Capitol Crimes is the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2018

From the President

members running for our officers for theelection in May, so start thinking now!Our speaker this month, Kip Joachim, isn’t astranger to some of us. I’ve known Kip’sparents for many, many years, and VirginiaKidd remembers him fondly as a student atCSUS.

And in March, we’ll hear about security andpolicing for NASA.

Remember, we have a no-host lunchbeginning at 11:30 at Perkos, 9647 MicronAvenue, Sacramento and the meeting startsat 1 p.m. at the Rancho Cordova Library, 9845Folsom Blvd.

Is it Spring?

From our weather, youmight think so, but truespring is better than amonth away. I’m reveling inthe warm days now, andsome daffodils and iris arepoking their heads up. Westill need rain and lots of

snow to see us through the summer withoutanother year of drought. Fingers crossed for amiracle March!

Beginning in March, Linda Townsend, ourNominating Committee chair, will begathering names to put together a slate of

Are you going to Left Coast Crime in Reno?

This year it’s March 22-25. If you’re registered, would you be interested in

being part of a carpool? Heading up either Wednesday March 21 or Thursday

March 22, coming home either Sunday, March 25 or Monday, March 26.

Also, Bouchercon 2020 (Yay!) will be staffing a table with information

and registration materials, and I’m planning to spend a lot of time there. If

you’d be willing to sit for a bit and chat to people about all the wonderful

things Sacramento has to offer, let me know!

Email me for carpool or ambassador duties, micheledrier@att.net

Kip Joachim, Retired Sacramento Deputy Sheriff

Special Agent, Ryan Pittman, NASA Inspector General’s Office

This year LCC is in Reno, our very own chapter area—so watch for news about how we’ll begetting together during ., Book bags, panels, meet-ups, membersignings, etc.

Featuring an author panel discussing their experiences with Q&A at the end

10:00-6:00, downtown BerkeleyA festival, for and about books—panels, talks, Noir at the Bar, crafts, guest writers, and more.

(Tentative)

: End of the year luncheon at El Tapatio’s on Sunrise in Citrus Heights

Four days of writing intensive workshops and coaching by New York Times Bestselling Author,Hallie Ephron. A few spaces remain. Registration and general info are later in this newsletter.

Christopher “Kip” Joachim retired from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department in 2017.

Over half of Kip’s 31-year career in law enforcement was spent in investigative assignments,including narcotics, sexual assaults and homicide. At the time of Kip’s retirement he wasserving as the commander of the Sacramento Hi Tech Crimes Task Force and the SacramentoRegional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Since 2017, Kip has been a lead instructor for California POST’s Robert Presley Institute ofCriminal Investigation, specializing in Crime Scene Management and Interview andInterrogation.

Kip was raised in the Monterey Bay area and went to school at Sacramento State Universitywhere his favorite professor was Capitol Crimes member Dr. Virginia Kidd.

He’s currently working on a murder mystery that he and his father, retired San Jose MercuryNews reporter Lee Joachim, began several years ago.

Mark your calendars! Special Agent Ryan Pittman, Criminal Investigator and ResidentAgent in Charge for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office ofInspector General, Computer Crimes Division at Ames Center near San Jose, California(Whew! What a title!) is our guest speaker on March 17th.

Special Agent Pittman’s career spans more than 20 years in law enforcement and foren-sic science. In his capacity with NASA OIG, he also serves as a Digital Forensics specialist,conducting forensic examinations of hard drives, digital media, and other types of digitalevidence in the context of criminal investigations.

Before NASA, Special Agent Pittman served in the U.S. Army for nine years as a MilitaryPoliceman (and, subsequently, a Criminal Investigator with US Army CID) in locations in-cluding Georgia, Texas, Japan, Cuba, Korea, Kuwait, and Iraq. While with Army CID, Spe-

cial Agent Pittman investigated all manner of crimes, from traffic accidents to DWI, burglaries to robberies,suicides to murders, all while developing specific specialties in criminal investigation, crime sceneinvestigation/criminalistics, and digital (computer) forensic examination.

His work as an Active Duty Army CID Agent led to stints with the US Army’s Computer Crimes Investigative Unit(as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of its Digital Forensic & Research Branch) and work with various digi-tal forensic service and litigation support providers in the private sector.

Special Agent Pittman has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Science degree in Man-agement of Information System Security, and a Master of Forensic Sciences degree. In addition, he has complet-ed all but his dissertation (A.B.D.) for his Ph.D. in Business Administration in Information Security degree and iscurrently completing a Professional Certificate in Advanced Computer Security at Stanford University.

He has authored several publications, such as textbooks for Guidance Software's Network Intrusion

Investigation courses and the "Windows Forensic Analysis" chapter of the with Eoghan Casey. In addition, he isa reviewer/referee for the international , as well as serving on the NIST Organizationof Scientific Area Subcommittees (OSAC) Digital Evidence Subcommittee.

Dying for a Diamond is a finalist for the 2018 LEFTY Award for BestHumorous Mystery.

Pat Canterbury just learned that the anthology has been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Horror

Fiction. The writers will find out if the book won on March 3. Pat saysshe will have to add horror author to her resume.

February release of Book Six in the Hollis Morgan Mystery Series by RaeJames (writing as: R. Franklin James): . On sale nowat Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Independent bookstores.

Sadly, I’ve not worked on my long-unfinished mystery sincelate last summer. Happily, though, that’s because I was buriedin an entirely different—though non-mystery—project,published this month by Shattered Glass Press viaIngramSpark. My pal Jackie Smith (who also happens to berunning for the 6th District Assembly seat) recruited me asco-writer for her story of how she ended up a giant silverburrito in the 2016 Inaugural Parade. Not strictly a politicaltale, Jackie’s illustrated narrative of her transformation from abanner-making campaign volunteer to an electoral candidateherself will appeal to anyone who watched or participated inthe recent women’s marches.

