K. A. Laity

TODAY: Murderous March!

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Murderous March Writers & Readers Confab

Saturday, March 24, 2-4 PM
East Greenbush Community Library
RSVP to assure a seat at this free event:

Fans and creators of the mystery, detective and crime genres: Join Mavens of Mayhem at the East Greenbush Community Library for an afternoon of enlightening talk about the craft.

PROGRAM

1:45-4:15 Refreshments, Mavens of Mayhem member book sale

1:45-2:10 Registration

2:15-3:00 “Bringing out the Mystery Within”
Panel discussion and audience Q & A, featuring
Published authors Robert Knightly, Carol Pouliot, Kate Laity, and Frankie Bailey. Moderated by Michael Catoggio, mystery researcher and reference librarian

3:00-3:15 Stretch and Schmooze

3:15-4:00 Workshops

  • Finding My Next Great Read — Laurie Dreyer and Rhonda Rosenheck
  • Squeezing the Book In — K.A. Laity
  • When I Die, Clear my Browser History (Research for Mystery/Crime Writers) — Michael Catoggio

Presenters

frankie bailey LAITY author photo robertknightly carol_pouliot_author

Frankie Bailey, K.A. Laity, Robert Knightly, and Carol Pouliot are published authors who live in or near New York’s Upper Hudson region. Frankie Bailey is President of the Mavens of Mayhem and all are active members.

Michael Catoggio conducts research for mystery writers and others, a fun and natural outcome of his long career as a research librarian. He also teaches many popular writing and research workshops.

Laurie Dreyer is Adult Programming Librarian at the East Greenbush Community Library. Rhonda Rosenheck is Mavens of Mayhem treasurer, a published author of poetry and humor, and a voracious reader of detective fiction.

This confab is cohosted by the EGCL (eastgreenbushlibrary.org) and Mavens of Mayhem (upperhudsonsinc.com), Sisters in Crime’s Upper Hudson chapter. The Mavens meet monthly and welcome writers and readers.

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Murderous March Writers & Readers Confab

katelaity2 Comments

Mavens of MayhemMurderous March Writers & Readers Confab

Saturday, March 24, 2-4 PM
East Greenbush Community Library
RSVP to assure a seat at this free event:

Fans and creators of the mystery, detective and crime genres: Join Mavens of Mayhem at the East Greenbush Community Library for an afternoon of enlightening talk about the craft.

PROGRAM

1:45-4:15 Refreshments, Mavens of Mayhem member book sale

1:45-2:10 Registration

2:15-3:00 “Bringing out the Mystery Within”
Panel discussion and audience Q & A, featuring
Published authors Robert Knightly, Carol Pouliot, Kate Laity, and Frankie Bailey. Moderated by Michael Catoggio, mystery researcher and reference librarian

3:00-3:15 Stretch and Schmooze

3:15-4:00 Workshops

  • Finding My Next Great Read — Laurie Dreyer and Rhonda Rosenheck
  • Squeezing the Book In — K.A. Laity
  • When I Die, Clear my Browser History (Research for Mystery/Crime Writers) — Michael Catoggio

Presenters

frankie bailey LAITY author photo robertknightly carol_pouliot_author

Frankie Bailey, K.A. Laity, Robert Knightly, and Carol Pouliot are published authors who live in or near New York’s Upper Hudson region. Frankie Bailey is President of the Mavens of Mayhem and all are active members.

Michael Catoggio conducts research for mystery writers and others, a fun and natural outcome of his long career as a research librarian. He also teaches many popular writing and research workshops.

Laurie Dreyer is Adult Programming Librarian at the East Greenbush Community Library. Rhonda Rosenheck is Mavens of Mayhem treasurer, a published author of poetry and humor, and a voracious reader of detective fiction.

This confab is cohosted by the EGCL (eastgreenbushlibrary.org) and Mavens of Mayhem (upperhudsonsinc.com), Sisters in Crime’s Upper Hudson chapter. The Mavens meet monthly and welcome writers and readers.

Bouchercon!

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Maven Kate Laity is in the anthology as 'Graham Wynd'
Maven Kate Laity is in the 2015 Bouchercon anthology as ‘Graham Wynd’

Now is the time for crime & mystery writers to head south: no, it’s not migration — it’s Bouchercon! Here’s the scoop:

Bouchercon is the world’s finest annual crime fiction event, bringing together more than 1,000 authors, fans, publishers, reviewers, booksellers, editors, and every other part of the community for a fantastic four-day event. This is our 46th year. We’re fan-based, and our fans attract more than 400 authors, from the biggest names to those who will be big tomorrow. Look at our Guests of Honor and our Attendees to see who is coming!

