JOIN US FEB. 2--LOCAL AUTHORS LEAD PANEL DISCUSSION ON SELF PUBLISHING

Self-publishing is a relatively new choice in the publishing industry. Many top authors have chosen this route in getting their work out to the public. Many authors are considering it. And most authors are confused by it. Sisters in Crime members Polly Iyer and Ellis Vidler have experience with both traditional and self-publishing.

These authors will take the mystery out of self-publishing during a panel discussion at the February meeting of the Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime. They’ll discuss the advantages to publishing oneself, how to format your book, what makes good cover art, what to include in a blurb, and how to let the world know you have a book for sale.

Members and guests of the Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime will meet on Thursday, February 2, at 6:15 p.m. for dinner and informal conversation with the authors at The Runway Café, 21 Airport Rd, Greenville, S.C. The panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m. Both the dinner and the meeting are open to the public.

Polly Iyer was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, a coastal city north of Boston. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art, she accompanied a friend to Italy. Polly stayed a year and a half. Her friend never came home. In the City of Lights, Rome, she worked as a free-lance illustrator for Women’s Wear Daily, sketching the designs of Valentino and Emilio Pucci, among others. Upon returning to the States, she continued free-lancing for Fairchild Publications, and offered copywriting and illustration services to a select group of clients.

Polly is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and past-president of her local Sisters in Crime chapter. Polly creates her own cover art, and her self-published books include InSight, Hooked, Murder Déjà Vu, and Mind Games. Her traditionally published novels are under a pen name and in a different genre.

As a child in North Alabama, Ellis spent nights reading, from Tarzan and D’Artagnan to Anne Shirley and Nancy Drew. She spent hot days imagining herself living them. So what did she do as an adult? Write fiction. She loves creating characters and making them do what she wants. Much to her dismay, mostly they take off on their own and leave her hurrying to catch up.

Ellis is an author, editor, and speaker. She studied English and art at All Saints College for Women, and thoroughly enjoyed studying creative writing under the great Scott Regan. She taught elements of fiction at a community college. All her stories have some degree of romance and a lot of suspense. Her traditionally published works are Haunting Refrain and Cold Comfort. The Peeper and Tea in the Afternoon are self-published.

January 2012 Meeting Minutes

The Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime opened the first meeting of 2012 with the election of new officers.

Howard Lewis was elected Chapter President
Linda Lovely was elected Chapter Vice-President
Helen Turnage was elected Chapter Treasurer
Deb Carr was elected Chapter Secretary

Kathleen Delaney and Linda Lovely announced new book contracts with Harlequin.

Linda reminded everyone to renew their membership in Sisters in Crime National Chapter, since that membership is a requirement for membership in the local chapter.

The decision was unanimous to continue holding meetings at The Runway Cafe, on the first Thursday of each month.

Our guest speakers were Jim Schoonover, a retired State Department employee, and his wife, Barbara. They both told entertaining tales of their three-year assignment in Cairo, Egypt.

Launching 2012 with International Intrigue

The Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime welcomes Jim Schoonover, a retired State Department employee, and his wife, Barbara, as guest speakers for our first meeting of 2012 THIS THURSDAY. During his career, Schoonover, an engineer, visited more than 95 countries, while his wife worked for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during a three-year assignment in Egypt.

The couple will discuss various aspects of living and working abroad. If you have a question about setting a scene from your novel in a different country, odds are that Schoonover will be able to provide some first-hand information.

The monthly meeting is slated for Thursday, January 5, starting at 6:15 p.m. for dinner and informal conversation with the Schoonovers at The Runway Café, 21 Airport Rd, Greenville, S.C. Their talk will begin at 7 p.m. Both the dinner and the meeting are open to the public. A few minutes will be taken before the start of the program for the 2012 election of officers.

Please note that The Runway Café prefers our group’s dinner orders to be emailed in advance to speed service. To see the special menu for our group and the procedure for placing an advance order, please visit our website — www.sincupstatesc.blogspot.com — and click on the Advance Order Menu tab at right. . Email your dinner orders to Ellis Vidler (ellis@ellisvidler.com) by noon Thursday. The early orders allow the restaurant to prepare the food and serve our group promptly at 6:30 p.m. so we can finish eating before our speakers are introduced. If you place an order and do not attend or cancel before noon, you will be charged for the meal.