NEXT SAN JOAQUIN SISTERS IN CRIME MEETING

Scene of the Crime

Yosemite Falls Restaurant      On Ashlan, West side of 99     EARLY START at 10:00 am

SATURDAY Sept 5, 2015. – Please come early by 9:45 am so we can start on time.

Members $15 Visitors $20

**NOTE: We will be served a choice of Sourdough Cheeseburger, French Dip Sandwich, or Chicken Cobb Salad.

RESERVATION PROCEDURE

RSVP by Wednesday before the meeting

If you can, we highly encourage you email your reservation instead of phoning it in, Thanks.

Please EMAIL TO reservationsforsisters@outlook.com.

NOTE:  please put your lunch choice on subject line

Do not log on to the website, simply send email to the above address.

IF YOU CAN NOT EMAIL Please call 559-431-0360 

AND LEAVE VOICEMAIL

with your name & choice of lunch.

Dial carefully, there is no greeting announcing SJ SinC.

September Program

COVETED DEAD BIRD SHORT STORY AWARDS

&

AUTHOR JUNE GILLAM

            June Gillam teaches writing and literature at San Joaquin Delta Community College. She has studied the writing process for years and holds a PhD in Learning and Change in Human Systems from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.

            June belongs to several writing groups, Capitol Crimes, the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime, and Gold Country Writers (GCW) in Auburn, California. She facilitates weekly meetings at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento, which follow the guidelines of Pat Schneider’s Amherst Artists and Writers.

Working as an editor for a monthly magazine, for academic publications, and other similar jobs over the years has honed her editorial skills, as well. She has her own very small publishing company, Gorilla Girl Ink, which has released three of her books. She looks forward to publishing other writers’ works after she retires from teaching.

            June Gillam enjoys exploring social issues through the criminal actions of folks who suffer personally from the impact of forces too large for individuals to control. Her Hillary Broome series takes on possible effects of superstores on small market owners, conceivable impacts of patriarchy on women in family businesses, and next, House of Eire will explore the effect of developers on the economies of small countries.

San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime meets the first Saturday of the month at Yosemite Falls Restaurant (which is located at Ashlan & Freeway 99.)  10:00 AM.  Price includes lecture & lunch.

For further information see   Blog: http://willkillforastory.blogspot.com

SJ Sisters in Crime Meeting, Speaker, Author June Gillam

Our September speaker, June Gillam. Her topic will be Setting and using the Central Valley for cime stories. (The Dead Bird awards will also be presented.)

The latest review of Hillary Broome novels in Amazon:

Women Cannot Run the Show? We'll See Grandpa!, August 21, 2014

By 

reteach "reteach"

This review is from: House of Dads: A Hillary Broome Novel (Hillary Broome Novels) (Volume 2) (Paperback)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I won this Goodreads giveaway the author was kind enough to send me the first book in the series, The House of Cuts. I read that one first and reviewed it, favorably. This time round is no exception--the heroine, Hillary Broome, is a likeable 30 something journalist whose father has died and whose mother deserted them when she was a young girl. She has had a couple of failed relationships, made a huge error in judgment while a journalism student at Columbia ( the possible revelation of which by one of those past boyfriends keeps her up at night) and has returned home to the California valley in which she grew up. She is working for an old classmate at a small local newspaper and teaching part time at the local community college.

In the first installment, while reporting on a big box grocery chain in the area she becomes embroiled in the gruesome deeds of a meticulous butcher of a serial killer and meets the lead detective on the case. He, Ed Killian, has lost a child to a hit and run and his wife has taken his other daughter and moved to the East coast, where she divorced him and severed all relationship. He is trying to give up cigars and to convince his rather obese partner, Walt, to eat less and more healthfully. By the end of that book, Ed and Hillary are engaged, Hillary has become friends with the elderly widow of one of the victims and Walt is still a glutton.

In this new book, House of Dads, Hillary has become closer to her father's family--the Broomes of Broome Construction. They are major developers of tract houses and are riding the bubble of easy mortgages and massive development. The head of the company has died and his son, Ted is in line to assume control. The Irish founder of the firm had three sons--Hillary's two uncles and her father, whom he'd disowned as being undeserving since he had no interest in the company. As a result, Hillary is not terribly close to her cousins though she is in attendance, with Ed, at her uncle's funeral. It is during the after funeral reception that Ted keels over and dies. Although, grandfather Pat had long ago decreed that only men can be in charge of the business, there are no male heirs available, so the job falls to Ted's sister, Violet.

So begins the mystery of what caused Ted's death, how Violet will withstand her mother's threat of adopting a son to prevent Violet's control, Violet's rush to become pregnant--with luck, carrying a boy--Hillary's apprehension at possibly marrying Ed too fast, her anxiety at having a family to which to belong. The strands of the tale weave and run and in the end all comes clear, Ed and Hillary marry in a delightful side romp, and the reader is left with the happy anticipation of the next adventure which will take place on Ed and Hillary's honeymoon in Ireland.

June Gillam is the author of the Hillary Broome novels. Here's a review of House of Dads. 

