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S IInnSSiinnCC The Sisters in Crime Newsletter Volume XXI • Number 2 June 2008

BHy Jaonicwe Kapltan o Creategreatastory. Great StoryJustice Sandra Day O’Connor recently wrote an ar - I started writing my first mystery when I was 1. Find Your Passion: I often can tell if a Parade ticle for Parade about the dangers of politics affect - nine. My heroine, age ten, figured out who had article is going to be a success just by listening to ing the judiciary. It’s hard to think of anyone who stolen her mother’s pearl and diamond necklace the writer talk. If she feels genuine passion for the would know the topic better. Given her status, while sitting in a backyard treehouse. Then — high subject, there’s a good chance I’ll be moved and ex - knowledge and position, she might have simply drama — she looked down and saw the bad guy cited by the story she writes. The same is true with a stated her position and concerns. Instead, she standing beneath her, mystery. You need to care deeply about your char - wrote an article well supported with specific exam - waving a gun. It would acters and the story they’re living or it will never ples. A few weeks later, the story was quoted during have been an excellent come alive. a hearing on Capitol Hill and a Congressman urged climax, except I had no Recently, bestselling author James Patterson Justice Scalia to read it. The triumph of a well-re - idea how to get her wrote an article for Parade called “The Best Gift to ported (and well-written) story! down unharmed. I My Son.” Jim is a good enough stylist that he could It’s not any different when you’re writing a mys - tried and tried, but I’m probably write about a pencil and have it interest - tery. When you weave specific details through your sorry to say that all ing. But this story focused on two subjects that he story, you make it more believable. Doing research these many years later, cares about passionately: literacy and his ten year in this internet era is so easy it almost feels like my ten year old is still old child. It may be the only piece I’ve edited for Pa - cheating. But it makes all the difference when you up in that tree. rade where I didn’t change a word. have a Glock instead of a gun, a Picasso instead of While that first Too often, mystery writers spend so much time a painting and — dare I say — Jimmy Choos in - mystery wasn’t a com - thinking about plot twists that they forget to make stead of shoes. Janice Kaplan plete success, it did set us care. Start with a character or situation that truly 4. Edit, Edit, Edit: A typical Parade article is the stage for some moves you. Let your passion fill the page. about 1,200 words. Writers often submit a story at better writing to 2. Start with What You Know — and Then twice that length and then we edit it down. And come. Writing is still my great joy and what I sneak Stretch! My heroine Lacy lives near . here’s the truth: Most of the time, the writer is off to do at all hours of the night. I’ve written ten From my years as a TV producer, I know the region thrilled by the edited version. It reads faster. It’s books while also working as a TV producer and well. So when Lacy zips down Wilshire Boulevard muscular. The points come across clearly and magazine editor. Last year, Touchstone published or shops on Melrose Avenue, the sense of place quickly. Readers are immediately engaged. I remind my mystery Looks to Die For , featuring Lacy Fields, grounds the story. On the other hand, Lacy is an in - writers not to fall in love with their own words. a Los Angeles mom and decorator-to-the-stars. terior decorator. And — to say the least — I am Your goal isn’t to show off your style, your vocabu - The next Lacy Fields mystery, A Job to Kill For , not. I don’t frequent antique stores, and I have the lary or your intellect. It’s to get your reader caring comes out this summer. same dining room table I bought 25 years ago. The about the subject and turning the page. Yes, our at - Now that I’m lucky enough to have been named chairs around it need to be recovered and, when I tention spans are short, but keep me interested and the editor of Parade , sanity (and limited time) would finally have the time, I’ll dash to Calico Corners to I’ll read every word. I think it was suggest I take a break from writing. Our magazine select whatever fabric they have on hand. who once said his books succeed because he edits reaches 70 million people each week, making it the So how can Lacy spend hours visiting designer out all the words nobody wanted to read anyway. largest circulation publication in America. My math