Tag Archive for: Mystery in the Midlands

Celebrating the Third Virtual Mystery in the Midlands with a Matching Game

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by Paula
Gail Benson

Longing
to attend a writing conference? Here’s one that costs only $8!

On
Saturday, July 16, from 10:30 am to 3:15 pm ET, the Southeast Chapter of
Mystery Writers of America and the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime, are
proud to present their third virtual Mystery in the Midlands.

Our wonderful
participants include keynote David Heska Wanbli Weiden, who will be interviewed by Hank
Phillippi Ryan. In addition, three panels will be moderated by Dana Kaye. The
panelists are Alan Orloff, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Joseph S. Walker, talking
about short stories; Daryl Wood Gerber, Raquel V. Reyes, and Abby L. Vandiver,
talking about cozies; and Hallie Ephron, John Hart, and Hank Phillippi Ryan,
talking about settings and suspense.

We would love for you to join us. You can register
through this
link.

If you can’t attend the broadcast, by registering, you can watch the recording.

At $8, it’s a bargain!

Following is a little game to match our
participants with fun facts about them. See how much you know about our
distinguished authors and check your results with the answers at the end.

Hope to
see you on Saturday, July 16! Don’t forget to register:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-3/register

AUTHORS

1.
Hallie Ephron

2.
Daryl Wood Gerber

3.
John Hart

4.
Alan Orloff

5.
Raquel V. Reyes

6. Hank Phillippi Ryan

7.
Shawn Reilly Simmons

 8.
Abby L. Vandiver

 9.
Joseph S. Walker

 10.
David Heska Wanbli Weiden

 

FUN
FACTS

A. Has been to baseball games in 21 different
major league parks

B.
Edited Midnight Hour anthology

C. Cheese-phobic

D.
Considered being a professional violinist

E.
Has 2 rescue Bichon Frise dogs

F.
Grew up among writers, but only reluctantly became one after age 40

G.
In addition to a writing passion, loves riding a tractor

H. Successfully sued the CIA for information on a
sunken Russian submarine

I.
Worked as a parrot wrangler at a pet store

J.
Has made over 30 fairy gardens



ANSWERS

1. F

2. J

3. G

4. C

5. I

6. H

7. D

8. B

9. A

10. E

Looking Forward to Mystery in the Midlands

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by Paula Gail Benson

Dr. Kathy Reichs

Next weekend, on Saturday, June 26, from 10:00 am to 2:45 pm ET, the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime, are proud to present their second virtual Mystery in the Midlands. Until Covid, we gathered in Columbia, S.C., for a celebration of authors and readers. Hopefully, an in person gathering will be possible next year, but until then, we are going to delight in being with a fabulously talented group of writers and hearing what they have to tell us about their craft and lives.

Our wonderful participants include Dr. Kathy Reichs, who will be interviewed by Debra H. Goldstein (today, she talks about preparing for their talk on Writers Who Kill) and three panels that will be moderated by Dana Kaye. The panelists are Frankie Y. Bailey, Michael Bracken, and Barb Goffman, talking about short stories; Laurie R. King, Lori Rader-Day, and Caroline Todd, talking about historical mysteries; and Yasmin Angoe, Robert Dugoni, and Alex Segura, talking about suspense.

We would love for you to join us. You can register through this link. If you can’t attend the program, by registering you can watch the recording. At $5, it’s a bargain!

Following is a little game to match our participants with fun facts about them. See how much you know about our distinguished authors and check your results with the answers at the end.

