inSinC the Sisters in Crime quarterly June 2020 inSinC • June 2020 • Page 1 Mission Statement Promote the ongoing advancement, recognition, and professional development of women crime writers. inSinC Board Members The Sisters in Crime Quarterly • June 2020 Lori Rader – Day, President S.G. Wong, Vice President inSinc is the official publication of Sisters Faye Snowden, Secretary Jacki York, Treasurer in Crime International and is published Tracee de Hahn, Membership Development Liaison four times a year. One – year dues are Kellye Garret, Member at Large $50 for professional US and Canada writ- Stephanie Gayle, Grants/ACA Coordinator ers and $40 for non – professionals. Two Chris Goff, Education Liaison – year dues are $100 and $80; lifetime, Vanessa Lille, Publicity Chair Debra H. Goldstein, Monitoring Chair $500 and $400. Address and all other Shari Randall, Library Liaison changes can be made by members at our Barb Ross, Web Liaison website. Alec Peche, Chapter Liaison If you do not use a computer or need a Sherry Harris, Immediate Past President user name, please contact Next Wave Next Wave Group 550M Ritchie Hwy #271 Group at the address at left. Information 833.492.7463 • 410.544.4640 Fax in inSinC is submitted or reprinted from ©2019 Sisters in Crime International sources listed in each article. Where re- inSinC quired, permission to reprint has been Molly Weston, Editor granted and noted. SinC does not investi- Marcia Preston, Proofreader gate each submission independently and Margie Bunting, Proofreader Wrona Gail, Proofreader articles in no way constitute an endorse- Priscilla Gruenewald, Proofreader ment of products or services offered. No Merrilee Robsons, Proofreader material may be reprinted without written Arthur Vidro, Proofreader permission from Sisters in Crime; contact Marisa Young, Proofreader Molly Weston. Presidents Sisters in Crime Sara Paretsky Elaine Raco Chase Kate Grilley Frankie Bailey 1987–88 1995–96 2003–04 2011–12 Nancy Pickard Annette Meyers Patricia Sprinkle Hank Phillippi Ryan 1988–89 1996–97 2004–05 2012–13 Margaret Maron Sue Henry Libby Hellmann Laura DiSilverio 1989–90 1997–98 2005–06 2013–14 Susan Dunlap Medora Sale Rochelle Krich Catriona McPherson 1990–91 1998–99 2006–07 2014–15 Carolyn G. Hart Barbara Burnett Smith Roberta Isleib Leslie Budewitz 1991–92 1999–00 2007–08 2015–16 P. M. Carlson Claire Carmichael McNab Judy Clemens Diane Vallere 1992–93 2000–01 2008–09 2016–17 Linda Grant Eve K. Sandstrom Marcia Talley Kendel Lynn 1993–94 2001–02 2009–10 2017–18 Barbara D’Amato Kate Flora Cathy Pickens Sherry Harris 1994–95 2002–03 2010–11 2018–19 inSinC • June 2020 • Page 2 Table of Contents from Molly From Molly I hope this finds you well, well stocked, Molly Weston . 3 and in a good place! I’ve been lucky that From Lori the pandemic has changed little in my life Lori Rader-Day . 4 — except not being able to get mani-pedis Counseling Cops and haircuts. Small things. My daughter Ellen Kirschman, PhD . 5 pointed out that an introvert who works from home wouldn’t Leading Successful Online Events mind being ordered to stay there. That made me realize how Dana Kaye . 7 lucky I am! Fabulous Forewomen I’ve enjoyed watching many of you online, reading your Susan Rowland, PhD . 9 newsletters (many of these had links which led me down a Legal Matters mystery-lovers’ rabbit hole), and hearing from you via email. Jodé Millman . 13 I’ve shared these announcements with folks who’ve come How Not to Play House – Do Your to my Molly on Mysteries programs over the past 25 years. Disability Research I’ve also ordered enough of the books that my iPad is on the Cindy Brown . 16 verge of exploding! Webinar Schedule You’ll notice inSinC has nearly 50% more pages this time. Chris Goff . 19 I’m excited about this issue — and I think there is literally From an Editor — Author Mills something for everyone and likely that everything will benefit Kerry Cathers . 23 everyone! I won’t try to mention all the topics, but there are The Truth Behind Fictional Crime how-tos, coping mechanisms, ways to avoid legal loopholes, Kristen Houghton . 27 opportunities of all kinds, announcements, and things that Mystery in the Midlands . 29 are just fun. I’ve had a great time putting all this together. Doris Ann Norris We Love Libraries! I have become interested in landscaping my yard. Of course, Susan Hammerman . 