Dear Readers,
We’ve got a title for our 7th anthology and more good news about another Merry Widow book and Burlington Litfest, a TIFA panel and Lisa de Nikolits’, Rosemary McCracken and M. H. Callway‘s new Editing Course.
ANTHOLOGY #7
The title of our new anthology is – ta-da! – THE POWER OF 13. Featuring stories by 20+ Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem on the themes of luck (good and disastrous), fate, karma, risk and risk taking, gambling and games of chance…all of course, leading to mischief if not murder. Cover to be revealed in 2026.
PUBLICATIONS
Mme Melodie Campbell’s new book in the Merry Widow murder mystery series, The Pharaoh’s Curse Murders, will be released on April 11, 2026.
Lady Lucy Revelstoke and her maid, Elf, are voyaging to Egypt when they encounter two rival teams of archeologists…and murder.
It’s now available for pre-order on Amazon. The Pharaoh’s Curse Murders: Campbell, Melodie: 9781770868274: Books – Amazon.ca
ANNOUNCEMENTS
On Sunday, November 2nd, 12:30 pm, Toronto International Festival of Authors, Mme Lisa De Nikolits will be moderating a panel discussion on the power of storytelling with Pulitzer prize finalist, Adam Haslett and four-time Giller nominee, Shani Mootoo. The event takes place at Alumni Hall, Victoria College, University of Toronto, 91 Charles Street West.
“An illuminating talk on the power of storytelling to confront memory, reshape identity, and test the familial bonds that define who we are. In his latest novel, Mothers and Sons, Haslett follows Peter, a solitary immigration lawyer, and his estranged mother as a young asylum case forces them to revisit the traumatic secret that divided them. Mootoo’s innovative work of autofiction, Starry Starry Night, tenderly chronicles young Anju’s coming-of-age in 1960s Trinidad amid family tensions and colonial change.”
Opening Event for Burlington Litfest!
Make Your Prose Sing
Make Your Prose Sing: A First Course in Editing with the Mesdames of Mayhem. On Saturday, November 8th, 1 to 3 p.m., Mmes Lisa De Nikolits, Rosemary McCracken and M. H. Callway will be giving this engaging and practical workshop for emerging writers at Maria Shchuka Branch, Toronto Public Library, 1745 Eglinton Avenue West. On this visit, they’ll deliver the basics of crafting and self-editing novels and stories. According to the library, “This workshop is perfect for aspiring and emerging writers”.
DON’T FORGET…
Submit your short stories, novels, etc. to the CWC Awards of Excellence. Submissions close December 15th.
The Derringers have made a change in their submission rules. Authors can submit their short stories and votes for Best Anthology to the Short Mystery Fiction Society as of today, November 1st. Submissions close January 30, 2026.
Mesdames of Mayhem 