Category Archives: Uncategorized

Fire When Ready: A look at weapons in fiction ~ John Thompson

Posted on August 20, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Hollywood has a lot to answer for, and widespread notions about guns are not the least of them. It is hard to be consistently accurate with a gun without a lot of practice – hundreds of rounds are necessary for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ammunition, award winning writers, books, Canadian authors, Canadian Crime writers, crime fiction, crime writers, e-books, e-publishing, fiction, firearms, independent publishing, John Thompson, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, research, Spirit Over Steel, suspense, thriller, thrillers, Tips for Writers, Weapons, weapons in fiction | 1 Comment

Announcing “Thirteen”, an anthology of Crime Stories, to be released Sept. 1!

Posted on August 19, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Mesdames of Mayhem is proud to present our Anthology Cover for THIRTEEN: This outstanding collection includes stories from 13 of our seasoned authors: Catherine Astolfo Rosemary Aubert Jane Petersen Burfield M.H. Callway Melodie Campbell … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anthology, books, comedy, cozies, crime, crime stories, e-books, e-publishing, Kindle, literary, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, publishing, short stories, stories, suspense, thrillers | 1 Comment

The Idea Shop ~ Joan O’Callaghan

Posted on August 13, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

If I were to take a poll of writers to find out what question they are asked most frequently, I’m betting it would be, “Where do you get your ideas?” Author Stephen King once joked that there’s a company in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, Anne Bernays, authors, award winning writers, books, Canadian authors, Canadian Crime writers, crime fiction, crime writers, fiction, Joan O'Callaghan, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, Novel Ideas, publishing, short stories, Stephen King, suspense, thriller, thrillers, Tips for Writers, What If, Writing | 1 Comment

The Future of Publishing – Part I: Why I love my Kindle… ~ Donna Carrick

Posted on August 6, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

We Carricks are a family of bibliophiles. Martha Stewart would have a “clutter-buster” field day in our home. From one room to the next, our deco-theme is consistent: a rich display of Canadian yarns — both the literary and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, award winning writers, books, Canadian Crime writers, creative writing, crime writers, Donna Carrick, e-books, e-publishing, e-Readers, fiction, independent publishing, Kindle, mesdames of mayhem, publishing, thriller, Writing | 5 Comments

The Mesdames of Mayhem is proud to welcome our newest member: award-winning author Rosemary Aubert

Posted on July 29, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Rosemary Aubert is the author of sixteen books, among them the acclaimed Ellis Portal mystery series and her latest romantic thriller Terminal Grill. Rosemary is a two-time winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction, winning in both the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Write A Review Part 2: Star Wars ~ Catherine Astolfo

Posted on July 23, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

As a retired teacher, I suppose I am biased in my view of “ratings”. I came from the old school—literally. I never believed in scoring something unless there was a set of criteria laid out from the beginning. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, Amazon, Amazon ratings, award winning writers, books, Canadian Crime writers, Cathy Astolfo, creative writing, crime, crime fiction, crime writers, e-books, e-publishing, fiction, independent publishing, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, reviews, Star Ratings, suspense, thriller, Writing | Leave a comment

The Mesdames – Getting It All Together, by Joan O’Callaghan

Posted on July 16, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

The Mesdames of Mayhem will be publishing an anthology of short stories in the fall. It’s been an interesting process and for Mesdames Madeleine Harris-Callway, Donna Carrick and myself, Joan O’Callaghan, the learning curve has arced steadily upwards. The anthology … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, award winning writers, books, Canadian Crime writers, comedy, creative writing, crime fiction, e-books, e-publishing, fiction, independent publishing, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, publishing, suspense, thriller, thrillers, Writing | Leave a comment

Author Branding: a sometimes “Mysterious” concept for Crime Writers ~ Donna Carrick

Posted on July 9, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

From cryptic tales to cozies, from classic mysteries to thrillers, the scope of our beloved “Crime” genre is being magnified even as I write this entry. The growing list includes: True Crime; Antiquities; Paranormal; Gumshoe; Literary Thrillers; Classic Mystery; Cozies; … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, award winning writers, books, Canadian Crime writers, crime, crime fiction, crime writers, Dell, Donna Carrick, e-books, e-publishing, fiction, independent publishing, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, publishing, suspense, thrillers, Writing | 13 Comments

ARE WRITING CLASSES GOOD FOR PUBLISHED WRITERS? ~ M.H. Callway

Posted on July 5, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Just back from an intensive 5-day class, The Fiction Writers How To, taught at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario by master teacher and Best Friend of the Mesdames, Rosemary Aubert. In attendance: Mesdames M. H. Callway, Rosemary McCracken and Joan … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice for writers, award winning writers, books, Canadian Crime writers, fiction, independent publishing, M.H. Callway, mesdames of mayhem, mystery, Rosemary Aubert, suspense, thriller, Writing, Writing courses | 2 Comments

Writing Courses: Are they Useful?

Posted on June 18, 2013 by mesdamesofmayhem

Close to 800 wannabe writers, all of whom had paid several hundred dollars to take the prestigious summer writing course and rub shoulders with some of the big names in Canadian letters, crowded into the auditorium at Humber College. The … Continue reading →