(via Zoom)

registration is for all 4 workshops

Jen Collins Moore, Tina deBellegarde, Carol Pouliot, and Lida Sideris are the mystery writers behind Sleuths and Sidekicks, a group that celebrates the art of the mystery story. They regularly team up to present panels and workshops for writers and interested mystery readers alike.

This 4-part series with a panel discussion to follow (register separately, here, for the panel discussion) will cover all the major elements of creating a mystery novel.

 

Workshop #1 – Carol Pouliot - Introduction          Wed May 3, 630-8 

What's so great about Agatha Christie? Learn the tricks of the trade used by the best-selling mystery writer of all time.

How did Agatha do it? With clever plots, carefully planted clues, and plenty of twists and turns, Agatha Christie’s books stand the test of time. Carol Pouliot breaks down the decisions mystery writers make about character, setting, and plot using passages from some of Christie’s most celebrated books. (Spoiler alert: Carol will discuss the solutions to the following:  And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Hollow and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.)

 

Carol Pouliot

A former language teacher, Carol Pouliot writes the acclaimed Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, traditional police procedurals with a seemingly impossible relationship between Depression-era cop Steven Blackwell and 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson. With their fast pace and unexpected twists and turns, the books have earned praise from readers and mystery authors alike. Carol is president of her Sisters in Crime chapter and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. When not writing, Carol can be found reaching for her passport for her next travel adventure.

 

Workshop #2 – Lida Sideris - Characters          Wed May 10, 630-8

Getting into Character: Breathing Life into Fictional Sleuths, Sidekicks and Villains.

Poirot, Bosch, Millhone and Plum - what makes these characters so memorable? This workshop with Lida Sideris will provide the groundwork for developing engaging heroes, heroines, suspects and a supporting cast that readers can love, hate and even relate to. Learn why character conflict, interaction, reaction and relationships are essential to creating an intriguing mystery.

 

Lida Sideris

Lida Sideris' first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer's dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio...kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship and a Killer Nashville, Silver Falchion Award Finalist. She lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens. Lida is a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks.

 

 

Workshop #3 – Tina deBellegarde - Settings          Wed May 17, 630-8  

Settings and Micro-settings: How to use setting to do some heavy lifting in your writing.

Setting is not just about where you choose to place your story. Every scene has a micro-setting which can be used to influence mood, increase or relieve tension, and flesh out a character. With Tina deBellegarde you will investigate how each scene in your story can be an opportunity to build and enrich your big picture setting and support your character development. 

 

Tina deBellegarde

Tina deBellegarde writes the Batavia-on-Hudson Mysteries for which she has received two Agatha Award nominations. Her story “Tokyo Stranger” appeared in the 2021 Mystery Writers of America anthology and was nominated for a Derringer Award. Tina co-chairs Murderous March, the annual mystery writers conference. She is a founding member of sleuthsandsidekicks.com, a team of four authors who blog together, tour virtually, and teach writing workshops online. She lives in Catskill, NY and Deerfield Beach, Fla. She visits Japan regularly to see her son and do research. She is a member of Writers in Kyoto and reviews books for BooksOnAsia.net.

 

 

Workshop #4 – Jen Collins Moore – Plots          Wed May 24, 630-8

Tension, Clues & Red Herrings: How to structure a mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very last page

Great mysteries are puzzles for the reader to untangle. Join Jen Collins Moore as she explains her step-by-step method for plotting stories that work. This interactive workshop includes activities to break your mystery into its key elements and tips for getting the pacing, structure, and stakes just right.

 

Jen Collins Moore

Jen Collins Moore transports readers to Rome in The Maggie White Mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. Jen's an avid traveler and writes mysteries about the places she loves to visit. She says, "Remembering the sights, smells, sounds, and, of course, food, of a place is one of my greatest pleasures when bringing a story to life."

 

 

Panel Discussion – Ask Us Anything          Wed May 31, 630-8   

(Registration separate and open to all in addition to those registering for the workshops)

separate registration here for the panel discussion

with Jen Collins Moore, Tina deBellegarde, Carol Pouliot and Lida Sideris 

The four presenters will be available for a craft panel discussion on how to publish, how to get a manuscript in order, how to manage rejection, and balancing the writer’s life with the rest of life’s demands. This panel will be geared toward answering questions so plenty of time will be allotted for Q&A on any writing-related topic.