July 2022: Around the Sound

Peggy Barnett’s book Bitter Fruit is finally available in bookstores and on Amazon! The book launch party will be on July 23 at BookTree Bookstore in Kirkland. It starts at 4 PM. Peggy says: “I can’t believe how much work there is to selling the book. Readings, building a website, social media—it’s hard to get … Read more

June 2022: Around the Sound

These pictures and captions are from Susan McCormick. This year’s Malice Domestic Murder mystery conference combined three years into one. Susan McCormick spoke about The Fog Ladies on the “Not Her First Rodeo: Mature Sleuths” panel.  Linda Norlander spoke about Death of a Starling at the New Author Breakfast. 

May 2022 Meeting Recap: 1) Crave Books Marketing Platform and 2) Member Discussion of Marketing Services – What’s Worked and What Hasn’t

1) The co-founder of Crave Books, Cary Bergeron, explained the origins of their current marketing platform for authors and walked participants through the free sign-up process and demonstrated how some of the services work. From placing ads, to building email lists to sending out press releases, all of the fees and details about each promo … Read more

May 2022: Around the Sound

Jeanne Matthews: “I attended Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque this month after a long absence and caused quite a stir among acquaintances who had assumed I was dead. Not only was I able to demonstrate proof of life, but I had a new book to promote (Devil by the Tail). Several of the panels were right up … Read more

April 2022 Meeting Recap: Why Setting is More Than a Place

In a well-attended meeting including guests from as far away as Ohio and Virginia, Wendy and Erica delivered an informative program on how to create settings to enhance your story. Using examples from their books and life experiences, topics covered included: “Where am I?” From a reader’s perspective, why it’s important to know setting in … Read more

April 2022: Around the Sound

Bharti Kirchner is finishing up Murder at Jaipur: A Maya Mallick Mystery (Book 3 in the series). She took part in a Tea Book Group discussion of her earlier novel, Darjeeling (done via Zoom). She has had magazine articles published recently. And she’s judging a big national writing contest as part of a panel of judges. Cynthia Blair (pen name: Cynthia … Read more

March 2022 Meeting Recap: Research, Rewriting and Rechecking

Jeffrey Briggs interviewed local authors Jeanne Matthews and Alice K. Boatwright about their personal processes for getting from the blank page to the finished manuscript. He even suggested adding a fourth “R” to the mix: Repeat! Some of the topics covered were: Research Both authors use a wide variety of resources such as news articles, … Read more

March 2022: Around the Sound

Anne Greer joined a group she really likes called Pitched to Published. It is organized by Kathy VerEeck. It has been helping her meet her goals and make friends in the writing world. She’s looking forward to attending a local group meeting in person someday as she is relatively new to the area. Martha Crites’ second … Read more

February 2022 Meeting Recap: Short, Sharp, and Suspenseful: Writing the Mystery Short Story

Alice Boatwright engaged award winning short story author and educator Art Taylor in a wide-ranging conversation about the history and writing of the short story. Some of the topics that were covered: Is the short story a training ground for writing novels? Why readers like short stories Economy, efficiency and focus – the three essentials … Read more