Record hot temperatures outside, Readers. The intrepid Mesdames are beating the heat with terrific events.
Read on!
FINGERS CROSSED FOR AWARDS AT KILLER NASHVILLE
Congrats to Mme Marilyn Kay, whose unpublished manuscript is up fora Killer Nashville ClaymoreAward for Best Investigator Manuscript.
Sylvia Maultash Warsh
Congrats also to MmesSylvia Maultash Warsh and Melissa Yi. Sylvia‘s book, The Orphan, and Melissa‘s The Red Rock Killer are in contention for Killer Nashville’s Readers’ Choice Award. Voting ends on August 18th.
Melissa Yi
EVENTS
On Sunday, August 17th, Mme Melissa Yi will be at Readers Take Cornwall held at the Best Western Hotel, 1515 Vincent Massey Drive, Cornwall, Ontario, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is now SOLD OUT!! Melissa will be presenting her latest novels in the Glengarry Guards hockey/figure skating romances!
Melissa Yi
Mme Lisa de Nikolits joins legendary crime writer, Giles Blunt, on Tuesday, August 26th at DRUNK FICTION. Lisa will be reading from her upcoming noir crime novel, Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon. She joins Giles, who has just launched his historical literary novel, Bad Juliet.
DRUNK FICTION is a continuing series of readings by acclaimed authors held monthly at the wonderful Caledonian Pub.
Lorna Poplak
The Don Jail
On Monday, August 25, at 7:00 p.m. at TPL’s Pape/Danforth Branch, 701 Pape Ave., Mme Lorna Poplak presents her book, The Don: The Story of Toronto’s Infamous Jail, which investigates the origins and evolution of the Don Jail in Toronto from its inception in the mid-1800s to the present day.
This presentation includes information on what brought the author to write about the Don Jail, the narrative arc of the book, the characters that appear on its pages, an examination of some thorny issues, and what the author hopes people take away from the book.
This is a drop-in program. No registration required.
PUBLICATIONS
Pulp Literature Issue 47 is now available for purchase through the Magazines-Pulp Literature bookstore. Mme M. H. Callway‘s story, “The Lost Diner”, appears in this volume.
You might think public health is boring, but it’s anything but! At Disease Control, I was a real-life detective hunting down the sources of disease outbreaks and dangerous chemical exposures.
For several years, I also helped to ensure safe food handling for VIP visits to Ontario. I mean, what could be more embarrassing to Canada than giving food poisoning to the Royal Family or the Pope or the Aga Khan at a banquet in their honour? And, as the police officers on security told us, one of the most effective ways to knock out an army is to give the soldiers gastro-enteritis.
The visiting Royals always met and thanked operations and security staff personally – truly a class act. That’s how I met the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip – and have a framed photograph with them to show my grandchildren!
Huge congratulations are in order: Mmes Sylvia Warsh and Melissa Yi’s YA novels, The Orphan and The Red Rock Killer made it to the list of the Judges Best Picks for the Silver Falchion awards.
Here is how they describe the Judges Best Picks category:
“These selections highlight manuscripts that our judges wished could have made the Finalists lists, but with limited finalist slots, intricate cuts must always be made. Despite the sheer number of entries this year, our dedicated judges went above and beyond once again. On their initiative, they submitted a list of titles they felt deserved extra recognition: manuscripts they felt should be on everyone’s reading list.”
The summer months of July and August are a time for looking back on the first 6 months of 2025 and also looking forward to more stories and books, bigger ideas and more ways to share with you, dear Readers.
Mme M. H. Callway’s story, “The Last Diner”, will be published on July 15th in Issue 47 of Pulp Literature Magazine. Stand by for the cover reveal and the links to purchase.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mme Rosemary McCracken will be appearing at Bookapalooza 2025 in Minden, Ontario, on Saturday, July 12th. She’ll be at her book table at the Minden Community Centre, 55 Parkside Street, Minden, Ont., from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission is FREE. Hope to see you there!
Mme Marilyn Kay’s manuscript, Love Thy Neighbor, is a finalist for Killer Nashville’s 2025 Claymore Award for Best first 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript, play, or screenplay in the Best Investigator (includes procedural, serious P.I., detective, and noir) category.
MOTIVE Update
Mme Melodie Campbell and Maureen Jennings discussed Murder, Mystery and Mistaken Identities.
Mme Lisa De Nikolits was moderator for Tea, Cake and Murder with authors Hannah Mary McKinnon and Eliza Reid.
The CWC book booth ran the entire conference thanks to the dedicated work of Mmes Rosemary McCracken, Lorna Poplak and Madona Skaff and more CWC members. Rosemary also took part in the CWC readings on Sunday June 30th.
