The Mesdames of Mayhem will be publishing an anthology of short stories in the fall. It’s been an interesting process and for Mesdames Madeleine Harris-Callway, Donna Carrick and myself, Joan O’Callaghan, the learning curve has arced steadily upwards.

The anthology is the brainchild of Madeleine Harris-Callway. She assembled the rest of the Mesdames and invited them to contribute. We were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception to her idea, and from so many talented women.

From then on it was a matter of working the logistics of putting this together – and writing our own stories as well!! Madeleine and Donna brought together their formidable talents in the fields of project management, finance, publishing and social media and something special took root and continues to blossom and grow.

It’s not always easy. Writers by definition are a solitary lot and trying to keep them on track to meet our deadlines is sometimes akin to herding cats.

Madeleine is the task-mistress and she’s done an admirable job of reminding us and pinging us when necessary. The file of completed stories is growing daily. Most of the stories are in now, and we’re delighted by the quality. We expect to have a stellar collection available in time for Christmas shopping. We set our deadlines and publications dates with the holiday season in mind. So bear in mind those people on your list who enjoy a good mystery. Available as both a print and an e-book, the anthology will be the perfect gift.

Sometimes opportunities fall into our hands and we need to recognize them. Such an opportunity presented itself last week, when friend of the Mesdames and talented artist Jane Coryell told me that she was designing the set for the Village Players in Waterdown, Ontario. This group will be mounting a production of Murder by the Book in the late fall. The script involves a group of women who write mysteries. Hello!!!! Here we are!! Jane was only too happy to approach the Director and Producer and the collaboration between the Mesdames of Mayhem and the Village Players was born. In forthcoming blog-posts we’ll tell you more about this production and our role. So stay tuned!!