Engineering Surprise: How Stories Conspire with Our Minds and What Happens in Second (or Seventeenth) Readings – Vera Tobin
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
6:30 pm on Zoom to socialize
The meeting proper begins at 7:00

Vera Tobin, the author of Elements of Surprise: Our Mental Limits and the Satisfactions of Plot, will present an exploration of the cognitive science of the difference between plot twists that surprise and delight, and ones that fall flat. She’ll discuss findings on the interaction between surprise and memory, the relationship between ease of processing and the experience of insight, and how social psychology helps explain why unsuccessful twists can feel not just disappointing, but like violations of the social contract — plus, we’ll talk about what mystery and surprise even mean when we’re reading (for example) Some Buried Caesar for the umpteenth time.

Research Methods for Historical Fiction – John F. Gallagher
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
6:30 pm on Zoom to socialize
The meeting proper begins at 7:00

Learn how to use research to bring your historical fiction to life.

Forensic Genetic Genealogy – Anthony Redgrave
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
6:30 pm on Zoom to socialize
The meeting proper begins at 7:00

Anthony Redgrave, lead forensic genetic genealogist of Redgrave Research Forensic Services in Massachusetts, will explain the process of forensic genetic genealogy in criminal investigations. Anthony has been a forensic genetic genealogist for nearly four years and has participated in solving over thirty cases in that time. He has a background in creative writing, instructional design, and educational leadership. Forensic genetic genealogy is primarily used to identify unidentified John and Jane Does, and perpetrators of violent crime who have left DNA evidence at a crime scene. Anthony will describe what kinds of samples are used, how they are collected, the chain of custody for all the evidence, and the genealogical research process. A Q&A session will follow.

Invitations to the December meeting, Wednesday, December 8, have been sent to members via PaperlessPost.

There is no chapter meeting in November due to Crime Bake.

The Three Step Formula for Building an Author Platform – Fauzia Burke
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
6:30 pm on Zoom

Every author’s online platform is his or her biggest asset, and creating one is vitally important for your long-term success. However, there has never been more demands on an author’s time than today. In this session, you will learn which efforts are worth your time and which ones are a distraction. Whether you’re just starting out in your marketing efforts or ready to take it to the next level, this session will be the advice you need. You will learn through examples and case studies how to connect all the elements of online marketing (website, mailing list, blogging, social media, advertising and publicity) into a cohesive, successful and sustainable author platform.

Beyond Milk Cartons and Stranger Danger: The Myths and Realities of Missing Children – Stacey Pearson
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
6:30 pm on Zoom

Crime fiction writing gives authors the freedom to bend and shift reality when weaving police procedures into their stories. Influential crime writers understand law enforcement protocols, why they exist, and how to manipulate them to keep their readers engaged. In this session focused on kidnappings and missing and abducted children, former law enforcement and public safety professional Stacey Pearson will discuss how fiction writers can use common myths and misconceptions about missing children to create authentic conflict in their stories. The session will cover waiting periods for reporting, Stranger Danger, AMBER Alert criteria, interrogations and Miranda warnings, FBI involvement, and more.

THE MESSAGE OF YOU – Judy Carter
Wednesday, May 12
06:30 PM on Zoom

Learn how to find your compelling message – THE MESSAGE OF YOU™ – and sell yourself to readers, booksellers, and librarians.

THE MESSAGE OF YOU begins with a simple belief – that your greatest speech already exists and that it has already been delivered in front of a live audience masterfully and powerfully by you. Best-selling author and international comic, Judy Carter sets out to prove that THE MESSAGE OF YOU is in the advice you give to your friends; in the lessons you teach your children; in the stories you tell your family. It’s expressed through the volunteer work you do, the way you run your business, the way you turned your messes into successes. THE MESSAGE OF YOU is a distillation of all of your experiences, both personal and professional, that form the narrative meaning of your life.

Author Idol
Wednesday, April 14
07:00 PM on Zoom

Send in the first two pages of your double-spaced manuscript with your name removed as an attachment for a chance to have your words read aloud by a professional reader and critiqued by our panel of agents:

Lori Galvin, Aevitas Creative
Paula Munier, Talcott Notch
Michelle Richter, Fuse Literary

Doug Jacobs will read until two of the three agents indicate that they would stop reading, after which the agents will discuss their reaction to the pages.

Forensic Anthropology – Sean Tallman
Wednesday, March 10
06:30 PM on Zoom

Come to our next monthly meeting to hear Sean Tallman discuss the field of forensic anthropology, peppering his presentation with his experiences in the field and research projects.

Sean Tallman (he/him/his) is a biological anthropologist specializing in forensic anthropology, human skeletal biology, and forensic archaeology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, M.A. from the State University Of New York, Binghamton, and B.A. from the University of Washington. Sean has held positions of forensic anthropologist, osteologist, archaeologist, and consultant in various contexts.

In particular, he served as a forensic anthropologist with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command’s Central Identification Laboratory (now the DPAA), where he contributed to the identification of numerous U.S. service members killed during past conflicts, and led archaeological recovery missions in France, Germany, Hawaii, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vietnam.

Sean is presently an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Department of Anthropology, and in the Program in Archaeology at Boston University. In the Program in Forensic Anthropology, he heads the Forensic and Bioanthropology Group (https://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/forensic-anthropology/fablab/), where he teaches and advises students in human osteology, biological anthropology method and theory, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology. Additionally, he is a Registered Professional Archaeologist, Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, scientific recovery expert/senior archaeologist with SNA international, and a forensic anthropologist with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT IX).

His research interests include sex and ancestry estimation, skeletal variability, population-specific biological profile methods, secular change, diversity and inclusion in forensic anthropology, critical race theory, and issues of human identification. He has published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science International, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and Forensic Magazine and he serves on the editorial board for Forensic Anthropology and American Anthropologist. He can be followed on Twitter at @FabLabBU.