inSinC The Sisters in Crime Quarterly September 2015 inSinC Get a Clue The Sisters in Crime Quarterly September 2015 Editor’s Note Molly Weston ...... 3

Catriona’s Letter Mission Statement Catriona McPherson ...... 4 Promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Chapters ...... 5 Catriona McPherson, President Calling Unpublished Sisters and Misters Leslie Budewitz, Vice President Harriette Sackler ...... 9 Susan C. Shea, Secretary Lori Roy, Treasurer Fantasy Agent Carolyn Dubiel, Library Liaison Paula Gail Benson ...... 10 Barbara Fister, Monitoring Chair Clare O’Donohue, Bookstore Liaison Writing the Paranormal Martha Reed, Chapter Liaison M. Angie Harmon Simon Wood, Publicity with Chris Roerden ...... 12 Frankie Bailey, At Large Julie Hennrikus, At Large Board and Officer Nominees . . . . .14 G. M. Malliet, At Large , At Large Beth’s Bits ...... 16 Laura DiSilverio, Immediate Past President Molly Weston, inSinC Editor Guppy Scholarship . 17 Laurel Anderson, inSinC Proofreader Gavin Faulkner, inSinC Proofreader Anne M. White Obit ...... 17 Marisa Young, inSinC Proofreader Everything You Ever Wanted to Sarah Glass, Web Maven/Social Media

Know about Psychopaths… Beth Wasson, Executive Director Katherine Ramsland, PhD . . . . .18 PO Box 442124 Getting the Facts Straight Lawrence, KS 66044-2124 [email protected] Leslie Budewitz ...... 20 785.842.1325 (P) • 785.856.6314 (F) We Love Libraries! ©2015 Sisters in Crime International Angela Smith ...... 23

Carolina Crime Writers Conference Jill Amadio ...... 24

We Love Bookstores! ...... 24 inSinc is the official publication of Sisters in Crime International and is published four Awards & Nominations times a year. • One-year dues are $50 for professional US and Canada writers and Gay Toltl Kinman ...... 25 $40 for non-professionals. Two-year dues are $100 and $80; lifetime, $500 and $400. Address and all other changes can be made by members at www.sistersincrime.org. If you do not use a computer or need a user name, please contact Beth Wasson at the Events & Happenings ...... 27 address above. Information in inSinC is submitted or reprinted from sources listed in each article. Where required, permission to reprint has been granted and noted. SinC Membership Values ...... 28 does not investigate each submission independently and articles in no way constitute an endorsement of products or services offered. No material may be reprinted without written permission from Sisters in Crime.

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¡ ¡ Sisters in Crime Editor’s Note Past Presidents by Molly Weston 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 Susan Dunlap 1990-91 Carolyn G. Hart 1991-92 P. M. Carlson 1992-93 Linda Grant 1993-94 elcome to fall! Since I Barbara D’Amato 1994-95 graduated from school, Elaine Raco Chase 1995-96 Annette Meyers 1996-97 I’ve always looked Sue Henry 1997-98 forward to September’s Medora Sale 1998-99 cooler weather, football, Barbara Burnett Smith 1999-00 Claire Carmichael McNab 2000-01 and my favorite holi- Eve K. Sandstrom 2001-02 days. As a mystery reader, I also expect renew- Kate Flora 2002-03 Kate Grilley 2003-04 Wing friendships with other fans and authors at the fall conferences. Patricia Sprinkle 2004-05 It’s always great for me to meet Sisters and Brothers. Libby Hellmann 2005-06 Rochelle Krich 2006-07 Whenever I sit at the SinC table at conferences, handing out our Roberta Isleib 2007-08 Judy Clemens 2008-09 cool red pins, I get a kick out of hearing the confession, “I’ve got 2009-10 one of these at home, but I forgot to bring it.” I quit wearing mine Cathy Pickens 2010-11 when I fly because those TSA agents sometimes look at me a bit Frankie Bailey 2011-12 Hank Phillippi Ryan 2012-13 hard. (Do you ever watch folks in elevators who look at your name Laura DiSilverio 2013–14 badge and then back up a step?) Anyway, I do hope to meet and greet many of you at . Deadline & Submissions Although I’m usually the last person to hear news (while it’s still Deadline for articles for the December issue of inSinC is news), there may be some of you who missed the announcement in October 15. Include name, The Guardian about Amazon payments to self-published authors, email, mailing address, and phone but you can read it at their site at tinyurl.com/o69rh86. number with submissions. Send columns, articles, high-res photos, We’re so fortunate to have so many folks who are willing to con- ideas, praise, and story ideas via tribute to inSinC. I hope you’ll remember their names and, when email to you see them, let them know you appreciate their efforts. It never Molly Weston [email protected] fails to amaze me how willing folks are to share their expertise. 919.362.1436 We haven’t listed the benefits of being a SinC member in a while, so please don’t stop reading before you get to the last page. I’ll try to be better about prompting you to check out all your options, but don’t wait for me. It’s still extremely hot in North Carolina at press time! Happy writing,

— Molly

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¡ ¡ Dear Siblings, Is anyone seriously trying to con- white not to see that writers of colour vince me that was a year? and LGBTQ writers are where women Catriona’s writers were when the blessed Sara Letter When I wrote my first president’s Paretsky said “enough is enough” letter, I looked forward to the last almost three decades ago: seen as one for a moment, imagining how non-mainstream by a self-selected accomplished and knowledgeable group who’ve decided what “main- I’d feel by this time. I’d have a firm stream” means; treated as niche by grasp of SinC’s methods, history, some other random niche that thinks traditions and by-laws; I wouldn’t it’s not a niche; and subjected to eye- have emailed Beth in a funk for rolling for complaining (by people months; I’d be able to pull chapter with a lot less to complain about). names, grant deadlines, anthology publication-dates, or past boards to I’m proud and delighted to be able mind without a flicker of doubt; and to take my privilege, flip it, and pay grasp of everything? I truly don’t my only regret would be that, now forward. I will make mistakes. That’s think that’s the best way to describe I knew everything, I wouldn’t have inevitable because I’m not only the experience of the SinC presi- long to be able to revel in my exper- white—I’m­ Scottish (aka that special dency. Perhaps “pitching oneself tise before I downed tools. bluey-white like from Oxiclean®)— into the maw of an R-rated slide at but I’ll only make each mistake once an unfamiliar water park and only Ha. I’m beginning to see it doesn’t and I’ll listen. realizing halfway down that it wasn’t work that way. I’m beginning to see wise” is more accurate. As I shoot As well as the real world of publish- that the SinC presidency is a bit like out the other end into the pool, ing, of course, we’re all intimately a wedding—or a pregnancy. There’s a still breathing and grateful for the concerned with the fictional worlds lot of preparation, a lot of excitement presence of lifeguards, my verdict and a fair bit of incident. Then, when we love. And I think there’s a conver- is: it might not be wise but Blimey it’s over, the real task begins. sation to be had about who we are, O’Reilly it’s fun! who we choose to write, and how to Or should I say the three tasks begin? do it well. Isn’t it fascinating that the And as for my stated goals from last Next year, like past presidents before world’s most beloved black female autumn—to get here still married, me, I’ll be heading up the team for the detective was written by a white man still in contract to my publishers, and 2016 publishing summit; I’ll be put- and that somehow Botswana isn’t with deadlines met – the under gar- ting together SinC into Great Writing a niche setting? What about the dener and I celebrated thirty years pre-Bouchercon; and—I think this is fact that gay male characters – to together in June, my agent hasn’t a new tradition, but it’s got very firm quote a friend of mine—only get to sent me any bad news, and I’ve just very fast—I’ll be serving on the educa- be fabulous and/or adorable, never hit “send” on a submission today. tion committee and helping all kinds blood-chillingly evil? And how do It’s been a complete honour and of brilliant stuff into being for the we write realistic stories without joy to have served as your national national membership. ticking diversity boxes or disrespect- president this year. As I get ready to I’m particularly excited about the ing other cultures? I for one need hand over to the remarkable Leslie publishing summit and SinC into a workshop on “writing our differ- Budewitz, all I can say is thank you Great Writing (SinCGW). In both ences”; I’m banking on not being for your warmth, your inspiration, settings, I’m going to try to explore the only one who needs it and so I’m and all your help (for which I am not diversity and full inclusion in writ- planning to make this the subject of done asking). ing and publishing. SinCGW for New Orleans. Love, Looking around our mystery world So. So much for downing tools. What Cx today, it’s impossible for a straight about the secure expertise and calm

