USA Today bestselling author Mary Buckham joins us to discuss “active settings” — because setting, she says, takes an active role in any good storyline. Great novelists make settings look seamless, but this is a challenge for many writers: how do you make it visible but immersive, rather than distracting? Mary examines these questions in her books Writing Active Settings and Writing … Read more
Characters, like people, are stubborn. Most prefer to stay in the good old comfort zone rather than face danger, failure, pain and worse. (The nerve!) To get them to act, we raise the stakes, removing all choice. So how do we do that without always threatening them with death? Get ready to fill your mental … Read more
Advances in DNA technology now make identification possible from the merest traces of evidence. Othram is a cutting-edge forensic laboratory on a mission to digitize DNA evidence in order to identify victims, find missing persons, and bring criminals to justice. Dr. David Mittelman, CEO of Othram, will discuss how his company uses advanced DNA testing, … Read more
Tuesday, January 18, 2022 7:30 PM Eastern time via Zoom Is a Community Police Academy for you? Arlington County just opened registrations for its 26th Community Police Academy. Arlington is one of several localities in our membership region that offer similar programs, designed to create better understanding and communication between police and the communities they serve. … Read more
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 7:3) Eastern Time via Zoom Let’s Talk Agents Please join the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Mystery Writers of America for an evening with literary agent Dan Conaway. You’ve finished your manuscript! Is it ready to submit to an agent? What are the biggest mistakes people make when submitting to agents? What … Read more
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 7:30 Eastern time via Zoom Let’s Talk Podcasts Please join the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Mystery Writers of America for an evening with author and podcaster Alexia Gordon. Alexia Gordon is the award-winning author of the Gethsemane Brown mysteries, paranormal cozies set in Ireland. She is also a physician, a blogger—and since … Read more
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at 7:30 PM Eastern time via Zoom Fact vs Fiction: An Evening with James Renner Please join the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Mystery Writers of America for an evening with true crime writer, novelist and podcaster James Renner to talk about storytelling in fact and fiction. Renner is: a podcaster (The Philosophy of … Read more
Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time via Zoom The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment Please join the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Mystery Writers of America at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10 for a discussion of SEVEN STEPS ON THE WRITER’S PATH: The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment with its co-author, Nancy Pickard. … Read more
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 7:30 PM Eastern Time via Zoom Growing A Crime Novel from the Setting Many mystery writers write page-turners—books with strong plots and dramatic intensity that put the readers in the thick of the action. Others infuse their characters with sex appeal and lifestyle choices that make them seem mysterious or … Read more
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 7:30 PM EDT via Zoom How to Harness the Power of Story in Your Author Platform Many writers dread marketing and promotion because they think it’s only about snappy taglines, fancy logos, and smarmy sales pitches. The truth is, platform doesn’t have to be painful and you don’t have to … Read more