Sisters In Crime Portland Chapter

April Henry gave us all such an interesting and informative deep dive into the ever-changing landscape of YA fiction. Writing for teens can be even more challenging these days.

Don't forget the monthly meeting's this evening! April Henry is our speaker. Local author of over 30 books!

SinC PDX members Mollie Hunt and Heather Ames are sharing space today at Hip Chicks do Wine's Words and Wine. Local authors' with many choices of genres and sub-genres. Mollie and Heather write series and standalones. Lots of choices in the mystery realm...cozy, mainstream, paranormal. Something for everyone. SE Portland. Noon-5:00 PM.

Another opportunity for gaining knowledge for the indies...

Tuesday, March 17 8pm EDT/ 5pm PDT/Midnight 3/18 GMT

Business of Writing: Indie Publishing

Writing is a creative endeavor, but publishing is very much a business. Join us for a panel discussion with three successful indie published authors who will explore the business side of indie publishing. We will cover topics such as finding copyeditors and cover artists, promotional schedules, direct sales, working with libraries and booksellers and more. Panelists: J.L. Brown, Barbara Howard, Tara Lush.

More info at Sisters In Crime

Send a message to learn more

A couple more suggestions for our chapter's new name:

Beaver State Gumshoes
PDX Crime Busters

!!! VIRTUAL MEMBER MEETUP SATURDAY !!!
- - We're getting together on Saturday, for all that can't make a weekday Meetup - -
Join us on-line Saturday, March 14th at 5pm GMT/Noon EST/9am PST

ALL members are welcome to come to attend the Monthly Member Meet-Up.
- Do you have a question about Sisters in Crime (SinC)?
- Do you have a suggestion for a webinar? Ideas for a program?
- Want to know more about a program or policy?
Come and meet a Board Member. Everyone is welcome. Zoom link for the meeting on SinC LinC, or check your latest newsletter!

Sisters in Crime Meeting – March 16, 2026

Featured Speaker: April Henry
New York Times Best Selling Author

Edgar-award winning and New York Times-bestselling author April Henry knows how to kill you in two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters. There was one detour on April's path to destruction: when she was 12 she sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to noted children's author Roald Dahl. He liked it so much he showed it to his editor, who then published it in Puffin Post, a British children's magazine. By the time April was in her 30s, she had started writing about hit men, kidnappers, and drug dealers. She has published 31 mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults, with more to come. She is known for meticulously researching her novels to get the details right.

April can tell us how writing for under 18-year-olds differs from writing for adults. She is also a long-time member of Sisters in Crime.



Meeting Details
· Date: March 16, 2026

· Location: DeNicolas Italian Restaurant, 3520 SE Powell Blvd

· Dinner: 6:00 PM

· Member Reading: 6:45 PM

· Speaker Discussion: 7:00 PM

· Please RSVP to [email protected] if you are able – if you don’t RSVP you may still attend.

Important Meeting Etiquette
Our speakers generously share their knowledge and insights for only the cost of dinner. Please show respect by arriving on time and refraining from side conversations during the presentation. If you need to speak or leave before the end of the talk, kindly sit near the door and close it quietly as you exit. You are welcome to step out of the room to hold necessary conversations.

Send a message to learn more

We have the opportunity to rename our chapter. These are some of the inventive names other chapters have given themselves. They're quite inspirational. Some relate to the particular region, some to the particular State, and some are just fun:

• Capitol Crimes, Sacramento, California
• Once Upon a Crime, London, England
• Desert Sleuths, Phoenix, Arizona
• Partners in Crime, San Diego, California
• Citrus Crime Writers, Orlando, Florida
• Speed City Indiana Chapter, Indianapolis
• Derby Rotten Scoundrels, Louisville
• Border Crimes, Kansas City
• Jersey Sleuths
• Mavens of Mayhem, Albany, NY
• Tornado Alley, Norman, Oklahoma
• Palmetto Chapter, Columbia
• The Smoking Guns, Knoxville
• Mystery By The Sea, Coastal Virginia
• Puget Sound Chapter
• Columbia River Chapter
• Heart of Texas Chapter, Austin, TX.
• Buckeye Crime Writers, Columbia, OH
• Croak and Dagger, New Mexico

Favorites?

Suggestions for renaming the PDX Chapter?

This is a creative opportunity. The Harriet Vane Chapter was named for a character in British novelist Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books.