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¡ ¡ SinC New England News www.SinCNE.org E1Fr te p

a

h t was quite the spring for C SinCNE with a chapter outing 2 3 to the theater, an interactive workshop, and the opening of 2 3 Iregistration for the New England Crime Bake, an annual confer- o4p ence cosponsored with the New villains, worthy heroes, and side- England chapter of MWA. kicks readers adore. SinC Hawaii We ushered in April with an outing And if that wasn’t enough… to Boston’s Lyric Theater for a mat- In June, we were thrilled to e enjoyed another inee performance of the musical announce the New England successful year at comedy City of Angels. Set in 1940s Crime Bake sold out in a record the Hawaii Book Hollywood, the play chronicles the fifteen days. SinCNE and the and Music Festi- misadventures of a crime novelist New England chapter of MWA Wval. Thirteen authors represented attempting to write a screenplay. co-sponsor Crime Bake, the pre- Sisters in Crime during the festival Adding a little more fun to our mier conference for writers and on Saturday and Sunday, May 2–3. members theater experience, a lovers of crime writing in New reception followed the play with its England. Held every November We distributed eighty Hawaiian- director Spiro Veloudos and a few on the Friday through Sunday style swag bags containing surprise guests. of Veterans Day weekend, Crime SinC National pamphlets and Bake has sold out annually for bookmarks along with local May brought us “Villains, Heroes, almost a decade. The theme of authors’ business cards to and Sidekicks,” a workshop this year’s conference is Murder, interested visitors (includ- hosted by best-selling author and By George! Our Guest of Honor ing Spiderman!) at our Gotham Writers Program faculty is the New York Times-bestselling booth. The official total count member Carole Bugge. During author, . of attendance at the festival as this full-day interactive work- reported by experts was, “there’s shop, Carole shared her winning Here’s hoping fall brings SinCNE really no way to measure it, but as much excitement. recipe for creating irresistible 2 the consensus is 25–30,000 over the two days.” We have four new members and five other interested people, along with an interested screen- writer, two new book sales ven- ues, and a request for us to give a panel discussion at a conference in July. The generous grant from SinCnational grant gave us the opportunity to participate in this event. 2 5 inSinC September 2015

¡ ¡ Chicagoland www.SinCChicago.com

une 6–7, marked Chica- was my first PrinteCs Row and it Day, Susanna Calkins, Chapter goland Sisters in Crime’s was a wonderful experience,” said Secretary Mary V. Welk, Chapter second year exhibiting at Cheryl Shore, Speed City presi- President Diane Piron-Gelman the Printers Row Lit Fest, dent. “First was the chance to (D. M. Pirrone), Jeanne Meeks, Jthe Midwest’s annual celebration meet readers and sell books, both Sue Myers, Patricia Skalka, of books, writers and readers. my own and anthologies from the Charlene Wexler, Helen Sponsored by the Chicagoland Speed City Chapter. Secondly, Osterman, Emily Kaplan, Kate Chapter, the Speed City Sisters we connected with individuals, Hannigan, Gaile Sprissler, Mary and SinC Iowa, plus a grant from including a librarian who may Heitert, Kym Brunner, and Lydia SinC National, the event was an host a program featuring our Ponczak. “I think one of the best enjoyable opportunity for sisters chapter and a publicity agent for ideas was to put a name tag on from several states to get to know an auto racing publication who is the authors,” Ponczak said after- each other, talk one-on-one with interested in reviewing our racing ward. “Most people talking to us readers, and sell books. anthologies. We were also able to are shocked when we remember promote interest in our upcom- to mention we are the ones who As in 2014, Sisters in Crime ing anthology, Decades of Dirt.” wrote the books on the table hung our banners in the tent in front them. Knowing they’re of Chicago Books United, a Chicagoland Chapter VP Michele actually talking to the authors consortium of independent (M.E.) May took charge of arrang- makes a difference in sales.” presses organized by local pub- ing the author signings and vol- Given the high cost of tent space, lisher Allium Press of Chicago unteers. “The set-up of our tent procuring a tent entirely devoted (“Rescuing Chicago from was great and we had a wonderful to SinC remains a project for the Capone, one book at a time”). time with our sisters and broth- future, should enough chapters We expanded our space over last ers from the Speed City Chapter, find it possible to pool resources. year and employed a bookseller and a sister from Ohio who came In the meantime, we remain to handle sales. in for the event. greatly appreciative of the sup- Our location was excellent with “Everyone pitched in whenever port we have from the Speed City respect to foot traffic, especially we did the switches between and Iowa chapters and from SinC on Saturday when the weather authors. We had many volun- National. Onward to Printers Row was at its best. A stormy Sunday teers—published authors and 2016! 2 morning made the second day non-published—who talked to a challenge starting out, but Lit Fest attendees about Sisters in our volunteers adapted quickly Crime. Several of these attendees to keep our books safe from were very interested in member- the rain; and, with the clearing ship. It was a great time of cama- weather, more people came to raderie and a wonderful oppor- keep things lively. tunity to let people know what Sisters in Crime is all about.” Many attendees were from the Chicagoland area, but In addition to M.E. May, SinC Indianapolis chapter members Chicagoland members on hand were on hand as well, selling included Robert Goldsborough, books and promoting SinC. “This Jamie Freveletti, Lori Rader- 6 inSinC September 2015

¡ ¡ Speed City Indiana Chessie Chapter www.SpeedCitySistersInCrime.org www.ChessieChapter.org

he Speed City Indiana t’s been a busy summer for the Chesapeake Chapter. On June Chapter has been busy 27, author Allison Leotta spoke at the King’s Park Library in launching our newest Burke VA. Often referred to as “the female John Grisham,” anthology, Decades of Leotta worked for twelve years as a federal prosecutor in DC TDirt: Murder, Mystery, and May- Ispecializing in sex crimes, domestic violence, and crimes against hem from the Crossroads of Crime. children before turning to crime fiction. Her fourth book, A Good The anthology includes fifteen Killing, was released in May and was loosely based, she told chap- original stories, many based in ter members, on the Jerry Sandusky case. Allison also blogs about Indiana, with an introduction by what TV crime dramas get right and wrong in her award-winning Jeanne Dams. Prelaunch activi- blog, “The Prime-Time Crime Review.” ties took place at the River Cross- ing Barnes and Noble as part On August 1, the chapter had the rare opportunity to visit a min- of their annual Day of Mystery iature community of horrors tucked away on the third floor of the event on July 26. Our chapter Office of the Baltimore Medical Examiner. The Nutshell Studies of sponsored Unexplained Death are a unique display of 18 exquisitely-crafted contests, models of actual crime scenes, complete down to tell-tale cigarette mystery butts scattered on the floor. The models were built in the 1940s by related Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy Chicago woman who had a life- activities, long fascination with sleuthing. The studies were based on actual and read- crime scenes, reconstructed from photographs, sketches and ings from statements by witnesses and police. Then, as now, they are used Decades of to train officers in investigative techniques. The dollhouse-like Dirt, in addi- models are designed on a scale of one foot to one inch, perfectly tion to mem- proportioned for an investigator six inches tall. Was it murder, ber author suicide, accidental or natural death? Members got to decide. Read signings. more about the fascinating Nutshell studies here www.deathin- The launch was held on August diorama.com and here tinyurl.com/pnu8cvx. 2 8 at Bookmamas, Indianapolis’ most unique independent bookstore. Bookmamas, a land- mark in the historic Irvington neighborhood, has been active in promoting historical and mystery books for many years. Speed City Chapter plans to tie its promotion of Decades of Dirt to Indiana’s bicentennial year (2016), taking advantage of local events and featuring programs on Indiana history themes at our meetings. 2 7 inSinC September 2015

