Susan Shea joins the CCWC Blogtail Party!

Welcome to the California Crime Writers Conference Blogtail Party! Hope you'll join us in June in Culver City, CA.

Susan C. Shea:

Living in California, it’s natural that a lot of the writers who’ve become friends since I tiptoed into the crime fiction business less than a decade ago are westerners, which is probably why my favorite conferences aimed at writers cluster west of the Mississippi.

My baptismal exposure to writers’ conferences – as distinct from conventions, where the real focus is on fans – was the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference, held annually in Marin County California at an influential bookstore. The first conference that I signed up for, when I was apologetic at my own temerity in thinking I might write crime fiction, featured Sue Grafton, who was – and still is – so down to earth, approachable, and direct that I could stop pinching myself when I sat next to her at lunch and actually soak up a little advice and courage. I’ve been back twice since then and, in 2008, found my agent, Kimberley Cameron, there. I also met and had small classes with such accessible luminaries as Elizabeth George, Cara Black, and Jackie Winspear. Conferences are structured for writers. Honesty, openness, and the ability to ask questions that may expose one’s weaknesses are crucial.

A conference I really enjoy is the California Crime Writers Conference in L.A. (It’s biennial and on June 6-7 this year.) Friend and fellow author Terry Shames and I decided to go in 2013 and the first person I saw was Holly West, presiding at the registration table. Her big smile started the weekend off perfectly. Before I knew it, I had met a handful of authors I already admired, including Jeri Westerson, Sue Ann Jaffarian, and Diane Vallere. To my delight, Sue Grafton and Elizabeth George were the keynote lunch speakers and they shared some of the best and most heartening advice for writers, lessons they had learned, sometimes the hard way, in their own brilliant careers. You know it’s a successful conference when you see them both on the program! 

Organized and run by Sisters in Crime’s and Mystery Writers of America’s southern California chapters, it’s quickly become a significant place for writers to network, listen to each other’s problems, and wander out to eat in groups while debating prologues, flashbacks, and social media marketing. We also drink together, the latter – and I say this as a non-drinker who puts away quarts of Pellegrino at these things – being as important a part of conferences as any other aspect. Tip to newcomers: the party’s always at the bar and you’re always welcome! See you at CCWC.

Susan C Shea is the author of the “wickedly funny” Dani O’Rourke Mysteries, president of the Norcal chapter of Sisters in Crime, and secretary of the national SinC Board.

The Mind of a Writer: Nancy Cole Silverman

Welcome to the California Crime Writers Conference Blogtail Party! Hope you'll join us in June in Culver City, CA.

The Mind of a Writer by Nancy Cole Silverman

While presenting the Best Screenplay nominees for the 86th Academy Awards Show, Robert De Niro described the mind of a writer.  He said, “The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, and consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.”

If half of what Robert De Niro described about a writer is true I can think of no better reason for a writer to attend the California Crime Writers’ Conference than to unite with other writers in a sense of community and know you’re not alone.

Words don’t generate themselves on a page. No matter how many times a writer sits down and faces a blank page, jots lines and returns the words just don’t magically appear.  It takes time, thought and craft which is what writers at CCRW will share with each other.

It’s a community of the damned, it’s a community of the gifted, and most of all it’s a chance to get together with others who suffer the same afflictions, self-doubts and obsessions. Come for the companionship. Come for the challenge. Come for the Double Tree Hilton’s famous chocolate chip cookies. But come and learn you’re not alone. 

Nancy Cole Silverman is a board member of Sisters in Crime LA and a published author.  Shadow of Doubt, with Henery Press, is the first of the Carol Childs’ mystery series.  For more about Nancy visit her website; www.nancycolesilverman.com

Carole Sojka: Author Idol

Welcome to the California Crime Writers Conference Blogtail Party! Hope you'll join us in June in Culver City, CA.

Carole Sojka: Author Idol

I found the program called Author Idol a truly exciting panel at the 2013 California Crime Writers Conference. The panel consisted of all the agents at the conference, and the moderator was Harley Jane Kozak, actress and writer.

The program was supposed to be a test of agent interest. Any of the conference attendees could submit a page from a work in progress. The rules didn’t specify the first page, so it could be from further along in the work. Harley Jane’s job was to pull a page out at random, and without looking it over, simply read it out to the audience. She was fabulous: introduced the page by giving the title, indicated whether it appeared to be a first page or part of the rest of the story, and then read the page with feeling and wit.

The job of the agents was to listen closely and indicate by raising a hand when each of them would have stopped reading a submission they had received. Some pages made it all the way to the end, some barely made it past the first paragraph. Agents run a cut-throat business.

I had submitted a page and waited hopefully while Harley Jane picked page after page. Most of the submitted pages were very good, and I was impressed by the quality of the writing and the imagination shown.

Was my submission picked and did Harley Jane read it? Did she make it all the way to the end of the page, and did the agents all wait until she was finished before raising their hands? Did I get an agent who was crazy about my work from this exercise?

Well, no. My page wasn’t selected, and I didn’t have agents fighting to represent me. Still I found it a really fun exercise, and I’ll submit a page again this year. You never know!

