Big congrats to Mme Melissa Yi for her new book, White Lightning, a Prohibition-inspired thriller.
On December 1st at 7:30 ET, you’re invited to join Melissa’s virtual speakeasy launch party. Artisan distiller, Nathalie Gamache of Gin*Eco*Logic will teach you how to mix a cocktail called the Corpse Reviver #2. Vintage 1920’s clothes optional but encouraged and cheered.
Register here: https://www.library.cornwall.on.ca/events/virtual-speakeasy-book-launch-white-lightning-melissa-yi
New stories, ventures in the online world and events await you and our Mesdames and Messieurs.
Congrats to Melodie Campbell who is now a featured author on SleuthSayers blog every month.
Check out her latest post, “Wanna Be A Paperback Writer? The Truth About Author Incomes” at SleuthSayers.
M. H. Callway’s and Sylvia Warsh’s stories will appear in the 2021 BOULD Awards Anthology. The anthology is available on Kindle now. Edited by Jake Devlin. Anthologies from previous years are available on Amazon. BOULD stands for Bold, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless and Daring.
Rosemary Aubert’s novel, September, is a love story about a couple in their senior years. The 2021 publication date TBA shortly.
Lisa De Nikolits’ now biweekly podcast, I Read Somewhere That…is a smashing success. In Episode 10, Lisa chats with bestselling author Linwood Barclay and shares a crucial tip from a top book agent. Episode 11: I Read Somewhere That… is also up. As well as The Miramichi Reader, all episodes of the podcast are available on Spotify and Apple iTunes. And don’t forget to subscribe to her podcast for notifications of future episodes.
See her on Instagram too! https://www.instagram.com/ireadsomewherethatbylisa/
Lisa also has a fun post scheduled for Dietrich Kalteis’s blog on the 10th of November – You’ll see her fun Q+A on whether one should use current politics and people in a novel you’re currently writing. You’ll be able to see it at 7 Criminal Minds blogspot.
NaNoWriMo begins on November 1st. During November, established and emerging authors are challenged to write a total of 50000 words or roughly 1700 words/day. Lots of support is provided through seminars and write-ins held by Sisters in Crime. https://nanowrimo.org/
Jane is an award-winning author of short fiction. She loves to show the darkness that lurks behind the facade of sweet domesticity and respectability. Recently she is experimenting with writing for young adults. Her story, “There Be Dragons”, was a finalist for the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Short Stories.
Mesdames: How do your readers see you when they meet you today?
Jane: They’ll find a rumpled, COVID-haired, brain-fogged lady who looks a little bit like a benevolent granny and a little bit like Lear on the Heath!
Mesdames: You’ve had a fascinating life from training as a ballerina to meeting notorious Idi Amin. What more secrets can you tell us?
Jane: I once did an impromptu Hula dance for the Mayor of Atlantic City at a large reception. They gave me the Key to Atlantic City! I was four at the time so I wonder if the Key is still good. Perhaps it will get me a free coffee!
Mesdames: You have to use this dance in your next story! Have you thought about writing for children?
Jane: I do want to include a young child in the story that is starting to form in my mind. The Mesdames of Mayhem anthologies have given me the opportunity to be free, to try writing from different points of view. My story, “There Be Dragons”, in 13 Claws, let me explore a magical world through the eyes of children.
Mesdames: And “There Be Dragons” was a finalist for the Crime Writers of Canada Award for Best Short Story. This could be the start of your career as a children’s writer!
Jane: I do love the sense of carefree spontaneity in children. Where do we lose that freedom of spirit? That bravery? But I’m finding that I can have a more enjoyable adolescence in my later years. This time I’m living it with money and a car!
Mesdames: Jane is one of the stars of the CBC documentary, The Mesdames of Mayhem, directed by award-winning director, Cat Mills. (Also a Mme!) View on GEM here to learn more about Jane’s fascinating life. CBC Gem – The Mesdames of Mayhem – The Mesdames of Mayhem
This October, we give thanks and celebrate all the accomplishments of our members during these uncertain and sometimes spooky times. We also are excited for next year’s anthology and the continuing achievements of our collective in enticing you, our readers, with even more enjoyable experiences with crime fiction.