¡ ¡ Palmetto (South Carolina) http://palmettochaptersin.wix.com/palmetto

he Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime organized in January 2015 with a meeting of seven interested persons at the main library in Columbia SC. We elected as Tofficers president, Paula Gail Benson; vice presi- dent, Sasscer Hill; secretary-treasurer, Wanda Craig (Raegan Teller); web maven, Riley Miller; and program chair, Sam Morton. At our July meeting, we added Maxine “Vert” Henry as our membership chair. Most of our meetings have taken place at the Grecian Gardens Restaurant in West Columbia on the third Saturday of the month. In February, C. Hope Clark described the wonderful online provided an ARC of her latest novel for a give- resource she created, www.FundsForWriters. away, which went to Vert, a writer and librarian, com. Hope’s husband, Gary Clark, spoke about who was celebrating her first submitted short his experience as a federal law enforcement offi- story (recently accepted for publication). cer in March. Hope and Paula jointly presented In the future, we anticipate hearing from Sasscer the April program about writing dialogue. Our Hill about her writing journey, a forensic psy- June meeting featured Carla Damron, who gave chologist concerning her work, and members us guidelines for revision. who attend Bouchercon reporting on their Since our May meeting coincided with the South experiences. Also, we’re planning a holiday party Carolina Book Festival, we gathered for lunch where we can share our writing. at Longhorn Steakhouse, across from the con- We sincerely appreciate the welcomes and offers vention center, and were delighted to welcome of support from national and our fellow chapters. former national president Cathy Pickens along Among our eleven members, we are proud to with the festival’s mystery and thriller panelists, include writers, readers, librarians, and booksell- James O. Born, Sandra Brennan, C.J. Lyons, Jamie ers. We look forward to growing in numbers and Mason, Jenny Milchman, Lori Rader-Day, Amanda hope to offer our writing community valuable Kyle Williams, and Reba White Williams. Jenny programs and opportunities for networking. 2

Chapter presidents will meet immediately after the SinC Breakfast in the Marriott’s University room.

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¡ ¡ Calling Unpublished Sisters A Misters by Harriette Sackler

m putting on my Malice Domestic • We’ve also streamlined Grants Chair hat to ask you all a the submission process. question. If you had the opportunity Not only can you now to receive a grant for $2,500, a com- submit your application prehensive registration to a Malice electronically, but we’ve Domestic convention and a com- eliminated the requirement for several plimentaryI’ two-night stay at the host hotel­, items that we found were not terribly would you take the time to submit the first helpful in choosing a Grant recipient. three chapters of your work-in-progress? And, aside from the tangible benefits of the I would hope so! You see, the Malice award, what could be better than being told Domestic Board of Directors that your work has merit and that an organization is very serious about sup- like Malice Domestic porting new writers on their will do what it can to journey toward publication. So support your efforts? much so, that we’ve recently Believe me that in itself is one terrific endorse- made some important changes ment. to the William F. Deeck- So, if you’ve never been Malice Domestic Grant for published in the mystery Unpublished Writers Program. genre, why not give it a try? You have noth- • We’ve significantly increased the cash ing to lose and so much to gain. award to reflect the rising costs associated Please visit the Malice Domestic website with conference attendance, travel, and at www.malicedomestic.org and click on “Grants” for details. We’re looking forward to lodging. hearing from you. • Even better, the submission period Harriette Sackler is Grants Chair of the Malice has been extended from May 1st to Domestic Board of Directors as well as a short story writer. November 1st each year.

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¡ ¡ The Fantasy Agent Project

by Paula Gail Benson

arlier this year, three intrepid mem- professional level in their bers of the SinC Guppy Online concepts, plot develop- Chapter’s Steering Committee ment, characterization, undertook a monumental task. What and use of language.” if an unpublished writer with a Elaine agreed. “I thought completed manuscript could submit it was a wonderful idea it to a Fantasy Agent, who like a benevolent Fairy and a project that was a perfect fit for me.” Godmother,E would read the first 50 pages, care- fully evaluate them, and give valuable com- E.B. suggested the name Fantasy Agent for the ments to the writer? The concept became project and explained “As a member of our the task which connected more than one [Guppy] Agent Quest subgroup, I knew our hundred Guppy members and was univer- members often submitted to literary agents, sally praised as a great success. got rejections, and hadn’t a clue as to what prompted the agents’ responses. I thought Behind-the-scenes organizers were the concept of a Fantasy Agent, one who did Kaye George, E.B. Davis, and Elaine give feedback, could be a way to provide valu- Will Sparber. Kaye had the initial idea. After able assistance to unpublished writers.” completing her service on the Guppy Steering Committee having served as treasurer and presi- The organization began in mid-January, dent, she wanted to leave her mark. Initially, she beginning with identifying traditionally pub- envisioned a mentoring project, with published lished Guppy members. E.B. and Elaine com- authors giving help to unpublished members piled a list of those folks and prepared a letter through critiques. E.B. quickly signed on to help to request participation while Kaye developed because it offered the opportunity for less expe- an evaluation form for the fantasy agents to rienced writers to receive a professional evalu- use in their critiques. After everything was ation of their work. Elaine, felt the potential for approved by the Steering Committee, the let- career advice would be just as significant as the ter was emailed to ask for volunteers. “We were editing suggestions. overwhelmed by the response,” Kaye said. “We never imagined we would have so many authors According to E.B., “Getting beginning writers, volunteer to give their time to this!” friends, and family to evaluate your work can give writers a reader’s perspective. But those people Forty-eight published authors offered to serve aren’t professionals. Most writers get to a level as Fantasy Agents to fifty-nine unpublished of proficiency where they recognize that they writers. Several of the published authors pro- have to bump their writing skills up a notch. This vided two or three evaluations. With the large project enabled our unpublished writers to get demand, the project was limited to writers who the criticism needed to get to that higher, more were seeking traditional publication instead

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¡ ¡ of pursing a self-publishing route. A time frame for submissions and responses helped ensure an orderly process. Kaye explained why all participants remained anonymous, “We learned that previous similar projects had encountered difficulty in dealing Behind the with people upset by the feedback, so we thought Fantasy Agent Project it best to keep it anonymous on both ends. The survey answers after the project was over con- Kaye George aka Janet Cantrell firmed this was a good idea.” is a past president and treasurer of Guppies. Her work has been Overall, the response to the project was positive. nominated for the Agatha and Kaye kept the statistics from the surveys. “100% Silver Falchion awards. She writes of the critiquers were glad they did it. More than the Imogene Duckworthy, Cressa 78% of the critiquers would do it again, but 20% Caraway, Neanderthal (People of the Wind), and Fat Cat mystery would only if they had time, and 5% would do series. it again only with a shorter page limit. Of the submitters, 60% said the results met their expec- tations and more than 28% said their feedback exceeded expectations. Elaine “E.B.” Davis is a the E.B. wasn’t surprised by the high success rate. “We current Guppy online class have a hard-working Guppy membership! The coordinator and a former member- feedback enabled unpublished writers to assess at-large. Her short stories have their skills—answering questions of what they been featured in numerous anthol- have mastered and what they still need to acquire. ogies, including the Anthony- Writing in a vacuum is frustrating. This project nominated Carolina Crimes edited by Karen Pullen. helped mitigate the fear factor writers face.” Kaye concurred, pointing out with pride the num- ber of completed, viable manuscripts. “I thought most would need some weeks or maybe even months to get them ready, but there they were! Elaine Will Sparber, Guppy member-at-large, served as proj- One thing almost everyone added to their surveys ect manager and line editor for was a thank you for doing the project. They made the -winning and sure to tell us what a great idea it was. That made Anthony-nominated Writes of us know that we had done a good thing.” Passage, edited by Hank Philippi 2 Ryan.

