Mystery Author Luncheon

I’m honored to be one of the mystery authors who will be on a panel for a luncheon sponsored by the Anaheim, CA, library in April. The moderator is Allison Brennan and the other panelists are Timothy Hallinan and Catriona McPherson. I’m particularly looking forward to this event because Tim, Catriona and I have all written humorous mystery novels among our published books, In preparation, I’ve read books by each of the participants to be current on their writing.

Writers Groups

Since I began writing in 2001, I’ve participated in a number of writers groups. This has included in-person and online critique groups as well as formal organizations such as Rocky Mountain Fictions Writers, Pikes Peak Writers and Northern Colorado Writers, all when I lived in Colorado. I have been an attendee at meeting and conferences as well as a speaker and panel member. It was a result of pitching to an editor at the annual Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference that I sold my first book, Retirement Homes Are Murder.

On Friday, January 31, I will be presenting to the Whittier Writers Workshop here in Southern California. I look forward to answering questions about my writing journey.

Left Coast Crime Conference

This is the time of the year I prepare of one if of my favorite mystery conferences, Left Coast Crime Conference. This year it takes place in San Diego from March 12 through March 15. Typically, 300 to 500 mystery writers and readers attend.

One of my regular activities is to host the Meet the New Authors Breakfast, where this year I have the opportunity to introduce authors who have published their debut mystery novel between Jan. 1, 2019 and March 15, 2020. Each new author will have one minute to tell the audience the most important thing they should know about the debut mystery. So far we have fifteen new authors who will present.

For those of you attending the conference, come enjoy the enthusiasm exhibited by the new authors.

Revisions to a Self Published Book

Sixteen of my books have been published by traditional publishers. Of these, one, The V V Agency, is now self-published after the original publisher went out of business. The Tesla Legacy, a thriller based upon inventions of eccentric genius, Nikola Tesla, was originally self-published. The beauty of self-published books is that the author gets all the royalties and has complete control over the book.

Last fall I taught a fiction writing course through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at California State University at Long Beach. This program is for older adults. I enjoyed the experience of sharing what I have learned about the writing process. A side benefit for me was that one of my students purchased a copy of The Tesla Legacy. It turns out that he is an excellent copy editor and he sent me a number of corrections for the book. Given that this is self-published, I have gone in and made the necessary changes for both the print and e-book editions, a simple process that allows the revised book to be available within days.

Happy New Year

It’s that time of the decade when the faithful argue over what is the start of a new decade. I’m not a purist for either school of thought. More important to me is remembering to write the correct year on checks. (Yes, I still write checks.) We celebrated New Years Eve with our 4-year-old grandson. He and I were both asleep by 9 PM. Have a Happy New Year.