showrooms and talking lovingly about Scalaman - Do it yourself — or hope you have a good editor to isn’t good enough to tell you what tiny percentage dre silks, Biedermeier furniture, and Tuscan mar - help you. of that number will ever read one of my books. But ble? Simple enough: Lacy isn’t me. One of the great 5. Get into the Situation Before You Worry how could I give up on Lacy? She loves being an joys of fiction is creating an alter ego — the person About Getting Out: Mystery writers often de - amateur detective. And frankly, she can’t solve a you might have been in some alternate world. (Or if scribe the dozens of 3x5 notecards they have case without me. the theories of quantum physics prove correct, the pinned to their walls, filled with elaborate plot out - Fortunately, my job at Parade has also taught me a person you are in some alternate world!) I love that lines. I’ll admit right now: I do no such thing. I few things. As editor, I’m pitched story ideas all the Lacy knows how to decorate a million-dollar pent - think at length about my characters: what they look time. I’ve learned that what makes a good magazine house and that she’s endlessly confident about her like, who they are and what motivates them. And article isn’t that different from what makes a win - choices. I think it’s terrific that her bedside table is a then I start writing. I never know how the book will ning mystery. In every case, you need to snag your Shaker medicine chest she found at a flea market finish until I’m almost at the end. On my book tour reader immediately and make her care. Don’t ever for 16 bucks, then refurbished and put on a hand - for Looks to Die For , readers often said to me, “I assume (or tell me) that your story is intrinsically in - made gold-leaf stand. How clever of her! loved the ending. I never saw it coming.” I would teresting. Oh really? Interesting to whom? We all Because Lacy has a world very distinct from just smile and think, “I didn’t, either.” I try to let my have many things competing for our attention. As a mine, it’s interesting for me to spend time with her. characters take over. If I know exactly what they’ll writer, you have to grab me by the gut and make me “Write about what you know” is a good place to do, what fun is it to keep writing? In each of my understand why your story is important in my life. start. But if it’s also where you stop, you might as Lacy Fields mysteries, I had written more than half Having sat on both sides of the desk, here are well be writing a blog, not a novel. the book before the killer announced himself (or some things I’ve learned about how to create a 3. Do the Research: Former Supreme Court Continued on Page 3 Sisters in Crime Newsletter Purpose: The purpose of Sisters in Crime shall be to: Combat dis - Get aClue crimination against women in the mystery field, educate publishers How to Create a Great Story ...... 1 and the general public as to the inequities in the treatment of female authors, raise the level of awareness of their contributions in the President’s Message ...... 3 field, and promote the professional advancement of women who write mysteries. BIP Eligibility Policy ...... 3 Roberta Isleib , President Jim Huang , Bookstore Liaison Judy Clemens, Vice President Mary Boone , Library Liaison Board Meeting Minutes ...... 3 , Secretary Margaret Coel , At Large Kathryn R. Wall , Treasurer Nancy Martin , At Large Event ...... 3 , Chapter Liaison Mary Saums , Monitoring Liaison Bonnie J. Cardone , InSinC Editor Vicki Cameron , Books in Print Editor Crossword Puzzle ...... 4 Gavin Faulkner , Newsletter Graphic Designer Peggy Moody , Web Maven

Book Touring ...... 5 Beth Wasson , Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 442124, Lawrence, KS 66044-8933; Phone: 785/842-1325; Fax 785/856-6314; e-mail: [email protected] Reinventing a Novel ...... 6 Presidents of Sisters in Crime 1987-88 ; 1988-89 ; 1989-90 ; 1990-91 Susan Agatha Awards ...... 7 Dunlap ; 1991-92 Carolyn G. Hart ; 1992-93 P.M. Carlson ; 1993-94 Linda Grant ; 1997-98 Sue Henry ; 1998-99 Medora Sale ; 1999-00 Barbara Burnett Smith ; 2000-01 Claire Carmichael McNab ; 2001-02 ...... 7 Eve K. Sandstrom ; 2002-03 Kate Flora; 2003-04 Kate Grilley; 2004-05 Patricia Sprinkle; 2005-06 Libby Hellmann; 2006-07 Rochelle Krich; 2007-08 Roberta Isleib LCC Awards ...... 7 Crossword Solution ...... 7 DTEheAnexDt SiLsteIrsNin ECriSme NAewNsletD ter wGill bUe oIuDt ESLenIdNcoElumS ns, articles, ideas and praise via e- BIP ...... 7 in September. The deadline for all submissions is mail. July 15 . Please send mailing address, phone number, Do You Need an Agent? ...... 