February '12 Events

Here's what we've scheduled for February. Click to see March.
Check back often because we update all the time with exciting new events.

Click on our Author & Musician Scrapbook link to get a peek at some past events.

			An evening with Bestselling Author, Deborah Crombie Thursday, February 9, 7 pm: Bestselling author Deborah Crombie comes to the WRC! Join us for an exciting evening. Deborah, a New York Times Notable Author comes her most suspenseful and eerie tale to date in her chilling mystery, NO MARK UPON HER. New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie makes her mark with this absorbing, finely hued tale of suspense—a deeply atmospheric and twisting mystery full of deadly secrets, salacious lies, and unexpected betrayals involving the mysterious drowning of a Met detective—an accomplished rower—on the Thames. When a K9 search-and-rescue team discovers a woman's body tangled up with debris in the river, Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid finds himself heading an investigation fraught with complications. The victim, Rebecca Meredith, was a talented but difficult woman with many admirers—and just as many enemies. An Olympic contender on the verge of a controversial comeback, she was also a high-ranking detective with the Met—a fact that raises a host of political and ethical issues in an already sensitive case. To further complicate the situation, a separate investigation, led by Detective Inspector Gemma James, Kincaid's wife, soon reveals a disturbing—and possibly related—series of crimes, widening the field of suspects. But when someone tries to kill the search-and-rescue team member who found Rebecca's body, the case becomes even more complex and dangerous, involving powerful interests with tentacles that reach deep into the heart of the Met itself. Deborah Crombie grew up near Dallas, Texas, but from a child always had the inexplicable feeling that she belonged in England. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, she made her first trip to Britain and felt she'd come home. She later lived in both Chester, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland, where she failed to make as good a use of being cold and poor as JK Rowling. It was not until almost a decade later that, living once more in Texas and raising her small daughter, she had the idea for her first novel, a mystery set in Yorkshire. She had no credentials other than a desire to write and a severe case of homesickness for Britain. A SHARE IN DEATH, published in 1993, was short-listed for both Agatha and Macavity awards for Best First Novel and was awarded the Macavity.She is the author of more than a dozen novels, including the recent NECESSARY AS BLOOD and DREAMING OF THE BONES.


The critics rave about NO MARK UPON HER: “Crombie has laid claim to the literary territory of moody psychological suspense owned by PD James and Barbara Vine.” — Washington Post “A master storyteller who weaves a compelling, richly textured tale…Highly recommended.” — Boston Globe “A masterful novelist.” — Denver Post “Rich and complex.” — Times (London)

Writing Workshop: Author Branding: Standing Out in a Very Large Crowd Saturday, February 11, 2 pm: What is a “brand”? Simply stated, says Kris Tualla, author of LOVING THE NORSEMAN and LOVING THE KNIGHT, it is the prompt that makes readers, editors, and agents think specifically of you. Do you already have a tag line: a short, snappy phrase that describes your writing? Come learn more and do some brainstorming to discover your unique brand! Kris says branding is not just for writers about to be published, but even more useful for pre-published writers It not only helps them solidify what they write, it gives them a handle to sell themselves to editors, agents, and the public. In a few short years, Kris Tualla has built a dynamite career and become a rising star who creates great buzz wherever she appears. She writes with a fast-paced and succinct style. Her plots are full of twists, passion, and very satisfying outcomes. Kris started in 2006 with nothing but a nugget of a character in mind, and has created a dynasty - The Hansen Series. Norway is the new Scotland! An enthusiastic speaker and teacher, Kris is an active member of both Romance Writers of America and the Historical Novel Society. In LOVING THE NORSEMAN, Grier MacInnes has buried three fiancés in the Black Death; soon she'll be replaced by her cousin's teen bride as Lady of Durness Castle. After two decades in Greenland, Rydar Hansen is desperate to return to Norway and reclaim his inheritance ~ if he still has one. Thrown together by a North Sea storm, they don't speak the same language. But apart from each other, they have no future. The Pen and Muse Reviews describes it as: “…a great read with intriguing and memorable characters!"