Yay! It’s official: the title for the Mesdames’ fifth anthology, to be published in 2022, is – ta-dah! – The Spirit of 13. And “spirit” can mean ghosts, goblins, demons – or debunking of same. Even esprit de corps or alcohol – the only limitations will be the imaginations of our Mesdames and Messieurs!
Big congratulations to Sylvia Warsh for the sale of her eerie suspense tale, “The Natural Order of Things”, to prestigious Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Many authors submit stories but very, very few make it in. This is huge! Publication of Sylvia’s story is scheduled for 2022.
Congrats to M. H. Callway for the reprint of her story, “Incompetence Kills”, in this year’s BOULD anthology. BOULD stands for Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless and Daring. The 2021 BOULD Anthology will be available on Amazon in November.
Congratulations to Catherine Astolfo on the publication of her standalone novel, The Grand Art of Murder, Catherine Astolfo has dished up something (almost) completely different with a novel that’s a bit more lighthearted than her previous books.
The Grand Art of Murder is set in a fictional town near Brantford, Ontario. When a skeleton is discovered under Leonora Harrington’s barn, she is certain that her plans to convert the place into a high-end art gallery are ruined. Not to mention her sense of security. That’s not what happens, though. The events that unravel are both much worse and much better than she could ever have imagined. A gallery opening that breaks all records for attendance. Someone who breaks in and leaves obscure notes. Two more murders. A handsome lover. Not to mention her mother the ghost. How will Leo survive? You can get it in an e-version or a paperback. Check out Catherine Astolfo’s author page on Amazon.
Congratulations to Jayne Barnard on the re-release of her YA Maddie Hattie steam punk series through Clockworks & Crime Media. Check out the fab new covers for Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond, Guilded Gauge and Timely Taffeta on Jayne’s Amazon.ca Author Page for Books, biography, log, audiobooks, Kindle.
Congratulations to Cat Mills!
The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival has nominated The Mesdames of Mayhem for Best International Director!
Check out the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival program for The Mesdames of Mayhem video.
Lisa de Nikolitis‘ new podcast I Read Somewhere That is now available on Youtube!
Lisa was interviewed by Steven Beattie, former editor and reviewer of The Quill and Quire, about The Rage Room!! Here’s the link to the great interview by Steven Beattie about The Rage Room in his blog That Shakespearean Rag.
The Mesdames: Many readers know that you were a financial journalist, because Pat Tierney, the protagonist of your four mystery novels, and the financial crimes she comes up against were inspired by your work. But you’ve had many other thrilling adventures on the job. What’s one of your favorites?
Rosemary: I nearly got booted off a Royal Tour! In 1976, Queen Elizabeth II was visiting parts of eastern Canada during the Summer Olympics. Security was tight after the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
I was covering the Tour for the Montreal Star when another reporter and I showed up at what we thought was a cocktail party at Montreal’s Ritz Carleton Hotel. It turned out to be the Royal Suite where the Queen was freshening up before dinner! Officers from Scotland Yard and the RCMP were embarrassed that we had come so close to the Queen. We could have been terrorists.
The Mesdames: And today they might have shot you! What happened?
Rosemary: They escorted us down the back stairs and out into the alley. I was screaming, “Get your hands off me! I work for the Montreal Star!” The next day, I was advised to apologize to the head of Scotland Yard…or else. I refused and fortunately it blew over.
The Mesdames: You also met and interviewed a big movie star, right?
Rosemary: Yes, I once interviewed the late British actor Oliver Reed. The Montreal Star’s managing editor told me to ask Reed what he thought of Montreal women. So I did. “Well, I only arrived in Montreal last night,” Reed said, “but from what I see right in front of me, I’d say Montreal is a city of beautiful women.” And I’ve been telling that story ever since!
The Mesdames: And this interview inspired one of your recent stories.
Rosemary: Yes, I adapted Oliver Reed’s reply and included it in my story, “Hooked”, which appeared in the 2020 anthology, A Grave Diagnosis (Carrick Publishing). I haven’t used my Royal Tour adventure and perhaps I never will. Real life is often less believable than fiction!
