Sisters in Crime Hollywood Event

I attended the Sisters in Crime Adapting to Hollywood Conference last weekend, as I'd mentioned on several blog posts before.  I enjoyed it a lot. 

My second Barkery & Biscuits Mystery TO CATCH A TREAT will be published in May.  Now I'm picturing its protagonist Carrie Kennersly showing up on my TV screen, or even a movie screen, solving mysteries in front of the world! 

So how likely is that to happen?  Well, for one thing, the conference had quite a few attendees who were interested in having the same thing happen to their protagonists.  And that was just one group of people.   

Lots of people--novelists, screenwriters and more--want to see their work produced. 

And do I really want it?  Well, yes--and no.  My idea of Carrie Kennersly is undoubtedly quite different from what a production company's view of her might be, and to get her on any screen I'd have to agree that they can change her. I'd like to receive the money, of course, and get the publicity that having a story or series of mine produced into a movie or TV show would bring.  Plus, it just sounds like a lot of fun!  Even so, losing control of my characters and stories would be difficult, I'm sure. 

By the way, I wrote more about the experience for my InkSpot blog this week.  Here's the link: 

http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com/

And also by the way, I'll be attending the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books next weekend, signing at some mystery booths and volunteering at others and at a romance writers' booth.  If you're there, come see me!  And if you're not there, that might be because the thunderstorms they're predicting (yes, in LA!) are actually occurring. 

Back to Hollywood.  I have other mystery series that could also be made into movies or TV shows...  Okay, guess it's time for me to get real here.  But are there any series or characters you'd like to see go to Hollywood?

Preparation For Sisters in Crime Meets Hollywood!

I'm attending the Sisters in Crime Adapting to Hollywood conference here in Los Angeles on April 1-3.  It's at the Universal Hilton, which isn't far from where I live, so of course I have to go! 

This week, I was asked to send a blurb for a story I might want to pitch.  I had to think about it, since I write, and have written, several mystery series that I think could make fun movies or even TV shows.  I've had occasional nibbles about them from screenwriters and others, but nothing has materialized, which doesn't surprise me. 

I decided to send a blurb about LOST UNDER A LADDER, my first Superstition Mystery, since I think it would be a fun background for a film, and producers could get a kick out of putting together its location, Destiny, California, which is all about superstitions. 

Of course I really like Knobcone Heights, California, too--the home of my Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries, which feature a barkery and bakery next door to one another. 

And then there are my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries and their spinoff Pet Rescue Mysteries.  They took place right here, in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.  The Pet-Sitter Mysteries feature pets of different kinds, not just dogs--and I know those animals can be trained to be movie stars since I visited Universal Studios last week to see the new Harry Potter exhibits and also attended the Animal Actors show.  It featured not only dogs and cats but birds and pigs and guinea pigs... 

Okay, realistically, I know I'll have a lot of competition from the other Sisters in Crime who attend, as well as the existing competition from all other fiction writers, including those who write film scripts for a living.  But, heck, it won't hurt to learn more.

And, after all, it is kind of in my own backyard.

What Writers Inspired Me

Hi all!  Welcome Shannon Baker to Killer Hobbies today as part of the Sisters in Crime Blog Hop! Shannon is the author of the awesome Nora Abbot mystery series.  Check it out, or even better, buy it!

I credit Helen Hooven Santmyer for inspiring me to write novels. Way back in the early 80’s I read her sweeping novel, And Ladies of the Club.  I loved that book.

At the time, I just had my first baby and lived on a cattle ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. I felt lonely and completely out of my element. Despite having business career aspirations and sporting a shiny new college degree, I’d married a rancher and moved to rural isolation. In my youthful optimism, I figured I’d find some sort of business in which I’d excel. I hadn’t accounted for the absolute ruralness and my natural tendency toward laziness.

