Greetings Readers!
Wow What a Year, Part 1 highlighted our awards and our many public events: conferences, book launches, writers’ festivals, readings and more.
Part 2 tells you what each of us accomplished in 2023, including our new books and stories, our recognitions and awards and individual writerly events.
We released 3 new books and nearly a dozen short stories in leading anthologies and magazines, including Malice Domestic, Murder Most Traditional; On Spec Magazine; Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine; and the MX Books of New Sherlock Holmes stories.
Check out our Year End Book Review here THE MESDAMES 2023 YEAR END BOOK REVIEW.
MEET THE MESDAMES AND MESSIEURS AND THEIR WRITING!
Catherine‘s chilling tale, “The Outlier”, was our featured story in January, 2023. First published in 13 Claws (Carrick Publishing), “The Outlier” won the 2018 CWC Award of Excellence for Best Short Story and was long-listed for Otto Penzler’s 2018 Best American Mystery Stories.
Rosemary‘s hilarious take on cross-border smuggling, “The Canadian Caper” was our February story. It appeared in our very first anthology, Thirteen (Carrick Publishing). She drew on her experiences as a border kid growing up in Niagara Falls, NY to create her tale.
She’s working on a textbook on creative writing.
Jayne‘s energy is inspiring. In 2023, she established Bookish, a monthly crime fiction book review and she opened her new business, Incisive Editing Services, to help authors achieve their full potential as writers. She further assists authors as a sensitivity reader for characters with disabilities.
Jayne edited Sisters in Crime West’s new anthology, Crime Wave 3, Dangerous Games, to be published in 2024 and she was a regular contributor to leading crime fiction blog, Sleuthsayers.
Jayne’s thrilling supernatural mystery, “Rubies for Romeo”, was our featured March story. It was first published in In the Spirit of 13 (Carrick Publishing).
Jane‘s wonderful children’s adventure story, “There Be Dragons”, was our April story. A finalist for the CWC Award of Excellence for Best Short Story, it was first published in 13 Claws (Carrick Publishing).
Jane is working on several literary projects.
Madeleine released her second collection of published short stories, Snake Oil and Other Tales (Carrick Publishing). And her cozy noir story, “Wisteria Cottage”, appeared in Malice Domestic’s anthology, Mystery Most Traditional. She received two nominations for the CWC Awards of Excellence: “Must Love Dogs – or You’re Gone” (in the anthology, Gone, by Red Dog Press) for Best Short Story and Amdur’s Ghost, for Best Novella. Amdur’s Ghost was published in our latest anthology, In the Spirit of 13 (Carrick Publishing).
Madeleine attended several conferences including Left Coast Crime (Tucson), When Words Collide (Calgary), Fan Expo and she supported fellow writers at MOTIVE and Word on the Street. Her first Amdur story, Amdur’s Cat, which appeared in Thirteen (Carrick Publishing), was our featured May story.
Melodie had an amazing year. She was a featured author at MOTIVE, the new mystery conference created by the Toronto International Festival of Authors. After being interviewed by leading Canadian crime fiction author, Maureen Jennings, she launched her new mystery series The Merry Widow Murders (Cormorant Press). She followed up with a public launch at Burlington bookstore, A Different Drummer.
Melodie was guest author at several 2023 events including the Hamilton Supercrawl, Music and Arts Festival; Word on the Street and the Canadian Federation of University Women, Oakville. Her personal story was featured on the Globe and Mail’s prestigious First Page and later reprinted in Readers Digest.
As well as being a regular contributor on Sleuthsayers blog, Melodie reissued her hilarious novella, The Goddaughter Does Vegas. Best of all, at the end of 2023, she signed a two-book deal with Cormorant for two more books in her Merry Widow series with an option for a fourth. Melodie’s charming ghost story, “The Kindred Spirits Detective Agency”, published in In the Spirit of 13 (Carrick Publishing), was our featured story in June.
Donna continues her work as chief editor and publisher at Carrick Publishing. In September, 2023, Carrick Publishing released M. H. Callway’s, Snake Oil.
Donna is the driving force behind the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem’s new anthology, The 13th Letter, to be released in 2024. Cover reveal in Spring!
Donna’s story, “Watermelon Weekend”, was our featured story in August. It was a finalist for the 2014 CWC Award of Excellence for Best Short Story and was first published in our very first anthology, Thirteen (Carrick Publishing).
Lisa‘s 11th novel, Everything You Dream is Real (Inanna Press), continued to have legs in 2023. Lisa presented it to the OLA Superconference in February and later it made the Craving Canlit List issued by the Scotiabank Giller prize.
She was a featured author at MOTIVE, the TIFA crime festival, where she interviewed leading Canadian crime writers, Dieter Kalteis and Sam Wiebe. In June, she travelled to the Shetland Islands to attend the Shetland Noir festival, established by Dame Ann Cleeves. Lisa moderated the panel, When You Don’t Know Who to Trust.
Lisa organized and participated in many Mesdames and Messieurs events at the Toronto Library and at WOTS. She curated the line-up of authors for the Tartan Turban, sponsored by TWUC, the Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets.
