide variety of assignments as a Military Police officer and then as a Foreign Area Officer, including positions as a Battle Captain in Iraq; Commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 793rd MP BN; Director of Emergency Services/Provost Marshal of the US Army Garrison in Bamberg, Germany; visiting instructor at the Guatemalan Command and General Staff College; Battalion Operations Officer, and Battalion XO of the 2nd Battalion, 353rd Infantry Regiment; instructor at the Brazilian Command and General Staff College in Brazil; and as the Political Military Affairs Division Chief within the Regional Affairs Directorate.
He is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal (1 OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (1 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC), the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the NATO Medal, the Parachutists Badge and the Air Assault Badge.
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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. at Cafe Express,3418 N. Lamar, Austin 78705, 512 452-9888
For information about the Heart of Texas Chapter contact Joyce Arquette, Publicity, (512) 266-6543.
At the December 10, 2017 meeting, HOTXSINC elected officers for 2018. There being no nominations from the floor, the nominating committee’s slate of candidates was elected by acclamation:
President – Helen Currie Foster
Vice President/President Elect – Noreen Cedeno
Secretary/Membership – Francine Paino
Treasurer – David Ciambrone
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THE WORD ON OUR MEMBERS
K. P. Gresham’s radio play “The Case of the Poisoned Holly” was performed by a cast of HOTXSINC members at the annual holiday party on December 20, 2017. She spoke and signed copies of her mystery MURDER IN THE SECOND PEW at BookPeople on December 8.
“Amazon now requires you to purchase a minimum of $50 worth of books or other products before you can leave a review or answer questions about a product. These purchases, and it looks like it is a cumulative amount, must be purchased via credit card or debit card — gift cards won’t count.”
“Hindi pulp fiction writer Surender Mohan Pathak has been made ‘the Agatha Christie of India’ by Minakshi Thakur, who saw potential in a genre ignored by other publishers.”
“Now, Amazon is in a strange situation; it cannot itself decide if it’s a publisher or a distributor, but in either case the demand for a copy of our contract with our publisher is out of line, and Steve and I will not comply.”- Author Sharon Lee
The Passive Voice: “In an update to the OP, TeleRead says Amazon customer service solved the problem. PG is happy to hear that in part because the authors seem like nice people. “PG is usually on the little guy’s/gal’s side in these kind of disputes, but in this case, he understands Amazon’s concerns:…”
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art– write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, that you surprise yourself.
Meredith Lee (aka Sue Meredith Cleveland and Dixie Lee Evatt) will be at The Twig Book Shop in San Antonio (
GREEN FEES, the third in my Texas Lady Lawyer legal thriller series, will be published on June 21, 2018.
Michael Noll is the author of 
Sue Meredith Cleveland and Dixie Lee Evatt, aka 
https://states.aarp.org/taking-pen-going-press/
Meredith Lee’s SHROUDED received a 