8 Members’ publications since the last edition of and e-mail with submissions. If you have an idea the newsletter will be listed in The Docket. Please for a story, please query the editor: Chapter News ...... 8 include publication dates when submitting. Docket material will be due July 10 and should be sent to: Bonnie Cardone Chapter Flash Training ...... 9 805/938-1156 Patricia Gulley E-mail: b jcardon e@ hotmail. com 1743 N. Jantzen Avnue Conferences ...... 10 Portland, OR 97217-7849 E-mail: [email protected] Moving? SIBA in Mobile ...... 10 Change of address notifications Other honors, awards and events of great “pith should be sent to both Beth Wasson, Bookstore Beat ...... 10 and moment” should be written up as short, sepa - rate notices. These can be as short as a paragraph. SinC executive secretary, P.O. Box Review Monitoring Project ...... 11 No publicity/promotion of individual members, 442124, Lawrence, KS 66044-8933 please. and to Rowan Mountain, Inc., P.O. Get Your Newsletter via E-mail ...... 11 We particularly welcome reprints from SinC Box 10111, Blacksburg, VA 24062- chapter newsletters. 0111. The Docket ...... 12 Two Heads are Better Than One . . . . . 12 In Memoriam ...... 13 Visit Sisters in Crime online at: SinC Financial Report ...... 13 www.sistersincrime.org Promotional materials available to SinC members — Have your bookmarks or postcards designed in color Malice Domestic ...... 14 or black and white. SinC’s publicity mailing list of 5,000 bookstores, libraries, reviewers, etc. is available via direct addressing through Rowan Mountain, Inc., P.O. Box 10111, Blacksburg, VA 24062-0111. For more information, Deadlines ...... 16 write Gavin Faulkner. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.rowanmountain.com. Phone 540/449-6178.

JUST THE FACTS • InSinC Newsletter is the official publication of Sisters in Crime International and is published four times a year. • Dues and other Sisters in Crime correspondence (membership, orders for booklets, changes of address, etc.) may be sent to M. Beth Wasson, SinC Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 442124, Lawrence, KS 66044-8933; Phone: 785/842- 1325; Fax: 785/856-6314; E-mail: [email protected] . • Information in the Newsletter is submitted and reprinted from sources listed in each article. Where required, permission to reprint has been granted and noted. SinC does not investigate each submission independently and articles in no way constitute an endorsement of products or services offered. • Other infor - mation on Sisters in Crime is available from the President, who is the only person who may speak for the organization officially. Send queries and requests to: Roberta Isleib, P.O. Box 1308, Madison, CT 06443-2708; E-mail: [email protected] . • No material may be reprinted without written permission from Sisters in Crime. Sisters in Crime©2008

June 2008 - 2 sistersincrime.org). Members who have trouble navigating the data entry process may contact [email protected] and someone from our Presidentʼs Message: help desk will assist. Standing by You Dear SinC members, I had the responsibility this past quarter of announcing a new policy that was unpopular with some of our members. In a nutshell, the paper version of Books in Print will now contain only those Highlights of the members' books that meet marketplace standards (see the articleon this page for details.) The online version of Books in Print will include all mystery and crime-related SinC Board Meeting member books and will be available on our website. Quite rightly, the firestorm of protest from some members meant ASpinCr iis lin 2the5 b,la c2k, 0wit0h a8 strong investment that the board stepped back for a second look at the new policy. We portfolio and no tax liabilities for 2007. reviewed our reasoning and read all the responses from members — Less than half our members (700) receive the both pro and con. We also consulted our cadre of former SinC presi - SinC newsletter by e-mail. While we continue to dents, who offered advice and opinions on the original intent of the encourage members to sign up to receive the organization and whether we've strayed from it. In the process of newsletter electronically, we will continue produc - reviewing the policy and confirming our direction, the board and past ing the print version. presidents even considered whether Sisters in Crime still serves a useful SinC is recruiting volunteers to monitor various function. industry publications, mining them for current We answered a resounding "yes." Professional women writers are news relevant to our members and then sending facing serious issues in this