The Mesdames: You also had an encounter with Elvis Presley.
Rosemary: Yes, I flew to Memphis in August 1977 with an airplane full of Elvis Presley fans to cover the King of Rock ’n’ Roll’s funeral for the Montreal Star. On the 40th anniversary of his death in 2017, I sat down to write “Farewell to the King”, about a young woman with a secret who travels to Memphis with her friends to pay final respects to their idol. My story appeared in the Mesdames‘ fourth anthology, In the Key of 13, in 2019.
The Mesdames: You’ve also had a secret identity and worked undercover.
Rosemary: Yes, I was a restaurant reviewer for the Calgary Herald during the 1980s. I ate at the best restaurants in and around the city. Restaurateurs feared me. A great many loathed me. I drew on my experiences for “Dining Out”, a story about an ill-fated restaurant reviewer that appeared in the Malice Domestic anthology, Mystery Most Edible, in 2019.
The Mesdames: How do your readers see you when they meet you today?
Rosemary: The years I spent as a newspaper reporter and reviewer were the most exciting years of my life. These days I keep a low-profile as a middle-aged writer and teacher – and save my energy for my fiction.
The Mesdames have more exciting news popping up this September, including plans for a new anthology, more publications and recognition for members of our collective.
We’re delighted to announce that our fifth anthology, working title 13 Spirits, will be published in 2022 by Carrick Publishing. Our theme of spirits may include the paranormal, debunking of same, delusion, confusion or alcohol – wherever our weird and wonderful creative minds lead us. The world needs to have fun during these challenging times and the Mesdames intend to do just that – so you’ll have fun reading it, too!
Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing our cover reveal and news about our anthology authors. Hope to have the launch of 13 Spirits in the real world!
Checkout Lisa de Nikolitis‘ new website: ireadsomewherethat! It’s full of fresh, new must-read book reviews, buzzy snippets, advice and discussions about anything and everything to do with books
Melissa Yi’s thriller, Scorpion Scheme, is a finalist for Best Thriller at the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards.
Melissa‘s story “My Two-legs” was just bought by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine; and she was one of the seven winners of Thrillerfest’s Best First Sentence Contest. And here’s her winning sentence: “My mom told me I could do whatever I wanted for the whole summer I was fourteen, so I decided to find the Red Rock serial killer.“
Madona Skaff‘s SF novel, Shifting Trust is launching September 15th.
Shifting Trust is set 25 years into the future. It’s the story of ex-RCMP officer Tyler Demir who’s happy working internal security for a nano-tech company. Until one of their scientists is kidnapped from a science conference in England. Once again lives depend on his every decision.
Madona is bringing out another book, A Handful of Earths, also launching on September 15th. This speculative fiction novel has a bittersweet story behind it. The author has passed away and Madona is fulfilling their dream by publishing the book.
Belanger Books has a three-volume collection of Sherlock Holmes stories in which Kevin Thornton has stories in the first and the third volumes. After the East Wind Blows, Part 1, came out in July with stories about Holmes, skullduggery, deception, betrayal – and Winston Churchill.
Blair Keetch‘s story “Killing4Sale” is in the anthology Asinine Assassins which is now available on Amazon.
His short story “300 Miles to Murder” is featured in the August newsletter by the Dark & Stormy Bookclub.
Rosemary McCracken‘s book Uncharted Waters received a sterling review in Devour: Arts & Lit Canada, Summer 2021.
“Uncharted Waters, the fourth novel in the Pat Tierney mystery series, is Rosemary McCracken’s best book. The plot twists and turns and twists some more. I couldn’t stop reading it,” says reviewer Sharon A. Crawford.
Crawford wraps up her review praising the book’s “multi-dimensional story which will keep readers charging from page to page. My only concern or question is: when will the next Pat Tierney mystery be published?”
Check out Rosemary’s post on her Moving Target blog.
Rosemary also has a Pat Tierney short story, “The Passenger” coming out in the September issue of Mystery Weekly Magazine.
