Tornado Alley Mystery Writers Tornado Alley Mystery Writers

Oklahoma speculative fiction writer, LMG Swain, reads an abridged version of “Superstition,” a story from his collection, Feary Tales, Vomit I: Twisted Tales of Terror. Come for an eerie tale, and stay for great tips on writing and the structure of fiction.

Swain’s novel, Anatomy of Terror, in his Universal Monsters series was nominated as the Young Adult horror novel of the year by the Horror Writers of America. He has taught literature, mythology, and writing in secondary schools all over the state, worked as a ghost writer, and published experimental and YA fiction. For a handout on fiction writing, email him at mike@lmgswain.com.

Vivian Zabel, who lives in Hydro, Oklahoma, taught English and writing for thirty years, but she has written herself since a child. In this touching and inspirational interview, Vivian reads from her latest book, Burnt Offering, and shares her passion for the safety and welfare of children. She is a tireless helper of other writers and promoter of the value of reading and writing. 
     Vivian, a member of Tornado Alley Sisters in Crime, has been a member of OWFI since 2002 and the OWFI Grant Director since 2012. She was honored as a Lifetime Member in 2013. She and a friend founded an OWFI affiliate, Pen and Keyboard Writers, in Edmond, Oklahoma. She started Invite to Write, another OWFI affiliate. Many of her books have won honors, including an international gold seal from Children's Literary Classics. 
Content warning: mention of child abuse.

Susan Cogan, author of more than a dozen books and hundreds of articles and blog posts, reads from her Great Depression era novel, The Man Who Needed Killing, a finalist in Amazon.com’s Breakthrough Novel Contest. Susan likes to write in all genres, but she keeps circling back to mystery. Listen to her discuss her novel in progress, her inspirations for writing, and her encouraging advice on process. 

Rilla Askew, best known for her American Book Award-winning novel about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Fire in Beulah, reads from that novel and discusses American crime and racial violence.  Rilla, the author of four other novels, a book of stories, and a collection of creative nonfiction talks about being a PEN/Faulkner finalist and what that meant to her as an author. For her advice to readers and authors and a discussion of her latest novel, Prize for the Fire, tune in to this heart-felt discussion of history and American life.

Kathleen Park, a veteran, freelance writer and award-winning novelist, talks about her career and her motivation to become a fiction writer. She reads from her novel, Code Talkers (2020), and discusses her time teaching on the Navajo Reservation. She also discusses the mysterious process of finding wounded characters and receiving a vision of their lives. In her new novel, soon to be completed, “Promises to Keep,” she chooses a male point of view, based on growing up among brothers, and she encourages other writers to read and draw on their experience.
Tune in to hear a good storyteller, and learn how to run a long-lasting critique group.

Enid, Oklahoma writer, Peggy Chambers, reads from the latest novel in her Keystone Lake series, Blooming Greed, a suspense thriller, full of multifaceted characters. She also discusses her love of water and how different bodies of water figure as characters in her writing.
Peggy's use of genre is as fluid as her settings. She writes suspense for adults, fantasy for children, and pulp fiction. She is currently working on adapting her novel, Flat Iron Death Grip, into a graphic novel, coming out next year. Tune in to her interview to learn about her writing adventures.