Lisa’s thrilling story, “Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon”, was our July short story. It was first published in the Mesdames’ third anthology, 13 Claws (Carrick Publishing).
Cathy‘s comedy mystery story, “Winona and the CHUM Chart” from In the Key of 13 (Carrick Publishing) was our featured story in September.
Cathy is working on a literary novel set in Africa.
Cheryl wrote the intriguing tale, “Possessed” about a dybbuk (a Jewish demon) for In the Spirit of 13 (Carrick Publishing). It was our featured story in October.
She continues her work as a full-time editor.
Therese‘s historical crime story, “The Iron Princess”, was our featured story in November. It was first published in In the Spirit of 13 and Therese interpreted “spirit” to mean alcohol to tell this cautionary tale about rum-running in Ontario.
Meanwhile, she works full-time to keep the people of Fort McMurray safe.
Blair‘s supernatural thriller, “To Catch a Kumiho” In the Spirit of 13 (Carrick Publishing) was a finalist for the 2023 CWC Award of Excellence for Best Short Story.
Blair took part in several Mesdames and Messieurs’ library events and in WOTS. He also helped host CWC’s table at MOTIVE. And he read at the opening event of CWC’s Brews and Clues.
Marilyn continues to keep our readers up to date as the editor of our monthly newsletter, Mesdames and Messieurs on the Move.
And she completed the manuscript of her first novel, a police procedural set in Toronto.
Rosemary McCracken took part in several Mesdames and Messieurs library events as well as WOTS and MOTIVE.
She was a panelist and break-out leader at So You Want to Write a Book?, an all-day seminar hosted by the Rouge River Community Centre. And she designed and moderated the panel, Killing It with Style, the CWC event hosted by Toronto Reference Library.
She’s completing the fifth book in her popular Pat Tierney series, the financial planner turned amateur sleuth.
Cat’s new documentary, Do You Hear What I Hear? premiered at the Hot Docs festival in November, 2023. Her film explores the ongoing issue of noise pollution in urban environments. Watch it on CBC GEM.
Our honorary Mme, Marian Misters, co-owner of our favorite bookstore, Sleuth of Baker Street, made us all very happy when she and JD Singh decided their new direction is working for them. Sleuth will continue as a used bookstore indefinitely!
Lynne‘s book, Potluck (Carrick Publishing), was accepted into the Toronto Public Library collection. And she continues to write more stories about the eccentrics residing at the Golden Elders condo tower.
Lynne taught a four-week course on Canadian crime fiction, Crime Writing in a Cold Climate, for the Toronto Annex Senior Adult Services. And she participated in several Mesdames and Messieurs library events as well as WOTS and helping to host the CWC table at MOTIVE. At WOTS, she made a new fan, Olivia Chow, now Toronto’s mayor!
Ed continues his work as a professional copy editor, but takes time to pursue his passion for movies and of course, to create noir crime fiction.
As editor of Mesdames on the Move, Roz keeps our readers up to date year-round on all the Mesdames and Messieurs’ doings.
She sold her chilling tale, “Too Close to the Edge” to the horror anthology, Dastardly Dames (Crystal Lake Publishing), to be published in 2024.
Madona was on several panels at the multi-genre conference, When Words Collide, including creating believable characters, the key to successful writing groups and how to keep a series vibrant and interesting to readers. She also worked at the Blue Pencil Cafe to review the work of – and to encourage – emerging writers.
Madona also joined fellow crime writer, Mike Martin, at the December CWC book sales and signing event in Ottawa.
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Kevin, our intrepid Sherlockian, wrote several tales starring the Great Detective in 2023, including an adventure with Father Brown. Three of his stories were published by Belanger Books and MX Publishing with more to come in 2024.
Sylvia’s eerie tale, “The Natural Order of Things”, published in the 2022 May/June issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, was a finalist for the 2023 CWC Award of Excellence for Best Short Story.
And best of all, she sold her YA historical, The Orphan, to Auctus Publishers to be released in the USA and Canada in 2024.
Sylvia also took part in WOTS and helped host the CWC table at MOTIVE.
Melissa had a marvellous year. Her story, “My Two Legs”, published in the 2022 September/October issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine won the prestigious Derringer for Best Short Story (short category). It was also short-listed for a MacavityAward. And her fantasy poem, “Rapunzel in the Desert”, published in On Spec Fantasy Magazine, also won the Aurora Award for best poem.
Melissa’s YA novel, Edan Sze vs the Red Rock Serial Killer, was a finalist for the Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Juvenile YA. She also successfully crowd-funded the second book in her new Hope Sze series, Sugar and Vice, to be released in February, 2024.
And in her spare time between working as an emergency room physician <lol>, she wrote and published four stories: “Eating Rainbows” in the anthology, Ike Papalua; “Beat the Haunted House” in Game On!; “The Glauc Bitches” in Mighty, An Anthology of Disabled Superheroes and “Brain Candy” in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Her poem, “The Fairest”, appeared in The Fairy Tale Magazine.
AND BIG HUGS AND THANK YOU TO OUR INTREPID NEWS EDITORS!
Mesdames of Mayhem 