Jayne Barnard, Caro Soles, Melissa Yi and Madeleine Harris Callway are all participating in the When Words Collide virtual multi-genre conference from August 13 to 15th. Attendance at the conference is free but you must register through EventBrite and have Zoom on your computer. The conference is held on Zoom. Here is the registration link: www.whenwordscollide.org/Registration/
There are lots of opportunities for both established and emerging writers including Master Classes, Manuscript Pitches, Live Action Screenwriting and Submission Feedback.
Check out the Mmes‘ sessions schedule!
Friday, August 13, 2 p.m. MDT/ 4 p.m. EDT
Writing Groups and How to Run Them: M. H. Callway
Cross-Genre Writing: Caro Soles
Friday, August 13, 4 p.m. MDT/ 6 p.m. EDT
The Heroine’s Journey Continues: J. E. Barnard
Saturday, August 14, 2.pm. MDT/ 4 p.m. EDT
Twisted….: J. E. Barnard
Saturday, August 14, 2.pm. MDT/ 4 p.m. EDT
Short Stories as Stepping Stones: M. H. Callway
Saturday, August 14, 5 p.m. MDT/ 7 p.m. EDT
Love of the Land — The Importance of Place in Fiction: J. E. Barnard
Sunday, August 15, 11 a.m. MDT/ 1 p.m. EDT
Crime Fiction in 2021: Trends and Evolution: M. H. Callway
Sunday, August 15, 4 p.m. MDT/ 6 p.m. EDT
Mystery: Big Crimes, Small Towns: J. E. Barnard and M. H. Callway
Melissa Yi is providing one-on-one author-writer consultations at the Blue Pencil Café. Emerging writers must sign up. www.whenwordscollide.org/Events/Festival_Program.php
Lazing on the beach is fine, but the Mesdames aren’t letting the heat of August get in the way of our publications and writers’ events.
Which means you, dear readers, are in for a multitude of treats, courtesy of the Mesdames.
Sylvia Warsh’s essay, “Recreating the Past,” appears in the Mystery Readers International Journal, Summer issue. Historical Mysteries II – Mystery Readers International
Sylvia has a new website too! You can check it out at: http://www.sylviawarsh.com/
Melissa Yuan-Innes‘s (Melissa Yi) story “The Bao Queen” appears in Food of My People, a fabulous mix of speculative stories about food and the authors have included delicious and/or fantastical recipes related to the stories and to their diverse backgrounds. The anthology Food of My People is available for preorder.
Melissa Yuan-Innes (Melissa Yi) was a winner in the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Sentence contest. Her sentence was chosen by Allison Brennan! Check it out at https://thrillerfest.com/best-first-sentence-contest/
The Playwrights’ Guild of Canada selected Melissa for Craft Bites, a preliminary play reading, on Monday, August 30th, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
The Playwrights’ Guild of Canada members have been paired up to share their work and discuss the craft of playwriting with one another.
Craft Bites are open and free to the public.
Register at https://playwrightsguild.ca/craft-bites-event-page/ to see Melissa and Damian Lovejoy.
Jayne Barnard, Caro Soles, Melissa Yi and Madeleine Harris Callway are all participating in the When Words Collide virtual multi-genre conference from August 13 to 15th. Attendance at the conference is free but you must register through EventBrite and have Zoom on your computer. The conference is held on Zoom. Here is the registration link: www.whenwordscollide.org/Registration/
There are lots of opportunities for both established and emerging writers including Master Classes, Manuscript Pitches, Live Action Screenwriting and Submission Feedback.
Check out the Mmes‘ sessions schedule!