				Meet & greet bestselling author, Michael Gruber Friday, February 17, 7 pm: We are extremely honored to be hosting a meet and greet with NYT Bestselling author, Michael Gruber. With over ten million books in print, Michael Gruber Michael Gruber is a well acknowledged master of the thriller novel, whose latest book, THE GOOD SON has been compared to the works of John Le Carré and Graham Greene. The critics are raving about THE GOOD SON. Booklist wrote in its starred review, “Is there anything Gruber can’t write about? In this richly textured tale…there are twists and tensions aplenty—ideas, too.” Publishers Weekly’s coveted starred included, “The brilliant character development and the labyrinthine plot line, not to mention the absorbing history of modern jihadism and the U.S. war on terrorism, make this a provocative thriller that readers won’t soon forget.” The Denver Post described him as a member of "the elite ranks of those who can both chill the blood and challenge the mind" Some of his other titles include THE BOOK OF AIR AND SHADOWS and THE FORGERY OF VENUS. THE GOOD SON summary: Somewhere in Pakistan, Sonia Laghari and eight fellow members of a symposium on peace are being held captive by armed terrorists. Sonia, a deeply religious woman as well as a Jungian psychologist, has become the de facto leader of the kidnapped group. While her son Theo, an ex-Delta soldier, uses his military connections to find and free the victims, Sonia tries to keep them all alive by working her way into the kidnappers' psyches and interpreting their dreams. With her knowledge of their language, her familiarity with their religion, and her Jungian training, Sonia confounds her captors with her insights and beliefs. Meanwhile, when the kidnappers decide to kill their captives, one by one, in retaliation for perceived crimes against their country, Theo races against the clock to try and save their lives. A true Renaissance man, he has studied octopus behavior for his PhD in marine sciences. He has also been a chef at several Miami restaurants, and at other times in his life he has been a self-described hippie, a roadie for various rock groups, a Dade County manager, and eventually worked in the Carter White House and as a speechwriter at the EPA. His first commercial writing job was to write a courtroom thriller for Robert K. Tanenbaum, which was published under Tanenbaum’s name. Come and meet this extraordinary writer. Michael will also be conducting a 2-day workshop on writing the thriller, Saturday & Sunday, February 18 & 19, at the Sedona Art Center. Click for more information.

Native American Program: Walking the Spiritual Road in Harmony with Nature….
The Indigenous Way

A Talk and Discussion Circle with Jim ‘Graywolf’ Petruzzi

Friday, February 24, 7 pm: Come enjoy an evening with Jim "Graywolf" Petruzzi and the circle that forms. Jim’s talk will circle around his book WHITE MAN, RED ROAD, FIVE COLORS and the spiritual road he has walked with Native American and other indigenous teachers for the past twenty-five years.

The Discussion Circle will invite questions of Jim and discussions of other spiritual paths based on the teachings of ancestors and the Earth Mother. Jim will also speak to the changes we are all going through now in this time predicted in many cultures, and how we work with these shifts.
Come so we can talk together about what we have learned, but also how we now act as times of great change are upon us

Jim Petruzzi grew up in Pennsylvania in an Italian American household. After years of operating his own businesses, Jim moved to Colorado in 1991. There he studied environmental impacts at Colorado State and met the Native American teachers who changed his path to a spiritual one. He has worked and studied with indigenous people in many parts of the world. Today he travels around Turtle Island (USA), teaching and sharing his healing and spiritual knowledge

Writing Workshop: A Writer’s Workout

Saturday, February 25, 2 pm: Do you want to be a better writer? Come to a workshop that teaches you to fix common writing problems.

Desert Sleuths, the Arizona chapter of Sisters in Crime, will lead you through exercises to round out your characters and tighten your plots. Our panel of published authors will show how to pump up your style so that your distinctive voice emerges.

Handouts will provide “before” and “after” visuals of better writing. At the end of the training session, you’ll have a workout by rewriting a piece of flabby prose into a dramatic scene.

The Desert Sleuths will be here to debut their newest anthology, SOWEST, SO WILD. Bestselling author Meg Gardiner write of it: “Arizona proves hot, dry and deadly…There’s something for everyone to enjoy here, in tales of murder ranging from the humorous to the macabe.”