YouTube Video

Mystery Making Event on March 6

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SW Florida Reading Festival Mystery Making March 6, 2021.

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 dastardly deed is

Nowadays, we’re conducting these events virtually and on March 6, Sisters in Crime New England (SinCNE) will be joining our sisters from the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter at the SW Florida Reading Festival. The Florida Gulf Coast Chapter’s booth at the festival includes recorded and live events.

Four of our chapter’s board members will present a live Mystery Making event from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, March 6. Join Lisa Lieberman, Lorraine Sharma Nelson, Tonya Price, and me. Registration information will be available soon.

Main Stage Event

Here is a video of a Main Stage event, Noir at the Bar, hosted by the Lee County Library System. Click the link or image to launch the video.

Save the date for Noir at the Bar, a main stage event at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival.

More Information

The SW Florida Reading Festival runs from March 1 to 13, is free, and involves the following types of activities:

  • Author panels
  • Author presentations
  • Book selling
  • Live author meet-and-greet sessions

Children’s programs air at 6 p.m. and adult programs air at 7 p.m. Featured authors appear in virtual online booths on Saturdays. More information and registration for the event can be found online here.

When the registration URL is available for Linda’s mystery making event on March 6, it will appear here.

Marketing Tips for Beginners

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Marketing Tips for Beginners

I presented my first live web training class on August 25 and had such an outpouring of interest, I am offering the recording of Marketing Tips for Beginners to anyone who is interested.

In this class, I shared the marketing tips I used to establish 3 businesses in 2 different states. I also shared how I get the word out about who I am and what I do. For those of you who HATE the prospect of selling (which some people view as a combination of bragging and begging), I break down the components of marketing. I also help you figure out the best tools and methods to use based on YOUR personality and preferences.

I’m an introvert, which surprises many people. Yes, I have a much greater comfort level when I’m by myself or in small groups of people. However, if I could find a way to be comfortable and successful in a sales role for more than 30 years, and to present workshops and seminars in front of small and large groups of people, you can too!

How to watch/listen to Marketing Tips for Beginners:

Listen to the audio only podcast here

You can watch the YouTube video of the web class at any of the following places:

If you want a PDF copy of the PowerPoint slide deck used in the class (and which is shown in the YouTube video) you can download it by clicking here. Then scroll to the bottom of the page. Disclaimer: Opting in to my mailing list is a requirement in exchange for the PDF document.

Debra Bokur’s new Release: The Fire Thief

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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 to write long or short. When you’re a journalist, as Debra is, you tend to write to specific word counts required by the outlet publishing your work, such as 1,000 per piece. When you write fiction, you tend to write thousands and thousands of words … only to find you need to slash your word count by as much as 25%.

My experiences have been different from Debra’s. I found that writing a newspaper column and magazine articles actually helped me keep my fiction writing tight and in accordance with required word counts. Then again, I began writing fiction first and found it fairly easy to cut word count. Not every writer can toss away words with relish.

But when you begin writing short nonfiction it’s much more difficult to retrain yourself. Give Debra’s interview a listen and then share YOUR take on how writing one particular type of work did or did not prepare you for tackling another type.

Sarah Osborne, author of the Ditie Brown Mystery Series

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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:

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

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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.

Attention Writers: Want Help Marketing?

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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 in being a guest on the podcast, visit my website’s Podcast page and complete the request form.

Feel free to share this post with any writers you know!