Cherry Mattias, DVM and I have started a Bakersfield chapter of Sisters in Crime. We were thrilled last meeting to discover we’ve already we’ve grown out of our original meeting place at Marie Callenders.

Sisters in Crime Bakersfield is one chapter of the 3600 member international organization which offers networking, advice and support to mystery authors. Nationally we are authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by our affection for the mystery genre and our support of women who write mysteries. Of course Misters are welcome.

Sisters in Crime Los Angeles has been a superb training ground and resource for me to learn how conferences come about. I’ve been on the board for the last two years and paid attention to how things are done. Our new chapter hardly aspires to a conference as yet, but we can dream, can’t we?

Alternate years the Los Angeles Chapter hosts a short story contest around a theme and produces the winners in a good-looking and very readable anthology.

At present we have more readers of crime fiction than writers, but that could change when we gather a more visible presence. We might set up brown bag workshops to learn the elements that make up a satisfying mystery. For example, short story writing, characterization, writing suspense and romance, plotting, and pacing.

The Bakersfield Chapter of Sisters in Crime welcomes Marilyn Meredith as the speaker at our December 10, 2015 meeting. The dinner meeting takes place at Lorene’s Coffee Shop, 1531 23rd St, Bakersfield, at 6 pm.

Our speaker, Marilyn Meredith, a Valley writer is the author of close to 40 published books, including the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series and the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. For 10 years she taught for the Writer’s Digest School, served as an instructor for the Maui Writers’ Retreats, and has given presentations on my writing subjects for many different groups. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, and blogs regularly for The Stiletto Gang, Make Mine Mystery and Ladies of Mystery as well as her own blog where she also hosts many authors.

Her website is http://fictionforyou.com