Guelph Partners in Crime

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Joanne Guidoccio

At podium: Deb Quaile
L-R: Donna Warner, Gloria Ferris, Joanne Guidoccio, Alison Bruce

Yesterday evening, I participated in a lively panel discussion with three other mystery writers at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library. We are all published authors and members of Crime Writers of Canada.

We read excerpts from our recent novels and shared our experiences in researching, writing, editing, and marketing our books. We delved into a variety of topics, among them mystery genres, humour in writing, query letters, dealing with rejection, self publishing vs traditional publishing, and social media.

Thanks to librarians Andrea Curtis and Deb Quaile for organizing and facilitating this event.

To learn more about Guelph Partners in Crime, visit our websites:

Sisters in Crime – North

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

Madeleine Callway, Catherine Astolfo, Janet Costello, Helen Nelson, Jill Downie, Susan Daly

This past Saturday, I hopped on Highway 24 in Guelph and drove to Brantford for a lively panel discussion with six dynamic mystery authors. All are members of the Toronto Branch of Sisters in Crime, and two of them—Madeleine Callway and Catherine Astolfo—also belong to Mesdames of Mayhem.

The topic, “Women as Crime Writers,” was a timely one. The hour-long discussion flew by as the authors shared opinions and advice on everything from powerful openings to strong female protagonists to chick noir.

Thanks to Programs and Outreach Coordinator Robin Harding for organizing this event, one of seven in the Mystery Month series at the Brantford Public Library.

Creating Characters

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Joanne Guidoccio

Yesterday, twenty of us gathered at Symposium Restaurant for a workshop with award-winning author J.K. Coi. Having written several novels in the urban fantasy, contemporary and paranormal romance genres, Coi is best known for creating compelling characters that “leap off the page and into readers’ hearts.”

Some of her tips…

1.Strong characters will offset weak plots.

2. Allow your characters to have flaws. There is no tension or growth in a perfect character.

3. Keep in mind that believable does not translate into realistic. Inject an element of fantasy to entertain the reader.

4. Make your character so unique that they couldn’t be dropped into any other book.

5. Feel free to make tweaks and twists that readers will appreciate, but not throw them out of the story.

6. Avoid cliches but respect reader expectations. If you must deviate, add humor or provide an appropriate back story.

7. Character-driven books have depth and are more memorable than plot driven stories.

8. Give your characters complicated relationships.

9. Secondary characters are there only because they have a purpose. They should not be more interesting than the protagonist.

10. Use other characters to reveal the protagonist’s blind spots.

11. Figure out the intricacies of the characters before starting the novel.

Coi also provided us with information about Romance Writers of America and Toronto Romance Writers.

Thanks to Cindy Carroll of Guelph Write Now for organizing this event.

Sundays for Writers

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Joanne Guidoccio

This afternoon, I joined several other members of Guelph Write Now for our monthly meeting at Lucie’s Restaurant in south Guelph. I look forward to meeting with other writers and talking about our respective writing journeys.

Lots of discussion and advice floated around the table as we discussed the pros and cons of social media, ebook covers, our WIPs and Fifty Shades of Grey. Organizer Cindy Carroll provided us with three prompts and we wrote spontaneously. Afterward, we shared out stories and commented on the different interpretations of the prompts.

We also enjoyed the delicious coffee, tea and desserts.