Friday, August 13, 2 p.m. MDT/ 4 p.m. EDT
Writing Groups and How to Run Them: M. H. Callway
Cross-Genre Writing: Caro Soles
Friday, August 13, 4 p.m. MDT/ 6 p.m. EDT
The Heroine’s Journey Continues: J. E. Barnard
Saturday, August 14, 2.pm. MDT/ 4 p.m. EDT
Twisted….: J. E. Barnard
Saturday, August 14, 2.pm. MDT/ 4 p.m. EDT
Short Stories as Stepping Stones: M. H. Callway
Saturday, August 14, 5 p.m. MDT/ 7 p.m. EDT
Love of the Land — The Importance of Place in Fiction: J. E. Barnard
Sunday, August 15, 11 a.m. MDT/ 1 p.m. EDT
Crime Fiction in 2021: Trends and Evolution: M. H. Callway
Sunday, August 15, 4 p.m. MDT/ 6 p.m. EDT
Mystery: Big Crimes, Small Towns: J. E. Barnard and M. H. Callway
Melissa Yi is providing one-on-one author-writer consultations at the Blue Pencil Café. Emerging writers must sign up. www.whenwordscollide.org/Events/Festival_Program.php
Keep an eye out for Lisa de Nikolitis‘ newest website/venture I Read Somewhere That. The pilot episode will launch in September with a fab debate, reviews of hot new books and lots of buzzy book gossip! Then the site will go live monthly in 2022. Lisa will feature books by Inanna Publications, Breakwater Books Ltd., Dundurn Press and Wolsak and Wynn Publishers and have lots of great guest opinions from some of her favourite authors and, as promised, lots of info about the publishing industry!
Melissa Yuan-Innes’s story My Two Legs will be published in The Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. My Two Legs was longlisted for the Staunch Prize. “Running since 2018, this unique prize is welcomed by readers all over the world, many of whom had given up on thrillers because of the increasingly graphic violence towards women in the genre. We’re proud to create a little elbow-room for all the clever, exciting and engaging stories out there – published or unpublished – by authors who have found something a bit more original to write about!”
Summertime and the Mesdames are still rocking it with film, books, events and more recognition! We’ve also had time for reflection on what it means to be Canadian and who we are as writers. Some of us have baked in record-high temperatures and we’ve seen the terrible consequences of climate change to fellow Canadians and those in the Pacific Northwest.
Yet with the pandemic on the wane, thanks to our Public Health and to vaccinations, we look forward to a summer of new hopes and more accomplishments to come.
Documentary Month 1st – 31st July 2021
Our fab film maker, Cat Mills and her producer, Felicity Justrabo, get our mega congrats. Our film, The Mesdames of Mayhem, is being screened at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Big congrats to Lisa De Nikolits. Her latest novel, The Rage Room, was a finalist for the 2021 International Book Awards in Science Fiction.
Caro Soles‘s, latest book, The Colony Dancers, the fifth in the Merculian series is now available on Amazon!
All Merculian is excited about the visiting Colony Dancers. The children’s group is so cute in their old-fashioned outfits and few stop to question how they acquired their brilliant technique so young, or why they are all so carefully guarded. Meanwhile, Investigator Marlo is tantalized by the strong resemblance of one of the young dancers to a child who was kidnapped long ago.
How far will the guardians go to keep the secrets of the Colony Dancers?
Melissa Yi will be speaking at Toronto Sisters in Crime via Zoom on Thursday, July 15th, 7 p.m. Melissa will be appearing as both an emergency room physician and an award-winning author to teach us how to make sure medical details in your manuscript are true to life. Plus a Q&A about common medical mistakes in crime fiction!
This is a members only event. To join Toronto Sisters in Crime is only $25 for the year.
On Saturday, July 3rd, M. H. Callway was delighted to be one of the authors in Moonlight and Misadventure interviewed by author and podcaster Joanna VanderVlugt. AUTHOR | JCVArtStudio. The Moonlight and Misdadventure podcast included a terrific interactive panel with authors Elizabeth Elwood, Susan Jane Wright, Karen Abrahamson, Susan Daly and Judy Penz Sheluk, who edited and published the anthology.
Blair Keetch’s website is up and running. Check out. Blair Keetch – Discover Crime Writer..
Terrific news! Cat Mills and Felicity Justrabo just let us know that the documentary they made of the Mesdames of Mayhem will be part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. In Australia!!
Here’s the link: https://mdff.org.au/films/the-mesdames-of-mayhem
MEGA CONGRATS TO MME CAT AND FELICITY!!
Mesdames of Mayhem 