Mystery writer speaks at CLU

Paula L. Woods, the author of the acclaimed Charlotte Justice mystery series, will speak on "The Mystery Genre: The Rise of the Ethnic Detective" at 7:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 27 in the Lundring Events Center in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at California Lutheran University, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.

Woods will also lead a Creative Writing Workshop at 11 a.m. Thurs., Feb. 28 in the Roth Nelson Room on campus. She will discuss the vocation of a writer and answer questions about the creative process.

Both appearances are free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended for the workshop.

The Charlotte Justice books have won numerous awards, spent time on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list and made "best of" lists in Los Angeles, Seattle and Orlando. The first, "Inner City Blues," received the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery, was named Best First Novel by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was nominated for the Edgar and Anthony awards for Best First Mystery Novel.

Woods and her husband, Felix H. Liddell, also wrote "I, Too, Sing America: The African American Book of Days" and "I Hear a Symphony: African Americans Celebrate Love." They edited "Merry Christmas, Baby: A Christmas and Kwanzaa Treasury."

Woods is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and regularly reviews books for the Los Angeles Times.

For reservations or more information, call Judith Samuel at (805) 493-3092 or e-mail jsamuel@callutheran.edu.