Quarterly Chapter Meeting/Event:
November 16, 2019

Lone Tree Library, 10055 Library Way, Lone Tree, Colorado 80124 (303-791-READ)

(Feel free to come to either the morning or afternoon session if you cannot attend both.)

9:30-10:00 am
Welcome, Announcements

10:00 am-12:00 pm
Maria Heater, Nelson Literary Agency: Stand Out Submissions: What Makes a Literary Agent Say “Yes” (or at the very least, “Maybe”)

Seeking representation can be a daunting and anxiety-producing endeavor. You’ve poured months or years of work into your manuscript, spent hours researching agents, polished your query and first pages till they shimmer, and sent your book baby out into the wild…

Only to get a mix of form rejections and radio silence. For many writers who want to be traditionally published, it’s a worst-case scenario, and the stress is only compounded by the mystery surrounding the whole process.

This talk will give you a peek behind the curtain of how a literary agency screens submissions and give you some tips to improve your chances in the slush. We’ll cover writing an engaging query letter, finding the hook of your story, what makes first pages work, and more. Hopefully, you’ll leave feeling confident in how to improve your submission package, but also your writing as a whole.

12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch (brown bag or visit nearby restaurants)

1:00-3:00 pm
Andrew Traver: True Crimes and Presumptions of Guilt

Additional information forthcoming.

3:00-4:00 pm
Board Meeting (all are welcome, location to be announced at the meeting)

Please feel free to come to either the morning or afternoon session if you cannot attend both.

Please RSVP at our Meetup Page: https://www.meetup.com/Sisters-in-Crime-Colorado/events/265743181/

About the Presenters:
Maria Heater studied literature at American University and began her career in education, teaching in South Korea and Singapore before transitioning to the literary world. After attending the Denver Publishing Institute in 2016, she interned for two literary agencies and managed an independent bookstore before joining Nelson Literary Agency in 2019. She enjoys reading in almost every genre, but is most drawn to historical, speculative, and mystery. She tweets about writing, books, and her cats at: @mariatheheater.

***

Andrew Traver is the Executive in Residence/Special Advisor to the President for Leader Development at Metropolitan State University of Denver.  He is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, teaching “American Gangs” and “Federal Law Enforcement” for the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters. He also engages in external and internal outreach and speaking engagements on behalf of the MSU Denver President, Dr. Janine Davidson.

 From October 2013 until June 2019,  he served as the Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)-only the second NCIS Director to be appointed from outside of the organization.

NCIS investigates and defeats criminal, foreign intelligence, cyber and terrorist threats to the United States Navy and Marine Corps wherever they operate: ashore, afloat and in cyberspace. He also served as the senior executive for law enforcement/criminal investigation, counterintelligence and counterterrorism for the Department of the Navy.

***

Please note: Chapter meetings are a member only benefit, with that said, we do allow those who are interested in wanting to learn more about us to attend one meeting for free. After that, we hope you will join our chapter. You can learn more about us and our chapter here: https://sistersincrimecolorado.org/join/

Please RSVP above. This event is funded and presented by Sisters in Crime-Colorado and is not sponsored by Douglas County Libraries. To request more information, please use our contact form.