30 I’ve maintained my lifelong aversion to getting dirty, but I Library Rescue Effort Needs Your Help.. 32 found a note in my mailbox that a young man who’d been Library Liaison reduced to half time at his job was willing to do the labor. He Shari Randall . 33 and a buddy have done an amazing job — I want to share it How Libraries Sell Books with you. Cari Dubiel . 34 Our proofreaders have been tireless. Thanks to all of you! Key West Literary Honor Roberta Isleib, PhD . 35 Till next time, happy writing! We Love Bookstores Robin Agnew . 36 There’s a Test for That Shelley Blanton-Stroud, PhD . 37 Most articles for inSinC are submitted by SinC members. If you Saluting Beth Wasson are interested in writing an article (or a series), please con- Sherry Harris . 40. tact Molly Weston who will send you submission guidelines. Articles for inSinC are due the 10th of the month two months preceding Obits . 46 issue date (July 10 for September issue, etc.). High resolution (1 mb or Awards & Recognition greater) photos are encouraged, however, please do not include more Gay Kinman . 48 than two without prior authorization. NO CAPTIONS will be included. For submission guidelines or questions, please contact Molly. inSinC • June 2020 • Page 3 from Lori How quickly things change. In my last letter to you, I encouraged you to find the line between saying YES and saying NO and now? Now we’ve all had to tell ourselves no — to nearly everything. Writing this letter is basically time travel; I’m writing to you from my self- quarantine, day 41 inside my house, and I’m hoping that by the time it reaches you in June, some of the horror of our shared experience of will be over. I don’t know, though. I can only hope. I’ve been having trouble writing. Maybe you have, too. Recently I had a Zoom happy hour (remember not so long ago when that string of syllables wouldn’t have made any sense?). While talking to other Chicagoland writers about the effects of all this on our lives and careers, one of them asked, basically, in the face of so much uncertainty, was there any- thing we should be doing now to be ready for the moment when things return to normal? (I’ll tell you my answer to her in a second.) I don’t want to ruin anyone’s newsletter, but we are probably not going to see “normal,” as we knew it, anytime soon. Some of us might have to live with a new normal in our lives and in our publishing careers. It’s a scary time to be a human, so it’s of course also a scary time to be a writer. Can you do a million Zoom calls and redesign your website and write up a new marketing plan for the next seven years? (All while you’re home schooling your kid?) Sure, those are all things you can do. But it’s also OK to remember that the world isn’t really on pause. It’s churning and changing, and when we can see each other again, all our plans might need to be changed, too. Your time might be better spent with those you are quarantined with, and on video chats with loved ones quaran- tined elsewhere. Reading, if you can. Writing, if you can. Taking care of those around you, if you can. Taking care of your- self, whatever that looks like. Write a letter. Buy a book from your local indie. Watch those cat videos. Get out the puzzles. Watch The Great British Baking Show all over again. (That last one is me.) What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t feel the pressure to UP YOUR GAME at the same time you are dealing with a universal disaster. Now, to that answer I promised you. What can we do as authors to be ready for when the doors of the world reopen? You know the answer: Write the best work you can. If you can write. (Write something terrible if that’s all you can manage.) Use the complex feelings you have about this situation to give depth to your characters. Change up your sub- genre and try something new. Write for the joy of writing, if you can catch it. Write for the unburdening of grief, if you can’t. Write your anger into something visceral that is medicine only for yourself. Write. It is the only thing; it is always the only thing, because it is the only piece of this existence we can control with any certainty. And also: Keep close to your Siblings right now. We joined this group to find the like-minded weirdos just like us, and now we have them. If we rely on each other, we’ll have something else of which to be certain. Those are good bones. I can only hope we can rebuild the rest. Lori inSinC • June 2020 • Page 4 Counseling COPS by Ellen Kirschman, PhD ocial distance? Not if you’re a cop f Get dressed and make the or married to one.