Hope to see you on Saturday! Don’t forget to register:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-2/register?fbclid=IwAR2i_QEHxLdD3yd8WgAumPOv2lfPVQWyEQS0KsNBOdWdOz19tlI4rtbHUxM

AUTHORS

1. Yasmin Angoe

2. Frankie Y. Bailey

3. Michael Bracken

4. Robert Dugoni

5. Barb Goffman

6. Laurie R. King

7. Lori Rader-Day

8. Dr. Kathy Reichs

9. Alex Segura

10. Caroline Todd

FUN FACTS

A. Writes about contemporary and historical detectives

B. Criminal Justice Professor

C. Sales on 2 books recently passed $250K and $50K

D. Debut novel, to be released in November, has already been optioned for television

E. Expert witness at the Casey Anthony trial

F. Marketing Director for the Waco Symphony Orchestra

G. Left-handed vegan who has been to space

H. Story awarded the EQMM Readers’ Award has been nominated for an Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity

I. Married on top of the Empire State Building

J. Loves traveling, history, mystery, and collaborating

ANSWERS

1. D

2. B

3. F

4. C

5. H

6. A

7. I

8. E

9. G

10. J

Join the Tradition: Attend Mystery in the Midlands (Virtually June 26, 2021), Part One

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 by
Paula Gail Benson

For
the fourth summer, the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Southeast
Chapter of Mystery Writers of America are partnering to present a mid-summer
mystery writing extravaganza, featuring award-winning novelists and short story
authors that represent every aspect of the genre. Originally an in-person
conference, set in “Famously Hot” Columbia, S.C., the pandemic caused us to go
virtual last year and we were delighted to attract an audience of over 900.

This
year, we continue the virtual tradition on Saturday, June 26, 2021, from 10:00
am to 2:45 pm ET. We hope you’ll join us for a stellar line up of authors
talking about their craft.

Our
guest of honor is Dr. Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan series
that became the television show Bones.
Dr. Reichs will be interviewed by Debra Goldstein.

In
addition to Dr. Reichs, we’ll have three panels about: writing short stories (with Frankie Bailey, Michael
Bracken, and Barb Goffman); American authors penning British historicals (with Laurie
R. King, Lori Rader-Day, and Caroline Todd); and writing great suspense (with Yasmin
Argoe, Robert Dugoni, and Alex Segura).

Already
this year, these authors have been nominated for multiple awards: Lori
Rader-Day’s The Lucky One was a
finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark award and has pending nominations for an
Agatha and an Anthony. Laurie R. King’s Riviera
Gold was an Edgar finalist for the Sue Grafton award. Alex Segura has
Anthony nominations for Best Short Story and Best Juvenile/Young Adult Novel. Barb
Goffman’s “Dear Emily Etiquette” has been nominated as Best Short Story for an
Agatha and an Anthony and won the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award. The Beat of Black
Wings, an anthology that features stories by Barb Goffman and Michael
Bracken, is nominated for and Anthony in the Best Anthology or Collection
category.

What’s
the cost to spend half a day listening to these wonderful authors? Just $5 (to
help defray our costs). If you can’t listen live, by registering, you’ll have
access to the recording

Just
click on the following link to register:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-2

I
asked our panelists some questions and they were kind to share the following intriguing
answers.

Do you have a good luck
writing item or habit?

Yasmin
Angoe:

No I don’t. I just have a
certain set up in my workspace that I always have to have which is
either music or some mindless movie (background noise I guess) playing.

Frankie Y.
Bailey:

I have a small silver dragon who is reading a newspaper (Knightly News).
I found him in a shop in St. Ives (Cornwall, England). That was the setting
of Death’s Favorite Child, the first book in my Lizzie Stuart
series. I keep him on my desk. Like Lizzie, I met up with a friend from grad
school to spend a week’s vacation there.

Robert
Dugoni:

As for a good luck
writing instrument, I read the novel The Green Mile while I write each book. It
is a novel in which the characters come to life and it inspires me to do the
same when writing my own novels.

Alex
Segura:

I don’t. I
actually think the less we ceremonialize writing, the better – because it means
we can jump into the work with more immediacy.

Who was your first favorite
(for our historical panel, that can be favourite) author?

Yasmin Angoe:

My first favorite author was
Beverly Cleary and then Harper Lee.

Frankie
Y. Bailey:

My first favorite mystery writer was Richard Martin
Stern. His Johnny Ortiz series, set in New Mexico, had the first African
American (biracial) professional woman I had encountered in crime fiction. Dr.
Cassandra Enright was the curator of small museum in Santa Rosa and worked on
archeological sites. I wrote Mr. Stern a fan letter, and he wrote back (in the
days when people used snail mail). Years later when I contacted him to ask if
he would respond to the questions that I was asking authors about their black
characters for the nonfiction book (Out
of the Woodpile) I was writing, he graciously agreed. He also sent me the
proofs of the next book in the series.  