There’s a national Sisters in Crime breakfast meeting on Friday: you can learn a lot about the organization’s support system there. If you didn’t get on the schedule for it this time, keep it in mind for next year in New Orleans!

Mavens in Schenectady This Weekend!

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Saturday, April 11th at 11AM, local author Frankie Bailey will be at the Schenectady County Public Library to discuss her latest crime novel “What the Fly Saw”, which is set in Albany! Frankie is a professor at the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, and is the author of the mystery “The Red Queen Dies”.

And just across town, K. A. Laity talks about another Schenectady-based writer, Kurt Vonnegut at the Schenectady County Historical Society‘s Mabee Farm Location.

Vonnegut TalkAnd don’t forget! Our Mavens meeting on April.18,2015 will be having a guest speaker:

Bob Krug is a retired Colonie Police Officer who has worked for The Colonie Police Force for 26 years. He will be discussing some of the cases he has worked. Also comparing real life Police work to what we see on television. Q&A will follow.

February 21st Meeting & Upcoming Events

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February 21: “S is for SEO: The Mystery of the Unfound Website.” Roger Lipera (Lipera Web Design & Consulting) will discuss how to make sure your Web site can be found on the Web and how social media can play a part in that. Mavens chapter meeting program, 10:30 am, Bethlehem Public Library.

February 28: “Homicidal Humor-Cozy Mysteries.” Maven Susan Sundwall, Schenectady Public Library, 10 am.

And looking ahead —

March 1: The Hudson Valley Writers Guild will sponsor a reading by three local authors on Sunday, March 1, at the Albany Public Library Washington Avenue Branch, 161 Washington Ave., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  The authors who will read from their recent work are Elizabeth Gordon, (Maven) K.A. Laity and Keith Willis.  The reading is part of a continuing series titled “Community of Writers.”  The reading is free and open to the public.

March 21: “Every Crime Deserves Context.” UAlbany criminal justice professor and mystery writer Frankie Y. Bailey offers a brief overview of the evolution of American crime and justice.

Coming up in February!

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Feb 10: Mavens Frankie Y. Bailey and K. A. Laity appear at the Nassau Free Library at 6pm. The authors will talk about writing and read from their current works.

February 21: “S is for SEO: The Mystery of the Unfound Website.” Roger Lipera (Lipera Web Design & Consulting) will discuss how to make sure your Web site can be found on the Web and how social media can play a part in that. Mavens chapter meeting program, 10:30 am, Bethlehem Public Library.

February 28: “Homicidal Humor-Cozy Mysteries.” Maven Susan Sundwall, Schenectady Public Library, 10 am.

And looking ahead — March 21: “Every Crime Deserves Context.” UAlbany criminal justice professor and mystery writer Frankie Y. Bailey offers a brief overview of the evolution of American crime and justice.

Mavens in the Library by Carol Derfner

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Thanks for the photo, Debbie!
Thanks for the photo, Debbie!

An enthusiastic audience of crime and mystery writers and readers in the Capital Region braved frigid temperatures to gather in the Greenbush Community Library on January 31st to listen to six longtime Mavens members share their personal experiences and insights into what it takes to successfully become a published author in the genre. The afternoon’s panelists included:

  • Frankie Bailey, a professor of criminal justice at the University of New York at Albany and the author of 7 mystery novels (the newest, “What The Fly Saw” comes out next month) encouraged aspiring writers to join organizations like Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America and to attend conference and workshops to be inspired and learn from the efforts of other writers;
  • Robert Knightly, former LAPD police officer and lawyer for the New York City Legal Aid Society, is the author of two police procedurals, “Bodies In Winter” and a sequel, “The Cold Room” spoke of the need to have confidence in your story and to persevere in spite of receiving rejections by potential publishers;
  • Eleanor Kuhns spoke of winning the coveted MinotaurBooks/MWA First Crime Novel Competition in 2011 for her Shaker-inspired “A Simple Murder” and outlined how she uses research in her writing;
  • Donna Lagone, current President and author of the recently published novel “Reflections” advised using the services of an agent as well an attorney to assist with the contractual matters required when working with publishers;
  • Susan Sundwall, gave the audience an overview of how she has handled the publication and sales of her Minnie Markwood comic-cozy series without using an agent; and,
  • Kate Laity, Associate Professor of English at the College of St. Rose, the author of “White Rabbit” and the Chastity Flame series, described how she writes and publishes in a number of different genres and admonished the audience to finish one’s writing projects!

Moderated by Jeanette  Whitbeck and organized by June Kosier, the event was lively and engaging as well informative. And June’s exhibit highlighting the chapter’s authors was well worth taking a trip to the library in East Greenbush!