Rosemary McCracken
Lorna Poplak
Madona Skaff
DON’T MISS
Our July Mid-month Mayhem will feature surprising secrets shared by Mme M. H. Callway.
Mme Jane Burfield met two of the world’s most infamous tyrants!
Mme Jane Burfield
People often ask, “Where do you get your ideas for your stories?”I get eager to write when two seemingly unrelated experiences, thoughts or ideas inexplicably to rub up against each other, especially if they’re humorous…or murderous. I often use my personal experiences in my stories.
In 1973, when I was 16, I had two experiences that exploded my mind and shyness. I was part of a ten day international YMCA conference in Uganda – and we were required to have dinner with notorious dictator, Idi Amin. (Learn the full details in our documentary, The Mesdames of Mayhem.) And in that same year, I had to dance in front of Imelda Marcos. Oh, and she did wear lovely shoes.
I had to perform the bamboo dance in front of her in the Philippines. If I hadn’t taken ballet for nine years as a very young child, I might have had two woefully bruised ankles and been hobbled for life. I might have developed a hesitancy to seek out new adventures. And that would have been terrible because adventure and risk lead to personal growth in life – and to a good crime story!
May and June are super months for our Mesdames and Messieurs. We are celebrating Therese Greenwood’s win for her short story in our 13th Letter anthology. Cathy and Melissa were finalists. More publicationsare coming, including a workshop on publishing and Melodie, Lisa and Rosemary are involved with the 3-Day MOTIVE Festival.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
Therese Greenwood
Huge congratulations to Mme Therese Greenwood! Her wonderful tale, “Hatcheck Bingo” won the CWC award for Best Short Story. “Hatcheck Bingo” was published in our very own anthology, The 13th Letter!!
Here’s what the CWC website had to say:
“Hatcheck Bingo” is fresh and original with deeply Canadian historical roots. The post-WW1 period is effectively woven through the action. Our hat-check girls are clever and resourceful, moral if not entirely law-abiding. Underlying the effervescent Prohibition-era atmosphere are serious undercurrents invoking postwar PTSD, sex discrimination for jobs, and ruthless cross-border power struggles over lucrative booze trafficking routes. The jury specially commends the masterful use of these themes as essential drivers to the deliciously twisty crime story. Wit and humour sparkle to the last bubble, like the best smuggled champagne.”
And big congrats to Mmes Cathy Astolfo and Melissa Yi for their nominations!
Catherine Astolfo
Melissa Yi
We also just learned that The 13th Letter beat out 250+ entries to be a finalist for the Derringer Best Anthology Award!
CONGRATULATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
Mme M. H. Callway’s story, “The Lost Diner”, is scheduled to appear in the July Issue of Pulp Literature Magazine.https://pulpliterature.com/
Perfect for Pride month. Check out Mme Melissa Yi’sPride & Provocateur, her queer Pride and Prejudice, with Lixie the glass dildo artist vs. Mr. D’Arcy the tech billionaire in Dildo, Newfoundand.
Stockholm Syndrome was selected as one of the best crime novels of the season by CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter’s Mystery Panel.
“Two doctors. One killer. One woman in labour. A killer infiltrates the obstetrics ward of a Montreal hospital, taking one pregnant woman and one resident doctor hostage at gunpoint. Dr. Hope Sze struggles to deliver her patient’s baby with blood on the floor and death in the air. And when Dr. Tucker tries to rescue their tiny crew, only to end up hostage material alongside them, Hope’s heart just might break, even before the kidnapper drills a bullet through her skull.”
MESDAMES ON THE MOVE
Lorna Poplak
The Don Jail
Mme Lorna Poplak will present her book, The Don: The Story of Toronto’s Infamous Jail at the Toronto Public Library’s Don Mills branch at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Topics will include what brought her to write the book, its characters, and an examination of some thorny issues. Register by calling the branch at (416) 395-5710.
As part of the Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, Lorna also appeared on a virtual panel with moderator Adam Bunch and fellow-author Ed Brown on June 3, where they explored the grisly history of the Don Jail. For more details about the festival and Lorna’s session, visit www.bizarretoronto.com/.
Lisa de Nikolits
Madeleine Harris-Callway
Rosemary McCracken
Mesdames Lisa De Nikolits, M.H. Callway and Rosemary McCracken will be presenting How to Get Published on Saturday, June 21st, 1 to 3 p.m. at Maria A. Shchuka Library, 1745 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto.
Join them for a workshop about writing, editing and getting published. 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. They will also look at the necessary relationship between authors and the online experience, as well as the hurdles women face in the world of publishing versus that of men. Q and A to follow.