Michael
Bracken:

My first favorite author was Walter R.
Brooks, author of the Freddie the Pig series of children’s books. At the time,
though, it was Freddie more than Walter who caught and captured my attention.

Barb Goffman:

I believe it was in first
or second grade when we first got to borrow books from our school library, and the
first book I remember picking up (and adoring) was “B” is for Betsy by
Carolyn Haywood. That was nearly fifty years ago, but I still remember the
title of the book and its author. That book is what inspired me to write my
first book, C is for Carolyn. (I know, original, right?) I don’t think I got
anywhere past the title, but the seeds of wanting to write were planted. I
wrote to the author (or maybe my parents wrote the letter for me), and she
responded. I read every book in the series. An online search tells me there
were only four, which surprises me. I feel like there were more.

Laurie
R. King:

Walter
Farley. All those clever, beautiful horses, lovely fantasy for a girl who lived
in tract houses with back yards too small for a decent-sized dog.

Lori
Rader-Day:

My first favorite was
Beverly Cleary. She was the first author I was aware of, the author who made me
aware authors existed. EL Konigsberg, Judy Blume—then it started to go dark
with Lois Duncan, then Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. The most lasting
is probably Agatha Christie, whose books I still pick up. Writing Death at
Greenway has brought me closer to her life and work, making me even more of a
fan.

Alex Segura:

Probably
Sherlock Holmes or HG Wells.

Caroline
Todd:

Author–Dorothy
Dunnett–she made the past come so alive in her historical mysteries that you
felt you were THERE. She became the godmother so to speak of our books.

Check in tomorrow at
Writers Who Kill for Part Two of this message! And, don’t forget to register!

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-2

Short Story Update

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by Paula Gail Benson

The Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America were delighted with the response to Mystery in the Midlands. We started off with a terrific panel on short stories featuring John Floyd, Tara Laskowski, and Art Taylor. Among them, those talented writers have been nominated and are recipients of the Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, Edgar, Macavity, and Thriller for their short stories. All of them have been involved with editing anthologies and preparing collections of their own work.

Listeners had many questions for this panel and links were left in the chat line to a number of excellent sources for short story writers.

Clockwise from upper right: Dana Kaye, Moderator, John Floyd, Tara Laskowski, and Art Taylor
The Short Story Panel from Mystery in the Midlands
Photo by Kathryn Prater Bomey, shared by Tara Laskowski

 A number of folks have asked to see a replay of the session. Here’s the link where you can access the entire program from Mystery in the Midlands:

Coming up in August is another great event for short story writers. Agatha winner Gigi Pandian is presenting “The Art and History of Locked Room Mysteries,” on Saturday, August 15 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Pacific Time for the Sacramento-based Capitol Crimes Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Here’s the link to register:
Gigi Pandian
I hope you’ll be able to access these programs and enjoy!

Mystery in the Midlands ONLINE and FREE!!!! Saturday, July 25, 2020

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by Paula Gail Benson

For the last two years, the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America have sponsored a mid-summer conference for readers and writers in “famously hot” Columbia, S.C. While we had to cancel our in person gathering due to Covid 19, our third venture as an online conference, to be held on Saturday, July 25, 2020, looks to be a charm with a terrifically HOT lineup and a program offered free of charge (thanks to Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America for generous support). Anyone can attend. You don’t have to be a member of Sisters in Crime or Mystery Writers of America to join in the fun!


All you have to do is register at this link, then click through to the Crowdcast link to save your spot.


REGISTER TODAY!!!!
Here’s the link again:



Today, Monday, July 20, 2020, is the last day to register! You don’t want to miss this fabulous program hosted by Dana Kaye with books available through Jill Hendrix’s Fiction Addiction Bookstore in Greenville, S.C.


