UNRELATED MATTERS

by Melodie Johnson Howe

I will be teaching a fiction workshop at The Santa Barbara Writers Conference from June 21 to June 26.

This is one of the premier writer conferences in the country.

For those who don’t want to take the workshops they are offering a special package to attend all the panels and lectures not open to the public. There is a wonderful line up of speakers including Joseph Wambaugh and Sue Grafton. These lectures will be open to the public

Gayle Lynds along with Marcia Meier (Director of the SBWC) created the Dennis Lynds Memorial Scholarship for aspiring mystery writers. Gayle and I are the judges. Dennis would be proud of all the many new writers who have submitted manuscripts. He loved the genre and his memorial scholarship is one way to keep it thriving.

Gayle Lynds will also be teaching a Master Class.

I hope to see some Criminal Brief readers there! The ocean is shimmering, the sailboats bobbing, and the bougainvillea sprawling. Come and enjoy.

Here’s the web site: http://www.sbwritersconference.com

Tom Nolan reviewed Loren D. Estleman’s new novel Frames for the Wall Street Journal. He gave the book a good review. Estleman’s 33 year old protagonist describes himself as “too young for ‘Do your own thing’ and too old for ‘Whatever.’” I loved it. I had to share it with you.

Our granddaughter who is at the University of Chicago (I know I don’t look old enough. No applause please.) was attending a music appreciation class. The professor started to lecture on three B’s of music. They were Bach, Beethoven and Bones. She almost fell out of her chair babbling, “That’s my grandfather, that’s my grandfather.”

Speaking of Bones, a dinner guest asked him what it was like being married to a writer. He said, “Sometimes I don’t know if Melodie is asking me about something that is real or imaginary because she lives her life half in the real world and half in the world she’s creating. She’ll burst out of her office and come into mine with these crazy questions and observations and I’m not sure how to respond. I have to wait and see which world she’s in.”

The dinner guest was eying me warily. I tried not to look crazy.

Then my dear husband went on: “When she’s not writing, she has the most brutal brain– especially when discussing politics.”

Fear crept into our guest’s eyes.

I think it’s best not to know how our love ones see us. I’m crazy with a brutal brain? I have to admit I like brutal brain. I’ll use it in something. Oh, and you want to talk politics? Go ahead, make my day!