As if the conference couldn't get any better than it had been the previous day, our keynote speaker for Sunday was Elizabeth George (www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com). Besides being an an international bestselling author, it also turns out that she's the founder of the Elizabeth George Foundation, which helps unpublished writers. Talk about giving back. Her keynote address was … [Read more...] about California Crime Writers Conference – Day 2
Scrivenings
California Crime Writers Conference – Day 1
The California Crime Writers Conference (www.ccwconference.org) began on Jun. 23 in Pasadena, CA and was a new experience for me. The event, which is co-sponsored by the So-Cal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (www.socalmwa.com) and the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime (sistersincrimela.com) was held at the Pasadena Hilton. It's a bi-annual event, so it only comes … [Read more...] about California Crime Writers Conference – Day 1
New guide to help consumers avoid scams
In a joint effort to curb the incidence of elder fraud, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB - consumerfinance.gov) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC - fdic.gov) have released an online resource guide to help seniors and their caregivers recognize and avoid this crime. The guide is available at consumerfinance.gov.The guide is intended to … [Read more...] about New guide to help consumers avoid scams
Two states – two big problems – contractor and charity fraud
Two separate May 16 news stories reported that scam artists are attempting to take advantage of disaster victims in both Colorado and Ohio. While law enforcement is reaching out in a proactive attempt to limit these scams, so are insurance companies.In Ohio, the Legal Newsline Legal Journal reported that the state’s Attorney General had issued warnings about contractors who … [Read more...] about Two states – two big problems – contractor and charity fraud
A valuable character development resource
The Mythic Guide to Characters by Antonio Del DragoMy rating: 4 of 5 starsThe Mythic Guide to Characters seeks to help writers improve the depth of their characters by showing that characters have more than one layer. Antonio Del Drago describes those layers as the character within, the character in his or her world, and the character in the story. Del Drago also … [Read more...] about A valuable character development resource