Don't Miss SinC's "We Love Bookstores" Celebration December 9th

The Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime will present a $500 "We Love Bookstores" award to Poor Richards Booksellers at a joint 30th Anniversary Celebration in Easley on Saturday, December 9th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

Poor Richards Booksellers

104 S. Main Street, Easley

Every month Sisters in Crime is awarding $500 to an independent bookstore that features books written by Sisters In Crime members to use for promotion or marketing or hosting book signing events.

Upstate SC Chapter Members will be selling and signing books at this event. Please join us in the celebration and in support of our Sisters in Crime authors.

Remember, books make great Christmas presents!

PLEASE SHARE THIS EVENT THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.

Minutes from November 2017 meeting

November 4, 2017

Minutes from the November 2017 meeting

Twenty five attendees yet again at our November 2, 2017 meeting! President Sally Handley sure knows how to get and keep our interest, and this month our guest speaker was acclaimed author Susan Crawford.

Susan summarized her path to publication, including the up and downs of getting an agent. She got a lot of rejections, but never fear—she ended up with a fabulous and renowned agent. How? Susan made the effort ot edit her debut novel, The Pocket Wife, as her agent suggested. But all her hard work and flexibility paid off. The Pocket Wife went to auction, and Susan landed a 6-figure contract and a 2-book deal with major publisher, Harper Collins!

But Susan’s presentation didn’t focus solely on the “business” aspect of writing, and instead she then offered us her sage writing advise. Do NOT kill your darlings, as we are always told. Instead, be confident in those moments when we are channeling our characters and be hesitant to over-revise those moments of inspiration. “Don’t think, write,” she repeated several times.

An inspiring evening!

And don’t forget, our annual holiday bash will be Sunday, December 17^th at 2:00. Mark those calendars and see ya’ then!

Respectfully Submitted,

Cindy Blackburn

Secretary, Upstate Sisters in Crime

Minutes from October 2017 meeting

November 4, 2017

Minutes from the October, 2017 chapter meeting:

Your secretary is exceedingly delinquent, but here’s what happened at our October 5, 2017 meeting.

25 members and guests made an evening of it to hear what dynamic father-daughter duo, John and Rowe Carenen had to say. John’s the author and Rowe’s the book publicist—a match made in heaven!

John, author of the Thomas O’Shea series, started us off describing his trials and tribulations and need for a book marketer with the release of his first literary thriller, Signs of Struggle. Enter daughter Rowe.

Rowe, The Book Concierge, (thebookconcierge.com) took it from there and offered gobs of advice from her vast knowledge and expertise in book marketing. A few tidbits: have a blog, write short blogs, but often, use a social media plan, and be sure to have a “brand”—your author persona that you apply to all social media. Several venues she is fond of are FaceBook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Rowe particularly likes blog tours, and suggests all authors read, follow, and comment on favorite blogs to gain notice. She also suggests building relationships with booksellers and book stores and emphasized the importance of a successful book launch.

All in all a successful and informative meeting!

Respectfully Submitted,

Cindy Blackburn

Secretary, Upstate Sisters in Crime