April 13th, 10:00 a.m. retired LtCol Ryan Oakley at The “L” Offices River & Campbell – Real Life in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). Ever wonder who or what is JAG? What they do? Where they serve? What do Hollywood writers and popular authors get right and wrong in telling their stories?
Visit Our Booth at the Tucson Festival of Books–#219
A Special Weekend: March 9 & 10
We will not hold a meeting this month. Instead, members and author members will be at our booth at TFOB, talking up our club and our contests. And chatting with other book lovers, always a treat.
Saturday, February 10th at 10 a.m. at L Office, Campbell & River and Via Zoom
Award-winning author and writing instructor Kris Neri returns! We are thrilled to welcome back Kris. Her workshop will address why including a strong sense of place and rich character descriptions will make your writings come to life and make readers bond with the material.
Jan. 13th, 10:00 a.m. LT Patrick Hilliker: The “L” Offices River & Campbell On-the-Job Stories by a Popular Guest! Next Saturday we welcome back a compelling speaker, who brings stories about his work with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team (and in other roles) along with a willingness to answer all the questions we can direct his way. Pima County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Patrick Hilliker has served various roles since hired in 1998 as a Commissioned Deputy with Pima County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s becoming a tradition! Again this year we’ll meet LIVE at Reid Park to celebrate the holidays.
We’ll have coffee, water, other treats, (and plates & utensils)! Plus last year’s favorite–hot chocolate.
Come on down to Reid Park and celebrate the season. See long-time friends and get to know new ones. If you wish, bring a check with your $45 dues for 2023. And we’ll announce the winners of our Adult Short Story Contest!
November 11, 10:00 a.m. : The “L” Offices River & Campbell & via Zoom
Meredith Aitchison, a certified Latent Print Examiner from the Tucson Police Department Forensic Lab, will expand on the fingerprinting lessons we had last year from Brian O’Sullivan.
Can a Film Help You Write? Using a Movie to Learn Structure and Plot
October 14, 10:00 a.m. : LIVE at The “L” Offices at River & Campbell and Via Zoom
USING A MOVIE TO LEARN STRUCTURE & PLOT
Author and AMW member Clark Lohr will share how the compressed time frame of a movie allows us to observe story structure and better plot our novels. Using the model first set out by Syd Field in his 1979 book, Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Clark will explain how watching a film can allow us to observe the three parts of a classic story: what Field called Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution.
Join us for a workshop: “One Scene Leads to Another” with award-winning author D.R. Ransdell
Saturday, August 12th 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Everybody wants to write—but why is it so hard to get started? Managing that first burst of energy can be the most difficult part of the project. In the workshop, author and member D.R. Ransdell will lead us through a series of writing prompts designed to get us past those initial hurdles. We’ll experiment with brainstorming exercises designed to keep us writing all day long—or at least through the day’s session. Come with your laptop charged or your pencil sharpened. We’ll dive in together and see what shakes loose.
Pima County Sergeant Erick Maldonado
July 8th, 10:00 a.m. Sgt. Erick Maldonado from the Pima County Sheriff’s is BACK!
Get your questions ready
We had such a wonderful time with Sgt. Erick Maldonado in May that we asked if he’d be willing to return and share stories from his long and varied career with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
We’re delighted he agreed!
June Meeting: Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 10 am. Do Laughter & Murder Mix? Humor in Mysteries? Kathy McIntosh definitely believes there’s a place for humor in mysteries. She’ll share her thoughts on how humor helps our writing, where it got its start, and how to best include humor in your writing.
She’ll even provide a list of some of the classics and some new authors whose books made her chuckle. Bring your list of favorites to share!
MAY MEETING, Saturday May 13 at 10 a.m.:
Sergeant Erick Maldonado of the Pima County Sheriffs Department and his canine partner will join us at at the “L” Offices, 1840 E. River Road. That’s on the southwest corner of Campbell and River, just north of the Rillito River. Look for an office building with a big Long Realty sign and a sign for “L” Offices.
Author/editor/graphic designer Wynne Brown will attempt to provide some solutions to one of the greatest mysteries for writers: “Finding Balance in the Writing Life.”
Her recent books are The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon’s Life of Science and Art (winner of both the Spur Award for Best Western Biography and the WILLA Award for Creative Nonfiction) and Remarkable Arizona Women (3rd edition). In her non-writing life, she is the president of Chiricahua Regional Council and the Pima County representative on the State Board of the Arizona Historical Society. She was also the 2022 Pima County Public Library Spring Writer in Residence. Her website is www.wynnebrown.com.
No Meeting: Instead…a Festival!
The Tucson Festival of Books!!!
The Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB) is March 4 and 5. Catch us at Booth 216 on the campus of the University of Arizona.
Because of the festival, we traditionally hold no meeting in the month of March. We host a booth at the festival–a great way to chat with passersby about our club and to catch up with other members.
You may be familiar with the necessary elements for a mystery, but creating a good setting, using purposeful dialogue, and creating “real” characters can help create a better story.
Covered in this presentation:
1. Setting and Background are not the same thing
2. Dialogue is not just random words
3. Credible characters make for a more convincing story
January 14th, 10:00 a.m., Live and on Zoom: Becky Pallack
Next Saturday we launch another great year with Arizona Mystery Writers with a former journalist who’ll share her experiences.
Becky Pallack will speak to us on “How A Journalist Writes About Crime.” Pallack was a reporter at the Arizona Daily Star and the Arizona Daily Sun, and has covered just about any topic you can think of. She’s a three-time winner of the Arizona Newspapers Association’s Freedom of Information Award.