Still, I felt stunted intellectually and creatively (motherhood can have that affect) and toyed with the idea of writing books. I certainly read a lot. When I fell in love with And Ladies of the Club, I thought, “I’d love to write a book like that someday.” Then I read Santmyer published the book at age 88 and that it took her 50 years to write it. If it was going to take 50 years for me to write a book, I decided I’d better start right away.

I began with baby steps. I wrote articles, essays, short stories. I even covered sports for a local newspaper. I started selling a few things and gaining more confidence. I eventually wrote a super-bad novel. Then another one. Those led me to Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a group dedicated to helping writers publish in commercial fiction. That group is the most amazing collection of writers in the universe. Through the yearly conference I learned the basics, then the business and after all the required hours and words written, I finally published a thriller in 2010 and then the Nora Abbott mystery series with Midnight Ink. (Tainted Mountain 2013, Broken Trust 2014, and Tattered Legacy 2015).

Along the way, I’ve gained inspiration from others, specifically Mari Sandoz. Sandoz grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills, in the early part of the 20^th century, when survival was a full-time job. Her abusive father thought writers were less than worthless. Yet Sandoz prevailed. She suffered more rejections than would stymie almost anyone else. At one point, she piled all of her manuscripts in her backyard in Lincoln, Nebraska and burned them. But she went on to become a bestseller, an award winner, and an icon. And she started out in the same harsh bit of the country where I’d placed myself.

Other writers come to mind when I think of inspiration. In A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley wrote about rural America. Barbara Kingsolver is a goddess. Any time I feel lost or like throwing in the towel, I reread Stephen King’s On Writing, and I’m back at the keyboard.

I probably will never write an epic like And Ladies of the Club. And I’ve read so many amazing books since then that make me wish I could write them. But Santmeyer’s long journey made me realize I had to start and set me on the road to creating my own stories. I don’t know whether to thank or curse her!

What stories have inspired your life?

 

Shannon Baker

 

 

Shannon Baker writes the Nora Abbott Mystery Series, a fast-paced mix of murder, environmental issues and Hopi Indians published by Midnight Ink. Tainted Mountain, the first in the series is set in Flagstaff, AZ and is a New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards finalist. Broken Trust, book two of the series, takes place in Boulder, CO and was released in March. She is 2014 RMFW Writer of the Year. She is a member of SinC and MWA. Visit Shannon at www.Shannon-Baker.com.

 

 

 

Happy Day!

Today is my wedding anniversary.  I've been married to my wonderful husband Fred for a lot of years.  As part of our celebration I'm not going to have much writing time today.  In fact, even though I'm now a full-time writer, some days I wind up having even less time than I used to for my writing.  Not that it stops me from getting things done! 

Today we're going to a lunch for the Union Oil Company Alumni Association to schmooze with some of my fellow former Unocal coworkers and to listen to one of them discuss a real estate related matter for Chevron, which bought the remaining assets of Unocal a while ago.  I became a published fiction writer while working as an in-house real estate attorney for the company, and I remain quite nostalgic about it.  In fact, there's a good possibility that this weekend we'll also be visiting the oil museum in Santa Paula, California, that was founded by Unocal.  I helped, way back when, first to lease part of the premises to the city and then, later, to help sell the property. 

Both things will be time consuming.  And I also hope to meet with a writing friend visiting from out of town after our lunch today.   

Then there's the time I've been spending on nailing down some routine medical matters as well as dealing with erroneous charges for some dental work since I recently changed insurance providers.  And yes, that really is time consuming. 

Plus, last weekend I attended a meeting of the Los Angeles Romance Authors and the Sisters in Crime Los Angeles Chapter on Sunday--enjoying organizations representing both of my two genres on the same day!  I've also been talking to some friends about potentially doing some mutual critiquing since my wonderful, long-time critique group hasn't been meeting as often as it used to. 

So... looks like I'd better stop writing this blog and get to work!   

I've finished the first draft but am editing the first book in my second upcoming cozy mystery series for Midnight Ink.  I'm making progress... though not as quickly as I'd like, particularly because I've got a lot of other books to write, too--both those mysteries plus some romances for Harlequin--a wonderful position to be in. 