Here’s the schedule for Mystery in the Midlands, on Saturday, July 25, 2020:

10:00 am to 10:15 am EST   Welcome
Dana
Kaye (moderator), Debra Goldstein (SEMWA), and Paula Gail Benson (Palmetto
Chapter SinC)

10:30 am to 11:15 am EST   Slip into Some Shorts
Dana Kaye (moderator) – John Floyd, Tara Laskowski, and Art Taylor
11:30 am to 12:00 pm EST  Mystery Writers Are Always Hot! Keynote
Charlaine
Harris
12:15 pm to 1:00 pm EST       Spectres
Rather Than Heat Mirages
Dana
Kaye (moderator) – Alexia Gordon, Toni L.P. Kelner, and Gigi Pandian
1:15 pm to 2:00 pm EST      Pages Burning Their Way to the Screen
Dana
Kaye (moderator) – Dana Cameron, Jeffrey Deaver, and Charlaine Harris
2:15 pm to 2:30 pm EST      Everybody in the Pool!

Dana Kaye
(moderator), Debra Goldstein (SEMWA), and Paula Gail Benson (Palmetto Chapter
SinC)

Here’s some information about our fabulous authors:

Charlaine Harris is a true
daughter of the South. She was born in Mississippi and has lived in Tennessee,
South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas. After years of dabbling with poetry,
plays, and essays, her career as a novelist began when her husband invited her
to write full time. Her first book, Sweet
and Deadly, appeared in 1981. When Charlaine’s career as a mystery writer
began to falter, she decided to write a cross-genre book that would appeal to
fans of mystery, science fiction, romance, and suspense. She could not have
anticipated the huge surge of reader interest in the adventures of a barmaid in
Louisiana, or the fact that Alan Ball would come knocking at her door. Since
then, Charlaine’s novels have been adapted for several other television series,
with two in development now. Charlaine is a voracious reader. She has one
husband, three children, two grandchilden, and two rescue dogs. She leads a
busy life.
John M. Floyd’s short
fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen
Mystery Magazine, The Strand Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and many
other publications. Three of his stories have been selected for the
annual Best American Mystery Stories anthology (the 2015,
2018, and 2020 editions) and another was recently optioned for film. A former
Air Force captain and IBM systems engineer, John is also an Edgar nominee, a four-time
Derringer Award winner, a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, a recipient of the
Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer Award for lifetime achievement, and
the author of eight books. He and his wife Carolyn live in Mississippi.
Tara Laskowski’s debut
novel, One Night Gone, won the 2019 Agatha Award for Best First
Novel and was a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark, Anthony, Macavity, and
Lefty Awards. It was hailed by Tana French as “a subtly but relentlessly
unsettling novel.” Tara is also the author of two short story
collections, Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons and Bystanders,
which The Guardian named a best book of 2017. She has had
stories published in Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery
Queen’s Mystery Magazines and has won both an Agatha Award and a Thriller
Award for her short fiction. She was a longtime editor of the flash fiction
journal SmokeLong Quarterly. Tara earned a BA in English from
Susquehanna University and an MFA from George Mason University and lives in
Northern Virginia with her husband, writer Art Taylor, and their son, Dashiell.
Art Taylor is
the author of the story collection The Boy Detective & The Summer
of ’74 and Other Tales of Suspense and of the novel in stories On
the Road with Del & Louise, winner of the Agatha Award for Best
First Novel. He won the 2019 Edgar Award for Best Short Story for
“English 398: Fiction Workshop,” originally published in Ellery
Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and he has won three additional Agatha Awards,
an Anthony Award, three Macavity Awards, and three consecutive Derringer Awards
for his short fiction. He is an associate professor of English at George Mason
University.
Virginia native, physician by training, author by passion, Alexia Gordon writes the award-winning
Gethsemane Brown Mysteries, with Book 5, Execution in E, being released March
24, 2020. She is a member of MWA, SinC, ITW, and CWoC; blogs at
Missdemeanors.com and with the Femmes Fatales
(femmesfatales.typepad.com/my_weblog/); and hosts the podcast, The Cozy Corner
with Alexia Gordon. Find her on social media (Facebook: AlexiaGordon.writer,
Twitter: @AlexiaGordon, Instagram: DrLex1995) and visit her website (www.alexiagordon.net) to sign up for her
newsletter.
Toni L.P. Kelner/Leigh
Perry is two authors in one. As Leigh Perry, she
writes the Family Skeleton Mysteries. The sixth, The Skeleton Stuffs a
Stocking, was released in Fall 2019. As Toni L.P. Kelner, she wrote eight novels in the Laura Fleming
mystery series and three “Where Are They Now?” mysteries. Kelner also co-edited seven urban fantasy
anthologies with New Your Times best-seller Charlaine
Harris. Under both names she writes short fiction, including recent
publications in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and a forthcoming story in Shattering Glass. Kelner has won the Agatha
Award and an RT BookClub Lifetime Achievement Award and has been nominated
multiple times for the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Derringer.
http://tonilpkelner.com/


Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha
Award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental
almost-vegan. The child of anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip
of India, she spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research
trips, and now lives in California with her husband and a gargoyle who watches
over the garden. Gigi writes the
Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and
locked-room mystery short stories.
Dana Cameron writes
across many genres, but especially crime and speculative fiction. Her work,
inspired by her career in archaeology, has won multiple Anthony, Agatha, and
Macavity Awards, and has been nominated for the Edgar Award. Dana’s Emma
Fielding archaeology mysteries were optioned by Muse Entertainment; the third
movie, based on More Bitter Than Death,
will premier on the Hallmark Movie & Mystery Channel in January, 2019. When
she’s not traveling or visiting museums, she’s usually yelling at the TV about
historical inaccuracies.
http://www.danacameron.com/


A former journalist, folksinger and attorney, Jeffery Deaver is an international
number-one bestselling author. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists
around the world, including the New York Times, the Times
of London, Italy’s Corriere della Sera, the Sydney
Morning Herald and the Los Angeles Times. His books are
sold in 150 countries and have been translated into over twenty-five languages.
He has sold 50 million books worldwide. The author of over thirty-five novels,
three collections of short stories and a nonfiction law book, and a lyricist of
a country-western album, he’s received or been shortlisted for dozens of
awards around the world. His book A Maiden’s Grave was
made into an HBO movie, his novel The Bone Collector was
a feature release from Universal Pictures, and in 2019, NBC picked up a series
called “Lincoln,” based on his books. Lifetime aired an adaptation of his The Devil’s Teardrop.



We hope that you’ll all join us for Mystery in the Midlands, Saturday, July 25, 2020!




 

Mystery in the Midlands

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by
Paula Gail Benson

Logo by Krista Anderson

Nancy Pickard (Photo by Anita Baker)

For
the second year, the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (SEMWA)
and the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime presented a day-long mystery
conference offering master classes and panels in Columbia, South Carolina.
Called Mystery in the Midlands, it featured twenty-one authors, including our
guest of honor best-selling author Nancy Pickard. Known for her own Jenny Cain and
Marie Lightfoot series, continuing Virginia Rich’s Eugenia Potter novels,
acclaimed stand-alone novels The Scent of
Rain and Lightning and The Virgin of
Small Plains, numerous short stories, and the nonfiction Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path written
with Lynn Lott, Pickard graciously shared information about her work and her recent
relocation to Charleston after spending most of her life in Kansas. She was
interviewed by her good friend and fellow past President of Sisters in Crime
National, Cathy Pickens.

This
joint conference effort began two years ago when SEMWA brought then MWA
President Jeffrey Deaver to Columbia to give a writing seminar. The following
year, we organized the first Mystery in the Midlands. With each event, we have
been able to have authors representing multiple states. We plan to continue the
tradition during “famously hot” summers in Columbia.