changing publishing climate and Sisters in out the information to members in an e-wire to Crime should and will stand with them. Inside the organization, we will work to provide informa - include brief tag-lines and links. Anyone interest - tion and education. For example, at Malice Domestic SinC chapter members convened to share ed in serving as a news stringer should contact their expertise on newsletters, speakers’ bureaus, anthologies and special projects (see page 9 for Nancy Martin. details). Mentor Mondays on the SinC ListServ continue to offer the best advice available from The board is looking into the Mystery Matter s writing, publishing and forensics experts and more. book catalog project, a publication aimed at book - But we'll work for our members outside the organization, too. By the time this issue goes to print, stores and libraries. Bookstore liaison Jim Huang I will have met with a genre writers’ group, including Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers will work with library liaison Mary Boone on is - of America, Novelists Inc. and others, to discuss our common concerns. Later that week, your sues concerning format, print runs, mailing hous - publishers’ summit team (Judy Clemens, Jim Huang, Nancy Martin and me) will have met with a es and mailing lists. variety of publishing professionals to discuss our mutual goals and new directions in the industry. The Board is considering writing a comprehen - More on that will follow in the fall newsletter. We're happy to hear your feedback — both good sive “SinC Guide to Publishing.” Kathy Wall, news and bad. Keep your suggestions about future projects coming — and we're always looking for Mary Saums, Jim Huang and Nancy Martin will volunteers to work on them. work on this idea. Beth Wasson reported that four help desk vol - Yours truly, unteers had been recruited to walk members Roberta Isleib, SinC President through the online Books in Print update process should they need assistance. Roberta Isleib may be contacted at [email protected]. SinC is checking into the possibility of negoti - ating reduced subscription fees for members to industry publications like Publishers Weekly . SinC is sponsoring and/or looking into spon - How to Create a Books in Print 2009 soring several conferences including: Great Story A 2009 publishing conference on the Wednes - Continued from page 1 day preceeding Bouchercon . Print Version A half-day, craft-related conference on the herself) to me. When I went back to the beginning Thursday afternoon before the Malice Domestic to make it all work, I discovered that I didn’t need conference in Crystal City, VA in 2009. to change much. The charac ters had acted just as ETlhieg 20i0b9 pirilnit vteyrsio Pn ofo BlIP i(crenyam ed SinC on Continued on page 6 they should. the Shelf ) will include only those printed books that Because I don’t plan every plot point, I’ll some - meet established marketplace standards (that is, ac - times find myself in a situation that I’m not sure cepted by booksellers and librarians). Below are the how to solve. But that’s where it gets fun. One day, book standards: I looked up from my computer and said to my hus - • Returnable band. “Honey, you have to help. Lacy is locked in a • Offered at standard industry discounts SinC Event at casket with a rope around her neck in an under - • Available through a national wholesaler, ground tunnel. How can she get out?” My re - such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor Bouchercon sourceful husband smiled. “That’s easy,” he said. • Competitively priced He had the answer for me in minutes. Now I • Minimum print run of 1,000 copies might ask him to help me get my ten year old out of Any titles that do not meet one of the standards SinC is planning a social gather - that tree. may be petitioned on a case-by-case basis, so long ing/business meeting at Bouchercon as all other requirements are met. Petitions must be in this October. Stay tuned submitted on the SinC website. POD reprints of ti - and visit www.sistersincrime.org Janice Kaplan is the editor of Parade , America’s largest tles that met industry standards when originally circulation magazine. A longtime producer of network tele - published will be included in SinC on the Shelf . (click on Events) for further informa - vision shows, she is the author of numerous books, including All mystery and crime-related member books tion. We will let you know what’s hap - the mysteries Looks to Die For and the upcoming A Job may be entered into Books in Print online, which will pening as soon as possible. to Kill For. be available on the SinC website (www.