Tales from the Ironing Board: Hillary Clinton, the Inauguration, the Women’s March, and Me

Jackie Smith, with Mary Griffith

Shattered Glass PressISBN 978-0-9997949-0-6 (hardcover)ISBN 978-0-9997949-1-3 (ebook)

My new book, (Perseverance Press), will bereleased April 1.The program schedule for Left Coast Crime, Crime on the Comstock,Reno, March 22-25, is now available. (www.leftcoastcrime.org/2018).

I’ll be on two panels:Thursday, noon-12:45 Regrets, I’ve Had a Few: What I Wish I KnewWhen I Started, moderated by Thomas PerryFriday, 4:00-4:45, I’ll be moderating Come Fly with Me: InternationalSettings, with panelists Cara Black, Annamarie Alfieri, Jane Stillwater,and Nancy Tingley

At 10:10 I’ll be reading from as a One Shot.

I hope to see you there.

FBI Special Agent Jake Bernstein is recruited by MI5 to help investigate an American grandmother wanted forWW II war crimes. Irish-born Mary McCoy is suspected of being a notorious Nazi spy. Flashbacks to Mary's life inCounty Kerry, Ireland and to her work in Churchill's War Department provide the reader insights that AgentBernstein must dig deeply to discover. He wants to exonerate the old lady but as more and more evidencesurfaces, Bernstein is forced to face the truth. Falling in love with her beautiful granddaughter threatens to cloudhis judgment during this investigation.

Agent Jake Bernstein goes undercover as a Lebanese-American biotech engineer in his most dangerousassignment to date. His order: Expose and stop an Islamic terrorist cell in Silicon Valley before thousands arekilled.

While trying to keep his girlfriend safe from men suspected of committing an attempted honor killing, AgentBernstein helps a team of Navy Crime Investigators in San Diego to solve the murder of a Navy weaponsspecialist. In the process, he uncovers a ring of Chinese spies bent on stealing Navy weapons secrets.

Go to: The Wild Rose Press/RomanticSuspense Author Donna Del OroBuy these books at: Amazon, Kindle,Apple, Nook, The Wild Rose PressCheck out: www.donnadeloro.com;

Facebook/author DonnaDelOro

CelticLady’sReviews, about A BODYGUARD OFLIES (Book One): “Exploring the intricacies ofhuman emotion and passion for a cause, ABodyguard of Lies is a must read... I highlyrecommend this book…and the entire serieswith unforgettable hero, FBI agent JakeBernstein.”

LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS (March 1, 2017):“The villain was well rounded, the characterswere intriguing, and the plot was well pacedand exciting. I highly recommend A Bodyguard

of Lies to anyone who enjoys romanticsuspense.”

This is the retreat for you if you are ready to develop your book, fine tune yourmanuscript, perfect your writing-in-progress, or just set aside time to write in quietsanctuary.

RETREAT COACH

New York Times Bestselling Author, Hallie Ephron

LIMITED NUMBER OF SPACES REMAIN

INCLUDES LODGING, ALL MEALS, WORKSHOPS, ONE-ON-ONE COACHING

CHRIST THE KING RETREAT CENTERCITRUS HEIGHTS, CAJune 21 – 24, 2018$450 (Full Program)$325 (w/o Coaching)

$50 DEPOSIT TO HOLD YOUR SPOT UNTIL APRIL 6TH

Register at: https://capitolcrimes.wildapricot.org/

CONTACT RAE at: rfjames712@gmail.com OR SONJA at: literaryhazzard@comcast.net

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27th Annual Northern California Publishers & Authors (NCPA)Book AWARDS Competition ENTRY DEADLINE Thursday 15 February

! Did you publish between 1 January 2017 and 31 Dec 2017, including books that came out under a new

edition during the year? If so, submit online or contact Sharon Darrow to get four copies of your book

to her by 15 February 2018.! Three copies will be for sale at the banquet, and you’ll receive payment for books sold. All unsold will

be returned, so you’re actually donating only one book for the competition.

!! Entry form and Registration information ready at https://www.norcalpa.org/book-awards or contact

President and Book Awards Chair Sharon Darrow at: sharon@sharonsdarrow.com916-803-1665. NCPA website: norcalpa.org

NCPA membership $40, includes perks

Entry fee:

• $65 members

• $95 non-members

$30.00 of each Entry Fee covers one dinner at the 2017-2018 NCPA Awards Banquet5pm SUN 22 APRIL 2018 * CHERRY ISLAND GOLF COURSE Elverta, CA

Categories:

• General Fiction

• General Non-Fiction

• Non-Fiction Memoir

• Children's

• Young Adult

• Poetry

• Trade Publications.

! Winners receive a plaque and supply of gold award winner stickers for book covers.

! PR provided to local media, and more.

! Panel of five judges, winners announced at Book Awards Banquet 22 April 2018

ENTRY DEADLINE Thu 15 February 2018

! We currently have 22 entries

! Tell your friends and other writing buds, even if they aren't a member; you don't have to be a member

to enter. It just costs more.

Even if you don’t have a book to submit, please consider attending the Awards Banquet on 22 April for a great

all you can eat Tri-tip and chicken plus all the trimmings buffet for only $30, plus good camaraderie with a like-

minded crowd, and support your fellow authors.

. Emcee will be author Sam Shane, former Anchor for Channel 13 TV.Hope to see y’all at the Cherry Island Golf Course in Elverta Sunday 22 April 2018.

More info? Go to our NCPA website at norcalpa.org Questions? Norma Jean 916-991-5751

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Sacramento Chapter Officers

NewsletterSusan Williams

web@capitolcrimes.org