SW Florida Reading Festival Mystery Making March 6, 2021.

Mystery Making Event on March 6

Announcement, Events, Writing, YouTube Video, , ,

You might be wondering what a mystery making event is. Well, let me explain… Mystery Making is the brainchild of Sisters in Crime New England, a writers organization of which I’m a member. Back when we writers made live presentations, mystery making events were primarily conducted in libraries. A panel of four writers would work with an audience to create a brand-new mystery. In a mystery making event, members of the audience suggest: Character names The plot and the setting (including time period) Who the unsuspecting victim of foul play is Who the villain is What the motivation for the

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Join us for a Mystery Making event.

Want to help Make a Mystery?

Events, Writing

Join me and fellow mystery writers Debra H. Goldstein, Tilia Klebenov Jacobs, and Clea Simon brainstorm together to create a brand new mystery. Give us your audience suggestions and help make a mystery! The Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, MA hosts the event in coordination with Sisters in Crime New England. In the past, we presented these events in person but haven’t let the pandemic slow us down. Help make a mystery by registering and logging in on the date of the event. Then, once we begin, simply suggest character names, murder plots, settings. Feel free to suggest anything

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What Writing Community Means to Me

Meanderings, Writing,

No, I’m not drinking two beers. One was my sister’s (she’s the photographer) and, in fact, I was drinking a soda. The photo was taken during a writer’s conference where I learned exactly what Writing Community means to me. Conferences I love going to writers’ conferences. Ironically, the best ones I attended were in New York City with RWA the year one of my daughters turned 11 (she’s never forgiven me for going away). The other two were in New Orleans, one with RWA and one in connection with my award nomination for my first mystery, Second Time Around. (Second

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Debra Bokur’s new Release: The Fire Thief

Books, Fiction, Guest, New Release, Podcast, Writing, YouTube Video,

The first book in Debra Bokur’s mystery series, The Fire Thief, was released last month to rave reviews. The series is set in Hawaii and you can check it out on her website at https://www.debrabokur.com/. Debra visited with me on The Writer’s Voice this week, and we talked about how her career as a celebrated journalist and editor of magazines and literary journals did NOT prepare her for writing and publishing fiction. You can listen to the podcast episode here. A short video excerpt will appear on my YouTube channel on Friday, here. As most writers will agree, we tend

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Sarah Osborne, author of the Ditie Brown Mystery Series

Books, Podcast, Writing, YouTube Video, , ,

I recently sat down with Sarah Osborne to discuss cozy mysteries, pantsing versus plotting, and her take on writing the first draft so many writers dread. You can: Listen to the podcast episode here View an excerpt of the interview on YouTube here Visit Sarah online at: https://doctorosborne.com/ The most recent book in the series, Murder Most Southern, was released last month.

Writer’s Voice Guest: Connie Johnson Hambley

Guest, Podcast, Writing, YouTube Video, ,

Connie Johnson Hambley is the author of tense, twisting thrillers with a strong moral code. She visited with me earlier this week on The Writer’s Voice podcast to discuss writing and the community of writers. Connie currently serves as the president of Sisters in Crime New England and two her award-winning books, which are part of The Jessica Trilogy, won the Best English Fiction literary award at the EQUUS International Film Festival in NYC. You can listen to Connie’s appearance on my podcast here, or watch the YouTube video of that conversation here.

9 Steps to Achieving Success

Books, Non-fiction, Taking the Mystery out of Business, Tips & Advice,

You can ask 10 different people what “success” is and you’ll get 10 different answers. However, most people agree about how you arrive at success, the destination, regardless of what your definition of the term is. In my 40+ years working in the insurance industry, I’ve made my share of mistakes and learned my share of lessons. I’ve been mentored by some wonderful people and watch a boatload of people succeed. I’ve seen people fail to achieve their desired outcomes, as well. Eleven years ago, I made a list of what I believed to be the required elements of success.

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Attention Writers: Want Help Marketing?

Announcement, Podcast, Writing, YouTube Video,

In light of shelter in place orders, those of us who have published books in the past couple of months have found it difficult to share the word about our new releases. Even without social distancing, marketing ourselves can be difficult. I just launched The Writer’s Voice podcast, which is a forum to discuss their craft … and their books. In most cases, I will also post YouTube videos of each guest. I’m currently in the process of interviewing and recording my first five guests and plan to air the first episode on Wednesday, May 27th. If you are interested

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The Writers Voice Podcast

Podcast, Writing, , , , , , ,

The Writer’s Voice is a place for writers to chat informally about the writer’s life. Agents, editors, and publishers are also welcome to share their roles and perspectives. Episodes can be heard on all the major podcast apps/websites, including Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Podchaser, Stitcher, Castro, Castos, and others. Recording of

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Book Release Date: May 26

Announcement, Books, New Release, Non-fiction, Taking the Mystery out of Business

Pre-Order and Save! If you pre-order the eBook now, your cost will be $2.99. Beginning May 26, the full price for the eBook will be $3.99. Click here to pre-order on Amazon Relationships People, and how you get along with them, define your professional reputation. Do people like you? Do they trust you? Do they want to refer you to their families and friends? In Chapter Five of Taking the Mystery out of Business, Linda McHenry explains in detail how your sincerity, generosity, and understanding of people create the basis for all your business relationships and demonstrate your degree of

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