June 19th: End of Year Business Mtg. at Cowgirl!
We’re heading back to the paddock for another party at Cowgirl! They’ve updated their menus, so we’ll have a great selection of food, including vegetarian options, in our favorite private room with cash bar. There’ll be chips, salsa and guacamole (of course!), plus cajun fried shrimp, black bean quesadillas, BBQ ribs, and artichoke fritters! (You might want to splurge on one of their signature margaritas in a jelly jar. It’s just like your tía used to make.) The dinner cost will be $38, and checks made out to New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime (or NYSinC) must be received by June 17th.
During the evening, we’ll hear reports on the past year’s business from all of our officers, updates and news from our members, and discuss the chapter’s year to come. To RSVP for this fun night of mingling and celebration with your Sisters, send your check to: Stephanie Wilson-Flaherty, 537 84th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11209
Giddy Up!
May 17th: NYC Morgue Tour with Dr. Jonathan Hayes
In lieu of the usual chapter meeting, for May, we have a SPECIAL EVENT at a SPECIAL TIME!
Dr. Jonathan Hayes, crime writer and forensic pathologist, will give us a tour of New York’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Thursday, May 17th. The OCME office is located at 520 First Avenue. Because the tours are necessarily limited in size, members who wish to come must pre-register by RSVP to susan-dot-chalfin [at] gmail (dot) com. Attendees must also be able to arrive by 4:50pm sharp, before the office closes to the public, and bring some usual form of ID as well. The tour begins at 5pm, and we’ll gather for an optional dinner to follow. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to tour Gotham’s morgue with a Senior Medical Examiner!
Register for an All-Day Workshop with Hallie Ephron!
TOOL UP TO WRITE YOUR CRIME NOVEL with a SPECIAL SATURDAY EVENT from 9am-4pm in New York City!
Hallie Ephron, popular instructor and author of the Edgar-nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel, will help you master a range of writing dilemmas and solutions in an all-day, hands-on workshop!
This event places replaces our April meeting, and there will be a fee of $50 and pre-registration required. All the details you’ll need are at our 2012 Chapter Meetings page.
We’re delighted to be able to offer in-depth instruction with such a talented expert, so don’t miss out, and do register early!
March 15th Mtg: Social Media and Digital Branding for Authors!
Don’t just “Follow” the Crowd–Minimize your Effort and Maximize your Exposure!
Authors are told they need online presences that represent their “brands.” But how do you design a personal digital strategy to promote your work in realistic, effective ways for your goals and personality? Laura Kramarsky and Clare Toohey, who both participate personally and professionally in digital marketing and social media for publishing, will present a discussion of the Whys and How’s of various approaches and how to integrate them, with special focus on Facebook and Twitter, plus examples in living pixels!
This Thursday, March 15th, our program will be held at the Muhlenberg Library and begins at 6:30pm. More details are on our 2012 Chapter Meetings page.
Feb. 16th Chap. Mtg: Loving the Written Word with Caridad Pineiro
Caridad Piñeiro is a multi-published, award-winning, NYTimes best-selling author of romance and romantic suspense whose work celebrates Latina culture and vampires, to name only two areas of her expertise. She also happens to be an intellectual property lawyer, so if you want to know about balancing writing with a busy life while writing for a variety of audiences, don’t miss our Valentine’s week meeting!
Thursday’s meet and greet begins at 6pm at NYC’s Muhlenberg Library. As always, the gory details are at our 2012 Chapter Meeetings page.
Tomorrow is Open Mic Night!
Thursday, January 19th, we’ll have a fun reprise of a popular chapter event. Share your work, published or unpublished, with your Sisters. Everybody who wishes gets five minutes in the spotlight. Listeners welcome, too. The time limit will be strictly enforced, so that everyone who wants has a chance to read. That works out to about 3 1/2 double-spaced manuscript pages. We look forward to hearing yours!
We’ll be meeting at the Muhlenberg Library as usual. See the Chapter Meetings page for more details about the wheres and whens!