June 2008 - 3 Across “Guardian Angel” 1. Fraudulent check 1234 5678 9 10 11 12 13 5. Yegg’s target 9. “__ Shot”: 1988 mystery by 20A 14 15 16

14. Fruity drinks 17 18 19 15. DNA part 20 21 22 16. Sign after Virgo

17. In good order 23 24 25 26 27 18. Spice Girl Halliwell 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 19. “__ in the hand is worth...” 20. SinC founder, author of title book (1991), and 35 36 37 this puzzle’s theme 38 39 40 23. Suspect’s story 24. Police warrant type 41 42 28. Mach 1 breaker 43 44 45 46 47 29. Foundation garment 34. Point gun at target 48 49 50 51 52

35. Mystery author and 14th SinC president __ 53 54 55 56 57 McNab 36. Lummoxes 58 59 60 61 62 38. 1982 mystery by 20A that introduced 53A 63 64 65 41. That is, in Latin 42. Exceptional talent 66 67 68 43. Mama’s boy 44. Latter-Day Saints’ angel ©2008 Verna Suit 36. __ May Alcott, heroine of mystery series by 45. 53A and others? 6. Maple genus Anna Maclean 48. Request sweetener 7. “__ Sale”: 2005 mystery by 20A 37. Switch positions 51. “” Editor-in-chief Kate 8. Do book prep work 38. Object of worship 53. 20A’s PI protagonist 9. “Songs of Innocence” (1789) poet 39. Hawaii’s state bird 58. “__ Recall”: 2001 mystery by 20A 10. Qaddafi’s country 40. Yang’s opposite 61. “Damn Yankees” seductress 11. Kimono sash 41. AOL, e.g. 62. Puppy sounds 12. Bobby of hockey 44. “__ is for Murder” (2005): cat mystery by Clea 63. Stadium 13. Mom’s partner Simon 64. What a dead body has 21. Friend of Pooh 45. “Tunnel __”: 1994 mystery by 20A 65. Rich soil 22. 180°from NNW 46. Stamper’s need 66. Cops’ routes 25. Cuba’s new President Castro 47. Prefix meaning “earthquake” 67. Played for a sap 26. “Windy __ Blues”: 1995 book of short stories 49. __-garde by 20A featuring 53A 68. B __ Railroa 50. Eliot’s Marner 27. Pinafore letters 52. Choreographer Tharp 30. “__ Woman” (Reddy hit) 54. Baseball family name Down 31. Beatle drummer 1. “Bleeding __”: 2008 mystery by 20A set in her 55. Gangster guns 32. Washer counterpart home state 56. Gin type 33. “...__ man put asunder” 2. Paragons 57. “__ Time”: 1999 mystery by 20A 35. Dj’s stack 3. Spoil everything, in slang 58. Bar bill 4. Cornerstone abbr. 59. Miner’s find 5. Long story The solution is on page 7 60. Cozy-readers’ drink

June 2008 - 4 Book Touring:

By Eric Stone Not fosrign etd chopiees ava iFlablea, youi’lln sell mto reo boofks HCoensidaer preset nting a workshop that relates to When I’m sitting at my desk writing a book, I’m even when you’re not there. (I once had an event something about your book. Some stores get bet - Arthur Miller. (Or Mark Twain or Raymond where one person showed up. I was friendly, ter crowds for “workshops” than they do for “au - Chandler or Chester Himes, or whatever other au - cheerful, chatted with that one person — who I thor events.” thor I want to feel artistic kinship with that day.) convinced not to buy my book because it was ob - Stock up on your book. (I always have a couple But then I send the manuscript to my agent and vious it wasn’t the sort of book she liked — and boxes of them in the trunk of my car.) If you’re she sells it and presto chango, I am magically the booksellers and signed a giant stack of books lucky the store will sell out during your event and transformed into Willy Loman. before leaving the store. A month later I heard need more books – you can sell them to the store Sure Toyota makes cars. But the reason they do from the store that they’d sold all of my books at the same price you paid for them. is to sell them. Apple and ordered more.) About a week before the event, call the store to Computer tries to pass Sell books at the event . It’s nice for you and check that it has your book(s) in stock. itself off as groovy, the store, but less important than the other stuff. A week or several days before, post notice of countercultural, art- So, if you don’t have a publicist who will do it for you, the event on Dorothy L, your website or blog or and-design driven, but and a lot of you won’t, how do you set up book events? any other websites and blogs you can. at heart it’s no less a Start at home, bookstores (or even other Call the store a day or two before the event to widget seller than a venues like museums, clubs, restaurants, tattoo reassure them that everything’s on schedule. company selling vacu - parlors) that you know in places where you have The big day, or night, has finally arrived. Now what do um cleaner bags. friends and family who will show up and bring you do? “Artistic purity,” more people. Get drunk or stoned, anything so that you what’s that? My real Get to know other stores, by visiting them or at won’t be nervous. No, just kidding. job, even when I’m sit - least looking them up online to see what type of Get there early to set up and greet people as ting at my desk in the events they have and when. Find out about their they arrive. Eric Stone throes of artistic en - local competition. You don’t want to set up events Give the store a brief bio or suggested intro - deavor, even when I’m at two stores in the same neighborhood so choose duction so that they can introduce you if they cackling with glee over the latest of my literary in - whichever