[Based on an interview appearing originally in the Guppy First Draft July 2015 newsletter.] Together these extraordinary women gave an incredibly generous A legislative attorney and former law librarian, Paula Gail gift to the Guppies. Benson’s short stories have appeared in online publica- tions and print anthologies including Fish or Cut Bait: A Guppy Anthology. She blogs at Little Sources of Joy, the Stiletto Gang, and Writers Who Kill. Her website is www.PaulaGailBenson.com

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¡ ¡ Writing the Paranormal by M. Angie Harmon (with Chris Roerden)

“blast!” That’s my one-word reac- can relate to. That makes any paranormal tion to “Paranormal Tips and character more believable. Tricks,” a recent program from Sis- 5  ters in Crime of the Triad, a twelve- Be sure every character has a relation- year-old North Carolina chapter ship to other characters and to the that offers ten free programs a story. I interpret this by ensuring that year for all writers thanks to co-sponsorship by each of my character’s emotions and reac- A tions play off each other and by integrating the High Point Public Library. each role in the action. I thoroughly enjoyed this lively—or rather “un- 5 If it seems fake to you, it will be fake to deadly”—interactive discussion led by Joyce your readers. and Jim Lavene, who have co-authored more than seventy books in multiple genres under 5 Define a distinctive personality for each several pseudonyms. It’s clear that they and the character. other professional authors who generously give 5 Establish and maintain a solid setting. For their time to the writers of the Carolinas sin- example, the Lavenes help keep details real cerely want others to succeed. and consistent by taking photos of people, Joyce and Jim began by introducing one big tip objects, and places wherever they travel. for all paranormals: If you like it, put it in your 5 Develop a backstory for all characters book! It’s your world you are creating, so if you and all aspects of your novel. Use it only love angels, fairies, zombies, werewolves, witches, for your own knowledge because most vampires, or gods and goddesses, it’s okay to backstory will not be included in a book. include them in your paranormal—as long as 5 Have your non-paranormal protagonist you follow the Lavenes’ primary recommenda- drive the story. tion: Give your characters a basis in reality. 5 Ask yourself: If the paranormal element Basis in Reality were not present, would there be a story? 5 Ground your characters by giving each 5 Write what you know. For instance, cre- one human-like qualities your readers ate a character based on a good friend’s

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¡ ¡ amazingly caring personality. Then throw a huge, loyal following that already buys all our in a dash of another friend’s boundless books, like Joyce and Jim Lavene). To help you cre- knowledge of herbs, thereby inventing an ate your “writers platform,” Google those words. entirely new character who is a wise and To build traffic to your website, Google “submit- funny teacher in your own fantastical land. ting to search engines” and “SEO” (Search Engine Hey! You finished writing your paranormal Optimization). novel! Great! But, wait, there’s more. To further help establish a following, update social media at least weekly. Revision Time Still, all forms of publishing are continually evolv- Read through your first draft taking out what isn’t relevant to the story. Then read it aloud ing. The Lavenes say that traditional publishers to hear if the language and pacing feel right. are now scouring the Internet and Amazon to Joyce shared an example of having really loved a find the next best thing to mass market. werewolf character, but discovered in rereading Jim’s favorite ways of marketing include adver- the draft that a mini-novella about this werewolf tising an older book as free for five days with existed within the main story. No matter how the purchase of the latest book, and using a much she loved the werewolf, it didn’t contrib- five-day free promo to get the word out for ute to either the story or its pacing. It had to go. the release of the next book. In the Lavene’s But. She didn’t trash her beloved creature. She experience, pricing a paranormal below $4.99 put it aside for later to let her creative juices or above $9.99–$11.99 dampens purchases, develop a whole new world for the werewolf. because readers often think that if a book is too cheap or too expensive, it isn’t worth reading. Next, our discussion entered the real world of Not true, but consumers think like that. publishing. I said to myself, “Boo hooo whaa haaaa!”—but I continued taking notes. Finally, continue marketing the old-fashioned way wherever you can: in person at shows, Traditional Publishing vs. expos, bookstores, and especially area mystical E-Publishing shoppes, which might agree to hold a signing If you really love your book and reading of your book. Not a psychic read- and want it out immediately, ing—though that is possible, too. 2 the quickest way to reach readers of paranormal, espe- Angie Harmon lives in High Point NC, and has been tell- cially for newbies like me, is to ing her stuffies, friends, family, librarians—even the trees self-publish in e-book format. and their dancing leaves—stories for ages! Now the world The platform we need to market ourselves and our is ready for her quirky, wacky, and fantastical work. books may be much the same as for traditional publishing—a social media presence, especially Book editor Chris Roerden is a founding mom of the a blog and a website—but we face even more Triad’s Murder We Write chapter and author of the work to make self-publishing pay (unless we have Agatha-winner Don’t Murder Your Mystery.

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¡ ¡ Board & Officer Nominees

our nominat- ing commit- tee—Laura Disilverio Les- lie Budewitz, and I, Catriona McPherson,—has Yworked long and hard— Leslie Budewitz, president-elect, is Diane Vallare, vice president-elect, and we have come up with a practicing trial attorney, the first is a former retail veteran who traded (if we do say so) a fabulous Agatha winner for both fiction and fashion accessories for accessories board slate for next year. non-fiction, and was a regular inSinC to murder. A former Guppy member columnist for many years. She lives at large, she is membership director For those who have decided and writes in Montana. and president of SinC-LA and co- chair of the California Crime Writers to drop off the board— Conference. Frankie Bailey, Laura DeSilverio, Barbara Fister, Clare O’Donohue, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Martha Reed—we are so incredibly grateful for your service, and never fear, we plan to rope you into helping at every turn. For those who have decided to stay, please be nice to the new kids. Susan C. Shea, secretary, spent Lori Roy, treasurer/AC representa- And aren’t they terrific? more than two decades as a non- tive, won the Edgar for her first novel, profit executive before beginning her Bent Road, and was nominated for best-selling mystery series featuring a Until She Comes Home. The former tax professional fund raiser. Susan is cur- accountant is a native of Kansas who rently the president of SinC-Northern now lives in west central Florida with California. her family.

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¡ ¡ Karen Pullen, chapter liaison, began Gigi Pandian, publicity liaison, writes life as an engineer but cubicle life sent two mystery series and locked-room her to more fun, mystery writing. She’s short stories. A Malice Domestic Grant published one novel with a second recipient, she, won the Left Coast coming next year. She edited the Crime Rose Award, and has been short- Triangle SinC’s Anthony-nominated listed for Agatha and . Carolina Crimes for SinC of the Gigi lives outside San Francisco. Triangle.

Cari Dubiel, library liaison, is the Debra Goldstein, monitoring project computer services manager at liaison, is the author of Should Have Twinsburg Public Library in Ohio. Played Poker, IPPY Award winning Maze She coordinates the SinC pres- in Blue, and numerous short stories. ence at both the American Library She is a Guppy member at large, and Association’s and the Public Library vice-president of the Alabama Writers Association’s national meetings. She Conclave. She’s also a former judge. is also writing a mystery.

Julie Hennrikus, AC liaison, is presi- G. M. Malliet, We Love Bookstores Catriona McPherson, past president, dent of SinC-NE and serves on its liaison, is the Agatha Award-winning was born in Scotland, but moved to Crime Bake committee. The executive author of the DCI St. Just and Father California in 2010. She is the multi- director of StageSource, a service Max Tudor mysteries. She has been award-winning author of the Dandy organization for theater artists and nominated for numerous other Gilver detective stories and acclaimed companies in the greater Boston area, awards. A Fatal Summer arrives in standalones. has published several short mysteries. October. She lives with her husband in the Washington DC area.