Chapter Signing and Party at Partners & Crime (Th-12/15) 7pm!
We’re so proud of our chapter’s recently published anthology, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices. And we’re having a great signing party and brief reading at Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers on Thursday, December 15th at 7pm. (More info at anthology link or invitation below.) Stop by for festivities and cheer, and as a bonus, you’ll get all your shopping done for the crime fans on your list!
P.I. Annie Cheney for October 20th’s Chapter Mtg
Annie Cheney is a private investigator who began her career as a freelance reporter. Her book, Body Brokers: Inside America’s Underground Trade in Human Remains, expanded on a prize-winning investigative article “The Resurrection Men” she did for Harper’s. After completing the book, Annie applied to Kroll, the risk management and fraud investigative company, where she was hired as an analyst and was recently promoted to director. She specializes in investigating financial fraud. She also advised Susan Isaacs on the life of a private eye for As Husbands Go. As a crime writer and now a P.I. in one of the foremost detective agencies, Annie Cheney’s got incredible stories and knows how to tell them!
Yee-Haw: June 15th business mtg and party!
We’re coming up to the end of another programming year, as we break for July and August, and we always enjoy this chance to gather at a local restaurant for food, drink, and carousing. (Of course, we’ll also review chapter business and project progress, celebrate member progress, and swear in our new officers for the coming year.) We’re gathering at West Village fave (519 Hudson St) Cowgirl! You can RSVP to Program Chair Susan Chalfin at Susan [dot] Chalfin-at-gmail (dot) com. The price will be $45, payable at the door.
The party begins at 6:30 in the private Bark-n-Lounge with chips and salsa and our own bartender. Soft drinks and coffee are included with your meal, but it’s a cash bar. For dinner, there’s a buffet of chicken fried steak, BBQ ribs, cornbread and coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and salad. For dessert, there’s fruit cobbler. The price is $45, payable to our chapter representative by cash or check to NYSinC at the door.
Guests are welcome, but your RSVP is a firm commitment, which may be canceled without obligation up to 48 hours prior to the event, when we’re required to give our guaranteed headcount to the restaurant. After that time, if you find you can’t come, we’ll miss you! But also, the chapter will be charged in your absence, and we’ll ask you later to make arrangements to pay for your meal, so that other members’ dues aren’t spent for that purpose.
Look forward to seeing you around the trough!
Thursday, May 19th Chapter Mtg: Interrogation!
Joseph Giacolone is a veteran Detective Sergeant and Commanding Officer of a Cold Case Squad that has investigated hundreds of homicides and missing persons. Joe is also the author of the Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators. A decorated officer who won the Medal of Valor, he’s also an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he teaches courses in Criminal Justice and Criminal Investigation. Last time he appeared, our very-engaging guest touched upon the area of witness and suspect interviews, using incredible examples ripped from headlines we all know. Joe was nice enough to agree to return for an entire program dedicated to police interrogation in theory and practice, and if you didn’t get to hear him before, don’t dare miss his fascinating and entertaining encore!
This will take place, as usual, at the Muhlenberg Library, with the program beginning by 6:30pm. Address and more details at the Chapter Meetings page. This will be a joint meeting with MWA-NY, and is free and open to the public.
See you Thursday for Interrogation: A Command Performance!
This Thursday’s Mtg: 21st Century P.I.s
At this month’s meeting, April 21st, w
e’ll welcome guests Robert Rahn and Kim Anklin, business partners at Management Resources, Ltd. Come for the definitive He Said, She Said on the biz of the modern private eye!
For more details, go to our 2011 Chapter Meetings page.
April 21st Meeting: 21st Century Private Eyes
Robert Rahn and Kim Anklin are both former police officers. Bob was a homicide lieutenant in the NYPD, and Kim was a crime and intelligence analyst for Ventura County in California. But today, East Coast meets West Coast investigation, and they work together as business partners at Management Resources, Ltd. , a private firm that puts their wide-ranging experience to work on all sorts of cases, such as various types of fraud, elder abuse, and wrongful death, among others. We’ll talk about what comprises the life of a modern P.I., including the electronic goodies and technological approaches that have become essential to the field. Come for the definitive He Said, She Said on the biz of 21st century private eyes!
