Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, utilized forensic geology in his first case, A Study in Scarlet. In the 128 years since, other mystery writers and numerous television episodes and films have incorporated geologic clues in their stories. But what is forensic geology, and how can we, as crime writers, use geologic clues in our mysteries? Join us in welcoming Susan Cummins Miller, author of the Frankie MacFarlane, Geologist, mysteries, who will give a broad overview of Forensic Geology, including examples of the ways the science has been used to solve criminal cases in the past.
We’ll have a delicious lunch, and a fun book drawing.
In the afternoon session, Susan Cummins Miller will present “Act III: The Art of the Ending.” What makes a good ending to a novel? Charles Dickens wrote two different endings for Great Expectations. Ernest Hemingway considered 47 different endings to A Farewell To Arms, including one suggested by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’ll explore the elements of a satisfying ending, followed by a group discussion. Please bring examples of endings that worked for you—or didn’t—for the discussion.
SUSAN CUMMINS MILLER, a research affiliate of the University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women, is a recovering field geologist and college instructor in geology, paleontology, and oceanography. Chasm, sixth in her award-winning Frankie MacFarlane, Geologist, mystery series, was released in 2015. Miller edited A Sweet, Separate Intimacy—Women Writers of the American Frontier, 1800-1922, and her award-winning poems, short stories, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies.
RSVP by 9:30 am, Wednesday, November 11th to save your place. $25 non-members includes lunch. $20 RSVP’d members. Pay at the door. RSVP by clicking the button at http://www.meetup.com/Arizona-Mystery-Writers-of-Tucson/, or email amwmembershipchair@gmail.com. See you there!
Note: Our December meeting’s afternoon segment is Celebration of the Written Word, an opportunity for our members to do a short reading of their work. If you would like to read, please let Kay, our Speaker Chair, know.