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¡ ¡ Beth’s Bits by Beth Wasson

ome of you may have a memory of the last time Sisters in Crime raised their dues ten years ago. I know the Board of Directors took it very seriously as did our current Board of Directors. Dues increases are a serious matter in Sisters inS Crime. There have only been a few in almost thirty years of our organization’s being! One- Have You Voted? year professional dues will increase to $50 and The 2015–2016 Board of Directors slate has been one-year active dues to $40. Two-year member- sent to members. Have you voted? Show your ships will still be available. The Professional support for these dedicated volunteers who serve on Lifetime Membership will be $500 and the the Board of Directors of Sisters in Crime. Active Lifetime Membership will be $400. Life- time memberships are still a bargain. Sisters in Did You SinC Up? Crime will continue its program of need-based dues waivers. The Board has had this program • Visit www.sistersincrime.org and log in. Click in place since the early 1990s. If anyone can on Promoting Yourself under the Members Only remember the last time SinC raised its dues section. There you will find a place to submit your e-mail me at [email protected] and I most recent book cover for the rotating banner on will mention it in my next column. the site. • Update your membership profile by logging in and Did You know? checking the information in your profile. Update Each year Sisters in Crime hosts a buffet breakfast your most recent title, add your web site and add at Malice and Bouchercon. The events are usually your Twitter address. All of these link with the sold out and everybody has a fun time Did you interactive map on the site. know that the cost to each member to attend is only half of the cost of the breakfast? Because hotels are SinC Into Great Writing VII! expensive we are unable to control the cost of each Write Your Novel from the Middle and full breakfast. The price is in the $40–$50 range Make It Shine at Both Ends and members pay only $20 or $25. A continental A few spots are still available to spend the breakfast is less expensive, but most of us want afternoon with James Scott Bell. Visit www. to start the day with protein. Some hotels charge sistersincrime.org, log in and register. Cost as much as $4 per person to add fruit. Should to members is only $50. The workshop is SinC increase the price? E-mail me at admin@ Wednesday, October 7, 2015 from 1:00–5:00 pm sistersincrime.org and let me know. in the University Room at the Marriott.

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¡ ¡ Breakfast at Bouchercon? The annual SinC Breakfast and membership Dorothy Cannell meeting will be on Friday, October 9 at 7:30 am in the Marriott’s University Room. Sisters in Crime Guppy Scholarship will hold its Board of Directors election during the meeting. The chapter presidents will meet there isters in Crime is administering the immediately following the breakfast. Second Annual Dorothy Cannell Guppy Scholarship, offered by agent Registration Available Now Meg Ruley to honor her long-time Be sure that you are logged in or else you won’t Sclient. The scholarship recognizes one of the be able to access the form. You can select pay most enduring author/agent partnerships in by credit card or by invoice. The price for a full mystery publishing, breakfast is $25. This is a discounted price for members of Sisters in Crime. You may also send a The $1,000 scholarship will be offered $25 check to Sisters in Crime. each year to an aspiring or published mystery author who is a member of the Sisters in Crime, Guppies (a member of the Sisters in Crime PO Box 442124 Guppy or “Great Unpublished” chapter), Lawrence KS 66044 and is designed to subsidize attendance Send your e-mail address for a confirmation! at the Malice Domestic Conference (www. Deadline for registration is September 15, 2015. MaliceDomestic.org,) held annually in 2 Bethesda MD. Malice Domestic honors the traditional My mother Anne M. White, mystery author and mystery and awards the prestigious “Agatha,” devoted Sisters in Crime member, died on June 29 named for Agatha Christie. According to at the age of 87. She was the author of An Affinity for Ruley, “Attending Malice was, for Dorothy Murder, Beneath the Surface, Best Laid Plans, Secrets as for many other crime writers, a wonderful Dark and Deep, and Cold Winter Nights. An Affinity introduction to the community of mystery for Murder won an unpublished writer’s grant from readers and writers. This scholarship will allow Malice Domestic and a nomination as a Malice another new writer (published yet or not) the Domestic Best First Mystery. I absolutely adored opportunity.” my mom, and feel indebted to her in so many ways. When I was 13 she bought me a typewriter because To apply, a Guppy member should send a she could see my love of writing, and never stopped statement, no more than 200 words, about championing my efforts. Every author should have a how attending Malice will support her (or mom like her. She was so proud to be a part of the his) writing goals, to Sisters in Crime at mystery author community, particularly Sisters in [email protected], with “Dorothy Crime, and it brought great joy to her life. She had a Cannell Scholarship” in the subject line. wicked sense of humor and never lost it, even in her Applicants will receive confirmation of entry final days. One afternoon she looked at one of the via email. nurses and said, “You’re not trying to poison me, All entries must be received by November 1, are you? 2015. The winner will be selected from the —Kate White entrants and announced early in 2016. The award will be for attendance at Malice Domestic April 29–May 1, 2016. 2 17 inSinC September 2015

¡ ¡ Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Psychopaths (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Katherine Ramsland, PhD

ue to the popularity of psycho- paths and the media scramble for stories, we get plenty of myth and misinformation. Some reporters can’t spot a poor research design, but some just make stuff up. “You Can Tell a Psycho- interview with the subject, along with extensive Dpath from Their Tweet,” for example, or “Science information from files and reports. Each of the Confirms that Psychopaths Smell Different.” I twenty traits or behaviors is rated on a scale from can’t begin to describe all of the errors I see on a zero (the subject does not manifest it) to two regular basis, but I can help writers avoid them. (the subject definitely manifests it). The highest In this column, I’ll provide some sources. score is forty, and a psychopath’s score gener- Let’s look at basics ally falls between thirty and forty. The PCL-R and PCL: SV are strong predictors of criminal recidi- Back in 1941, prison psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley vism and response (or lack of) to therapeutic described his interactions with psychopaths in intervention. his now-classic book, The Mask of Sanity. His work inspired Dr. Robert Hare, a prison psycholo- Thus, identifying a psychopath is not a matter gist, to focus his own research on this group of checking off one-word items on a list (e.g., of offenders. Hare developed the twenty-item deceptive, manipulative, egocentric) while you Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and its sit at a bar, hating your boss, husband, or girl- derivatives, the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening friend. It’s also not a matter of sniffing the air Version (PCL: SV), the P-Scan, the Psychopathy around someone or looking at his Twitter feed. Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), and the Leave diagnosis to the professionals. Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD). So how can you, the writer, get up to snuff on The PCL-R, this condition for your characters or articles? used around Here are two good sources: the world, is scored on the Robert Hare’s website www.Hare.org. basis of a semi- Although only credentialed professionals can structured take Hare’s PCL-R trainings, he offers links to

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¡ ¡ hundreds of scholarly articles, commentaries, brains. Along the way, we learn about his experi- and documentaries, along with popular press ences with psychopaths in prisons, his develop- pieces that get it right. The list is quite long ment of a portable MRI machine for scanning (www.hare.org/references/main.html). inmates, and his involvement in several cases For example, a research study published in (including juveniles at risk for becoming adult 2013 tested a group of diagnosed psychopaths psychopaths). It’s quite accessible to lay people, vs. non-psychopaths to explore the commonly and informative. accepted notion that psychopaths cannot feel empathy (which means they’re also not sorry for In addition, several outstanding anthologies hurting you). Because empathic responses can focus on psychopathy, with articles by the be measured with scans of certain brain regions, prominent researchers in the field. Each pro- the researchers had both groups view images of vides a terrific overview of the diverse subject emotional hand gestures. As expected, activity in areas relevant to psychopathy. I’m reading one the empathy-associated brain regions was weak now, Psychopathy: An Introduction to the Biological among the psychopaths. Findings and Their Implications, by However, when the psycho- Andrea Glenn and Adrian Raine. paths were instructed to try to The authors gather the latest results empathize before their brains from brain research on psychopathy, were scanned again, the differ- ence between the groups sig- from the initial court cases to what’s nificantly diminished. Similar happening today—including the key neural regions were activated ethical issues our courts will soon in both groups, suggesting that face. psychopathy does not neces- Psychopaths have many layers. They sarily involve an incapacity for empathy but rather a lack of can be much better characters than motivation for it. That’s quite the superficial articles that pop up a finding, and it offers an interesting new daily suggest. I hope these sources will assist you research direction. to develop more sophisticated and accurate fic- tion (and fact). Please let other writers know. Peer-Respected/Peer-Reviewed Books 2 Neuropsychologist Kent Kiehl recently pub- Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensic psychology lished The Psychopath Whisperer. Mentored by and graduate director for criminal justice, has published 58 Robert Hare, Kiehl describes his career from his books and over 1,000 articles. She writes a blog, “Shadow Boxing,” for Psychology Today. Her most recent book, initial interest in psychopaths to his work today Shadows of Death for Notorious USA, collects the crime as the premier expert on scanning psychopathic tales of New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.