And one of these days I'd like to start getting my next backlist book available as an ebook.  If you read my blog last week, I was delighted to report, and still am, that THE GLASS SLIPPER, my early fairy tale romance, is now available on Kindle at Amazon! 

So... see you here next week, I hope.   

And meantime how about you? What's occupying your time these days?

Book Store Closing

I posted earlier this week on Facebook about my Monday visit to the Pasadena, California, Barnes and Noble.

 

I'd been to a couple of bookstores the week before, after December began, but my December Harlequin Romantic Suspense COVERT ATTRACTION wasn't yet on the shelves.  It was there, though, at the Pasadena B&N, three copies that I got to sign.  Also on the shelves were several copies of my Pet Rescue Mysteries.  I was thrilled. 

 

 

I was also sad.  This Barnes and Noble is closing as of December 31. 

I enjoy going to Pasadena for different reasons, including its bookstores.  Vroman's is always fun.  So is Book 'Em Mysteries, which I visit before each of the Sisters in Crime Los Angeles meetings since the South Pasadena library--venue for the SinCLA meetings--and Book 'Em are within close walking distance of one another.  As far as I know, both of those stores are doing okay. 

But not that B&N.   

I admit that, although I have a Kindle and enjoy using it, I'm still hooked on physical books.  That means I'm also hooked on brick-and-mortar bookstores, although I have been known to order books online, too.   

It's sad to realize that my next book, TEACUP TURBULENCE, the fifth Pet Rescue Mystery, won't ever see the inside of that particular B&N since it's a January 2014 release.  I won't get to sign copies there.  I won't get to buy other books there unless I hurry back before the end of this year.

 

Sigh.

 

There are other B&Ns around, and some are closer to me.  I won't have to totally wean myself from Barnes and Nobles, just that one.  But that still makes me sad. 

So how about you--how are bookstores in your area doing?  And what's your opinion of them?

Schizoid Woman On The Loose

I'd like to introduce to you my fellow Sisters-in-Crime member, Bette Lamb. Bette is the co-author of three books with her husband J.J. Their latest is a medical thrilled titled SISTERS In SILENCE. You can find out more about them and view a trailer for this intriguing book at their website, http://www.twoblacksheep.us

I first met Bette and JJ when I was just starting out, venturing out to meetings of MWA and Sisters in Crime, where I knew no one. I could always count on them to welcome me with a smile and what felt like an invitation to the in crowd. Special folks.

Bette is an artist as well as a writer. Above is an example of her work. More pieces at the end.


From Bette:

Each 24-hour period in my life is a desperate race with time -- a frantic, mind-boggling sprint where I have to strangle, squeeze, wrestle, out-distance every single second. Nothing, I mean nothing, ever fits perfectly into one day. And everything that’s not completed always splashes over onto the next day, or the next two days, maybe even eternity.
And why does that happen? Because over the years I’ve morphed into too many people: wife, mother, friend, nurse, painter, potter, sculptor, gardener, reader, music lover, and on and on. Has it ever been easy? No! Life is always too big to manage. But somehow it has been all right; it was working.
Then came a blow that pierced my carefully managed world. It destroyed any illusion that time could ever be dealt with: I became a writer.
How did that happen? And who burst my happy little bubble? J. J. Lamb. It’s all his fault. He wouldn’t listen to me. Well, if I have to be fair, he did listen, but he wouldn’t tackle a story idea that I thought was (of course) FANTASTIC. I hounded him (one might say nag if one didn’t value one’s life). And it wasn’t like I mentioned it every day, but I have to admit it was out there at least monthly. Finally, he turned to me and said, “If that story is ever going to see the light of day, you have to write it.” That did it. And it was the chisel that splintered my solid rock of self-deception -- it shattered it into hundreds of searching personalities that either flow in harmony or pull and tear at each other. And guess what? He’s had to live with it ever since. That’s how Karma works
Did you ever want to freeze time? I mean have everything stop? Stop spinning?
STOP!
Everyone would be trapped in a kind of time warp, lost in their own world, while I could move at my own chosen pace. Image, 24-hour cycles wouldn’t exist. I could stretch a day into 36 hours. Or 72 hours. Now that’s cool. You could take the time (or is it steal the time?) to really look around. It’s all right there, even now. You might see things for the “first” time. Look at people’s faces, really look. Take the time to really see their expressions, really see their body language and read it. Study their eyes in depth – look into their souls, and maybe even know what’s in their hearts.

