The Muddle in the Middle: Hank Phillippi Ryan — Wednesday, April 19, 7 pm EDT (Note that this meeting is one week later in the month than usual).

Your fingers are poised over the keyboard. You have a rocking first act to your novel, and you even have an idea of how to end your story with a twist and a bang and a shot at certain bestsellerdom. But now what? You’ve hit 36,000 words—how are you going to get from that great beginning to the kickass ending? You’ve hit the muddle in the middle. But USA Today best-selling author Hank Phillippi Ryan will show you how these central pages can be crafted to intrigue, surprise and delight your readers—and have them turning the pages as fast as they can. Never fear—with practical advice and specific tips, Hank will show you the way to the magic in the middle.

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the author of 14 thrillers, winning five Agathas, five Anthonys, the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award, and 37 EMMYs for her television investigative reporting. National book critics call her “a superb and gifted storyteller;” she’s the only author to win the Agatha in four categories: Best First, Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best Non-Fiction. Her newest is the page-turning standalone thriller THE HOUSE GUEST, released in February 2023. A story of psychological manipulation exploring the dark heart of marriage and friendship, it’s Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. Publishers Weekly says, “Ryan is a master of suspense!” The Library Journal starred review calls it “Binge-worthy.”

Why and How to Sell Your Next Book on Kickstarter: Kelly Brakenhoff/Melissa Yi —Wednesday, March 8

What if you could earn money before your books are even launched on regular sales platforms? In 2022, Kelly Brakenhoff ran her first two Kickstarter campaigns. Both lasted 17 days and made US$2,500 each. Those campaigns were in the sparsely tested children’s picture book genre, but her experiences convinced her to work Kickstarter campaigns into the publishing schedule for future releases, including her upcoming cozy mystery.

Kelly Brakenhoff is an author of seven books and an ASL interpreter. She divides her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus, and picture books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog. Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity books because they teach American Sign Language using fun stories. And if you like a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, you’ll enjoy the Cassandra Sato Mystery series. The mother of four young adults and a hunting dog, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.

Melissa Yi is an emergency physician in Alexandria, ON, and is also an award-winning writer. Her thriller series featuring Dr. Hope Sze has been recommended by The Globe and Mail, CBC Books, and The Next Chapter. Under the name Melissa Yuan-Innes, she also writes medical humour and has won speculative fiction awards. She recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch her newest crime novel, The Shapes of Wrath, released February 2023

The Gory Details of Forensic Science: Erika Engelhaupt — Wednesday February 8, 7 pm EST

Science journalist Erika Engelhaupt will talk about some of the most fascinating stories she has investigated, including the mystery of disembodied floating feet washing ashore in British Columbia, the strange and surprising science of blowflies (the first visitors to show up at a crime scene), and the gross but fascinating question: Would your dog eat you if you died? She’ll also discuss the emerging science of transfer DNA, or “touch DNA,” which has started to turn up as evidence in criminal cases, including possibly the recent murders in Moscow, Idaho.

Erika Engelhaupt is a freelance science writer and editor, formerly online science editor at National Geographic in Washington, DC. She writes about all kinds of gross, taboo, and morbid science subjects, including forensic science. Her book, GORY DETAILS: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science, explores oft-ignored but intriguing facets of biology, anatomy, space exploration, nature, and more. She lives in Knoxville, TN, with her husband and two cats. Find out more about her at https://erikaengelhaupt.com/

Bog Bodies: From Lab to Literature: Cate Moyle — Wednesday January 11, 7 pm EST.  

Cate will explain the somewhat macabre phenomenon of bog bodies—human cadavers that have been naturally mummified in peat bogs. Call them moors or bogs, they are one of the strangest ecosystems on earth, and the corpses lifted from within inspire our awe and curiosity. She will share her research on bog bodies, layered deep with forensics, and discuss examples of the mysterious bog body in works of literature.

Catherine (Cate) Moore is a college professor, author, and poet. She writes in her favorite genre—mystery—under the pen name Cate Moyle.  A member of the Middle Tennessee chapter of Sisters in Crime, her mystery stories have won numerous recognitions, including the latest as a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award finalist. Her  recent works appear in Mystery Tribune and Bowery Gothic, and is forthcoming in Crimeucopia. She is also an award-winning poet, having been published in literary journals from The Southeast Review to Wicked Alice. Find her on the web (and socials) at https://catemoylepens.weebly.com/

On December 14, Capital Crime Writers had its first in-person event since 2019. Our dinner speaker was Brenda Chapman, who gave an interesting talk about how do you know you’ve made it as a writer. An audio recording of her talk is on the Members Only Section of the CCW website.

Happy holidays and see you in the New Year when our meetings will continue on Zoom.

Two Books Delivered, Another on the Way: Katie Tallo —Wednesday November 9, 7 pm EST.

This is a return engagement at Capital Crime Writers for Ottawa author Katie Tallo. She first spoke to us in 2020, shortly after publication of her debut novel, Dark August, which quickly became an international bestseller. Poison Lilies, her second novel, came out in May 2022; it has received rave reviews in the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen and others.