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¡ ¡ Getting the Facts Straight by Leslie Budewitz Law & Fiction

The Law and Fiction column will take a break while I serve as your president, but I’m always happy to answer members’ questions about using the law in their fiction directly. As a wrap-up, I’m sharing my list of common mistakes writers make about the law, and tips on avoiding them. (As in all my columns, I’m talking only about the American legal system.)

Using the wrong terms to Confusing direct and Giving every suspect a Miranda identify prosecutors and circumstantial evidence warning courts Evidence is anything offered at A warning is required only before On “Law & Order”—and I love the trial to prove a fact necessary to custodial interrogation. In other show—the prosecutor is the D.A. the elements of the case—tes- words, only persons in custody Elsewhere, she may be the County timony, documents, or physical need to be warned, and even Attorney or Prosecutor, the evidence like a gun or DNA test then, only before questioning. State’s Attorney, even the People’s results. Direct evidence is evidence Voluntary statements by per- Attorney. A long handle like of a fact. Circumstantial evidence sons not in custody or not made Commonwealth’s Attorney might is evidence of a fact that leads to in response to questioning are be shortened to “the prosecu- an inference or presumption. admissible. A suspect who’s been tor.” Does she try cases in District warned may waive his rights and Court, Circuit Court, or Superior An illustration: You tell your kids agree to talk. Of course, mistakes Court? If the terminology baffles not to eat the brownies until are fodder for defense lawyers— you, call the court or prosecutor’s after dinner. You see your son and writers. office, the state bar, or a law pro- snatch one—direct evidence of fessor. You may even find a source disobedience. You don’t see your Failing to distinguish between to answer future questions. daughter touch the plate, but you state and federal crimes spot chocolate smears around A crime doesn’t get to be fed- Assuming law enforcement eral just because it’s important. her mouth and crumbs on her officers need a warrant to Federal crimes are violations of make an arrest shirt—circumstantial evidence. federal statutes. They include Police don’t need a warrant to make In both civil and criminal law, many (but not all) drug and an arrest in a public place, or in circumstantial evidence may be firearms offenses, kidnaping “exigent circumstances,” such as enough to make the case. If the across state lines, and offenses when an officer witnesses a crime other side objects, the judge related to securities or banking, or pursues a suspect. But police must rule on whether to allow immigration, war, terrorism, or still need probable cause—that is, (“admit”) it or not. The standard interstate communications, or a reasonable belief, based on facts, is relevance: Does it make facts occurring on federal property. that a particular person is respon- that matter to the case more or Regulatory offenses, such as pol- sible for a particular crime. “Mere suspicion” is not enough. less probable? lution violations, may be federal

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¡ ¡ crimes. The federal government may apply. Court process may and allows ice to form. A woman prosecutes federal crimes. be required. Some states permit falls and breaks her arm—but ownership of hunting rifles but she walked there daily, knew the If a crime violates state law, the bar handguns. danger, and was on her phone. state prosecutes. Some conduct A neighboring shop owner had may violate both state and fed- Debate rages over the constitu- promised to shovel, but forgot. eral laws, triggering a tug-of-war tional implications of voting and Who’s liable, meaning who pays? over jurisdiction. State court gun restrictions and their effect The jury decides. systems handle the majority of on a person’s ability to re-enter civil and criminal litigation— society. Does your character live Sentencing a defendant min- estimates are as much as 95%. in fear of an ex-con ex-husband utes after a felony conviction with a gun—or worry that she Sentencing for felony convic- If your fictional crime is set in can’t buy a gun to protect herself tions is a separate proceeding, Indian Country, do your research. because of her own record? Is usually held after a pre-sentence While the FBI investigates crimes your fictional legislator’s re- investigation by a probation on many reservations, as in Tony election in dispute because a officer or other investigator Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee faulty list prevents hundreds of (terminology varies). Prosecutors novels, state authorities exercise full ex-felons from voting? and defense counsel need time or partial jurisdiction on others. to review the report and make Change will continue, so check Assuming a felon can’t vote recommendations. A few weeks your story state’s laws. or own a gun is typical. Sooner is possible— Restoration of civil rights— Referring to guilt in a civil suit Casey Anthony was sentenced including voting and gun owner- for damages a few days after the verdict, but ship—after a felony conviction is A criminal defendant will be the charges she was convicted of complex. The Sentencing Project, found guilty or not guilty (not were relatively minor and circum- a national organization promot- “innocent”). A civil defendant stances may have triggered an ing sentencing reform, estimates is either liable for the plaintiff’s expedited proceeding. damages or not—the concept of that full or partial state bans— If you need sentence imposed guilt does not apply. many applicable even after a quickly to get your character to sentence has been fully served— Unlike criminal guilt, civil liability prison, build in facts that let you deny the vote to 5.8 million is not all or nothing. In a per- do so. Just don’t let your fic- people, with a sonal injury claim, the jury may tional judge hear the verdict and disparate racial decide that the plaintiff—the impose sentence without taking impact. party bringing suit—contrib- a breath. While federal uted to her injuries by her own Allowing lawyers—or their cli- felons are barred negligence. If her negligence ents—to argue with the judge, from gun ownership for life, state reaches a certain level—typically especially after she’s ruled law varies widely. Some states more than 50%—she may be pre- Don’t do it—not if you care about prevent or limit gun ownership vented from recovering damages. your characters or their case. by persons convicted of vio- Multiple defendants may share But if you want to irritate your lent felonies, but allow it after liability. fictional judge, go ahead. Your the sentence is served, includ- Picture a slip-and-fall: A shop chances of success are excellent. ing probation. Waiting periods owner fails to shovel her sidewalk

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¡ ¡ And don’t let your characters Using bail as punishment violence cases—but the decision interrupt in court, unless you The purpose of bail is to assure is never up to the victim. that the defendant appears for want them hauled to the slammer Obviously, mistakes happen in trial and other court proceed- for contempt. real life, which is why lawyers file ings. When a crime is particularly Introducing new motions to suppress evidence violent or newsworthy, the public evidence on appeal or dismiss charges (in criminal may clamor for a high bail and Appeals are decided strictly on cases), motions to exclude evi- stiff conditions on release, and the record below—meaning the dence or dismiss claims (the civil criticize the judge for failing to terminology), and appeals. But evidence, including testimony, set a high bail. Remember that mistakes also add to the drama and legal arguments. Parties to an conditions, such as staying away and create great opportunities appeal may not present new wit- from the alleged victim or wit- for tension and conflict. nesses or argue legal issues not nesses, not drinking alcohol, or previously raised. As turning over all guns may be Is it ever okay to make a mistake part of its decision, set to promote public safety. on purpose, to fool the reader? though, an appellate Other conditions, such as Not in my book. Exaggerate a court might order the turning over a passport, are bit for drama, sure, but deliber- trial court to reopen aimed at assuring appearance ately building a story on a faulty a case to consider evi- in court. premise breaks faith with the dence or arguments reader. As prosecutor turned In some states, capital novelist Marcia Clark said in a previously excluded. (death penalty) offenses panel discussion I moderated on are not bailable. Other In a criminal case, forensics in fiction, “The more we restrictions may also apply new evidence may tell the truth, the more dramatic so check your story state. (For surface weeks, months, even it is.” We don’t need to lie about more on bail, take a look at my years after conviction. Other the facts to tell a good story—we guide for writers, Books, Crooks procedures exist to ask a judge to need to find the story they tell. reopen a case after the appeals and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law Writers who take time to check process has ended. and Courtroom Procedure (2011, legal terms and principles will “Don’t leave town” Quill Driver Books).) discover terrific opportunities Don’t let your fictional cops say to twist, deepen, complicate, or Saying a victim refused to this. They don’t actually have “press charges” simplify their stories. Getting the details right can make all authority to do so—and it could Decisions whether to charge a the difference. be seen as a de facto arrest. person with a crime are up to Reading the will the prosecutors, either through Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food A staple scene in black-and-white prosecutorial discretion or the Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice movies, but rarely done in real life. grand jury system. (More on that Shop Mysteries—and the first author In most states, heirs are typically in Books, Crooks and Counselors.) to win Agatha Awards for both fiction The prosecutor may decide not and nonfiction. A practicing lawyer, she entitled to copies, and as soon as lives in northwest Montana with her probate is filed, the will becomes to file charges because the victim husband, a musician and doctor of natu- part of the court record. refuses to cooperate—unfor- ral medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover tunately, common in domestic model and avid bird-watcher. She is vice president of Sisters in Crime.

