Happy New Year from your 2023 board. We hope this will be an exciting year for all of you with new works-in-progress or finding a home for those completed works.
A few notable changes coming with the new year:
First, as a result of the survey sent out, we will be changing the starting time of our meetings to 11 a.m. with the program starting at noon. Please note: our January meeting will be at the old time of noon with the program at 1 PM. This was set with the speaker before we changed the time of our meetings.
Second, while we will continue to work on the craft of writing, our format will change. Our sessions will be more interactive. All of you will be contributing as we discuss various topics or dissect various aspects of the craft.
For example, in January, we are going to start at the very beginning, which Julie Andrews in THE SOUND OF MUSIC tells us, is a very good place to start. We are going to discuss Where do you get your ideas? Our published authors will speak to the origin of their stories. Those of you who are still working on a story can tell us where your idea came from. Those searching for ideas can ask questions or relate your ideas for future stories.
In February, now that we have the idea, what is next? Do we outline? How detailed? If not, what is the ‘seat of the pants’ writing?
In March, we sit down and start the process of putting words on that blank piece of paper.
Get the idea? We want everyone to participate. There are no dumb statements. Really, there aren’t.
Programming goals are to have speakers that will teach us something about the writing process or the publishing process. Mixed into that line-up, we want to have some technically savvy presenters so we learn some of the basics of police procedure, private investigator practices and, hopefully, a field trip or two for some in person learning.
Also, each month we want to spotlight one of our Derby Rotten Scoundrels via our web site blog – that is to say, we would like a brief article (about 500-600 words, plus abt 50-word bio), especially from those who haven’t already posted an article, on some topic related to yourself, your writing, your favorite authors – this will be very open and flexible. This will be a good way to meet each other and learn an unexpected thing or two about our sisters. You can volunteer now by emailing Elaine and we will set up the queue.
Thank you for reading all this. We hope to see you on January 14th, at noon, via Zoom. Our speaker is John DeDakis, a former senior editor at CNN and author of several books. The most recent is FAKE, a Lark Chadwick novel. Be sure to register for the zoom when Susan sends out the invite.
Lastly, a big thank you to all who attended the Holiday Book Signing at Barnes & Noble on December 3rd. All of the authors appreciate your support.
New Year, New News. Sit right down and write yourself a book!
Your board: Elaine, Carol, Susan, Leanne, Patience and Miki.
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One of my favorite annual events is our chapter’s holiday luncheon. 
Carol Preflatish reports that she enjoyed a very successful year of selling books, having attended eight events in 2022. 
Lynda Rees’ books, HEART OF THE MATTER and MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS, Reggie Chronicles 2 and 3, launched this month in audiobooks and are available at audiobook retailers.
In this season of Thanks and Giving, I am so thankful for our wonderful Sisters in Crime chapter which has given all of us encouragement, support, and an empowering community on our writing journeys!
Catherine clarified that a developmental editor offers deep and substantive feedback on a novel as a whole, working with story development, plot aspects, dialogue, and world building. A good developmental editor will work to help make the writer’s voice “the most powerful it can be” and point out places where an author is telling rather than showing, as well as over-explaining and not fully trusting “the readers’ creativity to fill in the blanks.”
Whether an author plans to seek traditional publication or self-publish, she strongly advises enlisting the services of an editor. Even something as basic as spelling or formatting errors can be extremely distracting and torpedo a writer’s chances of publishing success. Catherine admits she herself finds it hard to focus on content when she encounters spelling errors. From a behavioral science perspective, Miki points out that writers have only a split second to make a positive impression.
Then, at 4 PM, we’ll have our annual holiday luncheon at Olive Garden on Hurstbourne in Louisville, where we’ll vote on nominees for the board and present the Volunteer of the Year Award to Elaine Munsch. If you do not plan to attend the holiday luncheon, please submit your votes for board positions to Lynn Slaughter, 
Carol Preflatish attended three conferences or festivals in the last month, Prime Crime in Indianapolis, Purrs in the City in Jeffersonville, and the Writer’s Block Festival in Sellersburg. She was joined at Prime Crime by Elaine Munsch and Lynda Rees.
Carol reports finding both Prime Crime and the Writer’s Block Festival “very educational and informative.” And at Purrs in the City, she sold the most books at one event since 2018! She was also interviewed for a magazine article about drinking tea to help with weight loss. The article in which she’s identified as a mystery writer will appear in the print issue of Woman’s World Magazine and will be on sale on or about December 8.
Lynn Slaughter participated in the Louisville Book Festival and the Kentucky Book Festival at the end of October and this month, presented a workshop on “Writing Young Adult Fiction 101” at the Louisville Literary Arts’ Block Festival, where she also did a reading from her latest YA novel, DEADLY SETUP. This month, she’s excited to begin teaching a creative writing class at the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts.
All for now. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we hope to see you on December 3rd!
Elaine Munsch’s latest Dash Hammond adventure, A HAUNTING AT MARIANWOOD, is about to be released by Mystery & Horror LLC. On October 14, the publisher did an exciting cover reveal! Meantime, Elaine will travel to Indianapolis October 28-30 for the Prime Crime Festival.
Lynn Slaughter’s DEADLY SETUP received the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards silver medal. Coming up: