Next Meeting: Thursday, 29 January, at 6:30 p.m.
at the Tustin Marketplace Corner Bakery (13652 Jamboree Road, Irvine)
Chasing Clay, Lance Charnes, crime/caper
It’s pure white, deep blue… and dirty all over.
Nam Ton ware – centuries-old ceramics from Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle – captivated the DeWitt Agency’s tech-tycoon client. Now Immigration and Customs Enforcement is on his case for buying smuggled antiquities. To get immunity, he’s hired the agency to run an off-books investigation into Nam Ton’s source.
Disgraced ex-L.A. gallerist and ex-con Matt Friedrich is in charge. If he finishes within sixty days, he’ll earn an early end to his probation. If he doesn’t, he may go back to prison for bending the federal criminal code into a pretzel.
Soon enough, Matt’s in San Francisco, getting tight with Savannah, the client’s beautiful art advisor, to scam his way into the smuggling operation. As the burglary, blackmail, tax evasion and customs fraud piles up and Matt finds himself sandwiched in a federal turf war, he realizes he’s in way over his head with no good way out. And that’s before he ends up in a real live jungle.
Matt’s dealing with a type of art he knows nothing about from an area he’s seen only in war movies. Now the fate of some trafficked pottery may decide whether Matt gets his freedom… or spends a long stretch in a concrete cell.
Available for Kindle on Amazon
Trade paperback available at Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Lance Charnes has been an Air Force intelligence officer, information technology manager, computer-game artist, set designer and Jeopardy! contestant, and is now an emergency management specialist. He’s had training in architectural rendering, terrorist incident response and maritime archaeology, but not all at the same time. His Facebook author page features spies, archaeology and art crime.
Chasing Clay is the third book in the DeWitt Agency Files series, following The Collection and Stealing Ghosts.
17 Oct meeting notes; 24 Oct reading list
17 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Twelve people attended: Burt, Casey, Dennis P. (read a chapter from Winesburg Revisited), Glenda, Joanne, Lance, Leighanne, Leslie P., Maddie, Marianna, Rosie (read two chapters from The Lion and the Eagle), and Sherry C. (read a chapter from Time’s Up for Father Time).
News and Notes
There will be no 31 October meeting. There will be too many ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties about to make it to Panera.
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 22 October at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). The lineup:
- Crime writer DP Lyle.
- YA paranormal author Jolene D’Zmura.
- Multi-genre author/screenwriter Lorenzo Porricelli.
As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for more details on the authors.
The last two LIT UP! events for 2019 will be on 19 November and 10 December.
24 OCTOBER READING LIST
Maddie (10/17)
Leighanne (10/17)
Shari (10/10)
Lily (9/19)
PJ (9/12)
Leslie P. (10/17)
Burt (10/17)
Joanne (10/17)
Lance (10/17)
Dana S. (10/10)
Lisa W. (10/3)
Casey (10/17)
Glenda (10/17)
Marianna (10/17)
Dennis P. (10/17)
Sherry C. (10/17)
Rosie (10/17)
10 Oct meeting notes; 17 Oct reading list
10 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Casey, Dana S., Dennis P., Glenda, Lance, Leighanne, Leslie P., Rosie (read two chapters from The Lion and the Eagle), Shari, and Sherry C. (read two chapters from Time’s Up for Father Time).
News and Notes
There will be no 31 October meeting. There will be too many ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties about to make it to Panera.
Dennis P. finished his latest Red Car Noir novel, Frenesí, due for release in Q3 2020.
Dana’s novel Cast in Firelight, due for release in 2020, is now listed in Goodreads, in case you want to add it to your “Want to Read” shelf.
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 22 October at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
17 OCTOBER READING LIST
Maddie (9/12)
Leighanne (10/10)
Shari (10/10)
Lily (9/19)
PJ (9/12)
Leslie P. (10/10)
Burt (9/26)
Joanne (9/26)
Lance (10/10)
Dana S. (10/10)
Lisa W. (10/3)
Casey (10/10)
Dennis P. (10/10)
Glenda (10/10)
Sherry C. (10/10)
Rosie (10/10)
Marianna (8/29)
3 Oct meeting notes; 10 Oct reading list
3 OCTOBER MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Casey (read the back-cover text for The Ginormous Love Life of the Superhero’s Intern), Dennis P. (read a chapter from Winesburg Revisited), Lance, Leighanne, Lisa W. (read a chapter from Roundabout), Rosie, Shari, and Sherry C.
News and Notes
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 22 October at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
10 OCTOBER READING LIST
Maddie (9/12)
Leighanne (10/3)
Shari (10/3)
Lily (9/19)
PJ (9/12)
Leslie P. (9/19)
Burt (9/26)
Joanne (9/26)
Lance (10/3)
Dana S. (9/26)
Sherry C. (10/3)
Rosie (10/3)
Lisa W. (10/3)
Casey (10/3)
Dennis P. (10/3)
Glenda (8/22)
Marianna (8/29)
26 Sep meeting notes; 3 Oct reading list
26 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Burt, Casey, Dana S. (read a chapter from Death & Evil Try to Save the World), Dennis P., Joanne, Lance, Leighanne, Rosie (read two chapters from The Lion and the Eagle), Shari, and Sherry C. (read a short story, “The Oil Lamp”).
News and Notes
The 24 September LIT UP! was a success, with a near-capacity crowd hearing readings from Joe De Ladurantey, Kathy Porter, and husband-and-wife writing team William Zeilinger & Janet Lynn.
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 22 October at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
3 OCTOBER READING LIST
Maddie (9/12)
Glenda (8/22)
Leighanne (9/26)
Shari (9/26)
Lily (9/19)
Lisa W. (9/12)
PJ (9/12)
Marianna (8/29)
Casey (9/26)
Leslie P. (9/19)
Burt (9/26)
Joanne (9/26)
Lance (9/26)
Dennis P. (9/26)
Dana S. (9/26)
Sherry C. (9/26)
Rosie (9/26)
The Anaheim Beauties Valencia Queen, Dennis Phinney, historical fiction
What happens when: A BOY FALLS FOR A BEAUTIFUL GIRL… THE GIRL FALLS FOR HOLLYWOOD… AND THE KLAN WANTS TO OWN THEM BOTH?
The Anaheim Beauties Valencia Queen is set in “Klanaheim” amidst a hushed-up piece of California history. With stealth, in 1924, the Ku Klux Klan took over Anaheim’s city council plus ten of eleven slots on the police force. In a Roaring ’20s citrus-packing suburb of 10,000 people, where the ethics of Jay Gatsby collide with those of Elmer Gantry, an aspiring high school pitching phenom, fatherless Dean Reynolds, falls under the spell of drop-dead-gorgeous Helen Webber and her rich father.
But Helen, whose face graces orange crate labels shipped around the world, is using Dean as local arm-candy while sleeping her way through Hollywood casting couches. Her father and his “connections” all turn out to be Klansmen. After a shadowy motorcar accident kills a teammate on Dean’s prom night, Dean has no one safe to turn to. But the Klan is there to “help”.
Steeped in true but hidden history, the story’s characters and dilemmas are as relevant today as they were in 1924. This provocative coming-of-age historical novel makes our candy-coated past feel alarmingly familiar.
Trade paperback available at Amazon | Barnes & Noble
A Southern California native with a passion for history and construction, Dennis graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic with a master’s in engineering in the twilight of perceived American innocence. He returned to California following the Vietnam War and built a career as a licensed civil and mechanical engineer. Figuring novels are a sneaky way to write about the truth, he began writing fiction. He writes “Red Car Noir,” tales of the dark side of the American dream, typically set around Los Angeles in the early 1900s when a veneer of front-page optimism whitewashed the corruption that shattered lives on boulevards of broken dreams. For more information about Dennis and his writing, go to dennisphinney.flywheelsites.com.
19 Sep meeting notes; 26 Sep reading list
19 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Casey, Dana S., Dennis P. (read a short story, “Stones,” from Winesburg Revisited), Lance, Leighanne, Leslie P., Lily, Rosie (read a chapter from The Lion and the Eagle), Shari, and Sherry C. (read two revised chapters from Time’s Up for Father Time).
News and Notes
Sherry C.’s (writing as Abigail Leigh Reed) short story “The Sozzled Flapper” won honorable mention in the 88th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition in the Genre Short Story category. Congratulations!
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 24 September at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). The lineup:
- Crime writer Joe De Ladurantey.
- Science fiction author Kathy Porter.
- Mystery writers William & Janet Zeilinger.
As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
26 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Maddie (9/12)
Glenda (8/22)
Leighanne (9/19)
Shari (9/19)
Lily (9/19)
Lisa W. (9/12)
PJ (9/12)
Marianna (8/29)
Casey (9/19)
Leslie P. (9/19)
Burt (9/5)
Joanne (9/5)
Lance (9/19)
Dana S. (9/19)
Dennis P. (9/19)
Sherry C. (9/19)
Rosie (9/19)
12 Sep meeting notes; 19 Sep reading list
12 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Casey, Dana S. (read a chapter from Death & Evil Try to Save the World), Lance (read two alternate final chapters for Chasing Clay), Leighanne, Lily, Lisa W., Maddie, PJ, Rosie (read a chapter from The Lion and the Eagle), and Sherry C.
News and Notes
PJ’s latest novel, The Winner’s Circle, won a Bronze Readers’ Favorite Award. Congratulations!
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 24 September at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
19 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Maddie (9/12)
Glenda (8/22)
Leighanne (9/12)
Shari (8/22)
Lily (9/12)
Dennis P. (8/22)
Sherry C. (9/12)
Lisa W. (9/12)
PJ (9/12)
Marianna (8/29)
Casey (9/12)
Leslie P. (8/29)
Burt (9/5)
Joanne (9/5)
Rosie (9/12)
Lance (9/12)
Dana S. (9/12)
5 Sep meeting notes; 12 Sep reading list
5 SEPTEMBER MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Burt (read six revised chapters from Shadows), Casey, Dana S. (read the first chapter of Death & Evil), Joanne (read more from All Homes are Not Sweet), Lance, Leighanne, Lisa W., Maddie, Rosie, and Sherry C.
News and Notes
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 24 September at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
12 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Maddie (9/5)
Glenda (8/22)
Leighanne (9/5)
Shari (8/22)
Lily (8/8)
Dennis P. (8/22)
Sherry C. (9/5)
Lisa W. (9/5)
PJ (8/29)
Rosie (9/5)
Marianna (8/29)
Casey (9/5)
Lance (9/5)
Leslie P. (8/29)
Burt (9/5)
Dana S. (9/5)
Joanne (9/5)
29 Aug meeting notes; 5 Sep reading list
29 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Casey (read two new chapters from The Ginormous Love Life of the Superhero’s Intern), Lance (read a chapter from Chasing Clay), Leslie P. (read four chapters from Ghost Dog), Lisa W., Maddie, Marianna, PJ, and Rosie.
News and Notes
PJ will have a book signing at Sandpiper Books in Torrance on 12 October.
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 24 September at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
5 SEPTEMBER READING LIST
Burt (8/22)
Maddie (8/29)
Glenda (8/22)
Leighanne (8/22)
Shari (8/22)
Dana S. (8/8)
Lily (8/8)
Dennis P. (8/22)
Joanne (8/22)
Sherry C. (8/22)
Lisa W. (8/29)
PJ (8/29)
Rosie (8/29)
Marianna (8/29)
Casey (8/29)
Lance (8/29)
Leslie P. (8/29)
22 Aug meeting notes; 29 Aug reading list
22 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Fourteen (!) people attended: Burt, Casey, Dennis P., Glenda, Joanne, Lance, Leighanne, Leslie P., Lisa W. (read a prologue and 1.5 chapters from Roundabout), Maddie, PJ (read a story fragment, “Coincidences”), Rosie (read a chapter from The Lion and the Eagle), Shari, and Sherry C.
News and Notes
Dennis P.’s noir novel The Anaheim Beauties Valencia Queen is about to release on Amazon. Check out his website for more information.
The 20 August LIT UP! was a great success, with another capacity crowd hearing readings by local authors Carl Vonderau, Donna Kolling Lear, and Stewart Hoffman. As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and future programs.
29 AUGUST READING LIST
Burt (8/22)
Maddie (8/22)
Glenda (8/22)
Leighanne (8/22)
Shari (8/22)
Casey (8/22)
Dana S. (8/8)
Lily (8/8)
Dennis P. (8/22)
Lance (8/22)
Leslie P. (8/22)
Joanne (8/22)
Sherry C. (8/22)
Lisa W. (8/22)
PJ (8/22)
Rosie (8/22)
Marianna (7/18)
15 Aug meeting notes; 22 Aug reading list
15 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Eight people attended: Casey, Joanne (read another part of All Homes are Not Sweet), Lance, Leighanne, Leslie P. (read four reworked chapters from Ghost Dog), Maddie, Rosie, and Sherry C. (read two reworked chapters from Time’s Up for Father Time).
News and Notes
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 20 August at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). The lineup:
- Thriller writer Carl Vonderau.
- Mystery author Donna Kolling Lear.
- Sci-Fi humorist Stewart Hoffman.
As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
22 AUGUST READING LIST
Lisa W. (8/8)
Burt (8/8)
Maddie (8/15)
Glenda (7/25)
PJ (8/8)
Marianna (7/18)
Leighanne (8/15)
Shari (8/1)
Rosie (8/15)
Casey (8/15)
Dana S. (8/8)
Lily (8/8)
Dennis P. (8/8)
Lance (8/15)
Leslie P. (8/15)
Joanne (8/15)
Sherry C. (8/15)
8 Aug meeting notes; 15 Aug reading list
8 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Eleven people attended: Burt, Casey, Dana S., Dennis P. (read part 5 of Huntington Beach High School is Going to Need a New Librarian), Joanne, Lance (read a chapter from Chasing Clay), Leslie P., Lily (read part of the first chapter of The Hive), Lisa W., Maddie, and PJ.
News and Notes
LIT UP alum Baron Birtcher will speak at the Foothill Ranch Library Summer Writers Series on Saturday, 10 August, starting at 10 a.m. The library is located at 27002 Cabriole in Foothill Ranch.
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 20 August at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
15 AUGUST READING LIST
Lisa W. (8/8)
Burt (8/8)
Leslie P. (8/8)
Maddie (8/8)
Glenda (7/25)
PJ (8/8)
Marianna (7/18)
Leighanne (8/1)
Shari (8/1)
Rosie (8/1)
Joanne (8/8)
Sherry C. (8/1)
Casey (8/8)
Dana S. (8/8)
Lily (8/8)
Dennis P. (8/8)
Lance (8/8)
1 Aug meeting notes; 8 Aug reading list
1 AUGUST MEETING NOTES
Ten people attended: Casey (read the epilogue to The Ginormous Love Life of the Superhero’s Intern) (congratulations, Casey!), Joanne (read from her maybe-novel All Homes are Not Sweet), Lance, Leighanne, Leslie P., Lily, Rosie, Shari, Sherry C. (read two reworked chapters from Time’s Up for Father Time), and new member Dana S., a YA fantasy author who comes to us with a two-book deal in hand.
News and Notes
The next LIT UP! is happening at 7:00 p.m. on 20 August at Bardot Bars & Coffee, 662 El Camino Real, Tustin. You can download posters here (1-up and 2-up). As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and programs.
8 AUGUST READING LIST
Lisa W. (7/25)
Lily (8/1)
Burt (7/25)
Leslie P. (8/1)
Maddie (7/25)
Glenda (7/25)
PJ (6/27)
Dennis P. (7/25)
Marianna (7/18)
Leighanne (8/1)
Shari (8/1)
Rosie (8/1)
Lance (8/1)
Joanne (8/1)
Sherry C. (8/1)
Casey (8/1)
Dana S. (8/1)
25 July meeting notes; 1 Aug reading list
25 JULY MEETING NOTES
Fourteen people attended: Burt, Casey (read two chapters from The Ginormous Love Life of the Superhero’s Intern), Dennis P., Glenda, Joanne, Lance (read a chapter from Chasing Clay), Leighanne, Leslie P., Lily, Lisa W., Maddie, Rosie (read a chapter from The Lion and the Eagle), Shari, and Sherry C.
News and Notes
The 23 July LIT UP! was a success, with a near-capacity crowd hearing readings from Gayle Carline, Dirk Sayers, and Niloo Sarabi. As always, be sure to check the LIT UP Facebook page for details on past authors and upcoming programs.
1 AUGUST READING LIST
Lisa W. (7/25)
Lily (7/25)
Burt (7/25)
Leslie P. (7/25)
Maddie (7/25)
Glenda (7/25)
PJ (6/27)
Dennis P. (7/25)
Marianna (7/18)
Leighanne (7/25)
Joanne (7/25)
Sherry C. (7/25)
Shari (7/25)
Casey (7/25)
Rosie (7/25)
Lance (7/25)
Pure Fiction League 