Month: February 2022

Your Writing Career

Past – Present – Future is a three-part seminar, part of the Sisters in Crime SinC Into Great Writing series, during which they’ll discuss the topic from different angles. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, 5 March 2022.

Free to Sisters in Crime members. $25 for non-members.

The seminar includes three panels:

  • Things I Wish I’d Known: Jennifer J. Chow, Jennifer Hillier, Ausma Zehanat Khan , moderated by Wanda M. Morris
  • Publishing in the Present Tense: Michelle Addo, Jenny Chen, Samantha Fabien, moderated by Kellye Garrett
  • Structures for Success: Gigi Pandian, Alex Segura, moderated by Sandra S.G. Wong

Registration required. Read more about it.

Choose the Right Plot

Award-winning author Madeline Dyer will present a free presentation on “The Art of Narrative Structures: How to Choose the Right Plot for Your Story,” to be followed by a Q&A session. This is slated for Wednesday, 2 March beginning at noon (MT). (You must register to get the link.)

During this talk, you’ll learn a variety of narrative structures — so you can easily choose the right plot for your story. You’ll learn an array of options, including everything from the 3 act structure to the Hakawati. If you’ve ever wondered how to structure a full length book, this lecture is for you.

Preregistration is required.

Ms. Dyer writes YA thrillers, YA dystopians, poetry, personal essays, and memoir. As Elin Annalise, she writes adult contemporary and romance, featuring asexual characters. And as Elin Dyer, she writes YA fantasy, YA urban fantasy, and YA paranormal romance.

She also teaches six-week courses on narrative structures, YA dystopian novels, and several other topics.

Lani Forbes memorial

Earlier this month, we lost a beloved member of our book-centered community. Young adult author Lani Forbes, whose critically acclaimed Age of the Seventh Sun series won multiple Realm Awards, died on February 3, 2022, in Boise, Idaho, after a nine-month battle with neuroendocrine cancer. She was 35. 
Please join us for Lani’s Book Birthday and a Celebration of Life and Literature.  

Register through Evenbrite to receive the Zoom link for this celebration of life conducted by Rediscovered Books of Boise. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lani-forbes-book-birthday-and-celebration-of-life-and-literature-tickets-264527457747

TV Reads 2022

The featured title for this year’s Treasure Valley Reads is Anthony Doerr‘s Cloud Cuckoo Land. Doerr is a Boise resident and Pulitzer Prize winner* (for All the Light We Cannot See)

Read more on the Treasure Valley Reads website, which states, in part:

We encourage everyone in the community to read this engaging story and come together at events to learn and experience something new, be creative, and share ideas about themes in the book.

That page also includes an Eventbrite link to attend the free keynote presentation by Mr. Doerr on Friday, 11 March 2022.

*amongst many other awards

Grant in Crime Fiction

The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer of color. Open February 1 – March 31, 2022.

This grant is administered by Sisters in Crime (SinC), but you don’t need to be a SinC member to apply. Here are some past winners.

This grant is intended to support the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. The grantee may choose to use the grant for activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work.