June is another super-busy month for the Mesdames with lots of events. We look forward to taking a break over the summer holidays to catch up on reading – and writing!

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Big hugs and congrats to Mme Melodie Campbell, our Queen of Comedy for her terrific job as MC at this year’s Arthur Ellis Award Gala. Proof that those tough years doing stand-up comedy as a woman do pay off! Joking aside, we Canadian crime writers really are a nice crowd.

Michael Martin, President of CWC, announced two changes for the 2020 Arthur Ellis Awards. The Best Novel Award will now be sponsored by Kobo   and the Best First Novel Award by Maureen Jennings, distinguished Canadian crime fiction author and creator of the world famous Murdoch series.

BIG NEWS!

Announcing the winner of the contest for emerging writers for our new anthology, In the Key of Thirteen.

The winning story is “A Contrapuntal Killing” by Blair Keetch.

Ever since he was young, Blair Keetch has been an avid fan of mysteries – everything from Christie to Connelly. His checkered work history includes roles as an airline project manager, overseer at a pet event centre and promoter of Ontario tourism. He is currently working on his first mystery novel, Flight Risk.

MORE NEWS!

The Bloody Words Minicon, chaired by Mme Caro Soles, took place with great fun on Friday, May 24th. This year’s winner of the Bony Blithe prize is Mike Martin for his mystery, Darkest Before the Dawn.

The Bony Blithe award, for mysteries that make you smile, was created by Mmes Cheryl Freedman and Caro Soles. Caro’s retirement from the Board was recognized through a presentation by panelists and attendees.

 

EVENTS AND READINGS!

Limestone Genre Expo takes place on Saturday, June 1st at the Kingston Frontenac Library, 130 Johnson Street, Kingston from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Panels, workshops and the vendor room run throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

 

Mmes M. H. Callway, Madona Skaff and Caro Soles will be attending. Caro moderates a panel on “How to Get Through the Mushy Middle” while Madeleine leads a discussion on “Self-Publishing or Not”. Both Caro and Madeleine will be on a panel discussing the trials and tribulations of writing cross genre.

In the evening, the Crime Writers of Canada are hosting a pub night at 7:00 pm at  the Kingston Brew Pub, 34 Clarence Street.

On Tuesday, June 4th, 2:oo pm, Caro will hold her writing workshop, “The Plot Thickens!” at the Beaches Library, 2161 Queen Street East, Toronto.

And on Tuesday, June 11th, 2:00 pm, M. H. Callway will be back at the Beaches Library to give her popular workshop, “How to Get Published.”

 

On Wednesday, June 5th, 6:30 to 8:00 pm, Mme Rosemary McCracken join fellow CWC members Nate Hendley, Lorna Poplak, Desmond P. Ryan and John Worsley Simpson to talk about Toronto the Bad. All of the authors have written books set in Toronto. The panel will be at Armour Heights Library, 2140 Avenue Rd, Toronto.

And on Tuesday, June 18th, 6:00 pm, M. H. Callway will visit Rosemary’s Novel Writing II class at George Brown College to discuss the challenges of today’s book publishing scene.

On Thursday, June 13th, 7 pm, Mme Lisa De Nikolits will be reading at Toronto’s Noir at the Bar which takes place at the Wallace Gastro Pub, 1954 Yonge Street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, June 18th, 6:30pm, Mmes Catherine Dunphy, Lisa De Nikolits, Marilyn Kay and Lynne Murphy join forces at the Runnymede Library, 2178 Bloor St., Toronto to discuss Canadian women in crime fiction, their writing and the book publishing industry.

 

 

On Saturday, June 29th, 11 am to 2 pm, Mme Madona Skaff joins fellow CWC author, Jim Napier, at a book signing at Chapters Indigo,  47 Rideau Street, Ottawa.