Happy New Year everyone. We are beginning 2016 with a special event. On Thursday, January 21st, the Toronto launch of Maverick Publisher: J. Patrick O’Callaghan, A Life In Newspapers will be held at Ryerson University, Room RCC 103, 80 Gould St., Toronto. Pat’s widow, Mme. Joan O’Callaghan, is a founding member of the Mesdames and she was instrumental in the publication of the memoir.

The first launch was held in Calgary in November, 2015 (see our interview with Joan, November 14th, 2015) but Pat had many friends in Toronto who were unable to attend so a second launch has been organized.

A number of the Mesdames have been involved in the book. M. Ed Piwowarczyk  is the editor assisted by Mme. Rosemary McCracken and the publishers are Donna and Alex Carrick of Carrick Publishing.

Globe and Mail  columnist Margaret Wente, a friend to both Pat and Joan, will act as MC at the launch.

Mme. Melodie Campbell’s newest, The Goddaughter Caper, will be available on Jan. 19th in print in Chapters, Indigo, Amazon and Barnes & Noble and in all the usual places in ebook.  Details on the launch in our next blog.

Mme Rosemary Aubert will speak at Taylor Memorial  Library, 1440 Kingston Rd., Toronto on Tuesday, January 27th at 2:00 p.m. Rosemary,  whose latest book in the Ellis Portal series is Don’t Forget You Love Me,  will talk about the issues the Ellis Portal novels have raised and what it takes to be a mystery novelist.

On Wednesday, January 28th, several of the Mesdames will attend the Ontario Public Libraries Confence in Toronto as part of the CWC program. This is an event for librarians to meet Canadian writers and learn what is new and forthcoming. Participants will be Mesdames M. H. Callway with Thirteen O’clock,  Melodie Campbell with The Goddaughter Caper,  Lisa de Nikolits with  The Nearly Girl, (due in the Fall of this year), and Rosemary McCracken, who is almost finished her third Pat Tierney novel, working title Raven Lake.  Rosemary’s publisher, Imajin Books, has expressed interest in the new book and so have her readers.

The Mesdames were honoured by being asked to participate in a City of Burlingon Museums event, the Burlington Heritage Fair on Saturday, February 6th. This year’s theme is “Women on the  Move”.

Melodie Campbell

Joan O’Callaghan

M. H. Callway

Lisa De Nikolits

The event celebrates women in the arts, business, politics and history on the 100th anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Canada. It will be held at the Central Branch of the Burlington Library. Mmes. M.H. Callway,  Joan O’Callaghan , Lisa de Nikolitis and Melodie Campbell will represent the Mesdames  to talk about our anthologies and their own work.