Dawn Dowdle of the Blue Ridge Literary Agency presented answers to questions from a member survey about working with an agent. Of members who took the survey, 17% had an agent and 57% were looking for an agent. Some of the questions Dawn answered: What can an agent do for an author that they couldn’t … Read more
A small group of members gathered at the upper shelter at Richmond Beach Park in Shoreline and chatted about books, the weather, Covid 19, life events, etc. The weather cooperated by staying comfortably warm with a pleasant breeze off the water. The sky wasn’t as smoky as it had been just the day before. There … Read more
Susan McCormick will discuss her Fog Ladies cozy murder mystery series and a writing life in general with the Capitol Crimes Sister-in-Crime chapter Book Club on August 10. Register here. Glen Erik Hamilton: Island of Thieves is Glen’s sixth novel in the award-winning Van Shaw series. It was released on July 27 from William Morrow. … Read more
Jan (Janice) Gorow: Her trade paperback Head in the Toilet: A Slightly Outrageous Murder Mystery is now live on Amazon. The Kindle version has been out for some time. The book is a fun, beach read mystery. Charlotte Stuart: Her 2nd Macavity and Me Mystery was released in June: Who, Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and … Read more
Tara Gavin, a professional editor at Alcove Press/Crooked Lane Books, made the following points during her presentation and Q&A: What an editor looks for first in an intellectual property is saleability. The editor works with the author on how to best present the project to readers. Sometimes acquisition is based on whether or not the … Read more
Bharti Kirchner’s Murder at Andaman was published in December 2020. This is what Cara Black, best-selling author had to say about it: “Murder at Andaman, Bharti Kirchner’s latest mystery, brings a sharply observed eye to this engaging, atmospheric tale set in the Andaman Islands exploring friendship. And murder. Don’t miss Murder at Andaman, I couldn’t … Read more
Linda Norlander’s Death of a Starling, the second in the Cabin by the Lake mystery series, will be released on May 21. Jamie Forest explores a school shooting in the small town of Cascade, Minnesota. She discovers a town cloaked in silence. The only person who will talk with her is found mysteriously dead within … Read more
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
Erica Miner just completed a round of events, including a presentation “In the Shadow of Wagner, Strauss and Debussy” for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UW and UC San Diego, where she announced her latest release, Staged for Murder, which centers around a production of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ at the San Francisco Opera. Erica also … Read more