Sisters in Crime/Hawaii Members Join in Two-day Fun-filled Celebration for THE MAKIKI COMMUNITY LIBRARY 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Sisters in Crime/Hawaii Chapter on O’ahu enthusiastically participated in the Makiki Community Library 40^th Anniversary Celebration, September 17 and 18, 2016. As a volunteer-run library, they are dependent on donations. They also sponsor SinC/Hawaii monthly meetings. For these reasons, we were eager to support their fundraiser. 

During the library’s big used-book sale, SinC/Hawaii members presented round-table discussions focused on the art and craft of writing. SinC members introduced fresh topics each hour during the celebration. Library patrons were encouraged to join in the discussions.

 

SATURDAY September 17, 2016



SinC/Hawaii set-up for
Makiki Community Library 40th Anniversary Celebration

 

On Saturday, Kent Reinker (Alain Gunn) covered Writing Beyond Your Own Experiences: Imagination or Research?

Lizbeth Hartz opened a discussion session with the topic
Fictionalized Memoir vs
Memoir base on True Story.


Vicki White covered Researching a Story Setting.





Gail Baugniet discussed the topic of Writing the First Draft and her participation in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) each November.


(Watch for future posts covering these topics in further detail.) 

 

 

 

Authors  . . . never at a loss for words!

Researching a Story Setting
discussion led by
Vicki White (D.V. Whyte)

 

Makiki Library Board Members, President Wendy Maxwell and Della Au Belatti
lighting candles on the 40th Anniversary Celebration cupcakes for the kids!!!



Special Spinning Wheel game for the kids to win lots of donated prizes! 


One boy had so much fun he returned with his coin jar and proceeded to dole out money to his friends to pay for a chance to spin the wheel and win a prize.

Makiki Library Board Members Johnny and Linda Prado "manning" the Spinning Wheel game and keeping the table refreshed with enticing prizes for the neighborhood children.




Sunday, September 18, 2016


Rose Mary Thompson opened the day's celebration with
a discussion about Research,
and shared stories about her personal research projects.

 



Dawn Casey fielded questions
on the topic of Historical Creative Non-Fiction
along with writing memoirs.
 



Larry Mild sharing information
about writing in the mystery genre

 

To round out the two-day celebration,

before the Fairy Grandmother arrived with magic and fun

for the keiki (children),

Rosemary and Larry Mild presented

 “A Quickie Exploration of the Mystery.”







 

 



Interrupting with C - A - K - E . . . NO PROBLEM!
Makiki Library Board Member Julie Wo
sharing birthday cake for Board Member Harold Burger



 

CELEBRATING THE MAKIKI LIBRARY 40 ANNIVERSARY!!

MAHALO, LESLIE

Sisters in Crime/Hawaii meets the third Wednesday of the month at Makiki Library, 6-8pm.  Please check the "Meetings and Events" page on this site for the most up-to-date information.

THE MAKIKI COMMUNITY LIBRARY - 40 YEARS

MAKIKI COMMUNITY LIBRARY

40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

SEPTEMBER 17 and 18, 2016

Saturday Noon to 4pm

Sunday Noon to 3pm

Sisters in Crime/Hawaii participation

 

The Makiki Community Library
Celebrates its 40th Anniversary!

 

We are celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Makiki Community Library on September 17th and 18th (Sat. and Sun.) from 12:00 to 4:00. Come and join us in the following activities:

• A big used book sale, including a variety of children's books, vintage books, DVDs and records. Get your free book coupon to use at the book sale when you come to check-out books, before the anniversary weekend.
• The Sisters in Crime will be hosting round table discussions with local authors on Sat. until 4:00 and Sun. until 3:00. The public is welcome to participate.
• The Fairy Grandmother will bring magic and fun to the keiki on Sunday at 3:00.
• And oh . . . enjoy some refreshments!

For more information about the library, call (808) 536-7766. 

Makiki Community Library Hours
Wednesdays 2-6 pm
Saturdays 12-4 pm
Sundays 12-4 pm
 

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Sisters in Crime/Hawaii members will hold round-table discussions focused on the art and craft of writing.