Bette Golden Lamb
http://www.twoblacksheep.us/

Organizations Galore

I belong to a whole bunch of writing organizations. I’m also considering the possibility of joining at least one other.

Yikes!

Am I an addict? Not to joining things, but I’ll admit addiction to the camaraderie, networking and information I glean from each of them.

Which am I talking about? Well, I currently belong to the Romance Writers of America, and to two local chapters: Los Angeles Romance Authors and the Orange County Chapter. I belong to the Mystery Writers of America and its Southern California Chapter. I belong to Sisters in Crime, and to its Southern California Chapter. And, I belong to the Thriller Writers of America.

I’m definitely not addicted to paying dues, but I do so anyway for most of the organizations--and additionally for most of their chapters to which I belong.

I’m also a lawyer and pay bar dues. That’s different from my writing but is a necessity for my other career.

I attend meetings, too. Time consuming? Yes, especially since, as I mentioned, I belong to four local chapters of various organizations. But I don’t go to every meeting, only those where I think I’ll get helpful information from the speaker. Although I do sometimes attend just because I want to meet with fellow writers, compare experiences, get out and about with friends.

Is it all worth it? It is to me. For one thing, I owe my first book sale, indirectly, to Romance Writers of America and my attendance at one of its national conventions. I still go to many RWA National annual conferences and always find them great for networking and more.

I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, so seeing flesh-and-blood people now and then, besides family, is a good thing.

There are plenty of other writing organizations that intrigue me, too. But some restraint is necessary here. Maybe.

What about you--do you belong to any professional organizations, writing or otherwise? What do you like about them most? Any dislikes?

Short Stories

In addition to finishing a novel under deadline and working on several proposals, including one nonfiction one, I’m now working on an idea for a short story. I’d love to submit an entry to the Mystery Writers of America for an upcoming anthology, as a blind submission which may or may not be chosen for inclusion. I had a blind submission included in an anthology hosted by the Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter, a few years ago, and that was a lot of fun.

I started my fiction career with short stories. My first short story “Different Drummers” was published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine many years ago, and it won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for best first mystery short story of the year. I’ll never forget when the legendary Ed Hoch called to ask if he could include “Different Drummers” in his annual anthology, The Year’s Best Mystery and Suspense Stories, and how flattered I was. He said, “You don’t know, do you?” That was how I learned I’d won the Fish Award!

These days I don’t write as many short stories as I used to, although I certainly enjoy them. But in some ways, it’s harder to write short stories, since you have to get points across faster then in full length books.

My blog sisters and I have been working on a progressive short story starring our mystery protagonists, and hopefully we’ll be able to post it soon.

For my MWA entry, I know some general stuff about where I want to go with it, but I haven’t come up with enough details to feel comfortable that I’ll be able to submit it in time. The deadline is March 15--and my deadline for my first Pet Rescue mystery is March 1. Plus, I have some interim travel plans.

But I’ve put my subconscious to work on plotting it out. Wish me luck in getting it done in time to submit it! After that, I’ll worry about whether it’s selected. I’m sure there will be a lot of excellent competition. Since it’s a blind selection, where the identities of the submitters are kept secret until the selection is made, I’ve no idea whether my story will be accepted even if I write one!

Do you have any stories or plots you’re puzzling out at the moment? How’s it going?

A Week in the Windy City

Is it really summer? You wouldn’t know it by the weather in Chicago. I came prepared to melt and instead am pulling on a jacket after feeling a shiver. But then what else is new about Chicago weather besides being unpredictable.

