Event for Writers and Readers

If you live in the Austin area, join me tomorrow at 2 pm at the Westlake Barnes & Noble. We’ll be celebrating mystery, all writers, and Barbara Burnett Smith, in particular. Barbara was the author of the Purple Sage mysteries and a friend. She was also a past-president of National Sisters in Crime.

The Sunday event is called the Barbara Burnett Smith Aspiring Writers Event (BBSAWE), sponsored by the Heart of Texas chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Barbara Burnett Smith Mentoring Authors Foundation. BBSAWE is held each year during Texas Mystery Month, a month of mystery events held across Texas. Barbara was known for her willingness to share and help other writers, so part of the event is honoring another author who exemplifies Barbara’s spirit. This year that author is Micqui Miller. She’ll be given the Sage Award.

Other authors join in by mentoring aspiring writers. There’s no contest to be one of the aspiring writers. You just have to send in your material and the Heart of Texas chapter of Sisters in Crime matches you with a published author. During the event, the published authors and the aspiring authors meet and discuss the work they submitted and/or any questions the mentees have.

This year, I was honored to be asked to serve as a mentor. My mentee is Lisa Carroll-Lee. Lisa has been published in short story and is working on her first novel. We’ve emailed, and I’m looking forward to meeting her in person.

Other mentoring authors who will be there include: David Ciambrone, J.F. Constantine, Susan Rogers Cooper, Jan Grape, Joan Upton Hall, Russ Hall, Julie Wray Herman, Karen Swartz MacInerney, Sylvia Dickey Smith, Vallie Fletcher Taylor, and George Wilhite.

There will be lots of fun for everyone who comes, including a talk by Micqui Miller, a tribute to Barbara Burnett Smith, a “Murder in Four Parts” mystery, and Best Worst First Lines of a Mystery Story.

There are always refreshments and authors will have books there to sign.

So, come by the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in The Village of Westlake Shopping Center, Sunday, May 17th, from 2 to 5.