Author Archives: mesdamesofmayhem

Music, Music, Music…and Books ~ by Catherine Astolfo

Posted on January 7, 2014 by mesdamesofmayhem

“She looks like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone.” What does this tell you about the character of a woman who thinks this about her friend? (Especially since that friend has just careened off their balcony to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged authors, books, Canadian Crime writers, Catherine Astolfo, crime, drama, e-books, family saga, literature, mesdames of mayhem, music, music in books, mysteries, suspense, Sweet Karoline, Thirteen, thrillers, Tips for Writers | Leave a comment

MESDAMES OF MAYHEM – BLOG DECEMBER 31ST ~ M.H. Callway

Posted on December 31, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Greetings Readers! What a year this has been for the Merry Mesdames of Mayhem – and we haven’t even celebrated our first anniversary yet! Early in 2013, I had a little idea of how best to surf the tsunami of … Continue reading →

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Writing Historical Fiction: Part II – by Sylvia M. Warsh

Posted on December 17, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

How can we understand the world today unless we explore the past? I write historical fiction to try to understand why things happened. Lucky for me, I love doing research, though it’s a lot like eating potato chips. Once you … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, authors, Canadian authors, cozies, crime, crime writers, historical crime, historical fiction, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, suspense, Sylvia Maultash Warsh, thrillers, tips for authors | Leave a comment

Historical Fiction Part I: Dodge City Run by the North West Mounted Police ~ Vicki Delany

Posted on December 10, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

The Late Sir Peter Ustinov once said that Toronto was New York run by the Swiss. I like to say that Dawson, Yukon, in 1898, was Dodge City run by the North West Mounted Police. Imagine a place in the … Continue reading →

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM BLOODY WORDS 2014

Posted on December 6, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Greetings Readers! Bloody Words, Canada’s national crime writers’ conference, takes place in Toronto, June 6 to 8, 2014. The Mesdames of Mayhem are taking it by storm! Mme Cheryl Freedman is not only the chair of the BW Board of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged authors, Bloody Words, Canadian authors, Cheryl Freedman, crime writers, mystery conference, suspense, thrillers, writers, writers' conference | Leave a comment

Sex in Fiction ~ Caro Soles, December 3, 2013

Posted on December 3, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

There is a word in the English language that is capable of turning perfectly articulate people into stammering, red-faced teenaged versions of their adult selves. I found this out early when I began teaching the Writing a Novel course I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, anthology, authors, award winning writers, Canadian authors, Canadian Crime writers, Caro Soles, crime fiction, crime stories, crime writers, e-books, e-publishing, fiction, independent publishing, mesdames of mayhem, murder, mystery, sex, sex scenes, suspense, teaching writing, Tips for Writers, Writing, writing class | 2 Comments

ROUSING PRINT LAUNCH FOR THIRTEEN ~ M.H. Callway, Nov. 26, 2013

Posted on November 26, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

On October 27th, the fabulous Mesdames of Mayhem celebrated the print launch of their first anthology, Thirteen, at their favorite bookstore, Sleuth of Baker Street. The serendipitous and ghostly collision of date and title made the Halloween theme a no-brainer! … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anthology, authors, award winning writers, Book Launch, books, Canadian authors, Canadian Crime writers, Catherine Dunphy, Cathy Astolfo, comedy, cozies, crime, crime fiction, crime stories, crime writers, D.J. Mcintosh, Donna Carrick, fiction, funny, Halloween party, humor, Jane Burfield, Joan O'Callaghan, Launch Party, Lynne Lurphy, M.H. Callway, McCracken, Melodie Campbell, mesdames of mayhem, murder, mystery, Rosemary, Rosemary Aubert, short stories, suspense, Sylvia Maultash Warsh, The Sleuth of Baker Street, Thirteen, thriller, Vicki Delany | Leave a comment

BOOKS AND THE ART OF THEFT ~ Melodie Campbell, Nov. 19

Posted on November 19, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Puzzled by the title? It’s simple. In high school, I had to read Lord of the Flies, The Chrysalids, On the Beach, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and a whack of Shakespeare. Yuck. Way to kill the love of reading. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adventure, advice for writers, award winning writers, books, crime, e-books, funny, humor, inspiration, Melodie Campbell, mesdames of mayhem, reading, Tips for Writers, Writing | 1 Comment

The Funny Side of Crime ~ Lynne Murphy, November 12, 2013

Posted on November 12, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Humour is like sex. Once you start to analyze it, you take all the fun out of it. Be that as it may, The Mesdames have asked me to write about humour in crime and I decided to think about … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anthology, authors, book, Canadian authors, crime, e-book, funny, funny stories, humor, Lynne Murphy, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, short stories, Thirteen, thrillers, Tips for Writers | Leave a comment

From the Desk of the Editor: When You Can’t Afford an Editor ~ Cheryl Freedman, Nov.8/13

Posted on November 8, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Hiring an editor can be very expensive , especially if you hire the editor too early in the writing process, i.e., when your manuscript is in very rough first draft form. I’m talking here about such basic writing mistakes as … Continue reading →