Yesterday we ran into a storm so sudden and fierce that we couldn’t see the side of the toll road. The signs were visible, but unreadable, and the road was basically under water. We were lucky to find our exit. Abruptly the rain let up, but it had left huge puddles along the side of the road and when a bus went through one, it splashed so much on the windshield, for a few scary moments we couldn’t see anything but water while the car was still moving. Kudos to my son, the great driver.

Luckily, the weather was okay the day of my booth duty at the American Library Association. Ann from Georgia, thank you for stopping by to say hello. You made my day. The Sisters in Crime booth was a big hit and it was a pleasure to meet so many library people. The Sisters in crime library people Mary and Doris hosted the booth and certainly made me feel welcome. Mary had organized everything and made sure people passing by knew there were real live authors giving out books. Just like at the Printers Row Fair, Deb Baker and I shared a signing time. She’s always fun to be around.

I got a chance to check out the convention floor and was very excited to see Terri and Joanna’s books at the Midnight Ink booth. I wanted the nudge the people manning the booth and tell them Terri and Joanna were my blog sisters, but they were busy with real customers, so I let them be.

I recognized the Frozen Light jewelry woman from the vendor room at Malice Domestic. I wasn’t planning to buy any jewelry- like anybody ever really is - but she has such great stuff. You can keep your diamonds. I love sterling silver and turquoise and other colorful stones.

My son and his girlfriend joined me the day after the ALA and my plans for writing quickly got whittled down to some time in the early morning. It’s hard to turn down fun.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I had hoped to be able to include a photo of the cactus I mentioned crocheting last week. It’s not quite done. I found a photograph of a crocheted cactus online, but the directions for making it were sketchy at best. The cactus part is done, complete with blossoms. It’s the pot that the problem. It is trial and error to figure out how to make it and what kind of proportions it should have to balance off the cactus. Maybe in a couple of weeks it’ll be ready to be displayed.

Now I’m doing last minute preparations for my trip to Chicago Saturday. Actually, I’m writing this Friday night, so it’s tomorrow. I have this fantasy of traveling with no luggage since I have clothes, etc there, but it never works out that way. At least the suitcase I bring is small.

I am going to be at the American Library Association convention on Monday. I’ll be signing book from Noon to 2 pm at the Sisters in Crime booth. I remember going to Book Expo America at McCormick Place (which is where the ALA is) and seeing all the authors signing books in various booths. It’s a thrill for me to be on the other side of the table.

I get caught up in deadlines and worry about how my books will do, but when I step back, I realize how I am living my dream. All I ever wanted to be was a writer.

I’m guest blogger at www.FreshFiction.com on Monday, so it’s a double big day for me. There’s a contest for a signed copy of By Hook or By Crook.

So, that’s it for this week. Even a little suitcase takes time to pack.

Two Hats This Weekend

These days, I write both the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries, and paranormal romance for Silhouette Nocturne. This weekend, I’m wearing both hats at separate events.

On Saturday, I’m attending the networking session to be held by the Orange County Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. The annual RWA conference is next week in Washington, D.C. (yes, I’ll be there, too), and the chapter has a speaker in the morning giving advice on pitching your work. That will help the writers who have meetings scheduled with agents and editors at the conference. In the afternoon, some published writers, including me, will engage in roundtable discussions about our writing, how we sold, or whatever, and even listen to practice pitches.

On Sunday, I’m in trouble. Sorta. I’ve been invited to participate in the Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter, program. The presenters are Toastmasters who will discuss how writers can present themselves better in public speaking engagements. I’m then supposed to introduce myself, perform a brief reading from one of my books--and then get critiqued! That’ll help teach others in the audience what to do right... and wrong. It’ll teach me, too--to volunteer! No, I really anticipate it’ll be fun... I hope. I actually was in Toastmasters many years ago after a terrible moot court presentation in law school, so I kind of know what I’m letting myself in for.

So... what hats are you wearing this week?

