Thursday, December 4, 2008

Holiday Social & Panel Discussion December 11th

Holiday Social & Panel Discussion December 11th

Christmas Potluck Social * Super Door Prizes

Meeting topic: Writing & Mystery Conferences

Did you know that every year over 20 mystery writing conferences take place in North America? There are also numerous general writing conferences. For published authors, conferences provide great opportunities to promote themselves and their books. You might participate on a panel, give a talk or, if you are unable to attend, send promotional material for the information table. For those aspiring to be published, what are the benefits of writing conferences? HOW do you prepare to get the most out of them? WHAT can you gain from attending? WHO are you likely to connect with?

And let's not forget that conferences offer a good excuse for travel.

At the December INK meeting, you'll get the scoop on North American conferences from the perspective of both participant and presenter. You'll find out WHAT conferences will be available in 2009, WHERE and WHEN they will take place and WHAT some of the conferences involve.

Our discussion will be combined with a potluck social. Please bring a finger food to share with the group.

To add to the Christmas cheer, we will be giving away $100 worth of Door Prizes. Many thanks to $4k Consulting Inc. for the generous donation and to the INK board for matching $4k's donation.

Hope to see you at the December meeting and have a very Merry Christmas.

Susan Calder, INK program director

Saturday, November 1, 2008

November Speaker: Susan Toy on Marketing

Our November speaker will be Susan Toy.

The topic: And you thought writing the novel was the hard part!

What happens after you sign the contract - from planning marketing and promotion campaigns, to cover design, sales catalogues, the sales conference, the role of the publisher's reps, author tours and reviews, right up to getting finished books on store shelves.

Susan is the Alberta and East Kootenays sales representative for Kate Walker & Co., a sales agency that sells books to bookstores (including the chains), libraries, wholesalers, specialty and gift stores. Her clients include numerous small presses, like Dundurn (which publishes mysteries), Oolichan, Raincoast and Freehand Books. In addition to sales, Susan represents the publishers locally in promotion of authors and books during promotion and publicity
campaigns.

Come prepared to learn a lot about this mysterious side of the
publishing business.

October Door Prize

Mystery Writers Ink thanks member Jenny Hoops for donating October's door prize of two tickets to WinePLAY 2008 - a wine/scotch/beer-tasting fundraising gala in support of
PLAY Community Child Care Centre in Kensington (www.playdaycare.org). Marilynne Hebert was the lucky winner.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

October 9th Meeting

Speaker: Terry Lo, Manager of Spy City

Terry's expertise in surveillance was fostered as a member of Quebec's Wolverine Squad and as a tactical paramedic with the Canadian military, including a tour of duty in Haiti. Terry will have a variety of surveillance equipment available for demonstration at the meeting.

Questions he'll cover include:

How easy is covert surveillance?

What are the differences between reality and television surveillance?

What surveillance tactics and practices are legal in Canada versus the USA?

Calgary on the bleeding edge in garbage-snooping case

This case will bear watching if your sleuth is ever going to snoop in Canada:

The highlight of the Supreme Court's fall term could well turn out to be garbage. One of the most intriguing cases the court will hear revolves around the extent to which an individual can expect garbage to be private.


The case arose in Calgary when police successfully obtained a search warrant based on the contents of garbage from behind Russell Patrick's home - including materials normally associated with home ecstasy labs.



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081001.wscoc01/BNStory/National/?cid=al_gam_nletter_newsUp

Friday, September 12, 2008

Research resources

One particularly useful discussion group, mentioned at last night's Ink meeting, is crimescenewriter@yahoo.com

Run by a retired police officer with support from various active and retired law enforcement officials and paramedics, this list welcomes questions from writers on anything from police procedure to how to blow up a chemistry lab.

Check the website's links page for other links on forensics and police procedures.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

September Meeting Information:

Welcome to another exciting year of mystery and mayhem.

Your Program Committee has a busy year planned, chock full of crime and writing speakers as well as the ever-popular field trips to the Medical Examiner’s Office and to Vertigo Mystery Theatre… and some exciting new possibilities!

Check out the updated Links Page on the Ink website for helpful information on writing, research, and the path to publication, and don’t forget to leave a comment on Ink’s new blog (linked on the website home page). See you at the first meeting!

September 11, 7 – 9 p.m. at the Old Y


President’s Welcome

Introductions and Networking/Coffee Time

Panel Discussion: Ready, Set, Finish that Novel ! !

Panelists drawn from Ink's membership share their methods and offer tips for completing the all-important first draft.

(watch for a follow-up panel later in the year on revising that all-important first draft)



See you on September 11th!


Jayne
for the Ink Board

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Welcome to Mystery Writers Ink's Blog

Check here for updates on meeting speakers, field trips, and other news from the Board of Directors.

All Ink members and those interested are welcome to leave comments.

Jayne for the 2008-09 incoming Board