Special
thanks to this year’s authors: Stacy Allen, Paul Barra, Candace Carter, Tracy
de Hahn, Elysabeth Eldering, Kaye George, Victoria Gilbert, Sally Handley, Sasscer Hill, Roger Johns,
Terrie Farley Moran, Dorothy St. James, J.R. Ripley, Nancy Sartor, Raegan
Teller, Jaden (Beth) Terrell, Brian Thiem, Maggie Toussaint, and Warren Moore. Master classes
explored Hemingway’s POV, Police Procedure, and Humor in Mysteries. Panels
discussed the importance of settings, writing both novels and short stories,
cozy mysteries, and the journey to publication.

Midday,
we had a buffet lunch and a game of “guess the author.” The first person who
picked out the correct author for each description won bonus bucks to be spent with our bookseller, Books on Broad from Camden, South Carolina.

During
the conference, we held a silent auction and raised $630 to benefit My First Books,
the South Carolina affiliate of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which
provides a book a month to registered children from birth to age five.

Each
year, not only have readers been introduced to new writers, but also the
authors have time to exchange information. This year, on the Friday before the
conference, a local forensic anthropologist welcomed a group to visit his lab and
ask questions about his process.

A
local weekly paper advertised the event and sent a reporter to cover the
conference. It was wonderful to have the stories available online as well as
appearing below the fold on the first page. See https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/local-mystery-writers-conference-features-award-winning-author/

Article and photos by Anita Baker for the Columbia Star

Many thanks to all
the people who participated, attended, and helped with the organization behind
the scenes. Please come and join us next year!

Magic Moments for Readers and Writers

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Magic
Moments for Readers and Writers by Debra H. Goldstein

Sometimes
a good thing only gets better. Last weekend, I was part of one of those perfect magic
moments as a participant at Mystery in the Midlands

Let me
tell you about how it came together.

A year
ago, Jeffrey Deaver, as president of Mystery Writers of American (MWA) offered
to cover his own expenses and put on workshops throughout the country. On
behalf of SEMWA (the Southeast region), he came to Columbia, South Carolina.
His program was such a success, that involved members of SEMWA and the Palmetto
Chapter of Sisters of Crime hoped they could partner for another dynamic
program. But how?

Perhaps
it was divine providence, but they discovered Sisters in Crime had started a
national speakers

bureau program that permitted a chapter to apply for one of a
finite number of grants which would sponsor designated speakers to come to the
chapter for whatever type of program the chapter wanted. The SinC educational
initiative, which was just starting, was designed to enable all SinC chapters
access to writers and programs they would never be able to fund.

Fingers
crossed, Palmetto’s leadership applied for a SinC grant and was awarded the
opportunity to

have Elaine Viets come to Columbia. Rather than simply inviting local
people to hear Elaine speak, Paula Gail Benson and Riley Miller put their heads
together and decided to forge a partnership between the Palmetto Chapter of SinC
and SEMWA to offer a mystery workshop for readers and writers headlined by
Elaine, but which would also showcase other authors as panelists and master
class teachers.

Because
of Paula and Riley’s vision, what could have been a local affair, became
Mystery in the Midlands, an event attended by eighty plus people from five
different states. Besides Elaine, eighteen other authors were showcased amidst
book sales, signings, and networking. Not only did the conference run smoothly,
but a silent auction of books donated by the participating authors generated
scholarship funds for three children to participate in My First Books SC, a
statewide partnership affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It
provides books for registered children from birth to age five.

Mystery
in the Midlands was held in Columbia’s beautiful St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
The church’s main fellowship hall was used for registration, refreshments, and
the panel discussions, but the three master classes were held in the boardroom,
choir room, and sanctuary. And yes, it was Jewish me, who was assigned to teach
my master class on conflict under the stained windows depicting the Good
Shepherd and other scenes from the Bible. Apparently, things went okay because I
had a good audience and none of us was struck by lightning or any other disasters.

Participants
left the day looking forward to next year’s Mystery in the Midlands. Amazing
what magic a simple idea, good leaders, partnerships and enthusiasm can create. Will I see you there or 


perhaps in Decatur, Georgia on October 6, when SEMWA
and the Atlanta Chapter of SinC co-sponsor an all-day workshop on the
Psychology of Writing featuring Toni L.P. Kelner – Leigh Perry, Dr. Stephen M.
Kelner, and fifteen other authors?