Meetings

POSTPONED: March 21, 2020 | Nancy Cole Silverman “How to Plan a Mystery Series & the Expanding World of Cozies” – Nancy Silverman (NEW LOCATION – Mile Square Banquet Center, 10401 Warner Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708) Nancy Cole Silverman spent nearly twenty-five years in Los Angeles Talk Radio, beginning her career on the talent side as one for the first female voices on the air, and later on the business side, where she retired as one of two female general managers in the nation’s second-largest radio market. After a successful career in the radio industry, Silverman turned to writing fiction. Her crime-focused novels and short stories have attracted readers throughout America. Her Carol Childs Mysteries series (Henery Press) feature a single-mom whose “day job” as a reporter at a busy Los Angeles radio station often leads to long nights as a crime-solver. Her most recent series with Misty Dawn is centered on an aging Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, who supplements her day to day activities as a consultant to LAPD and the FBI. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a thoroughly pampered standard poodle. Please R.S.V.P for this meeting >

March 21, 2020 | Ivy Pochoda Ivy Pochoda talks writing EPOCA with Kobe Bryant and the secrets to a successful collaboration! Ever wonder how James Patterson earns 28 million dollars a year? Aside from being a talented author, and putting out a jillion movies and books a year, James Patterson mastered the art of collaboration. Interested in writing with a friend or colleague? Or have a story to tell, but maybe not all the skill sets? Join us Saturday, March 21 when Ivy Pochoda, talks about writing, and writing EPOCA with Lakers star, Kobe Bryant.  Ivy Pochoda is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Wonder Valley and Visitation Street. Wonder Valley won The Strand Magazine Critics Award for Best Novel and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award, as well as the Grand Prix de Literature Americaine in France. Visitation Street received the Page America Prize in France and was chosen as an Amazon Best Book of 2013 and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Ivy’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Vogue. Her first novel The Art of Disappearing, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2009. For many years she was a world ranked squash player. She teaches creative writing at the Lamp Arts Studio in Skid Row. Ivy grew up in Brooklyn, NY and currently lives in West Adams, Los Angeles. Please R.S.V.P for this meeting >

February 15, 2020 | Raymond Obstfeld – “All Fiction Plots Fall into These Six Templates” Raymond Obstfeld, the modern-day JD Salinger, will be the featured writer and guest speaker at our SCWA February meeting! Raymond Obstfeld is a multi-time NY Times Bestselling author of fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels. His works cross genres from crime fiction, to YA fiction, black history, essays and thought, television, film, and much more. Raymond has probably helped, taught, and inspired countless writers become writers with his week-long seminars, ongoing classes, and summer-long literary sojourns to Cambridge University in England. Raymond is a recognized expert on theme, plot, setting, and character, and is a regular writer in the green room for the tv show Veronica Mars. Raymond Obstfeld has taught literature and creative writing at Orange Coast College since 1976. He’s written over 50 published books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. He’s written a dozen optioned screenplays and recently sold a television show to Warner Bros. He’s co-authored several non-fiction and fiction works with basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He co-authored a graphic novel about Mycroft Holmes and was a writer on the reboot of Veronica Mars. Currently, he is writing two history documentaries for A&E. Plotting is one of the most difficult aspects of writing. Understanding these six theme-based plot templates will help an author ask the right questions when plotting their story. It’s not just about what they do, but about why they do it. Please R.S.V.P for this meeting >

December 21, 2019 | Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing Our Journey as Independent Movie Producers Travis Cluff and Chris Lofting independently co-wrote, co-directed, and co- produced the micro-budget horror file THE GALLOWS for only $100,000. It grossed over $42 million! THE GALLOWS ACT II will be released by Lionsgate soon Their company, TREMENDUM PICTURES is a full-service production company for film, series, branded content, viral media, or design. Located in California’s Central Valley, the company utilizes unique and innovative solutions to create premium, original content on even the smallest of budgets. What a story they will have for us! Membership Information >

January 18, 2020 | Christopher Reich Christopher Reich is the New York Times bestselling author of 12 thrillers and his novel The Patriot’s Club won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel. Born in Tokyo and educated in Los Angeles, he attended Georgetown University and the University of Texas and then worked in Switzerland before returning to the United States to become an author. He lives in Encinitas, California. Learn more about Christopher Reich > R.S.V.P. for this meeting >