To register, please call Maria A. Shchuka Library at 416-394-1000.
If you identify as a person with a disability and require an accessibility accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Accessibility Services by email at accessibleservices@tpl.ca or voicemail, 416-393-7099, to make a request. Please contact us at least three weeks in advance.
MOTIVE CRIME FESTIVAL
MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival is back for another exciting weekend, Friday, June 27th to Sunday, June 29th this time TIFA will be roaming the mysterious halls of Victoria College on the University of Toronto’s campus! With cosy crime, police procedural, psychological thriller and true crime taking the stage, the Festival will be a weekend of suspense, twists and turns as we uncover the secrets behind some of the world’s most gripping stories. Meet the masters of mystery over the long weekend with criminally good conversations, readings, book signings, workshops and more. https://festivalofauthors.ca/motive-2025/
Check out the Mesdames at the events below:
Murder, Mystery & Mistaken Identities: Melodie Campbell and Maureen Jennings
On Saturday, 28 June, 5 PM. – 6 PM murder has never been so moreish. Mme Melodie Campbell joins Maureen Jennings for Murder, Mystery & Mistaken Identities, moderated by Janet Smyth.
“From luxury liners to Toronto’s underbelly, two of Canada’s finest mystery authors return to the MOTIVE stage to take us on journeys back into the past. With The Silent Film Star Murders, Melodie Campbell’s glamorous and gleeful high-seas mystery, theatrical rivalries, silver screen scandals and one extremely suspicious snake set the stage for murder. Lady Lucy Revelstoke and her quick-witted maid, Elf, return to investigate who’s playing a deadly role aboard the Victoriana. In stormy 1930s Toronto, Murdoch Mysteries creator, Maureen Jennings’ P.I. Charlotte Frayne faces two crimes on opposite ends of the social ladder in March Roars. With wrongful arrests, hidden biases, and tangled personal histories, Charlotte’s pursuit of truth forces her to confront a justice system in crisis. Whether it’s champagne-fueled drama or razor-sharp noir, this event delivers the intrigue, wit, and social history that make classic mysteries feel brand new.”
A book signing will follow this event.
Tea, Cake & Murder: Fatal Friendships, Deadly Acts: Hannah Mary McKinnon and Eliza Reid
Lisa de Nikolits
On Saturday,June 28, 11:00 AM – 12 PM, start your day with tea, cake and murder as Lisa de Nikolits interviews Hannah Mary McKinnon about her book Only One Survives and Eliza Reid (former First Lady of Iceland) about her book, Death on the Island. Both are fabulous reads.
“What happens when survival comes at the cost of those you love? Join bestselling thriller queen Hannah Mary McKinnon and former First Lady of Iceland and dazzling author, Eliza Reid as they pull back the curtain on two gripping tales of betrayal, ambition and murder. From a snowbound cabin with a doomed rock band in McKinnon’s Only One Survives to a deadly diplomatic dinner party on an isolated Icelandic island in Reid’s debut fiction Death on the Island, both authors explore the razor-thin line between loyalty and self-preservation when no one can leave, and everyone has a secret worth killing for. All served with tea, coffee and a slice of cake! “
A book signing will follow this event.
Crime Writers of Canada in Conversation
Rosemary McCracken
Mme Rosemary McCracken will be in the CWC Author Tent at MOTIVE Mystery & Crime Festival 2025 on Saturday, June 28 and on Sunday, June 29, 11 AM until 4 PM, at University of Toronto’s Victoria College, 73 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto.
From 4 to 5 PM on Sunday, June 29, Rosemary will join six Crime Writers of Canada outdoors on the Victoria College campus, where she will read from her new Pat Tierney mystery, Riversong, which will be out this year.
Mid-Month Mayhem
Our Mid-Month Mayhem spotlight for June will be on Mme Jane Burfield!
Mme Lorna Poplak is delivering two illustrated talks to celebrate the historic Don Jail at Doors Open Toronto – after a 6-year break! The first presentation will take place at the Toronto Public Library’s North York Central Library at 6 pm on Wednesday, May 21, and the second at Riverdale Library at 1 pm on Saturday, May 24.
Introducing our new mid-month feature, Mid-Month Mayhem, where the Mesdames and Messieurs share secrets about their lives that their readers could never guess.
And what better way to debut our new feature than to reveal secrets about our three CWC Award nominees, Catherine Astolfo, Therese Greenwood and Melissa Yi!
Mme Catherine Astolfo is a world traveller!
Catherine Astolfo
Cathy tells us: “On my tenth trip to Israel, assisting with pilgrimage groups, I stepped off the bus into a hole and broke my ankle. Part of the reason for falling over could have been my backpack full of beer. No, this does not have anything to do with the title of my recent novel, Auntie Beers.”