Everyone is welcome to join in the discussions, to listen, participate, and ask questions.

Discussion topics will range from:

 

Writing the First Draft;

 

Researching a Story Setting or Background;

Memoir -vs- Based on True Story;

and Writing From Experience.

 

All questions are welcome.

SinC/Hawaii authors will display their published works for sale and book signing.

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SinC/Hawaii Guest Speakers for March: Lourdes & Dave Venard

On Wednesday evening, March 16, 2016, Lourdes and Dave Venard will be the guest speakers for Sisters in Crime/Hawaii's monthly meeting held at The Makiki Community Library from 6-8pm.

Lourdes Venard

Dave Venard

 

The Business of Writing

and

The Writing Business

Lourdes Venard talks about the how to successfully navigate publishing in a market that's been in constant change over the past 10 years, and is still changing, and tactics that have worked for some authors in growing their readership.

Dave Venard, president of a tax and accounting business, will talk about the issues that specifically face writers and how to run your writing business like the business it is.

There will be a Question & Answer session following their talks.

Below is a SinC/Hawaii interview with Lourdes Venard from 2014 for those who missed it.

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Interview with editor Lourdes Venard

 

 

 

Our guest today is Lourdes Venard, a journalist with more than 29 years of reporting, editing, design, and project management experience. She has worked at major newspapers such as The Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Newsday. She currently operates her own freelance business, CommaSense Editing.

Lourdes edited the material for MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense, an anthology of short stories set in Hawaii and written by local authors.

Sisters in Crime/ Hawai`i: Thank you for joining us today for an interview, Lourdes. Can you please offer a brief insight into something humorous, poignant, or unusual in your life that led you to a career as an editor? 

LOURDES VENARD: I don’t know that it was that unusual. I’ve been involved in journalism since high school and even then I had editing roles (I was editor in chief of the school paper my senior year). I was the kid who edited the valedictorian’s English essays; while she was brilliant, she still needed grammar help! Nevertheless, I started out my career as a reporter. After a few years, I realized I really enjoyed and was more suited to the editing, rather than to chasing people who didn’t want to be interviewed. I found I have a real passion for editing. Sometimes I think, ‘What am I doing? I spent half an hour arguing over a hyphen with a cover designer.’ But, really, that hyphen was important!

 

Sisters in Crime/ Hawai`i:  How did you become involved in the editing process of MYSTERY IN PARADISE? 

LOURDES VENARD: When I found out that a group of Hawai’i authors was compiling an anthology, I jumped at the chance to edit it. Hawai’i is a special place for my husband and I (we have a second home there). It is unlike any other place in the United States, and I was excited about the possibility of stories set there. Also, short stories seem to be making a renaissance. The short story lends itself to our fast-paced, time-crunched culture. But writing a good short story is just as hard as writing a full-length novel. The short stories in this anthology are truly unique, shaped by the Hawaiian culture, lore, and landscape. They are also quite diverse. That’s another thing I love about anthologies: Authors might write about the same subject, but their take is always so different! All of these aspects drew me to editing this anthology, and I was glad to have a small part in bringing MYSTERY IN PARADISE to readers.

 

Sisters in Crime/ Hawai`i:  What is your role as a judge for a scholarship program run by the American Copy Editors Society? 

LOURDES VENARD: I’ve been judging this contest for 10 years. It awards scholarships each year to three college students who show promise in copyediting. Many students gravitate to the more glamorous reporting end of journalism, but few have a love (or aptitude) for the behind-the-scenes end of it: fixing holes in stories, working with authors to make the stories more lively or readable, writing headlines and captions, designing pages, etc. Copyeditors are the last set of eyes on stories, so it’s an important job—and ACES wants to encourage that. Each year, we get a stack of applications and we carefully winnow through them and then the judges go back and forth to decide which students get the scholarships. It’s a lot of work, but we feel it’s important to the future of copyediting.

 

Sisters in Crime/ Hawai`i:  Can you tell us a bit about your current project(s)? 

