Share Crazy
I have so much to share with you in this newsletter, but I will start by telling you about a current event which starts September 1, 2022, then lasts for the week. This is an online book fair featuring romance novels. Check out these two sites (and there is no cost to visit the fair):
https://www.oklahomaromancewritersguild.com/virtual-book-fair
https://www.facebook.com/events/2083398701841759
Two of my books, Mustang Island and Coffee Date, are included in the online bookstore under my romance novel writer name (Lindley O’Vannigan East). The virtual fair includes games, scavenger hunts, and card giveaways, and you can drop in and out throughout the week
Last Sunday, I spoke at the Warr Acres library, in a speech titled, “Murder Follows Me Around.” So many people asked me after the event about how it went, and in full disclosure, by “so many people,” I mean one person, by best friend Charlie (male version).
I would not say there was standing room only, but there were actual, real, live people who attended to listen and ask questions. Hallelujah! I loved all the people who attended. Interacting with each one of them was thought-provoking and fun. All of them received handouts with web sites, as well as a free pocket-size U.S. Constitution. All I had to do was e-mail my hand-out files to the library, and they made them up into booklets for the guests. The four pages of the handouts are below.
My speech was all part of LitFest, which went well for Tornado Alley, a writer’s group where I am currently the President (mainly because my Zoom went down when we were forming, so when I signed back on, I had been made the President). Tornado Alley is a local chapter of the National Sisters in Crime. (Despite the name, men are welcome to join, too).
The Tornado Alley events were spread throughout the time in different libraries in the Oklahoma Metropolitan area, but the kick-off was at the downtown library.
Tornado Alley had a promo table, in a room with other writing-related promo tables, and the OKC Metropolitan Library (OML) even made a great sign for our table. My friend kept saying she was going to steal the sign when we left. Even though she was just kidding, I said, “No, we don’t steal the sign. We just ask them if we can have it.” I may have practiced criminal defense law, but I don’t want any misdemeanor theft on my record! Upon our request, they gave us the sign, so we can use it at future events.
Additionally, the OML gave us a cool tote bag that zips at the top (love that!), and a coffee mug.
We also had three members of Tornado Alley speak on a Mystery Writers panel on the opening day of LitFest, then four of us spoke specifically as Tornado Alley Writers on a panel a few days later. My solo speech was the last Tornado Alley event, and we drew a winner for our gift basket giveaway.
Books included in the give-away were: 52 Weeks to Prosperity by Peggy Doviak; Ashes, Ashes by Melonie B. Hylan; Blood on the Cimarron by Mary Coley; Blood on the Mother Road by Mary Coley; Concussed by KJ Katsuji; Death by Dice by Staci Mauney; How the Worst was Dunn by Kyle Boyd; I Cooked; Therefore, They Ran (food crimes) by Lisbeth L. McCarty; Imagination Turned Loose, compiled by & 4 stories by Barbara Shepherd; Mental States of Murderesses by Lisbeth L. McCarty; Scared Spell That Ends Well by Lisbeth L. McCarty; The Revelation Key by FL Wylie; The Spiderling by Marcia Preston, and The Vault of Terror, Tales to Tale, 4th Vol, anthology with 1 story by Lisbeth L. McCarty.
I considered the Tornado Alley presence at LitFest a success, especially because we received new sign-ups for our e-mail list. If you join, you will receive our monthly newsletter, as well as links to our monthly speaker meetings. Those meetings are always by Zoom because we have members in various cities in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and New York. You do not have to be a member to join the newsletter list or to attend the speaker meetings.
In other news, I was pleased to be on the 8/31/2022 episode of Dr. Jan Canty’s The Domino Effect of Murder podcast. Dr. Canty, a psychologist, was herself a secondary victim of murder when her husband was killed. I praise her for trying to better the world through her podcast. Something I learned from being on her podcast is that we secondary victims are all different in how we handle the murder of a loved one, and yet we are also alike in so many ways. Here’s a link to my episode on Spotify (although you can watch the podcast on various other sites, too):
Dr. Canty’s book, A Life Divided: A psychologist’s memoir about the double life and murder of her husband—and her road to recovery, is available on Amazon.com. I highly recommend both her book and all of her podcast episodes.
If you are a writer, please be sure to note that speaking in public and being on various podcasts is all part of the job. Having an actual audience for these events is the cherry on the cake.
Thank you for sharing this is great, to catch up on what you have been doing, and my! Two books. Lovely article.
You have had a busy year!