one best suits you. don’t know you that well. Having someone else in - spirations, is to sell books. It’s that simple. Find another author to team up with. If you troduce you seems to lend a bit of extra credibility In the last three years I’ve driven over 30,000 find one from your own publisher, you’re more to the proceedings. miles (more than 50,000 kilometers), trying to sell likely to get some help from your publisher. Find Keep the reading short unless you know for a books. I’ve spoken with “crowds” ranging from one whose books are somewhat different from fact that you are a scintillating, exciting reader. more than 100 people to, well, no one other than yours so you can attract a more diverse crowd and (Most people aren’t.) Five minutes is usually the people working in a small bookshop. maybe gain some new readers. If you’re visiting enough. Do more show and tell and talking about I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but I enjoy from out of town, try to find a local author who your book. the sales side of my job. I get to meet a lot of peo - can bring family and friends. Keep your presentation down to about a half ple who want to talk about books and that’s some - Contact stores about six months before the hour, with time for questions after that. thing I’d do even if there wasn’t any chance I event. (Some stores schedule events even farther Take deep breaths, be polite and friendly. You might make a living at it. But I don’t simply book in advance than that.) If you can, send an ARC to will get some really dumb or even embarrassing tour for the heck of it. I want to sell my books. the store with a personal note. Suggest a range of questions. Look like you’re taking those seriously. The big question, of course, is, does it work? dates, be as flexible as you can. Follow up, don’t If you feel that you need to be evasive or dishon - Your guess is as good as mine. I’m hardly a expect them to get back to you. est in your answers, make sure you can really pull it bestselling author — yet. But I’m working on it. Now that you’ve got an event set up, you need to prepare off. Here’s how: for it. Don’t just show up and wing it. Stick around afterward to sign books. Make First off, weigh these factors: Six weeks before the event, contact local media, sure to ask the store if they have stock they want Budget. Unless you already sell a lot of books especially outlets that were already sent review you to sign, so they can have it on hand after you or have a very big advance, it’s likely to be largely copies of the book. If you’ve got a press kit — leave. on your dime. bio, photo, photo of the book jacket, summary of That’s it. Easy, right? If you want to be a profes - Time. Can you get away from your day job, the book, blurbs — send it out with the an - sional, you have to work. Book touring’s part of your desk, your family, your pets, to hit the road nouncement of your event. Mention that you’ll be that. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel suicidal and, for how long? available for interviews. some of the time, ecstatic at others. Do it right Physical endurance. It’s tiring. My knees and One month before, call the store and ask what and I have no idea whether or not it will help you back aren’t happy about all the driving I do. they need from you. Find out if they have any sell enough books to make it worth your time, Emotional endurance. How bad are you go - equipment that you might need, such as a digital money and energy. But you’ll make some friends, ing to feel when no one shows up for an event? projector, CD player, screen, etc. have some fun, get some free drinks and even Once you’ve decided you have the money, time, stamina Send promotional materials – poster, flyers, some dinners, and who knows, it just might work. and masochism necessary for book touring, here’s what you bookmarks – to the store. It’s an investment in yourself and like any other in - want to get out of it, in order of importance: If you have local media contacts, let the store vestment, there’s an element of risk. Contacts & friends. Get to know booksellers, know that you can help with those. media, reviewers, librarians, bloggers and readers. Prepare an actual presentation. The more en - The people you get to know are the foundation of tertaining you are, the more books you’ll sell. You your sales effort now and in the future. can do a PowerPoint, show and tell with photos Eric Stone’s most recent book is Grave Imports , the Publicity. Get you and your book(s) known and/or artifacts, games or contests to get some second in a series of detective thrillers set in Asia and based through event listings, posters and flyers and me - audience participation, handouts, music that re - on true stories. It deals with the deadly world of the trade in dia appearances. lates to the setting of the book, snacks or food looted Cambodian antiquities. The next book in the series , Sales after your events. Once booksellers get that relate to the book or any mix of all those Flight of the Hornbill , will be out this fall. Eric lives in to know you and your book better, and have things. Los Angeles. You’ll find his website at: www.ericstone.com .

