Members of the Ottawa Police Services Tactical Unit will be speaking about the functions of this highly-trained unit and its capabilities at the next CCW meeting.
The unit handles incidents such as high-risk takedowns, hostage situations, sniper tactics, dealing with explosives, executing warrants, and accessing barricaded persons. Its members are often frontline at embassies, consulates and the airport.
Join Brenda Chapman for the launch of Tumbled Graves, third in the Stonechild and Rouleau series! The launch takes place this Sunday, April 3 between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. at Whispers Pub, 249 Richmond Road (http://whisperspubottawa.ca/ ).
Brenda will also be appearing with Linwood Barclay, John Lawton and Joyce Fielding at the Ottawa International Book Festival on Sunday, April 17 at 8:30 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral. Barbara Fradkin will be asking the questions! For tickets and more information, visit the Festival website: http://www.writersfestival.org/events/spring-2016/scene-of-the-crime
Melanie Fogel will speak on the rules of writing, their purpose, pitfalls and the perils of ignoring them at the next CCW meeting on March 9, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Melanie Fogel is the editor of Triptych Tales, and the former editor of Storyteller, Canada’s Short Story Magazine.
She has given lectures and workshops at the Bloody Words and Surrey Writers conferences, taught creative writing for the Ottawa-Carleton School Board’s Continuing Education program, and served as a judge for the Audrey and Arthur Ellis prizes.
An Arthur Ellis-nominated writer, her work has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies. She is also the author of The Storyteller Fiction Writer’s Workbook
When and where
When: March 9, 2016 at 7 p.m. Where: Ottawa City Hall (Honeywell Room, second floor)
The Feb. 10 meeting topic and speaker are mysteries no more.
Ian MacLeod, long-time and much-awarded Ottawa Citizen reporter and editor, will be discussing what it takes to uncover and write the news in the age of Twitter and a dying newspaper industry.
MacLeod began at the Ottawa Citizen in 1978 as copy boy. He soon moved to the police desk and later spent more than a decade as the paper’s senior crime reporter stationed at Ottawa police headquarters.
He subsequently served as the paper’s assignment editor and deputy city editor, elections editor, feature writer, senior investigative reporter, national security correspondent and nuclear and aviation affairs writer. He now works at the Postmedia Parliamentary Bureau covering national security and justice issues, the Supreme Court of Canada and the NDP.
Over his 38-year career, MacLeod has covered many major national and international news events. He was one of the few mainstream journalists to report on the 1990 Oka Crisis from behind Mohawk Warrior lines. Months later from aboard the Canadian Navy battleship “HMCS Athabaska” and other locales in the Middle East, he covered the build-up to the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In 1998, he filed the initial breaking coverage from the scene of the downing of Swiss Air Flight 111 off the Nova Scotia coast.
On Sept. 11, 2001, he was one of the first Canadian journalists to reach ground-zero in Lower Manhattan.
From Washington, he provided extensive coverage of the 2002 drive-by snipers terrorizing the capital and, in 2003, on the opening strikes of the Iraq War, with coverage from the White House, Pentagon and State Department.
His investigative reporting led him to the 2005 discovery and repatriation from Belgium of Canada’s long-lost, first official Maple Leaf flag, now enshrined at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
The same year, he covered the transit suicide bombings in London and, later, the high-profile Old Bailey trial of seven jihadi terrorists who plotted to bomb the British capital. He was the leading reporter on the landmark Ottawa case and trial of Momin Khawaja, Canada’s first post-9/11 terrorism conviction.
MacLeod, 55, has won numerous journalism awards, including as the three-time winner of Canada’s top journalism prize for science writing for his stories on genomics, artificial intelligence and neurology. He has been nominated for three National Newspaper Awards, Canada’s highest journalism honour, and for investigative reporting by the Canadian Association of Journalists. Most recently, the association named MacLeod as a 2012 finalist for a national investigative reporting award for his revelations about the enormous stockpiles of radioactive waste hidden around Canada.
He lives in Ottawa with his journalist wife, their two children and the family dog and cat.
Awards and honors
Association of Journalists, national investigative reporting finalist, 2004, for “The Quiet Epidemic.”
National Newspaper Award finalist, 2002, for an in-depth narrative detailing how Canada’s air-traffic controllers cleared the skies of hundreds of U.S-bound jets on Sept. 11, 2001.
Heath Care Public Relations Society of Canada, Hollobon Award for outstanding medical reporting, 2002, for “Bracing for Germ Warfare,” a feature-length look at Canada’s preparations for a global influenza pandemic.
Council for Advancement and Support of Education, health and science media fellowship, 2002, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario.
Canadian Science Writers’ Association, Society in Science Award, 2001, “Searching for HAL,” about the evolution of artificial intelligence.
Canadian Science Writers’ Association, Technology and Innovation Award, 2000, for “Genesis Inc.” about the commercialization of the human genome.
Canadian Association of Journalists, national investigative reporting award finalist, 2000, “Genesis Inc.”
Health Care Public Relations Society of Canada, Hollobon Award for outstanding medical reporting, 2000, “Genesis Inc.”
Ottawa Life Sciences Council, reporting award, 1999, “Genesis Inc.”
Gloucester Police Service civilian citation, 1993, for investigative reporting that led to a re-opening and conviction in the unsolved 1981 Janice Schaefler murder case.
Southam President’s Prize, 1992, for outstanding coverage of the 1990 Oka Crisis.