What's in a Name

I went to Border’s to sign stock of By Hook or By Crook. I can never leave a bookstore empty handed and besides I had a nice 25 percent off coupon. I picked up a dictionary of names and another book that promises more than 30,000 names from around the world. And there was the Edward doll from Twilight. What can I say, I collect odd dolls and I really liked the book and movie. What else can you call a collection that includes Barbie the detective, Star Trek characters and a Ron Howard doll from Happy Days among others?

I already had a couple of books of names, but they are light weight compared to these new ones. Naming characters is a big deal. What you choose says a lot about their age, background, nationality and what soap operas were popular. When I was writing a picture book for a workshop I took at University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, I wanted to find a name for my dog main character. He was a dog with an attitude who I was sure would roll his eyes at me if I tried to give him any sort of cutsy name. When I saw Monty in a book of names, I knew it belonged to him.

I was reading the Sisters in Crime Newsletter and Charlaine Harris talked about the care she takes in picking out names for her protagonists. She said she might get other character’s names by thumbing through the phone book, but not her main character. She picks their names to be reflective of their lives. As an example, she mentioned choosing Lily for a character needed a tender name despite her tough, practical exterior.

I wish I could say I had some complicated reason for giving Molly Pink her name. Actually it just popped in my head one day and I knew that was her name. It was only later that I realized I had some kind of unconscious thing for names with color. I honestly didn’t notice Molly Pink, Barry Greenberg or Blue Schwartz all had colors in their names. At first anyway. With Blue as I was writing I realized both her names were colors. Schwartz is German for black. I ended up incorporating the bruise aspect of her black and blue name in the book.

The cool thing about the books I got today is that they have international names, so if I have say a Korean character, I can find an authentic name. It’s also fun to read what the names mean. The name dictionary seems pretty authentic in the derivation’s it offer. Better than another book I have that tries to determine meaning by what celebrities have a particular name. I just have to be careful not to get so enamored in reading through all the lists that I use up all my time.

A yarn update. I started knitting with the yarn that was such a nightmare going from hank to ball. So far, it seems to be very nice to work with. It survived the test of unraveling and didn’t get tangled and I was able to start over with no problem other than being annoyed that I had to start over. I’ll post a picture when it’s done.

The Printers Row Book Fair was lots of fun despite the cold and rain. I am sure glad I brought a sweater, a jacket and an umbrella. A lot of nice people stopped by the table and bought books. Julie Hyzy did another great job of organizing the Mystery Writers of America Booth. Margery Flax from MWA supplied us with brownies and the warmth of her personality. And I discovered an amazing yarn store down the street from the fair.

It should be warmer and dryer this Sunday at noon when I sign as part of the Los Angeles Romance Authors book fair at the Encino Barnes & Noble.

Writing short

I feel like I'm channeling our on-leave Kathryn Lilley, who gave KillerHobbies some of its most memorable images. This photo is of a termite. In a minute you'll see what it has to do with writing.

I attended a short story workshop, given by Sophie Littlefield and Tim Maleeny, two very talented Sisters in Crime.

Having just submitted my twelfth novel to my editor, I found it a bit daunting to think short! Sophie and Tim were wonderfully instructive about structuring short stories in a different way from novels. Start with one idea, add one "concept" or story thread. Keep it simple, easy to pitch.

Hearing the various ideas and stories of the attendees was inspiring, but one stood out —from a woman who did a stint as a writer of radio commercials. She'd have to get a message across in as little as 30 seconds.

Here was her example, a commercial she wrote for a pest control company:

How does a termite hide in a wall?

He puts on a helmet and pretends he's a nail.

Canned laughter – then:

Termites – it's no joke.

Now I'm trying to squeeze my short story idea into a 30-second jingle!

Does anyone else find it hard to write short?

Reaching out to readers through Sisters in Crime

In author blogs and chat forums, writers are always asking each other, “How do I reach more readers and the public?”

Well, this week I’d like to talk up an organization that provides fantastic outreach opportunities: Sisters in Crime.