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¡ ¡ We Love Libraries! by Andrea Smith

ome are in schools. Ellis’ latest novel, Prime Target Some serve small features Madeleine Schier who communities. Some becomes a killer’s target after wit- are staffed by volun- nessing her husband’s murder. teers. They’re libraries Receiving the WLL grant was a that promote a love bittersweet moment for Library of reading, and Sisters in Crime’s Director Lana Gardner. The WeS Love Libraries! (WLL) program grant to the James V. Brown presentation was made in con- continues to help them thrive. junction with her retirement Library in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Sandra is the In an environment where city celebration. “It was a special author of the Jennie Connors and state budgets are squeezed, honor for me to finish my service mystery series of which the WLL has been a lifeline to SinC’s to the library on such a wonder- most recent entry is Lethal library partners who help con- ful note,” she said. Journal. The stories explore nect readers to our work. The the challenges facing a single program is on track to have North Carolina Winner mother balancing indepen- awarded a total of 60 grants of In May, Murder We Write North dence with family. $1,000 each during its five-year Carolina Triad chapter members existence. WLL will hit this mile- Joyce Lavene and her husband When notified of the library’s stone at the end of this year. and writing partner, Jim Lavene, good fortune, Library Director Melissa Rowse said, “It was the During the second quarter our presented the WLL grant to the best welcome back from vaca- prolific SinC members took time Holly Library at the Asheville- tion I’ve ever received. We’re from writing schedules to help Buncombe Technical Community using the grant to purchase new salute WLL lottery winners. College in Asheville. The prolific team writes bestselling mystery mysteries by Sisters in Crime and urban fantasy fiction. Their authors.” South Carolina Winner latest cozy is A Watery Death, Upstate South Carolina chap- SinC members can help libraries the seventh installment in their in their backyard join the list of ter members Ellis Vidler and Missing Pieces mystery series. Polly Iyer presented the April WLL grant winners. Entering is WLL grant to the Cherokee easy as going to the SinC web- County Public Library in Pennsylvania Winner site, submitting the electronic Gaffney, South Carolina. State Finally, Delaware Valley SinC form and including a photo of a Senator Harvey Peeler was on chapter president Sandra Carey staff member with three books Cody presented the June WLL by SinC authors. hand for the presentation. 2

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¡ ¡ California Crime Writers Conference by Jill Amadio

phenomenal success!” That’s the The keynote speakers, and Charlaine reaction after the wrap-up of the Harris, spoke to packed ballrooms, and the book- third bi-annual California Crime seller, Mysterious Galaxy, almost sold out, as did Writers Conference in June 2015 those who self-published. No fewer than sixty gift co-hosted by Sisters in Crime Los baskets were provided by authors themed to their Angeles and Southern California books and auctioned to assist in swelling the two Mystery Writers of America. Compliments have come organizations’ coffers. “Apouring in from authors, panelists, agents, publish- Brash Books generously under- ers, and speakers who attended the thirty-two tracks wrote the hundreds of goody covering craft, industry, forensics, and marketing. bags that were filled with The conference outperformed its previous atten- donated books, bookmarks, dance figures and attracted registrants from near postcards, and related gadgets. and far. A grant from SinC National was generous enough to For two days writers were immersed in a large vari- help offset the costs of transportation for some of ety of sessions—many standing-room-only—that the speakers, agents, and editors. focused on common goals in forums that provided “CCWC is meant to pull us out of our ordinary lives,” solid information about the business. Program ads said Vallere. It surely did. “Regardless of where we sold out quickly, even at higher rates, and the limit are in our careers, we need our of 200 attendees was surpassed with Diane Vallere, network.” president of SinCLA, managing to accommodate 2 eager late-comers and welcome them to the many Jill Amadio is the public relations director for Sisters in workshops and panels. Crime Los Angeles. d d d We Love Bookstores!

very month through December 2015 Sisters in Crime will award $250 to a bookstore to use for promotion or marketing or hosting book signing events. Bookstores can simply complete the form found at http://www.tinyurl.com/owf9aof and include a photo of staff member(s) hold- ing three books written by Sisters in Crime members. The winning bookstore will be contacted after the random drawing on the first business day of the month. Other entries will be entered automatically for subsequent drawings. EEncourage your favorite bookstores to participate in this drawing. There is no obligation other than allow- ing us to post winners’ photos on our website and other SinC publications. Only US bookstores may enter the drawing. This funding must be used for promotional expenses that support authors by encouraging the sale of books. It may not be used for salaries or basic operational expenses. 2

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¡ ¡ Awards 1 Nominations by Gay Toltl Kinman

Cathy Ace won the Bony Blithe Light Annette Dashofy’s Circle of Influence was Ellen Hart’s The Old Deep and Dark is a Mystery Award for The Corpse with the nominated for the David Award. LAMBDA Literary Award nominee for Platinum Hair. Best Lesbian Mystery. Amanda DeWees’ With This Curse won Maria Alexander’s Mr. Wicker won the the Daphne Du Maurier Award Libby Fischer Hellmann’s Nobody’s Bram Stoker Award for Superior for Historical Romantic Mystery/ Child is a finalist for a Shamus Achievement in a First Novel. Suspense. Award for Best P.I. Indie Novel, for the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Traci Andrighettie’s Limoncello Yellow Dave Edlund’s Crossing Savage is an Mystery/Suspense, and is a semi- was nomined for the Daphne Du Indiefab Award Finalist for Thriller finalist for the Kindle Book Awards Maurier Award for Mainstream and Suspense. Mystery/Thriller. Mystery/Suspense. Kendra Elliot’s Vanished won the Daphne Sara Sue Hoklotubbe’s Sinking J. Bard-Collins’ Honor Above is an Du Maurier Award for Romantic Suspicions is an Indiefab Award Indiefab Award Finalist for Mystery. Mystery/Suspense and was also the Finalist for Mystery. Overall Daphne Winner for the 2015 Kristi Belcamino’s Blessed Are The Dead Published Contest. Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger’s In is nominated for the Anthony Award the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories for Best First Novel and the Macavity Allen Eskens’ The Life We Bury is nomi- Inspired by the Holmes Canon is nomi- Award for Best First Mystery Novel. nated for an Anthony Award and nated for the Anthony Award for Best was a Thriller Award finalist for Best Anthology or Collection. Rhys Bowen’s Queen of Hearts is a Sue First Novel. Feder Memorial Award nomination Cynthia Kuhn won the William F. for Best . Susan Fleet is a semi-finalist in the Deeck Malice Domestic Grant Kindle Book Awards Mystery/Thriller for Unpublished Writers for her Sandra Brannan’s Solomon’s Whisper is an category for Natalie’s Art. academic mystery manuscript, Indiefab Award Finalist for Mystery. “Lectured to Death.” Kate Clark Flora’s Death Dealer: How Cops Craig Faustus Buck’s “Honeymoon and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Sharon Langdale’s “Writing the Ghosts Sweet” in Murder at the Beach is nomi- Justice is nominated for an Anthony Away” was a contest winner in the nated for the Anthony Award for Best Award nominee for Best Critical or National League of American Pen Short Story and the Macavity Award Non-Fiction Work. Women. for Best Mystery Short Story. Debby Giusti’s The Agent’s Secret Past won Janice Law’s Moon Over Tangier is a Murder at the Beach edited by Dana the Daphne Du Maurier Award for LAMBDA Literary Award nominee for Cameron is an Anthony Award nomi- Excellence Inspirational Romantic Best Gay Mystery. nee for Best Anthology or Collection. Mystery Suspense BV Lawson’s Played to Death is nominated Jane K. Cleland’s Blood Rubies was Barb Goffman’s “The Shadow Knows” in for a Shamus Award for Best P.I. Indie nominated for the David Award. Chesapeake Crimes is nominated for Novel. an Anthony and a Macavity for Best Nancy J. Cohen’s “Hanging by a Hair” Mystery Short Story. Robert K. Lewis’s Critical Damage is was selected as one of the best nominated for a Shamus Award for cozy mysteries in 2014 by Suspense Max Gordon is a semi-finalist in the Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel. Magazine. Kindle Book Awards Mystery/Thriller category for Live Free or Die. M. P. Cooley’s Ice Shear is an Anthony Award nominee for Best First Novel.