March 24th Chapter Mtg: COOOld Cases
Joseph Giacolone is a veteran Detective Sergeant and Commanding Officer of a Cold Case Squad that has investigated hundreds of homicides, cold cases and missing persons. Joe is also the author of the Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators. A decorated officer who won the Medal of Valor, he’s also an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he teaches courses in Criminal Justice and Criminal Investigation.
Join us at the Muhlenberg Public Library in Manhattan, 209 W. 23rd Street, (near 7th Ave.) We begin our meet-and-greet at 6pm, with chapter business and programs beginning by 6:30. Concluding at 7:45pm, members who wish, and often our guests, adjourn for dinner together at a nearby restaurant. This meeting is free, open to the public, and we cordially invite guests to attend!
Image via ahisgett’s Flickr.February Meeting: What Mystery Readers Want, by the Numbers
Can't help thinking of this old game show
What really influences mystery readers to buy your book? A web page? Blogging? Twitter? Bookstore events? Newsletters? You have questions. Your national SinC board decided to find some answers. They went right to the source–mystery readers–and asked them, sponsoring the first ever deep-dive survey of mystery readers. Our research partner was Bowker, the experts on publishing industry data. The detailed report is now available to all SinC members, at no cost.
(If you haven’t seen it yet, you can go to this link. You will need to use the Member Log-in tab at the upper right of the menu bar. If you don’t have a user name and password there, or haven’t joined/renewed with the national organization, follow their site instructions. Once you’re logged in, you will choose the link for “The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age”)
Some of the findings were a surprise; others put hard data under what we already assumed Read, ponder, come to the February 17th meeting with all your questions! Local NYSinC chapter member Triss Stein, who managed the entire project, will be with us to tell you all about it.
As usual, we’re meeting at the Muhlenberg Library (on 23rd St, just west of 7th Ave.) to gather and chat as of 6pm. Chapter business and programming begins by 6:30pm. A little before 8pm, we adjourn, and anyone who wishes ventures out together for a nearby dinner afterward. More details and upcoming programs available at the right-hand 2011 Chapter Meetings link.
Image via GSN.com
Discuss the Reader Survey Online Tomorrow!
On February 17th, our chapter’s own Triss Stein will be presenting and discussing these results at our meeting. She was one of the point people from Sisters in Crime who worked on this project. Go to 2011 Chapter Meetings link in right sidebar for details. But, if you’e unable to attend then…
This Tuesday, Jan. 18th, the SinC listserv will host two representatives from Bowker, the company that conducted SinC’s groundbreaking Mystery Book Buyer Study. They will be available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time to answer members’ questions about the study and how writers can use the information to better target their marketing efforts. The full survey report is available through the SinC national website.
Any SinC member not already on the listserv can join by sending an e-mail to sistersincrime-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with his or her full name in the body of the message. It’s perfectly all right to join the list for the Tuesday session and unsubscribe afterward, although, of course, we think all SinC members can benefit from being on the list.
Also, see you local Sisters at the library on Thursday for what promises to be another terrific meeting with veteran literary agent Victoria Skurnick!
January Meeting: Ask the Agent!
Victoria Skurnick was with the Book-of-the-Month club for twenty years before becoming an agent with the powerhouse Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. Next Thursday, January 20th, she’ll answer all our questions on the state-of-the-market, an especially mobile target these days, and give us ideas as to how writers can best navigate the changing landscape. Check the 2011 Meetings page from the right-hand menu for more information about start time and the Muhlenberg Library.
Dec. Mtg and Party: Spurs Jingle Like Sleighbells!
