Thursday, May 11, 2017

May 4 Chapter Meeting Minutes and Report


Mark your calendars! Our chapter’s SinC 30th Anniversary Party is June 10. With this in mind, our president Sally Handley started off our monthly meeting with a list of “volunteer opportunities” we can all sink our teeth into. Thanks to all who stepped up to the plate to make sure the celebration is a success. But we’re still looking for folks to help serve refreshments on the big day. Contact Sally if you’re ready, willing and able.

After our standard, but never boring, round of introductions (18 members and guests attended this month’s meeting), Sally introduced our guest speaker, the highly entertaining Dr. Warren Moore. When he’s not at Newbury College doing the English professor thing, Warren writes noir fiction. He regaled us with anecdotes about his personal writer’s journey, and about what’s happening in the Newbury College English Department.

Highlights of Warren’s talk included his explanation of how he came to write short stories, and how he came to know Lawrence Block. Put the two together, and sure enough, Warren’s stories have appeared in several anthologies edited by Block. Not too shabby for a guy who says he feels “Pinocchio moments” whenever he labels himself a “real” writer!

Warren also talked about a new scholarly journal to be published annually by Newbury College, Studies in Crime Writing. Look for the the first issue this fall. It will be free on-line and include only articles which have been subject to a rigorous peer review process.

Warren, who clearly knows fiction from the academic perspective, the writer’s perspective, and the reader’s perspective, left us with this encouraging fact—genre fiction lasts. For example, people are still reading and enjoying Zane Grey, Agatha Christie, and Dashell Hammet.

Intrigued? Check out Warren’s noir novel, Broken Glass Waltzes, and his short stories in those anthologies edited by Lawrence Block, Dark City Lights and In Sunlight or Shadow. And don’t forget our party in June!

Respectfully Submitted,
Cindy Blackburn,
Chapter Secretary

p.s. Warren blogged about his visit to SinC at


Friday, May 5, 2017

Sisters in Crime 30th Anniversary Celebration

Come join the Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime as we celebrate our 30th anniversary with two entertaining presentations by Award-winning mystery writer, Marcia Talley:

·        Comic Relief: Or, What’s So Funny About Murder?
In the real world, murder and crime aren’t normally regarded as humorous. Crime is a tragedy. Someone has been victimized—robbed, raped, maimed, murdered. Treating death with humor without being tasteless can be a fine line to walk, but the authors Marcia highlights in this talk do it marvelously well using witty dialogue, wacky characterizations, and/or wild and crazy plots with surprise endings. They make us laugh, even in the face of death.

Demystifying the Mystery: Tips on Writing Crime Fiction
From “where do you get your ideas?” to the final “The End”, a concise, illustrated discussion of the roles of plot, character and dialog in the modern mystery novel, with tips on point-of-view and planting clues for the aspiring mystery writer. A question and answer period follows. Includes bibliography and tip sheet handouts.

When:              Saturday, June 10, 2017 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM

Where:             The Easley Room
                         Captain Kimberly Hampton Library
                         304 Biltmore Road, Easley, SC 29640

What:               In addition to our Speaker Presentations, you will meet noted regional 
                         crime fiction writers and enjoy some birthday refreshments.

Co-Sponsor:    Pickens County Library System

Cost:               Free


About the Author
Marcia Talley is the author of FOOTPRINTS TO MURDER and fourteen previous novels featuring Maryland sleuth, Hannah Ives. A winner of the Malice Domestic grant and an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel, Ms. Talley won an Agatha and an Anthony Award for her short story "Too Many Cooks" and an Agatha Award for her short story "Driven to Distraction." She is the editor of two mystery collaborations, NAKED CAME THE PHOENIX and I’D KILL FOR THAT, set in a luxury health spa and an exclusive gated community respectively, and her short stories have been published in more than a dozen magazines and anthologies. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland and a quaint cottage in the Bahamas.
About Sisters in Crime
Founded in 1987, Sisters in Crime (www.sistersincrime.org)started with a clear vision: “Sisters in Crime is committed to helping women who write, review, buy, or sell crime fiction. Our ultimate goal is to become a service organization to address issues of concern to everyone involved in the mystery field.”
Our vision has morphed over the years, now serving as the voice for excellence and diversity in crime writing. Our ongoing monitoring project is a watchdog for equality among reviewers. Our list of member benefits includes 50 chapters, annual grant opportunities, discounts, and library support. Our membership numbers over 3600 and our community is unparalleled. At our core, while we learn from our past and look to our future, our mission remains focused: to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition, and professional development of women crime writers.

About The Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime                             
SinC’s Upstate SC Chapter meets the first Thursday of each month, January-November. Our meetings are open to the public. However, we encourage individuals who attend more than two meetings a year to join our national organization and regional chapter.

You must be a member of Sisters in Crime to join our regional chapter. National dues are $50 per year and Chapter dues are $15 per year.

Monthly Meetings

DATE:           First Thursday of every month
TIME:            6:15 p.m. informal dinner, 7 p.m. program starts 
WHERE:       The Runway CafĂ©, 21 Airport Rd, Greenville, SC
COST:           No charge for visitors other than cost of the individual's meal.
PROGRAM:  Guest speaker, either a regional mystery/suspense/thriller author, or an expert in law enforcement and allied fields, or publishing industry professionals. Other pages on our website list authors and subject experts who have visited with us at prior meetings.