LOURDES VENARD: I’m juggling a few things—OK, more than a few! I’m editing two manuscripts: one science fiction and one crime fiction, my two favorite genres. I’m also writing my own book. I work with many first-time authors and they always have questions that go beyond the editing (Should I self-publish? Look for an agent? How do I write a query? How do I format my manuscript? How do I market my book?). It’s quite a learning curve these days to publish a book, especially with so many options. So I’m writing my own ebook, which will hopefully answer some of those questions. In between all of that, I’m editor for a newsletter for 500-plus mystery authors, the Guppies, a subgroup of Sisters in Crime. The deadline for the next issue is coming up, so I’m editing articles, designing the newsletter, and soliciting articles for upcoming issues. Finally, I teach a copyediting course online through the University of California, San Diego, and I’m in the middle of the summer semester. 

Lourdes Venard can be found on the Internet at:

www.commasense.net

www.facebook.com/commasense

 

Makiki Library Accepts Sisters in Crime Grant Money for Books

ALOHA EVERYONE, Thank you for joining us today for a short but exciting event. One goal on most everyone’s wish list of accomplishments is to be “A WINNER.” Few people set goals without having a desire to accomplish that goal.

The main goal of the organization Sisters in Crime is to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition, and professional development of women crime writers.

And they LOVE LIBRARIES!

SinC/Hawaii members Dawn Casey, Gay Gale, and Kent Reinker 

socializing with Makiki Library staff, Lani and Julie. 

Libraries within the U.S. can enter a monthly drawing for the Sisters In Crime ‘We Love Libraries’ grant by submitting an entry form along with a photograph of one or more staff members holding up three books by Sisters in Crime members in their collection. The grant money must be used to purchase books for the library, in any genre by any author, at the library’s sole discretion.

In February, 2013, as president of Sisters in Crime/Hawaii, I approached the manager of The Makiki Community Library, to suggest the library submit an entry for the Sisters In Crime ‘We Love Libraries” grant. I took a couple of pictures with four of the library’s staff members holding up Sisters In Crime novels. The library submitted the entry and we all crossed our fingers that Makiki Library would become A WINNER.

Our local chapter, Sisters in Crime/Hawaii meets at The Makiki Community Library once a month, usually on the third Wednesday. Library staff member Nicole kindly volunteers her time to watch over us on those evenings. Thanks to efforts of the library, works of several SinC/Hawaii members who are also members of Makiki Library are displayed on the “Local Authors” shelf.

Laurie Hanan’s mystery series features protagonist Louise Golden, a Kaneohe mail carrier who oftenfinds herself in the thick of a murder investigation. Events in Louise’s personal life and her subtle sense of humor keep the reader engaged in Laurie’s stories from beginning to end.

Rosemary Mild, Dawn Casey, Laurie Hanan

Sisters in Crime/Hawaii booth

Hawaii Book and Music Festival 2014

 

Rosemary and Larry Mild are Sisters In Crime/Hawaii’s Partners In Crime. They have two mystery series available to readers; and a stand-along novel, Cry Ohana, set in Hawaii. Rosemary also writes non-fiction, including a memoir entitled Miriam’s World - And Mine; and her latest work: Love! Laugh! Panic! Life with My Mother.

Kent Reinker publishes under the pen name of Alain Gunn. His latest novel, If Pigs Could Cry, is a medical thriller. In A Tale of Two Planets, he tells of a realistic trip to Mars and back, giving readers the feeling they are actually traveling with the space crew.


Gail Baugniet’s Pepper Bibeau mystery series is also included on the shelf, the stories set in places like Chicago,IL; Wisconsin; and Hawaii.

Several members also participated in contributing to and publishing the mystery short story anthology MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense. Everyone who is a member of Makiki Library is welcome to check out any of these books. The books are also available in ebook format on the Internet.

Each month, Sisters In Crime, Inc. draws a winner of their ‘We Love Libraries’ grant. For the month of May, 2014, as you know, THE MAKIKI COMMUNITY LIBRARY met their goal to be A WINNER of the grant. Library President Suzanne Ivey, will graciously accept this award for the library today.

It is the special honor of Sisters In Crime/Hawaii to offer congratulations and to present this check to you today, for The Makiki Community Library, in the amount of $1,000.00.

Congratulations to Suzanne Ivey and Makiki Library.