November Meeting Featuring Claudia H. Long: Small Town, Big Secrets
November 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Claudia Hagadus Long (Claudia H. Long) is a lawyer and writer in the tiny wine-soaked town of Calistoga. Her long writing career includes the Zara and Lilly mystery series, one of which, NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW (Kasva Press) has been optioned for a feature film. TRUCK A DUCK (August 2025) and MURDER WITHOUT A DUCK (2024) (A Simpato Mystery series, Sibylline Press Digital First) are humorous-edge-of-cozy mysteries, with wine, cannabis-cookie-selling nuns, and awful duck puns! When she’s not lawyering or writing, she weaves, cooks, and dotes on her grandchildren. www.claudiahlong.com
Small Town, Big Secrets:
Writing the Small-Town Mystery
Small town, big secrets! Join local mystery writer Claudia H. Long for a chat about modern small-town mysteries. Creating a whole town, with characters, streets, history and charm, and adding a murder? Mini-world-building at its best.
In a big-city mystery, you can put your characters in all kinds of hot water without worrying about hurting the local baker’s feelings, but when you write the modern small-town mystery, your neighbors may take offense. We’ll talk about how to create a wonderful fictional village your readers will want to return to over and over.
SCHEDULE
10:30 – 11:00 Sign-in and Network
11:00 – 12:00 Zio Fraedo Reminisce/Good-byes
12:00 – 1:00 Buffet lunch & Business Meeting
1:00 – 2:00 Featured Presentation
COST
Members: $30 Guests: $35
Includes Buffet Lunch
Pay online or at the door
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For Members: Early Bird Registration
Save $10.00 when you register before 10:00 a.m. on the Friday before our meeting.
Schedule
10:30 – 11:00 Sign-in and Network
11:00 – 12:00 Zio Fraedo Reminisce/Good-byes
12:00 – 1:00 Buffet lunch & Business Meeting
1:00 – 2:00 Featured Presentation
Guest Vouchers
Give a friend $10.00 off a General Meeting or Workshop
- Invite a guest who has never attended a Mt. Diablo meeting
- Request a voucher for your guest for $10.00 off a meeting or workshop.
- We will email your guest a voucher number and the link to register for the meeting.
- Your guest registers for the meeting, enters the voucher number, and receives a $10.00 discount.
Covid-19 Guidelines
- CWC-Mt. Diablo Branch will abide by all state and local guidelines to ensure attendees’ safety.
- If you are not feeling well, or are uncomfortable with in-person meetings, please do not attend.
- Masks are optional.
For complete information, see Contra Costa Health Department for new local health orders.
Meeting Policy for Guests under Age 13
While CWC-Mt. Diablo strives to ensure our meetings, whether in-person or online, are safe for all, participant views are their own. Youth under 13 years old must have their adult join them for this event. By registering you are acknowledging that you are over 13, and that you intend to participate in this program. If you are under 13, please ask your adult to help you sign up. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of every third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our meetings.
Cancellation Policy
We accept cancellations up to 24 hours in advance of the meeting. If you paid with PayPal, you will receive a refund. If you cancel after the deadline, no refund is given. In that case, if you choose to pay at the door, we will bill you for the payment.
