Links

Some links for your exploration

To learn more about tole/decorative painting…

Society of Decorative Painters
Prudy Vannier’s YouTube channel – videos demonstrating basic brushstrokes
DecoArt Come Paint With Us – free videos and instructions for beginning projects
Society of Decorative Painters Make With Paint – you can purchase a supply kit and videos with beginning projects here
Steady Wrist: Decorative Painting 101 – Links to painting on different surfaces, basic brushstrokes and lots and lots of other useful stuff.
DecoArt Learning Center – free library of art related videos for all ages.

To learn about art in general…

A Guide to Watercolors, Oils, Acrylic, Pastels – A bit about various kinds of artistic mediums.
Learn to draw Charlie Brown – A short YouTube step-by-step tutorial on drawing Charlie Brown of the Peanuts comic strip

Places to buy painting supplies…

Craft Supply House – General craft supplies, miniatures, wood shapes and more
Cupboard Distributing – pattern books, packets, surfaces, Zoom classes, paint and all sorts of other painting supplies
Palette and Sawdust – laser and scroll saw cutting
Viking Woodcrafts – pattern books, packets, surfaces, paint and all sorts of other painting supplies
Wood Things (Canadian supplier) – Canada’s largest mail order supplier of laser cut wood shapes

Painting conventions and expos you can attend…

Oklahoma City Painting Palooza – held in Oklahoma.
New England Traditions (NET) – held in Massachusetts
Pacific Decorative Painters Expo – held in Clackamas, Oregon, near Portland. NEW
APCExpo – held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. First expo will be in 2024.. NEW

Painting Magazines…

Pixelated Palette – e-zine for decorative painting, mixed media and more
Painting World – Print magazine for decorative painters, mixed media artists and crafters
Painting Ezine – e-zine for decorative painting
Artistry Today – e-zine for all artists

Support independent bookstores…

IndieBound Bookstore finder – search for an independent bookstore in your area
Book Carnival – Orange, CA
Mysterious Galaxy
– San Diego, CA
Mystery Ink – Huntington Beach, CA
Pages – Manhattan Beach, CA
The Book Jewel – Los Angeles, CA (near LAX)

Mystery Conferences…

Bouchercon – world mystery convention home
California Crime Writers Conference – presented by Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles and SoCalMWA
Left Coast Crime – mystery conference held in Western North America
Malice Domestic – mystery conference celebrating the traditional mystery

Mystery Organizations…

Sisters in Crime – national website
Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles
– Los Angeles chapter
Mystery Writers of America – national website
SoCalMWA – Southern California chapter

General Mystery and Writing Links…

Coupon Follow Guide for Authors/Writers – a lot of interesting links on various topics such as formatting a manuscript, getting an agent, editing a book, writing a book proposal…lots of useful stuff here.
Booksradar, books in the right order – a site listing different authors (including me) and their books in the order they were written.
SuperSummary’s mystery resource guide – Lots of interesting links
Writing Careers – Zen Business’s post on the business behind becoming an author
Creative Jobs for English Majors – from Maryville University

Podcasts to listen to…

Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast – Presented by King’s River Life Magazine, readings of first chapters of books and short stories
Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast – Author John Gaspard interviews people in the magic community followed by Jim Cunningham reading a chapter of Gaspard’s first book, The Ambitious Card.
The Cozy Corner with Alexia Gordon – Author Alexia Gordon interviews cozy and traditional mystery authors
Cozy Ink Podcast – Author Leah Bailey interviews cozy mystery authors
Criminal Mischief: The Art and Science of Crime Fiction – Physician and author DP Lyle M.D. talks about various aspects of forensics and crime fiction
The Food That Built America – History channel podcast about the history of famous food brands.
HISTORY This Week – History channel podcast featuring events throughout history

Miscellaneous…

Making a Tiny Book – YouTube video on how to make a tiny book
Sybil Johnson – Voice actor and narrator of books, sometimes confused with me.
The Best Halloween Mysteries to Escape Into – my list at shepherd.com
My 3 Favorite Reads of 2023 – my list on shepherd.com
100 Best Books of 2023 – Shepherd.com list

And just for fun…

Jigsaw Planet – Sybil’s Jigsaw Planet page NEW
Henri LeChatNoir’s YouTube channel – my favorite existential cat
RijksMuseum Flashmob – a flashmob recreates my favorite painting. The best “ad” I’ve ever seen for a museum
Seattle Public Library Book Domino Chain – fun to watch, the chain celebrated their 2013 summer reading program
Sad Cat Diary – YouTube video