Though Tallo is a relative newcomer as a novelist, her success builds on an extensive previous career as screenwriter and director. She’ll talk to us about:

• what it was like to discover her book review in the New York Times
• how her writing process has evolved from one book to the next
• what it’s like to have a major publisher publicize a novel
• what role she herself plays in marketing her books

Tallo is now working on the third novel in this series. She and her husband live in Ottawa and have an adult daughter.

There will be a draw for a free autographed copy of Poison Lilies (hardcover or paperback, whichever the winner wants). The draw will be open to all members attending the meeting.

You can find out more information at her website: https://katietallo.com

My Journey and My Writing Process : Ian Hamilton – Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 7 p.m. EST.

Ian Hamilton will speak about the journey that’s taken him to his present prominence as a crime fiction writer, and about his writing process. He didn’t start writing his first novel until age 63, following a rather colourful life as a journalist, a senior executive with the Canadian government, a diplomat, and an international businessman. Within a year he had written the first four books in the Ava Lee series; the first three were published in 2011 and the fourth the following year.

Ian is now the author of fifteen books in the Ava Lee series, and four in the Uncle Chow series. The books are consistently national best sellers, have been published in more than 20 countries, and have won and/or been short-listed for various awards including the Arthur Ellis, the Barry, and Lambda. BBC Culture recently named Ian as one of the 10 mystery/thriller writers from the last 30 years that you should have on your bookshelf. The Ava Lee series is being adapted for television.

Capital Crime Writers is grateful to local publisher Renaissance Press for supporting these meetings.

The Beatle Bandit: The Story Behind the Story: Nate Hendley – Wednesday, September 14, 7 p.m.EST (Note corrected date).

Matthew Kerry Smith was a troubled navy veteran who robbed Toronto-area banks in the early 1960s to finance a one-man revolution. On July 24, 1964, disguised in a Halloween mask and a “Beatle” wig, Smith held up a bank in North York, Ontario. Smith killed a patron who tried to intervene, then escaped. Dubbed “The Beatle Bandit” by the media, Smith’s actions fueled a nationwide debate about gun control, insanity pleas, and the death penalty.

The book, The Beatle Bandit, written by Nate Hendley and published in November 2021 by Dundurn Press, details Smith’s life. Nate’s talk will focus on how this book came to be (a saga involving a former resident of North York, a treasure trove of documents, and interviews with people from Smith’s life).

Nate Hendley is a Toronto-based journalist and true-crime author. His most recent book, The Beatle Bandit, won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Non-Fiction. Nate has also written books about gangsters, cons and hoaxes, and bandit duo Bonnie and Clyde. For more information about Nate’s books and background, visit his website at www.natehendley.com.

Capital Crime Writers is grateful to local publisher Renaissance Press for supporting these meetings.

Adding Diverse Characters in Crime Writing: José H. Bográn, Wednesday May 11, 7 pm EDT

Conjuring characters out of thin air is right up any author’s alley because creativity is a trait associated with writing. The challenge nowadays is that the characters not only have to be relatable and believable, they also must be diverse. How to overcome cookie-cutter or cardboard characters is just as important as not over stepping into appropriation of voice. José H. Bográn says, “Let me show you how I did it.”

José H. Bográn is an internationally published author of novels, short stories, and scripts for film, plays, and television. His genre of choice is thrillers, but he likes to throw in a twist of romance into the mix. Although he’s the son of a journalist, he ironically prefers to write fiction rather than fact. As well as writing and teaching, he is also Assistant Editor to The Big Thrill (magazine of the International Thriller Writers) and Vice President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. He currently lives with his family in Honduras.

Police Procedurals—Telling Stories from the Other Side of the Tape: Art Pitman, Wednesday April 13, 7:00 pm EDT

As a retired police officer who enjoys reading and writing police procedurals, Art will explore some of the challenges and opportunities for authors in this distinct genre of mystery fiction. During his presentation he will discuss:
• What is a police procedural? Resources/Constraints for your main character.
• Challenges: Can accuracy be a bad thing? Details that move the story forward, details that do not.
• Opportunities: Lots of conflict to write about! Bad guys, lawyers, co-workers, witnesses, supervisors, bureaucracy, “stress” (see Dr. Kevin Gilmartin – hypervigilance).

Art Pittman is a member of Capital Crime Writers, with a passion for reading and writing mystery fiction. He has a law degree and has retired from law enforcement after 32 years of service. During his career he worked on homicide files, conducted internal investigations, performed traffic duties, protected prime ministers, attended domestic disputes, and participated in drug raids. And, during a brief secondment, he worked for Alberta Justice as a prosecutor for traffic and criminal cases. As his final job in law enforcement, he served as a full-time adjudicator for appeals of discipline and discharge cases involving police officers. Throughout his career Art gave presentations on search and seizure, investigative techniques, police leadership, and police misconduct. Art has written scripts for training videos on the law of search and seizure and published an article on proceeds of crime investigations in the Criminal Law Quarterly. He now enjoys teaching as a guest lecturer at the Canadian Police College, and writing short story mysteries (unpublished) with a focus on police procedurals. He currently lives with his wife in Ottawa.

Check out his mystery writing website at aepittman.ca.