I live and write in a mountain village in Central California
about seventy miles from the edge of the Los Angeles sprawl. Today I’m excited
about heading into the city for the Sisters-in-Crime meeting of the Los Angeles
Chapter.
I used to be sophisticated, spending the twenty years in Santa Monica before
moving to the village. Things happen in Santa Monica. Like many
other coastal cities, big ideas bubble up and take shape, things like food,
fashion, lifestyle, new ways of being and self-expression.
That’s why I set my police procedural series in the Santa
Monica Police Department. The cops there are no stranger to high-tech crime,
celebrity, and the crimes that involve runaways and homelessness. Everybody likes
the sunshine and seashore.
Now I live in a village of less than a thousand, a lot of
them retirees like myself. Seeing the
small-scale scandals that take place here prompted my second series, featuring
a homicide detective from the Kern County Sheriff’s department in Bakersfield.
I’ve gotten pretty pokey myself since I moved to the
village. My big excitement yesterday was seeing a bear shamble right past my
office window.
But today I’ll search around in the back of the closet for
something made of silk and head out to the Sisters-in-Crime meeting in
Pasadena. I hope that all of you reading this are aware of the many resources
you have available as a member of Sisters-in-Crime http://www.sistersincrime.org/. Started by Sara Paretsky in the 80’s, the
organization offers networking, advice and support to mystery authors and was
founded to “promote the professional development and advancement of women crime
writers to achieve equality in the industry.” Guppies offers an online critique
group for new writers within Sisters-in-Crime. And there are a significant number of Misters
within Sisters-in-Crime.
The Los Angeles Chapter puts on an excellent conference
every two years and has monthly meetings bringing in speakers from every niche
within the crime-fighting spectrum.
Today Sally Carpenter is speaking on “An Actor/Writer
Creates a Character.” I had lunch with her at a writing seminar and look
forward to seeing her again. These
monthly meetings draw together the known and unknown authors in a casual
networking scene where you have fun and learn something new.
I won’t forget my astonishment at trying to put coins in a
parking meter and realizing they now take credit cards. As I say, I used to be sophisticated.
Payback is my novel set in the village, currently priced at .99 cents.
http://www.amazon.com/Payback-Sierra-Mountain-Village-ebook/dp/B00BS8F5OY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381677367&sr=8-1&keywords=mar+preston+payback
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