2021 Speakers

2021 Monthly Speakers Program

Saturday January 23 Meeting
11:00 a.m. business meeting
12:00 noon - Speaker Gary Sosniecki
Uncovering a Deadly Family Secret: The Potato Masher Murder

Albin Ludwig was furious. He had caught his wife, Cecilia, with other men before; now, after secretly following Cecilia one evening in 1906, Albin was overcome with suspicion. Albin and Cecilia quarreled that night and again the next day. Prosecutors later claimed that the final quarrel ended when Albin knocked Cecilia unconscious with a wooden potato masher, doused her with a flammable liquid, lit her on fire, and left her to burn to death. Albin claimed self-defense, but he was convicted of second-degree murder.

Newspaper coverage of the dramatic crime and trial was jarringly explicit and detailed, shocking readers in Indiana, where the crime occurred. Peter Young of the South Bend Times wrote that the murder’s “horrors and its shocking features . . . have never before been witnessed in Mishawaka.” The story was front-page news throughout northern Indiana for much of a year.

For several generations, the families of both Cecilia and Albin would be silent about the crime—until Cecilia’s great-grandson, award-winning journalist Gary Sosniecki, uncovered the family’s dark secret. At long last, The Potato Masher Murder: Death at the Hands of a Jealous Husband, published by The Kent State University Press, unearths the full story of two immigrant families united by love and torn apart by domestic violence.

In his presentation, “Uncovering a Deadly Family Secret: The Potato Masher Murder,” Sosniecki will talk about his great-grandmother’s death and the journey he took in writing a book about it.

Retired journalist Gary Sosniecki, the great-grandson of the victim, worked at newspapers in four states during a 43-year career that included owning three community newspapers with his journalist wife Helen. He has received dozens of awards for journalism excellence from state, national, and international newspaper organizations including, with Helen, the Eugene Cervi lifetime-achievement award from the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. Gary and his wife were inducted into the Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame in 2014. His book, The Potato Masher Murder: Death at the Hands of a Jealous Husband, is published by The Kent State University Press.

Saturday February 27 Meeting
11:00 a.m. business meeting
12:00 noon - Speakers
Tammy Ayers and Mel Cabre
The Legend of Bigfoot

TAMMY AYERS and MEL CABRE, mother-and-daughter co-authors of the new book from Indiana University Press, “The Legend of Bigfoot,” will be with us in February to tell us about their research, their interest, the people who elevated Bigfoot to super-stardom, the history, science, the myths, and all things Sasquatch!

The Legend of Bigfoot: Leaving His Mark On the World available on Amazon

TAMMY AYERS, who writes under the name T.S. Mart, specializes in true-to-life stories that showcase ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. She has background in social work and makes her home in a small Midwestern town, where she writes to inspire and entertain. Tammy owns and maintains the website cryptidworld.com, where she regularly post content about various cryptids, creatures, and fascinating creations.

MEL CABRE is a digital creature designer and illustrator who is passionate about mentoring new artists and showcasing diverse talent. Constantly inspired by the uniqueness found in nature keeps Mel’s imagination alive. Tammy is based in Greenville, Ohio while Mel splits her time between Ohio and London, UK.

Free download: A Beginner’s Guide to Cryptozoology if you Sign up for our newsletter at https://cryptidworld.com

A Guide to Sky Monsters: Thunderbirds, the Jersey Devil, Mothman, and Other Flying Cryptids coming May 2021 from Red Lightning Books

Saturday March 27 Meeting
11:00 a.m. business meeting
12:00 noon - Speaker
Author John Gilstrap
Whose Story Are You Telling?
This event will not be recorded for later viewing

Choosing the correct point of view is one of the key elements of dramatic storytelling. Bestselling author John Gilstrap has been praised by Publishers Weekly for “flawless characterization” in his books, and in this interactive session, he’ll walk you through the critical decisions that help you propel your story through the most dramatic set of eyes. There will be a writing exercise or two.

John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of Hellfire, Total Mayhem, Scorpion Strike, Final Target, Friendly Fire, Against All Enemies, End Game, High Treason, Damage Control, Threat Warning, Hostage Zero, No Mercy, Nathan’s Run, At All Costs, Even Steven, Scott Free, and Six Minutes to Freedom. His next book, Crimson Phoenix, is the first of a new series scheduled for release in February 2021.

In addition, John has written four screenplays for Hollywood, adapting the works of Nelson DeMille, Norman McLean and Thomas Harris; and he is contracted to write and co-produce the film adaptation of his book, Six Minutes to Freedom.

John received an International Thriller Writers’ Award for Against All Enemies and is a two-time ITW Award finalist. He also won the ALA Alex Award for Nathan’s Run, which was optioned for film by Warner Bros. A long-time friend of the Speed City Sisters in Crime, John is a frequent presenter at literary events—from local libraries to The Smithsonian Institution, including Indiana events such as Midwest Writers Workshop and Magna Cum Murder.

John is a renowned safety expert with extensive knowledge of explosives, hazardous materials, and fire behavior. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia and can be found online at JohnGilstrap.com.

Saturday April 24 Meeting
11:00 a.m. business meeting
12:00 noon - Speaker
Author Susan Crandall
Adaptation: From Printed Page to Big Screen

Susan Crandall

Susan will discuss how her highly acclaimed, multi-award winning novel, Whistling Past the Graveyard, captured the attention of SKR Productions and how she is working with them to develop her novel as a film.

Susan Crandall's first novel Back Roads was the winner of the Romance Writers of America award for best first book, and was followed by her string of best-selling love stories. Hailing from Noblesville, Indiana, the rapacious reader didn't envision a career as a novelist. It wasn't until she teamed up with her sister to compose four unpublished novels that Crandall was hooked, and the former dental hygienist learned she could brighten smiles with her writing rather than just a toothbrush. Her historical fiction gems, such as The Myth of Perpetual Summer and Whistling Past the Graveyard, are great reads for the beach or in front of a cozy fire.

Author website: http://susancrandall.net/

Saturday May 22 Meeting
11:00 a.m. business meeting
12:00 noon - Speaker
Author William Kent Krueger
What It Means to Be a Writer

A long-time friend of the Speed City Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Kent will join us virtually to talk about being a writer. After 20 minutes or so, he'll open up the program for a Q&A.

BIO:
Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Kent writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota, featuring Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received numerous awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last nine novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

Ordinary Grace, a stand-alone published in 2013, received the Edgar, given by the Mystery Writers of America or the best novel published in that year. Its companion novel, This Tender Land, his most recent release, was published in 2019. Coming this August is Lightning Strike, a prequel to Kent's Cork O’Connor series. It follows Cork in his adolescence, shortly before he turns 13, the year before his father is killed in the line of duty.