Do we keep the name, just call ourselves the Portland Chapter, or be more creative? After all, we're crime writers, so we should be inventive.

Send a message to learn more

*** Why You Should Write Short Stories ***

Learn how writing short stories can help writers develop their craft, as well as their career.
When: Sunday, 3/15, at 1pm EDT/ 10am PDT/ 5pm GMT*
*Note, this is the first day of Daylight Savings Time
Who: A thoughtful conversation with authors Ashley-Ruth Bernier, Barb Goffman, P.M. Raymond, and Shannon Taft

Register today at: https://www.sistersincrime.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2042042&group=

Bios on Presenters:
ASHLEY-RUTH M. BERNIER (www.ashleyruthbernier.com)’s work has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, Stone’s Throw, Smoking Pen Press and others. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley-Ruth writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. Her first novel length work, THE BUSH TEA MURDER, is forthcoming from Crooked Lane books in Spring 2026. She currently lives with her family and teaches first grade in Apex, North Carolina.

BARB GOFFMAN

P.M. RAYMOND is an award-winning author and aspiring screenwriter from New Orleans who knows a thing or two about good gumbo, grits, and café au lait. She is a 2026 Killer Shorts Screenplay Quarterfinalist, the Sisters in Crime 2024 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award Winner, and 2024 Claymore Award and Killer Shorts Screenplay Finalist. Her short story collection, THINGS ARE AS THEY SHOULD BE AND OTHER WORDS TO DIE FOR, releases April 2026 from Uncom­fortably Dark Horror. Her work has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Writer's Digest, Punk Noir, Flash Fiction Magazine, among others.

SHANNON TAFT is a Maryland attorney with over twenty published short stories, including a Derringer Award finalist and a story that appeared in Best American Mystery and Suspense. Her works have appeared in multiple anthologies as well as several magazines, including Black Cat Weekly and On Spec.
Website URL: www.shannontaft.com

-RuthMoolenaarBernier P.M. Raymond Author Barb Goffman

***Business of Writing: Indie Publishing ***
with J. L. Brown, Barbara Howard and Tara Lush

When: March 17th, 8pm EDT/ 5pm PDT/ Midnight GMT (3/18)
Register today at: Event registration link: https://www.sistersincrime.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2041008&group=

Writing is a creative endeavor, but publishing is very much a business. Join us for a panel discussion with three successful indie published authors who will explore the business side of indie publishing. We will cover topics such as finding copyeditors and cover artists, promotional schedules, direct sales, working with libraries and booksellers and more.

Presenter Bios:
J. L. BROWN - J.L. Brown is the creator of the Jade Harrington series, political thrillers which include the forthcoming novel, The Paine Society. Under her given name, Julie L. Brown is also the author of, Bend, Don’t Break. She is a member of Black Women Write Seattle, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She resides with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where she is working on her next novel.

BARBARA HOWARD - Barbara Howard is a mystery, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance author of twenty-four novels based in Northeast Ohio. With extensive experience as a Department of Defense, KPMG Eastern Region IT Project Leader, and Corporate Sales, Ms. Howard brings a unique perspective to her writing. Now back in her hometown, she spends her days treasure hunting, spoiling her fur-babies, growing veggies, and plotting whodunits.

TARA LUSH - Tara Lush is the Florida-based author of the Crescent Moon Mystery series, where the bodies are fictional, but the weird Florida vibes are very real.
She’s a RITA finalist, Amtrak writing fellow, and George C. Polk Award winner who once covered crime, hurricanes, and alligators for the Associated Press.
These days, she conjures up mysteries from her home near the Gulf of Mexico, where she lives with her husband, dog, and possibly a ghost or two.

Barbara Howard .book.lush

Any chapter members at Left Coast Crime? If so, check this out.

!!! VIRTUAL MEMBER MEETUP THURSDAY* !!!

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, February 19th at 2pm ET/1pm CT/12pm MT/ 11am PT.
*NOTE: Meetup will start an hour later than usual, immediately following Fiona Davis webinar.
- Do you have a question about Sisters in Crime (SinC)?
- Do you have a suggestion for a webinar?
- Want to know more about our programs?
At this Virtual Member Meetup, SinC board members will be available to talk with you and answer any questions. Feel free to drop by. Everyone is welcome. Zoom link for the meeting on SinC LinC, or check your latest newsletter!