The latest review of Hillary Broome novels in Amazon:

Women Cannot Run the Show? We'll See Grandpa!, 

By 

reteach "reteach"

This review is from: House of Dads: A Hillary Broome Novel (Hillary Broome Novels) (Volume 2) (Paperback)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I won this Goodreads giveaway the author was kind enough to send me the first book in the series, The House of Cuts. I read that one first and reviewed it, favorably. This time round is no exception--the heroine, Hillary Broome, is a likeable 30 something journalist whose father has died and whose mother deserted them when she was a young girl. She has had a couple of failed relationships, made a huge error in judgment while a journalism student at Columbia ( the possible revelation of which by one of those past boyfriends keeps her up at night) and has returned home to the California valley in which she grew up. She is working for an old classmate at a small local newspaper and teaching part time at the local community college.

In the first installment, while reporting on a big box grocery chain in the area she becomes embroiled in the gruesome deeds of a meticulous butcher of a serial killer and meets the lead detective on the case. He, Ed Killian, has lost a child to a hit and run and his wife has taken his other daughter and moved to the East coast, where she divorced him and severed all relationship. He is trying to give up cigars and to convince his rather obese partner, Walt, to eat less and more healthfully. By the end of that book, Ed and Hillary are engaged, Hillary has become friends with the elderly widow of one of the victims and Walt is still a glutton.

In this new book, House of Dads, Hillary has become closer to her father's family--the Broomes of Broome Construction. They are major developers of tract houses and are riding the bubble of easy mortgages and massive development. The head of the company has died and his son, Ted is in line to assume control. The Irish founder of the firm had three sons--Hillary's two uncles and her father, whom he'd disowned as being undeserving since he had no interest in the company. As a result, Hillary is not terribly close to her cousins though she is in attendance, with Ed, at her uncle's funeral. It is during the after funeral reception that Ted keels over and dies. Although, grandfather Pat had long ago decreed that only men can be in charge of the business, there are no male heirs available, so the job falls to Ted's sister, Violet.

So begins the mystery of what caused Ted's death, how Violet will withstand her mother's threat of adopting a son to prevent Violet's control, Violet's rush to become pregnant--with luck, carrying a boy--Hillary's apprehension at possibly marrying Ed too fast, her anxiety at having a family to which to belong. The strands of the tale weave and run and in the end all comes clear, Ed and Hillary marry in a delightful side romp, and the reader is left with the happy anticipation of the next adventure which will take place on Ed and Hillary's honeymoon in Ireland.

TRICK US OR TREAT US TO A SHORT STORY!

What a great way to be rewarded for writing a Halloween-themed story!

Consider this contest all your mystery story writers out there:

Kings River Life Ezine is running a 1,000 to 3,000 word Halloween-themed short story contest with the deadline Sept. 27. Lorie Ham is looking for original, unpubbed works. Entry fee is $10 and the grand prize is a $65 Amazon gift card. Winning story and runner-ups will be published in the ezine. The rest of the stories will also be considered for publication. So, grab your pens, pencils, magic wands and computers and conjure up a story! More details at:

http://kingsriverlife.com/all-things-mystery/krl-mysteryhalloween-short-story-contest/

Anyone is eligible to enter, so get busy.

CORA AND SUNNY DO SAN FRANCISCO by Sunny Frazier

 On June 26, when Fresno was topping 107 degrees, Cora Ramos and I headed out to the American Library Association Convention for a weekend in 69 degree San Francisco weather. Cora has received the invite online. The offer? Agree to man the SinC booth for 1 hour and the $400 convention was our playground for the day.

It was touch-and-go as to whether we would make it when I caught bronchitis and Cora dealt with several deaths in the family. However, we both realized what we needed was a road trip. We are pros at traveling together: she drives and I talk non-stop.

After much searching on the Internet, Cora found the Utah Hotel for only $200 a night—a bargain since it was right downtown and near the Moscone Convention Center. It was very Victorian and we had to “share” a bathroom and shower with everyone on our floor. Quaint, but honestly, I never saw another person. I did expect to run into a ghost or two on the narrow corridors, but no such luck.

I loved the venue of the convention. It was spread across two huge buildings, but crossing the street didn't involve traffic. Everything was laid out with numbers on each aisle and booth numbers on the floor. I snagged a coupon book and filled out info for all sorts of drawings. I learned to ask at the booths “Are you giving away any free books?” I got 6 for my 9 yr old godson and 9 for myself.

Gloria Steinem

The highlight of the day was attending Gloria Steinem's talk. She was the feminist influence in our younger years and has remained an inspiration to this very day. She announced that she's finally gotten around to writing her memoirs and it will be on sale in late October.

We did our stint at the booth. While we couldn't sell our books, we had a ball giving away copies to librarians who stopped by. They are the ones who might recommend our mysteries to their library  book buyers. I enjoyed the convention so much that I'm considering volunteering for the Chicago convention in 2017.

The only snag was that San Francisco picked THAT weekend to have their Gay Pride parade. Only one day after the Supreme Court ruling, the Bay Area population was in the mood to party. Apparently there are no indecent exposure laws in the city; I saw things I will never erase from my brain. We got caught in traffic and it took two hours to go 5 miles, mostly in circles. History was made on many levels that weekend, and we were a part of it.