***

Carole Sojka graduated from Queens College before earning a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California. She spent two years in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer and later worked as a law office administrator. Now a mystery writer, she is the author of A REASON TO KILL and the forthcoming SO MANY REASONS TO DIE.

Reflecting on the CCWC by Holly West

Welcome to the California Crime Writers Conference Blogtail Party! Hope you'll join us in June in Culver City, CA.

Holly West: 
Reflecting on the California Crime Writers Conference

I have fond feelings about the California Crime Writers Conference. Back in 2009, I’d just finished the first draft of my first novel. At that point I’d only recently joined MWA, and I was ready to start meeting other members, learning more about the craft of writing, and putting myself “out there.” The CCWC was the perfect place, especially since Laurie R. King and Robert Crais were the keynote speakers at that first conference. I remember listening to their speeches, mesmerized and inspired. I learned craft in sessions led by writers like Gary Phillips, Bill Fitzhugh, Naomi Hirahara and Gayle Lynds. Though I wasn’t ready to query agents, I attended a session with agent Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency and later introduced myself to a few people at the agents cocktail reception. I even learned some basics about firearms from an NRA gun demonstration.

Subsequently, I’ve become more involved in the organization of CCWC. In 2011, I coordinated the manuscript critiques for the conference. One of the attendees who paid for a consultation not only signed with the agent who critiqued his manuscript, but eventually got a book deal and recently won a 2014 Anthony Award for his efforts. Not all critiques are this successful, of course, but meeting agents and editors and getting individual feedback from professional writers is a valuable experience.

For the 2013 conference, I took on the additional duties of coordinating registrations. It was a lot of work, but so worth it. I got to know so many people at that conference, and it led to my position as Vice President of Sisters in Crime Los Angeles.

As we plan the 2015 conference, I’m looking forward to having it at our new venue in Culver City, the recently renovated Double Tree Hilton. Anne Perry and Charlaine Harris will be our keynotes, and having heard both of them speak before, I know that attendees are in for a treat. And, as our programming chairs build what promises to be a fantastic and informative program, I’m confident that novice and experienced writers alike will gain insights and inspiration to carry them forward.

Holly West is the author of the Mistress of Fortune series, set in 17^th century London and featuring Isabel Wilde, a mistress to King Charles II who secretly makes her living as a fortuneteller. When Holly’s not wandering the captivating streets of 17^th century London, her hobbies include cooking, knitting, reading, and petting dogs. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Mick, and a dog, Stella.

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Register now for CCWC, June 6-7, 2015

Accidental Mystery Writer: Kim Fay

Welcome to the California Crime Writers Conference Blogtail Party! Hope you'll join us in June in Culver City, CA.

Kim Fay: Accidental Mystery Writer

I am an accidental mystery writer.

My debut novel was published in 2012, and the marketing people sold it as literary, adventure, historical … everything but mystery. Then, out of the blue, it was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Voila! The Map of Lost Memories became a mystery, and I was swept into a world I hadn’t known existed: the world of mystery writers.

Obviously, I knew that people wrote mysteries. I became a writer to follow in the footsteps of Carolyn Keene. But I didn’t know the depth and breadth of the world that mystery writers inhabited until the Genre Fairy tapped me on the shoulder with her magic wand, sprinkled fairy dust over me and declared, “You are no longer this. You are now that. Enjoy!”

It’s hard to explain how I felt. It was as if I’d been waiting all my life to become that without knowing it. But once I did know it, I followed the Genre Fairy’s advice and enjoyed my little heart out. I joined Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, attended the Edgar awards and Bouchercon. But my first true understanding of the new world I’d become a part of happened at the 2013 California Crime Writers Conference.

By this time The Map of Lost Memories had been out almost a year, and I knew that I wanted to write a more traditional mystery as well as incorporate mystery elements into my novel-in-progress. So I focused on the craft and forensic sections of the conference. I learned tips on plotting based on screenplay structure. I learned that I did not have the stomach to write about infanticide. I learned that plot is important, but it’s the characters that make or break a mystery. I listened with great respect to Sue Grafton and Elizabeth George, I met the creator of Columbo (wow!), I met two fans (super flattering!), I discovered that writing a mystery is not an easy thing to do, and most importantly, I made friends.

More supportive and buoyant than any other group of writers I’ve met, mystery writers are also the most serious. By serious I do not mean snooty. I mean committed and passionate. It’s this commitment and passion that make them so generous and inclusive. This is something I continue to rediscover at every meeting, reading and conference I attend, but I will always have a soft spot for CCWC because it was here that I realized that it wasn’t an accident. It had taken me a while, but I was finally where I belonged all along.

***

Kim Fay was born in Seattle and raised throughout the small towns of Washington State. After working as a bookseller for more than five years at the Elliott Bay Book Company, she moved to Vietnam in the mid-1990s. She lived in Saigon for four years and have been traveling regularly to Southeast Asia for more than twenty. Kim is the author of the historical novel The Map of Lost Memories, a 2013 Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel by an American Author, and the food memoir Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards’ Best Asian Cuisine Book in the United States. She is also the creator/​editor of the To Asia With Love guidebook series.