Cathy’s story, “Farmer Knudson”, one of the connected stories in Auntie Beers, is a finalist for the 2025 CWC Award for Best Short Story.
Mme Therese Greenwood escaped a wildfire!
Mme Therese Greenwood
Therese tells us: “I was alone with fifteen minutes to pack when escaping the Fort McMurray wildfire. After our house (and entire neighborhood) was destroyed, I wrote in What You Take With You about the “valuables” I grabbed on my way out the door: A rolling pin, a beekeeping book, a cat photograph, and a box of stuff that wasn’t worth fifty bucks. Turns out, almost everyone who fled Fort McMurray that day had a box of similarly random items.”
Therese’s story, “Hatcheck Bingo”from our very own anthology, The 13th Letter, isa finalist for the CWC Best Short Story Award.
Mme Melissa Yi can cut your throat – and get away with it!
Mme Melissa Yi
Melissa is an emergency room physician who can save your life by performing a necessary tracheotomy. How does she find the time to save lives, raise a family AND publish several works a year in a variety of genres from crime, speculative fiction, romance, poetry and YA? Maybe she’s a magician who bends time…
Melissa’s story, “The Longest Night of the Year”, published in EQMM, Nov/Dec 2024, is nominated for the CWC Best Short Story Award. AND her YA mystery, The Red Rock Killer, is short-listed for the CWC Best YA/Juvenile Novel Award!
Mme Melissa Yi is a finalist in two categories in the 2025 CWC Awards of Excellence. Her short story, “The Longest Night of the Year”, published in Ellery Queen Magazine, Nov/Dec Issue, 2024, is shortlisted for Best Short Story. Her YA novel, The Red Rock Killer, is a finalist for Best YA/Juvenile Crime Novel.
It’s finally spring, and the Mesdames have come roaring back from winter with events, such as the Bony Blithe Mini-Con, a Festival of Authors, a major book launch, more publications, an acclaimed documentary, and, even better, terrific recognition from our writing and film communities!
CONGRATULATIONS
Mega congrats to three fellow Mesdames for being finalists on the 2025 CWC Awards of Excellence Short list. Huge congrats to Mmes Catherine Astolfo, Therese Greenwood and Melissa Yi for their nominations for the CWC Award for Best Crime Short Story:
Congrats to Carrick Publishing for publishing winning authors AND sponsoring the CWC Award for Best Crime Novella.
Fingers crossed for Thursday, May 29th, when the winners are announced!!
RECOGNITION FROM THE TORONTO STAR
Huge congratulations to Mme Melodie Campbell! Her latest novel, The Silent Film Star Murders, received a great review in the Toronto Star.
“Campbell does a good job recreating the kind of classic English puzzle mystery Agatha Christie excelled at, right down to the locked-room setting on board a cruise ship. Since this is the same setting as the previous book, some readers might cavil that the author is repeating herself, but her variation on a cozy whodunnit nevertheless sports a colourful cast of characters and a glitzy milieu with some well-placed commentary on class disparity and celebrity culture.“
Melodie Campbell
Congrats to Mme Cat Mills. She has been working on the TVO show, Unrigged, which has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. You may stream Unrigged on TVO and on YouTube. Trailer | Unrigged | TVO Original
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Book Launch! On Saturday, May 10, 1 p.m, Mme Melodie Campbell will be at A Different Drummer Books, 513 Locust Street,Burlington to introduce her latest crime novel, The Silent Film Star Murders. It’s a West GTA Double Launch with Vicki Delany and her new novel Shot Through the Book.
Lisa de Nikolits
Join Mme Lisa de Nikolits at the Appleby College Festival of Authors to celebrate the incredible work of Canadian writers on Saturday. May 24th. The festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Appleby College, 540 Lakeshore Road W, Oakville.
TheCrime Writers of Canada have launched a newsletter, edited by Lorne Tepperman, and the Mesdames have articles published in it! Here’s the list:
May Issue: Mme M. H. Callway, Writers’ Groups – Are They Worth it?
May Issue:Mme Melodie Campbell,Murder at the Crime Writing Awards
April Issue: MmeMelodie Campbell,Four Things that Drive Writers Crazy
Bony Blithe Mini-Con
The Bony Blithe Minicon takes place on Friday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The High Park Club, 100 Indian Road, Toronto, Mme Cheryl Freedman presiding! There’s still time to register if you want to join the fun. Visit http://www.bonyblithe.ca and scroll down for the link to the registration form and instructions on how to pay. See panel descriptions below.
Mesdames of Mayhem 