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¡ ¡ Steve Liskow’s The Kids Are All Right is Dani Pettrey’s Silenced was nomined Travis Richardson’s “The Proxy” in nominated for a Shamus Award for for the Daphne Du Maurier Award Thuglit is a Macavity nominee for Best Best P.I. Indie Novel. for Inspirational Romantic Mystery Mystery Short Story. Suspense. Elizabeth Little’s Dear Daughter is nomi- Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Truth Be Told is nated for a Macavity Award for Best Adam Plantinga’s 400 Things Cops Know: an Anthony Award nominee for Best First Mystery Novel. Street Smart Lessons from a Veteran Novel. She edited Writes of Passage: Patrolman is a Macavity nominee for Adventures on the Writer’s Journey which Dru Ann Love’s “Dru’s Book Musings” is Best Mystery-Related Nonfiction. is nominated for an Anthony Award an Anthony Award nominee for Best for Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work Critical or Non-Fiction Work. Keenan Powell’s manuscript “Deadly and for a Macavity Award for Best Solution” won the William F. Mystery-Related Nonfiction. C. J. Lyons’ Hard Fall won the Thriller Deeck Malice Domestic Grant for Award for Best E-Book Original Novel. Unpublished Writers. Tamsen Schultz’s What Echoes Render was nomined for the Daphne Du Maurier Karen McCullough’s The Detective’s Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Love, Lust, Award for Single Title Romantic Dilemma was nomined for the Daphne and Longing edited by Karen Pullen is Mystery/Suspense. Du Maurier Award for Romantic an Anthony Award nominee for Best Mystery/Suspense. Anthology or Collection. Terry Shames’ The Last Death of Jack Harbin is a Macavity Award nominee Catriona McPherson’s The Day She Died Lori Rader-Day’s The Black Hour is for Best Mystery Novel. is an Anthony Award nominee for nominated for an Anthony Award Best Paperback Original; a Macavity and a Macavity Award for Best Novel, Susan Sussman’s Miami Iced was named Award nominee for Best Mystery the Barry Award for Best Paperback a finalist in the National Indie Novel; and an Indiefab Award Original, and won the Illinois Excellence Book Awards. Finalist for Mystery. Her A Deadly Woman’s Press Association Mate E. Measure of Brimstone is a Sue Feder Palmer Award in Communications ’s “The Odds Are Against Us” Memorial Award nomination for Best for Fiction. in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine is Historical Mystery. a Macavity and an Anthony Award nominee for Best Mystery Short Paul Marks’ “Howling at the Moon” in Story. Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is nomi- nated for an Anthony Award and a Gigi Vernon’s “Show Stopper” in MWA’s Macivity Award for Best Short Story. Ice Cold was a Thriller finalist for Best Nominated or Won? Short Story. Dale Mayer is a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Awards Suspense/Horror Although Gay receives Lynn Chandler Willis’ Wink of an Eye is category for Eyes To The Soul. notices about Edgar, a finalist for Shamus Award for Best Agatha, and Macavity First Novel. TJ O’Connor’s Dying to Know is an Awards, she doesn’t neces- Indiefab Award Finalist for Mystery. sarily get news of others. James W. Ziskin’s No Stone Unturned is Please let her know if you an Anthony Award nominee for Best Sandra Parshall’s Poisoned Ground won are honored with another. Paperback Original. the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Please send your informa- Mystery/Suspense. tion directly to her gaykin- ’s The Long Way Home is [email protected]. nominated for an Anthony Award and a Macavity Award for Best Novel.

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¡ ¡ 2015 2017 Ladies of Intrigue EVENTS Left Coast Crime Huntington Beach CA HAPPENINGS Honolulu HI • Mar. 16–19 Oct. 3 Shetland Noir “Honolulu Havoc” will feature [email protected] Mareel UK • Nov. 13–15 The islands’ first crime writing festival Faye and Jonathan Kellerman Bouchercon for lifetime achievement, Dana Raleigh NC • Oct. 8–11 in assoication with Iceland Noir. Workshops, readings, Q&A sessions, Stabenow as GoH, and Laurie R. “Murder Under the Oaks” will tours, and more. Arne Dahl, Håkan King as toastmaster. feature Margaret Maron, Kathy www.LeftCoastCrime.org/2017 Nesser, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Stuart Reichs, Tom Franklin, Zoe Sharp, Macbride, Denise Mina, Alex Gray, Bouchercon S. Allan Guthrie, Sean Doolittle, Ann Cleeves. Toronto ON • Oct. 12–15 Lori Armstrong, Sarah Shaber “Passport to Murder” will feature www. Bouchercon2015.org 2016 Louise Penny, Canadian GoH; Texas Book Festival Left Coast Crime Megan Abbott, American GoH; Austin TX • Oct. 17–18 Phoenix AZ • Feb. 25–28 Christopher Brookmyre, intl. www.TexasBookFestival.org “The Great Cactus Caper” GoH; B’Con Killer Nashville will feature Gregg Hurwitz as 4Kids GoH, Margaret Cannon Nashville TN American GoH, Ann Cleeves (Int’l fan GoH; Twist Phelan & Gary Oct. 29–Nov. 1 GoH), and Catriona McPherson Phillips, as toastmasters. www.KillerNashville.com as toastmaster. www.Bouchercon2017.com www.LeftCoastCrime2016.com Magna cum Murder 2018 Bouchercon Indianapolis IN Bouchercon Oct. 30–Nov.1 New Orleans LA Sep. 15–18 St. Petersburg FL GoH William Kent Krueger, Intl Sep. 13–16 GoH . “Blood on the Bayou—Down in The conference will feature Karin www. MagnaCumMurder.com New Orleans” will feature Harlan Coben as GoH, Mo Hayder as intl. Slaughter, Sean Chercover, Sara GoH, Julie Smith as local legend, Blaedel, Mark Billingham, Lisa Jon and Ruth Jordan as fan GoH, Unger, Tim Dorsey, Ian Rankin, as toastmaster. Judy Bobalik, Ayo Onatade, David Morrell will be the lifetime and as Ghost of Honor John D. achievement award recipient. MacDonald. www. Bouchercon2016.com www.Bouchercon2018.com 27 inSinC September 2015

¡ ¡ Membership Values n these days of increasing prices everywhere (excepting, of course, author royalties!), folks have been incredibly supportive about the modest increase in Sisters in Crime membership dues. It’s obvious that the ben- efits of our organization far outweigh its costs (see Beth’s Bits, page 16). Even with belt-tightening, SinC continues to offer incredible resources to chapters and individuals.

It’s been said that people typically use less than 10% of a computer program’s capabilities. Does that generalization carry over to your SinC membership? Do your read the daily listserv menu to see if a question (or answer) applies to you? - Have you read this year’s Summit Report featuring independent booksellers? - Have you told your local library about our We Love Libraries” or your favorite indepen- -  Ident bookstore about our newly launched “We Love Bookstores” programs? Did you register for one of the pre-Bouchercon SinC into Great Writing programs? - Do you check out the industry happenings in “SinCLinks”? - Did you take advantage of the Gotham Writing Workshop discount? - Is your SinC personal profile updated with links to your social networking sites? - Do you read inSinC? - Are you eligible for one of our grants? -  The Eleanor Taylor Bland scholarships for emerging writers of color - An academic grant to fund study of the mystery genre - The Dorothy Cannell Grant for unpublished writers to attend Malice Domestic - Are you a chapter member, taking advantage of in-person and online opportunities for -  craft and promotional advice?

If you’ve done many of these things, you’ll probably agree that you’re getting your money’s worth. If not, get crackin’! 2

P.S. Stay tuned for information about the upcoming Hollywood Conference, April 1-3, 2016!