The Many Faces of Crime Fiction: From Cozy to Catastrophic

California Writers Club - SF Peninsula Presents...

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### Brooke L. French, Victoria Kazarian, & Simon Wood

Crime fiction spans a remarkable range—from small-town mysteries to high-stakes global thrillers. In this dynamic panel, three bestselling crime writers, Brooke L. French, Victoria Kazarian, and Simon Wood, explore how they craft stories that captivate, surprise, and keep readers turning pages. Drawing on diverse backgrounds, they’ll share how real-world experience shapes their characters, plots, and sense of tension.
The conversation will cover building suspense, writing compelling protagonists and villains, and navigating the expectations of different crime subgenres. Writers and readers alike will leave with fresh insights into the craft of crime fiction—and a deeper appreciation for the many ways a great mystery can unfold.
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Brooke L. French is a recovering lawyer turned writer who lives with her husband and sons in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. She’s the author of Inhuman Acts, Unnatural Intent, and The Carolina Variant. When she isn’t busy driving her kids to sporting events, she can be found gleefully researching and writing about fatal viruses, terrorism, and murder.
Brooke is likely on numerous watch lists.

Victoria Kazarian has worked in high tech, taught high school English and even run her own artisanal bakery called The Laughing Loaf. She’s thrilled to be doing what she’s always wanted to do—writing mystery fiction. She writes two series: The Laughing Loaf Bakery cozy mysteries which take place in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Silicon Valley Murder, a police procedural series which takes place in the fictional affluent community of Monte Verde in Silicon Valley. She lives with her software engineer husband, two young adult children and a dog named Peewee, who is not very well behaved.

USA TODAY bestselling author Simon Wood is a California transplant from England. He's a former competitive racecar driver, a licensed pilot, an endurance cyclist, an animal rescuer and an occasional PI. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. Their lives are dominated by a longhaired dachshund and five cats. He's the Anthony Award winning author of The One That Got Away, Paying the Piper, Terminated, Deceptive Practices and the Sacramento set, Accidents Waiting To Happen. His current book is SAVING GRACE. Curious people can learn more at[ http://www.simonwood.net]( http://www.simonwood.net)

Schedule:
10 am - 11 am - Business and networking
11 am - 12 noon - Speaker

$10 member/$15 nonmember. First meeting is free.