Last weekend, for example, I appeared at the Burbank Public Library on a panel called “So You Want to be a Writer?” that was sponsored by my local Sisters in Crime chapter in Los Angeles. About 30 people attended, and by all accounts it was a great success. From left to right, pictured in the first photo are moderator Eric Stone, Yours Truly, Darrell James, Gay Degani, and Jeff Sherratt.

Libraries are one of my favorite venues for panels and author events, because the program is organized around topics that attract a general audience rather than author BSP (blatant self promotion). And my chapter of Sisters in Crime is wonderful at working with libraries to bring writers and readers together. Sure, as a writer you get the chance to mention your work and sell a few books, but the primary focus is on communicating with readers about writing-oriented topics that appeal to a wide variety of readers.

By the way, you don’t have to be female to join Sisters in Crime; plenty of “sisters” are men. And you don’t even have to be published—the group includes booksellers, editors, librarians, teachers, and readers. It’s an incredibly nurturing, supportive group of people who have helped along many writers with their careers. I first joined Sisters in Crime a couple of years ago, when I had an unfinished manuscript in my hands and a dream of launching my own mystery series. I feel as though I’ve learned “the ropes” of meeting and greeting the public, networking, and—yes—even knowing when to throw in a little BSP from time to time.

How about you? Are you a “sister,” and what have been your success stories or events you’ve participated in through Sisters in Crime? I’d love to hear how some of the other SiC chapters go about connecting writers and readers.

Forensic University Starts with a BANG!

Last Thursday, nearly fifty mystery writers and fans traveled by limo to Bullseye Shooting Range in St. Louis. This was the unofficial start of Sisters in Crime's Forensic University. For many of us, this was our first experience with actually firing a gun--although quite a few of our number had written books with gun play involved.

Our instructor was a real pro, a man who'd been involved in several violent incidents and who regularly carries two firearms on his person. He explained, "When it absolutely, positively has to go bang--carry two guns." With great patience, he put each of us through a quick hands on demonstration of the "combat grip." He schooled us in gun safety: always treat every gun like a loaded gun, never point an empty gun at anyone, keep your finger trigger straight along the side of the gun above the trigger until you are ready to shoot, never hand a gun to another person (instead lay it down and let the other person pick it up), always turn the gun butt toward you before picking it up, and more.

We were each given safety glasses and hearing protective "ear muffs." To enter the gallery, you must pass through two doors that muffle the sound. The rule is "never let both doors be open at the same time." From there we walked a long narrow corridor--another safety precaution because you can't pass people while carrying a gun as you traverse the corridor.

I loaded my clip myself. My fingers shook a bit as I matched the bullets to the second slot and dropped them in. When I slammed the cartridge into the butt of the gun with the heel of my palm, I felt like a character in a movie. The noise of people shooting around me was surprisingly loud. Later Lee Lofland and my pal Rick McMahan would tell me that during a gun battle you don't hear the sound of the blasts, but right then, I was keenly aware how loud a gun is.

I took my stance: both hands wrapped around the gun, arms out, sighting down the barrel and lining up the notch and post, semi-squat position. I stroked the trigger.

My first shots were a little wide. I hadn't accurately lined up the notch and post--I was too scared. Yes, scared. I was so very conscious of the fact I was holding a lethal weapon, an inanimate object that I dislike on so many, varied levels. Seeing the target with the form of a human on it, well, it both sickened and excited me. The smell of gunpowder coated my nose and mouth like the smoke from a cigarette smoker, invading my being involuntarily. The random "pop, pop, pop" of other guns startled me. The knowledge my instructor stood at my elbow waiting made me uneasy.

I remembered a portion of a Jack Reacher book where Lee Child wrote about how important breathing was to the accuracy of a sniper. I began to time my breathes so I could stroke the trigger on that space between inhales and exhales.

Then I blasted the heck out of the red center of my target. By the time I moved to the bigger gun, I was deadly. True confession: I loved shooting. And I know I'll be going again.