Register now for CCWC, June 6-7, 2015

  

CCWC, My Trade Show by Laurie Stevens

Many of my best resources as an author have come from my fellow authors: publishing information, promotional opportunities, and much more. The California Crime Writers Conference is where I network, discover new resources, plus have the added bonus of making new friends with whom I have so much in common.

CCWC is like my trade show. From learning that noir protagonists usually always fail from their weaknesses to examining a crime scene recreated by the actual investigator, attending the CCWC allowed me to be immersed in my trade. The crime scene re-creation last year was incredibly interesting because, although the actual detective and coroner were present, they let the conference attendees “solve” the case. Imagine a large room with two “dead bodies” and various clues positioned in key locations. The law enforcement personnel gave us some background on the case and then told us to decipher what had happened. They assured us that the real-life clues were replicated in the room. So there we were, taking notes and observing each item, wondering which one would be pivotal to solving the crime. Was it the door that was locked from the inside? Was it the position of the murder weapon on the floor? Was it the location of the victim’s belongings? What a fascinating workshop--with the real investigators standing by and watching us with some amusement. Because it was a murder case with a twist, I was thrilled to have “solved” it successfully. Apparently, many of my fellow mystery writers were also thrilled, (which means, perhaps, that we are all in the right business).

The reason the crime scene workshop made an even bigger impact on me was because the detective showed the surveillance video from the actual crime scene. That part was so eerie and profound because we could see both the real suspect and the victim -- people, not characters in a book. We, attendees, were able to witness the crime play out. I have to say it put an entirely different spin on the session, and it touched all of us in attendance.

Because my suspense series leans heavily toward psychology and forensics, the time I spent in that particular session side-by-side with the investigators was invaluable. There was such a dichotomy, from playing pretend investigator to watching a real human imploding on a video. The whole experience was something I won’t forget.

With all that said, the most important benefit I took away from the CCWC was affirmation. Writing is a very solitary profession. When you surround yourself with people who think like you and who are working toward similar goals, you realize you are part of one very special community. It made me happy to be a part of it and that is why I won’t be missing CCWC 2015.

Laurie Stevens is the author of the award-winning psychological-suspense Gabriel McRay series. To learn more about Laurie, visit her website at www.lauriestevensbooks.com

Why You Should Attend a Writers' Conference: Patricia Smiley

Sue Grafton, Hank Phillipi Ryan,
Patricia Smiley & Elizabeth George
Photo Credit: Robin Templeton

Sometimes I think I've heard everything there is to say about writing and the publishing business but, of course, I¹m always wrong because things change. That¹s why you should consider attending a writers¹ conference. Mystery fan conventions are fun, because you get to attend panels, listen to your favorite authors wax poetic, get books signed and hang out in the bar, people watching. However, if you¹re serious about writing and you want to learn nitty-gritty tips to inspire your process, or about the latest trends in the publishing business from editors and agents, you need CCWC.

The California Crime Writers Conference is a biennial, two-day event that began in 1995 as a one-day symposium organized by Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles. In 2007, the conference partnered with the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America to become the even bigger and more comprehensive CCWC. 

As 2012-2013 president of SinC/LA, I co-chaired CCWC 2013, which featured keynote speakers Elizabeth George and Sue Grafton. The inspirational luncheon speeches given by these two authors were worth the price of admission. In addition, attendees chose from a variety of workshops in four tracks (Craft, Business, Law Enforcement/Forensics and Nuts and Bolts) lead by bestselling authors, law enforcement and forensic experts, plus top agents and editors. The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. One award-winning author told me the conference featured the best law enforcement/forensic track she had ever seen in all her years of attending conferences. 

CCWC 2015 is shaping up to be another winner. This year, I¹m co-chairing the Law Enforcement and Forensics track, which will include: homicide detectives, an FBI special agent/firearms trainer, a forensic entomologist, an expert on serial killers in the medical field, a forensic psychiatrist, just to name a few. Too often writers collect information about forensics and law enforcement from TV and film. Unfortunately, many of those ³facts² are fiction. CCWC allows a writer to learn firsthand from experts who will share knowledge and answer questions about how detectives approach a crime scene, what kind of firearm a fictional character might use and why, how insect activity reveals clues about a death, how a serial killer thinks and how to avoid mistakes when writing about forensic science. 

But for me, the most compelling reason to attend a writers' conference is for the opportunity to network with fellow attendees. Writing is a solitary pursuit. Writers need to charge their batteries by basking in shared experiences. Whether you¹re looking for an agent, a critique group, an independent copy editor or just some conversation with fellow scribblers, join us at CCWC this June. Invest in yourself. Register. Learn. Share. Succeed. You deserve it.

Patricia Smiley is the bestselling author of the Tucker Sinclair mystery series. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Two of the Deadliest, an anthology edited by Elizabeth George. Patty served as co-chair of the 2013 California Crime Writer¹s Conference and is co-chair of the Forensics Track for CCWC 2015. For more information, visit www.patriciasmiley.com .