Christopher J. Jarmick, owner of BookTree, Kirkland’s independent bookstore, discussed the challenges small bookstores face in today’s book market. He covered his journey from script doctor and screenwriter in LA to his current role as bookstore owner, writer and poet. In addition to explaining how to get your book and/or an event into his bookstore, … Read more
Curtis C. Chen is a published author who told us the story of how he came to have an agent by writing a correct query letter. He said it must be professional, clear, and describe the story with a good, distinct description that gives the essence of the novel. Other suggestions: Include your genre, pitch … Read more
This trio of successful series writers shared their tips and experiences on how to write series and problems you might encounter. Cynthia Blair, writing as Cynthia Baxter, covered the nuts and bolts of series writing with a series of colorful slides to illustrate her main points. She included how to make the characters’ world interesting … Read more
Susan McCormick and Michael Erdahl shared their experiences producing audiobooks and starting a podcast. Their PowerPoint highlights their discussion of the pros and cons of various audiobook platforms, audiobook covers, getting a narrator, and production costs. Download their PowerPoint presentation here. In addition, they talked about the joys of creating their podcast with two other … Read more
For twenty-one years Michael Crowley listened to criminals petitioning to be paroled. As a member of the Parole Board of Canada, he met them all: murderers, rapists, young, old, men, women and child murderers. There is no capital punishment in Canada, just life imprisonment. His views are conditioned by that rule. Also, most murderers plead … Read more
We began our Holiday party with an inspiring and witty original carol sung by Cynthia Blair: A Writer’s Twelve Days of Christmas. Our Build A Story activity did not end with the identification of a murderer, but it produced some hearty laughter along the way. A monestery in a desert wilderness provided the starting point … Read more
Based on writing prompts from Agatha Christie novels, members wrote and presented 250 word stories. For example: I was standing at the window… looking idly on the street below… Mrs. Oliver looked at herself in the glass… One story included references to six of Christie’s novels. Some stories were loosely connected to the theme. Some … Read more
Elizabeth George talked about her process for creating a novel, starting with choosing the unique settings that characterize her novels. Her overview included a discussion of how she researches her book’s location, develops her characters, and turns scenes into a rolling plot that becomes the draft for her novel. She is known for the accuracy … Read more
Based on his work as a PI and an author, Michael Pool shared what it’s like to be a real PI and what he finds unrealistic in some fiction. He said that to be a good PI you have to be a “jack of all trades and a master of one.” In other words, PIs … Read more
July 9, 2020 President Luanne Brown presented a Powerpoint with an overview of the “new normal,” some cartoons, a preview of upcoming programs, and pictures of FOOD. Over twenty members introduced themselves to each other and shared stories about what they are writing and reading and how the pandemic is affecting their lives. Only a … Read more