HAPPY SPRING TO ALL OUR READERS!

And it will be one to remember.

April opens crime writing award season! Many Mesdames and Monsieurs have entries in this year’s Arthur Ellis Awards. Good luck, everyone!

The  2020 Arthur Ellis Awards Shortlist Event was supposed to take place on Wednesday, April 15th, but because of COVID-19, the announcement of the finalists will be on social media. Stay tuned for updates!

We are launching a new, permanent section in Mesdames on the Move: Spotlight on Social Media. Many of us are bloggers and each month we’ll feature the blog of a Mme or Monsieur. To lead things off: star blogger, Lisa De Nikolits who writes two blogs. 

This is a welcome opportunity to catch up on new and to-be-read books. Do tell us when reading one of our books helped you feel better. And stay safe out there!

But first some extra terrific good news!!

BREAKING NEWS FLASH!!!

Sylvia Warsh

Mega congratulations to Mme Sylvia Warsh whose story, ” Sleep No More”, is a 2020 Derringer short story finalist! Sylvia’s chilling story is one of our murderous musical tales in In the Key of 13.

Sylvia’s stories have been nominated for Derringers before – terrific recognition both for her and for Canadian crime writing.

The Derringer winner is decided by the vote of members of the Short Fiction Mystery Society. If you are a member of SFMS, be sure to vote once the stories are posted on the Derringer website. Deadline for voting is April 30th.

PUBLICATION NEWS

Mme Melodie Campbell‘s The Italian Cure, published by Orca books is now available in print and as an ebook.

Charlie’s world comes crashing down when her fiancé leaves her for another woman. Then Aunt Della wins a trip for two to Rome. Maybe Italy can cure her broken heart?

Charlie and Aunt Della board the tour bus in Rome and meet a fun and diverse group of travelers. Rocco, the tour guide, is particularly attractive. Charlie isn’t the only one who thinks so. The bus driver, Tony, is also her age. They become friends and explore sites together.

Charlie quickly falls in love with Italy. Who needs romance when you have Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast?

But with adventure comes danger in the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Charlie wanders from the group and is mugged. She chases the thief who stole her purse into the far reaches of the ruins. Lost and alone, Charlie finds courage she never knew she had.

Physical courage is one thing, but will she risk falling in love again? Anything’s possible in The Italian Cure.

Mme Rosemary Aubert‘s new book The Light in Trieste, Carrick Publishing is now available in print and ebook forms.

The Light in Trieste is a novel of international intrigue that spans three centuries. It’s a tale about illegal immigration: the story of an empress, a refugee and a prostitute, three desperate women in three different time periods, each attempting to use the same stolen antique scientific instrument to bribe her way into a new life in America. It’s a work of fiction based on true events in the past of a remarkable city.

In a novel inspired by the unusual life of Sisi, Empress of Bavaria and renegade wife of Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, Aubert follows the fictional path of the glowing prism once owned by Sir Isaac Newton, which in real life resides at Cambridge University.

SPOTLIGHT ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

We’ve got some wonderful bloggers among the Mesdames. This month we’d like to shine a light on Mme Lisa de Nikolits and her two blogs. Her series, Interview With An Author on Goodreads will continue with renewed frequency and The Minerva Reader will continue to shine the spotlight on unsung treasures that you might have missed.

OUR MESDAMES ON TWITTER

Besides our group Mesdames of Mayhem Twitter (@MesdamesMayhem), a number of us tweet from our own accounts. Please come and tweet with us individually as well.)

Catherine Astolfo:  @cathyastolfo

JE (Jayne) Barnard: @J_E_Barnard 

 M. H. Callway: @mcallway

Melodie Campbell: @MelodieCampbell

Donna Carrick: @Donna_Carrick

Lisa de Nikolits: @lisadenikolits

Therese Greenwood: @wolfeislander

Marilyn Kay: @triskeleweb

Blair Keetch: @BlairKeetch

Rosemary McCracken: @RCMcCracken

Caro Soles: @carosoles

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

2020 Bloody Words Mini-Con/Bony Blithe Award Gala Cancelled.

Due to health and safety concerns during the present COVID-19 Outbreak, the 2020 Bloody Words Mini-Con and Bony Blithe Award Gala has been cancelled. Never fear! The 2021 event will be back in 2021.

For more details about the announcement of the award shortlist and 2020 Bony Blithe winner, and arrangements regarding registration, please visit BonyBlithe.com

Submissions to Crime Fiction Anthology Due June 1, 2020.

Deadline for submissions to the Carrick Publishing’s new crime fiction anthology, A Grave Diagnosis is June 1st. For submission guidelines, please visit the A Grave Diagnosis submissions page on the Carrick Publishing website.

2020 Arthur Ellis Shortlist Event Cancelled

The 2020 Arthur Ellis Shortlist Even scheduled for Wednesday, April 15th, will not take place. Instead, finalists will be announced via social media.