Crime Stoppers (North America) top crime-writing awards, 1987, 1986.
Recap:
Speaker: Ian MacLeod
Topic: News reporting in 2016: What it takes to uncover and write the news in the age of Twitter and a dying newspaper industry
There is no January 2016 meeting of CCW. The next meeting is on Wednesday. February 10, 2016 at 7 p.m. Arrangements for the speaker are being finalized. Stay tuned for updates.
The focus of this November’s Capital Crime Writers meeting is homegrown terrorism. Homegrown terrorism has been an issue for years. It includes criminal actions by white supremacists, radical Islamists, skinheads and perpetrators of hate crimes. The speaker has studied the issues and possesses a broad knowledge of the topic.
When and where
When: Wednesday, November 11, 2015, 7 p.m. Where: Ottawa City Hall, Honeywell Room (2nd floor)
Festive dinner
The CCW festive get together features Barbara Fradkin, CCW member and author of the Inspector Green mysteries. Books will be available for sale.
Seating is limited (about 35). To reserve your seats, email pastpresident@capitalcrimewriters.com. Include your name, the number of guests in your party and a phone number
When: Wednesday, December 9, 2015, 6 p.m. Where: Capones Italian Grill, 2369 Carling Avenue, Ottawa
CCW member and author Madona Skaff-Koren is debuting her Ottawa-based mystery novel, Journey of a Thousand Steps (available in paperback or ebook formats), as part of a multi-author book launch Sunday Oct. 25 at the Royal Oak (161 Laurier Ave) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Madona’s debut novel features Naya, a high-flying software-security magnate and marathon runner turned recluse after multiple sclerosis saps her strength and her career. Her computer her only contact with the outside world, Naya reconnects with her childhood best friend, who shortly thereafter disappears.
Frustrated by police inaction around her friend’s disappearance, Naya turns amateur sleuth, following a convoluted trail from high tech suspects to drug dealers.
Joining her novel in the authors’ launch line-up are:
Blood Matters, by Caroline Frechette: Supernatural suspense, Latest book in Family by Choice series.
Unblocked by Caroline Frechette: Nonfiction. Have you ever stared at a blank page in fear? If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t write for any reason this book is for you.
The event features readings, book signings by authors, and games:
A Match made in Austen: A game inspired by the timeless works of Jane Austen.
Extrahumans: Mafia, Monsters and Supers is a cooperative adventure card game based on the Family by Choice Series by Caroline Frechette
The Ottawa Public Library and Capital Crime Writers are joining forces to bring in industry experts to help you publish your work, boost sales, use social media effectively, and choose an editor.
When and where
When: Saturday, October 24, 2015, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Where: Ottawa Public Library, Main Auditorium, 120 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, ON Sponsors: Capital Crime Writers and the Ottawa Public Library
Speakers and schedule
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Self-Publishing via Kobo Writing Life
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Have you heard all the hype about self-publishing? Interested in checking it out but not sure where to start or whether it’ll be worth it? In a two hour session, Kobo’s Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations, Mark Leslie Lefebvre will describe the current state of the publishing industry, including the many different options available for authors. In the first hour, he’ll summarize various traditional publishing options and describe what types of author projects might be best geared towards indie publishing.
In the second hour, Mark will offer advanced tips and advice for authors who are already self-publishing and are looking to increase their sales across multiple sales channels. He’ll also provide specific strategies that will help authors maximize their global sales via Kobo.
About Mark Mark Leslie Lefebvre oversees Kobo Writing Life in his role as Kobo’s Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations. He draws upon three decades worth of bookselling and personal writing experience in this insightful, informative and entertaining presentation. Mark also is published in non-fiction and horror fiction under the name Mark Leslie.
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Doing Social Media the Right Way
Linda Poitevin
It’s pretty much a given that authors need to be on social media these days, but if you’re subjecting your followers to a constant barrage of “buy my book,” you may be doing your marketing efforts more harm than good. Join local author and social media enthusiast Linda Poitevin for a look at how to maximize your online presence the right way – and pick up some new social media marketing tips along the way.
About Linda Linda Poitevin is a writer possessed of both a light side and a dark one. On the dark side, she’s the author of the Grigori Legacy, an urban fantasy series featuring a hard-as-nails cop caught up in the war between Heaven and Hell. In her lighter moments, she writes the sweet and funny Ever After contemporary romance series.
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Editing for Self-Published Authors
As an author who has self-published multiple books, Linda Poitevin knows firsthand how expensive self-publishing can be—and how tempting it can be to skip certain steps in taking your book to market. She also knows all the reasons why a professional edit should never be one of those skipped steps. Drawing on experience and observation, Linda will share with you why the all-important edit is so important, and offer suggestions on where to look for an editor that will fit with your needs and your budget.
Stacey D. Atkinson
Do you need an editor for your self-published book? In this panel session local editor Stacey D. Atkinson will discuss the four types of editing, costs, time frames, and resources available to you. She’ll also describe the role of the editor versus the role of the author/publisher. Learn about the editorial process followed by a question and answer period.
About Stacey
Stacey D. Atkinson is a freelance editor and award-winning author. She began Mirror Image Publishing in 2012 with a goal to offer writing, editing, and publishing services to authors, bloggers, and the business community. Previously, Stacey spent over a decade working for the federal government in the areas of sustainable development and arts funding. Stacey is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association and a board member of Editors Canada.
