Happy Spring, Dear Readers!
April not only opens awards season but also offers new opportunities for ways the Mesdames can reach out to you with new publications, readings and festivals, opportunities to learn about publishing and the York Writers’ and Bony Blithe conferences.
CONGRATULATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
Mme Melodie Campbell’s The Silent Film Star Murders was released on March 22nd in Canada and will be available on April 12th in the UK and the US at all the usual suspects (Barnes&Noble, Amazon, etc.)
Melodie was on the Sleuthsayers blog on March 22nd to write about The Silent Film Star Murders and what happens when a container ship sinks in the Pacific with the entire second printing of her earlier book, Crime Club! SleuthSayers: Books Don’t Float – More book humour Crime Club: Campbell, Melodie: 9781459833104: Books – Amazon.ca The Silent Film Star Murders: Campbell, Melodie: 9781770867833: Books – Amazon.ca
Mme Jane Burfield, a long supporter and loyal fan of CrimeFest, a terrific crime fiction festival held every year in Bristol, England, has a story in their fabulous anthology, CrimeFest, Leaving the Scene. Fellow Canadian author, Cathy Ace will be represented as well. There will be a foreword by Lee Child.
Sadly, this year’s conference from May 15 to 18th will be its last, and the anthology is in celebration of this last hurrah.
Leaving the Scene will be released on August 28, 2025. It is being published by No Exit Press, Bedford Square Publishers and all profits will go to the Royal National Institute of the Blind library.
MESDAMES ON THE MOVE
Mme Sylvia Warsh is reading at the Writers Union Open Mike Night on Tuesday, April 1st, at 7 pm. She will be joined by Jass Ajula, CWC’s Ontario rep and friend of the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem. TWUC members must pre-register for the event here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpf-iuqTIuHtdCIWuITBDzWm_Rp8nWJxE-
Mme Lisa de Nikolitis is presenting The A-Z of Publishing on Sat. Apr. 19, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Agincourt Public Library, 155 Bonis Avenue, Toronto, Program Room.
Participants will learn how to traverse the full landscape of writing from story creation to writing to editing to finding a publisher and staying published. We will also look at social media and the necessary relationship between authors and the online experience.
In addition, he program will look at the hurdles women face in the world of publishing versus those of men.
Registration is required. Please call the branch at 416-396-8943 or come in-person to register.
If you identify as a person with a disability or as a person who is Deaf, and require accessibility accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Accessibility Services by email, accessibleservices@tpl.ca or voicemail, 416-393-7099, to make a request. Please contact them at least three weeks in advance.
Mme Melodie Campbell is Guest Speaker at the Mason’s convention in Burlington, Ladies program, on April 28. Melodie will talk on her life as a comedy writer and professor of writing, centering on humour.
This presentation includes original research on male/female, British vs American humour, and shows how she includes humour in her own books.
YORK WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
Come meet Mmes. Rosemary McCracken, Madeleine Harris-Callway, Lynne Murphy, Sylvia Warsh and Madona Skaff who will be selling books, meeting new writer friends and enjoying the seminars at the York Writers’ Conference: D-mystifying the Publishing Process on Saturday April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Optimist Youth Centre, 55 Forhan Ave. in Newmarket.
DON’T MISS!
On April 1st the voting starts for the Derringer for Best Anthology. Vote early, vote often! You must be a member of Short Mystery Fiction Society to cast a vote.
Friday, April 25, the shortlists for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence will be announced. Fingers crossed.
BONY BLITHE MINI-CON
Just over a month till the 2025 BONY BLITHE MINI-CON, an all-Canadian conference where writers and readers can meet, schmooze, buy books, attend panels, and more. Lunch and nibblies included, plus very reasonable bar prices. And all for the low price of $85.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO AUTHORS
We’re going to start working on panels and panel assignments in a couple of weeks. So if you haven’t registered yet and want to be on a panel, we suggest you register right away. If you have an idea or ideas for a panel, let us know when you register.
THE REST OF THE DETAILS: The mini-con is on Friday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The High Park Club, 100 Indian Road, Toronto. This year, they’re on the first floor, which is fully accessible.
TO REGISTER, visit the Bony Blithe Website at http://www.bonyblithe.ca. Do remember that you need to fill in the registration form as well as pay to be registered. And new this year: DEM BONES, Bony Blithe’s monthly newsletter, with articles, games, columns, news about our registered authors, and more – all things criminous and bookish. They welcome contributions from both authors and readers; just write to them with your idea(s) at info@bonyblithe.ca.
Website: http://www.bonyblithe.ca
Facebook: /bonyblithe/ [(3) Facebook]
Bluesky: @bonyblithe.bsky.social
Mme Lisa de Nikolitis, will be presenting at the Appleby College Festival of Authors on Saturday, May 24th.
Celebrate the incredible works of Canadian writers, meet your favourite authors, and explore their creative journeys during this unique literary experience. From fiction to memoirs, thrillers to YA, there’s something for every reader.
Mesdames of Mayhem 