Albuquerque NM Chapter
The Albuquerque Croak & Dagger chapter of Sisters in Crime welcomes mystery fans who enjoy felonious fun, absolutely criminal companionship and sensational speakers. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free and open to the public.
2012 MEETINGS
4th Tuesday of each month:
January 24
February 28
March 27
April 24
May 22
June 26
July 24
August 28
September 25
October 23
November 27
Meetings begin at 7:00 PM in the police briefing room at James Joseph Dwyer Memorial Substation, 12700 Montgomery NE (one block east of Tramway).
If the substation parking lot is full, additional parking is available just below the substation; the entrance to that lot is via a driveway below the substation.
Saturday, February 4
Join Croak & Dagger members at Albuquerque Little Theatre's presentation of Witness for the Prosecution, the courtroom suspense classic by Agatha Christie.
Only Agatha Christie could have conceived such a suspenseful thriller and then capped it with an uncanny triple flip ending! A young married man spends many evenings with a rich old woman. When she is found murdered, the naive young man becomes the chief suspect. His only hope for acquittal is the testimony of his wife, but his airtight alibi shatters when she reveals some shocking secrets of her own…
Croak & Dagger members plan to get together for dinner before the performance (ticket and reservation details coming soon).
Upcoming Speakers:
Tuesday, January 24 - Patricia Smith Wood
As a child, Pat Wood envisioned herself as a performer. She developed a flare for drama and entertained herself for hours recreating scenes from the 1940’s radio shows. She wrote her first play at ten, and along with scores of other little girls her age, longed to be like Margaret O’Brien and Natalie Wood. Unfortunately, Hollywood never came calling.
Law enforcement is in her DNA: her father served as a police officer and completed a distinguished career with the FBI. Employment opportunities in the late 1950’s for women in the Bureau were restricted to support staff positions, and Pat chose to accept one of those opportunities. Even serving as a stenographer was interesting because it exposed her to inner workings of classified investigations. But, alas, a career in law enforcement proved impractical in the real world.
In the years that followed, her professional experience included work in hospital administration, telecommunications, bank security, and computer technology. Eventually she became president of her own high end computer company, Creative Consultants. She and her husband sold the business in late 2006. After that, she devoted her time to writing her mystery novel, attending seminars and conferences, and participating with a local writer’s critique group. She enhanced her insights into law enforcement procedures when she graduated from the FBI Citizen’s Academy in 2009.
Her first book, The Easter Egg Murder, currently seeks publication. The road to completion, although filled with detours and potholes, provided enormous satisfaction at journey’s end. This encouraged her to begin the second book in the series, Murder for Breakfast. With the roadmap now well marked, this trip shouldn’t take so long.
Tuesday, February 28 - Kirt Hickman
Kirt Hickman, author of the 2008 sci-fi mystery Worlds Asunder and the comprehensive and practical self-editing guide Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kirt was a technical writer for fourteen years before branching into fiction. His methodical approach to self-editing has helped many make sense of the mass of advice available to the novice writer. He teaches classes through SouthWest Writers, has spoken at many conferences, and has contributed a monthly column to the SouthWest Sage.