December 10 10:00 AM
REID PARK RAMADA #31
Last year’s holiday get-together was such fun that we’re doing it again!
We’ll have coffee, water, donuts, (and plates & utensils) PLUS an incredible book raffle! Bring lots of one dollar (or higher) bills!
Join us Saturday, November 12, at 10:00 a.m.at the “L” Offices to learn about hiding clues and red herrings from award-winning mystery writer and writing instructor Kris Neri.
An effective treatment of clues and red herrings is absolutely essential in mysteries and thrillers. And not merely mysteries and thrillers—cross-genre works and other categories of fiction often contain puzzles or some unknown-to-the-reader elements, and foundation for those elements must be seeded in carefully.
Investigating the Crime Scene – The “L” Offices River & Campbell
Next Saturday we’ll meet live (October 8 at 10:00 am) and via Zoom–and get the scoop on forensics and crime scene investigation.
Brian O’Sullivan of the Tucson Police Department Forensics Lab will take us through what happens at a crime scene, as well as telling us stories about how forensics solve cases.
Brian O’Sullivan was born and raised in Tucson and graduated from the U of A. He began working with the Tucson Police Department in October of 2007 as a Crime Scene Specialist in the Crime Scene Unit. In that role, he performed photographic documentation of crime scenes and individuals; and also processed for latent fingerprints, DNA, and other trace evidence.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
LT Patrick Hilliker: The “L” Offices River & Campbell
Sept 10, 10:00 a.m.
More On-the-Job Stories!
Next Saturday we welcome back LIVE a fascinating speaker, who brings stories about his work with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team (and in other roles) along with a willingness to answer all the questions we can direct his way.
We’ll meet LIVE at The “L” Offices, 1840 E. River Road. We’ll provide coffee and treats;
The meeting will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with time for catching up from 11:30 to noon.
Costs for members is $10, $15 for non-members.
We’ll also be streaming the meeting by Zoom, at no charge (but without treats).
You need not be a member of Arizona Mystery Writers to join our Zoom meetings. Information goes out in our newsletter. You can sign up for it at the bottom of this page!
Best-selling writer Isabella Maldonado shares tales from her life on the street, fighting crime.
August 13, 2022 Virtual Meeting
Join best-selling writer Isabella Maldonado as she shares tales from her life on the street, fighting crime.
A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in the Fairfax County Police Department just outside DC, Isabella Maldonado retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the bestselling FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera series (soon to be a Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Lopez).
July 9, 10:00 a.m. AZ time: Short Stories Shared
Practice for the AMW Short Story Contest!
In our May meeting, Pima College faculty member Mike Alvarez shared his wisdom about mystery writing. The presentation was lively and informative, and we all enjoyed the learning experience. According to Mike, he sometimes assigns writing a one-page mystery to help students learn to develop a story.
One of Mike’s short mysteries is posted below to serve as an example and to provide inspiration.
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“You Can’t Come Here No More” with Betty Frizzell
June 10, 2022 10:00 AM AZ
You Don’t Want to Miss This One!
Betty Frizzell, former police chief of the Winfield, Missouri Police Department, will speak about her escape from her family’s legacy of crime, addiction, and abuse to become a respected law enforcement officer, author and teacher. Following her sister’s conviction for murder, Betty was drawn back to the town and people of her past.
LET’S TALK ABOUT MURDER! with Mike Alvarez
May 14, 10:00 a.m. AZ time
Considering submitting a short story to our annual contest? Contemplating your first–or next–crime novel?
Member Mike Alvarez will give us the basics–and more–next Saturday. Be there for an informative and fun hour. And be ready to take notes!
Here’s Mike’s outline:
A brief discussion of the origin of the mystery, and a review of the seven essential elements every successful mystery must have. Also a discussion of the importance and impact of recent forensic developments, and how they have been used in recent fiction.
Saturday, April 9, 2022 – Guest Speaker: Pima County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Patrick Hilliker
April 9, 2022 10-11:00 AM AZ Time
We welcome back a fascinating speaker, who brings stories about his work with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team (and in other roles) along with a willingness to answer all the questions we can fling at him.
Pima County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Patrick Hilliker has served various roles since hired in 1998 as a Commissioned Deputy with Pima County Sheriff’s Office.
Selected in 2001 for Sheriff’s Department Special Weapon and Tactics Team (SWAT), he was promoted to Sergeant in 2006 and appointed Lead Sergeant for the SWAT team in 2008.
Sergeant Hilliker has been an instructor for the National Tactical Officers Association for 6 years. He teaches SWAT tactics and philosophies around the country.
Courses include: Hostage Rescue, Barricaded Subjects, Active Shooter, Basic SWAT School, Team Leader Course, and Tactical Pistol.
Get your questions ready for an informative and lively session!
February 12, 2022 – R-Rated Romance in Mystery: None of My Business?
Mystery readers love puzzles involving crime, but how much do they want to puzzle through their protagonists’ romantic relationships or sex lives? D.R. Ransdell will share considerations for levels of heat in cozies, amateur sleuth novels, and thrillers before leading writers through three short writing exercises designed to heat up—or cool down—their own manuscripts. D.R. writes mysteries from the heart of the mariachi world where men cry over lost love and women exact revenge. Her protagonist is a violinist, but Andy Veracruz spends more time getting himself out of trouble than he does learning new songs. In the…