Our holiday party on Tuesday, December 14th, will be at chapter favorite Cowgirl (519 Hudson St. more info at link). The party starts at 6:30pm like regular meetings. Dinner will be buffet-style with chips, salsa, and guacamole for snacking; chicken fried chicken and BBQ ribs; green salad, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and cornbread; cobbler for dessert and coffee/soft drink service. There will be a full, cash bar stocked with the dee-lish margaritas as always.
In addition to hosting our fun Secret Santa gift exchange (for which interested Sisters can bring a wrapped gift of mayhem costing less than $10), we’re adding another optional activity. This year, we’ll also be collecting book donations at the party. Children for Children is a non-profit that will distribute our collection to local schools that need new (or very gently used) books of fiction, appropriate for early readers up to high-schoolers. If you can, please help us build new generations of readership!
The cost will be $45 at the door, by cash or check made out to New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime. We’ve had great success simply collecting RSVPs by e-mail, and saving us all time and stamps, so thanks in advance for your Firm YES, since the headcount we supply gets charged to the chapter. RSVP to nysinc@ymail.com and we’ll confirm your saddle’s reserved!
Pretty spur picture via Seidel’s Saddlery.
November Meeting: From Both Sides Now
Next Thursday, November 18th, former District Attorney and defense lawyer Charles Abercrombie will give us the inside scoop and war stories from both sides of the courtroom. Bring your questions about strategy and procedure! As always, see logistical info on the Chapter Meetings page.
October Meeting: Writing in Disappearing Ink
Frank M. Ahearn is a skip tracer and international “privacy consultant.” His latest book, co-authored with partner Eileen C. Horan, is entitled HOW TO DISAPPEAR. Next Thursday evening, October 28th, we’ll hear about famous and infamous cases where he was enlisted to track down elusive people. We’ll also discuss, in this age of digital footprints, the three keys to disappearing, whether simply for privacy or because you need to get lost.
Go to the 2010 Chapter Meetings page at the right for more information about scheduling and directions to the Muhlenberg Library. As usual, our meetings are open to the public!
Event: NYSinC Reads Crime in Queens!
This Saturday, eight members of our local chapter will be reading selections from their work at the first Astoria/LIC International Film Festival from 2pm to 4pm. This inaugural event, held at The Secret Theatre, will spotlight local filmmakers, local themes, and local talent from writers to musicians for creative cross-pollination. Follow the link for more information and directions. There is a cover charge for the event, but day passes are also available, and every ticket comes with a complimentary beverage to make all the work sound that much better!
Hope to see you hearing us there!
Call for Astoria/LIC Int’l Film Fest Readers
Members of our chapter have been invited to read from our crime fiction at the Astoria/LIC International Film Festival on Saturday, October 23rd, from 2 to 4pm. All the events are being held at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, and there’s more information about this inaugural festival at the link. If you’d like a spot reading eight to ten minutes of your work– with the opportunity to sell and sign your books as well– please contact Lina Zeldovich by e-mail. The address is her first name [underscore] her last name at that Yahoo-dot-com place. Looking forward to hearing you there!
Member News: Hilary Davidson’s Launch Party
Congratulations to Hilary Davidson, because the day is almost here! Tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 28th, she’ll be celebrating her debut in crime fiction by carousing with the crowds and signing copies of THE DAMAGE DONE at indie fave bookstore Partners & Crime. The corks pop at 7pm. See you Sisters at the party!
NYSinC at Brooklyn Book Festival!
This Sunday, our chapter will be participating in the Brooklyn Book Festival at booth #167– really a covered table– near the intersections of Adams and Joralemon Streets in the vendor areas by the cafe.
Do stop by! We’ll have members making charming small talk and book bargains all day!
(NYSinC will also be tweeting whatever we can see from our camp chairs at #bkbf)
Members Talk Murder in Kips Bay
On Tuesday, September 14th, at 6:30pm, chapter members will participate in a panel discussion of Murder in Manhattan at the Kips Bay Library. The event’s open to everyone who wants to find out what makes this small island such a perennial favorite for murder.