June 2008 - 5 RBy Reobini Bnurcvell enting acal leNd to doiscussv it. Ie toldl her my fears and how I sition. For example, scenes in chapter nine actual - “I think it’s time you scrap this project.” wished I’d had this idea before I wrote the first ly fit better in seven; chapter four could be merged I heard these dreaded words from my agent book. She said not to worry, the first book could into chapter 11 and 22 could be eliminated com - when trying to sell a new series to HarperCollins. be a prequel to this second, more thrilling novel. pletely. As the book progressed and new ideas HC called it a good “category” novel. I wanted to So I continued on. But a month later, my editor formed, I could move the notes to the new posi - move my career up a notch, not over one, so my made an interesting proposal. If I was willing to tions and see right away whether they worked or agent withdrew the book and asked me to rework rework Face of a Killer more in line with my pro - not before I invested significant time in rewriting it. I did so and that’s when she told me it was time posal for Bone Mantle , HarperCollins would be chapters. to scrap it. Start something fresh. willing to move FOAK out of the mystery catego - In the end, I took a daunting task and broke it I was devastated. This would cause a big rift in ry, increase the print run and give me all the time I down into manageable pieces, allowing a major re - the period between novels and I wondered if needed to make it “bigger.” If I wanted to keep it vision while eliminating the majority of stress — readers would remember me at all. But, with help as is, no problem; she thought it was a solid entry and my agent and editor declared the new book a from good friends, I in my police procedural series. success. In fact, it worked so well I intend to use it came up with a new But what did she mean by a bigger book? It was to help compose and write Bone Mantle . I’ll let you storyline: Face of a already 20,000 words longer than my last novel. know if it works. Killer , about Sydney She meant bigger in scope. My entire novel takes Fitzpatrick, an FBI place in northern California. Too local and the Agent/forensic artist. plot too ordinary. There needed to be national or Robin Burcell is the Anthony Award winning author of My editor bought two world implications. Sure, I could do that, I told the Kate Gillespie series. Her new (and revised) series de - forensic artist books her, while wondering how to move it from FBI in - buts October 2008 with Face of a Killer . You can visit and upped the ad - vestigates dirty cops in the Bay Area to FBI inves - her website at www.robinburcell.com/. vance. Serendipity, tigates something bigger nationally. however, was about to I jumped at the chance, even though it meant step in. delaying my book’s release for yet another year. Right after I turned She was giving me the opportunity I’d hoped for. Robin Burcell in the completed Now all I needed was an effective way of turn - manuscript, I read ing a 100,000 word manuscript inside out without Board Meeting Highlights James Rollins’ Map of Bones and remembered losing the basic premise and heart of the book, Continued from page 3 thinking, “this is what a thriller is.” A few weeks then twisting it so it was more thriller than proce - later I ran into James at a conference and sat next dural. We weren’t talking about a few minor A “Spies, Lies and Private Eyes” conference in to him on the plane home. (Even if we didn’t changes or a simple facelift. We were talking ma - the D.C. area in 2010. Donna Andrews and Marcia share an editor, I would say he is, without a doubt, jor revisions, like gutting a house and leaving only Talley are investigating. one of the nicest writers out there.) We were dis - the frame. I didn’t even know where to begin. Because of its structure, SinC National will not cussing the Dan Brown phenomenon and how Since I wanted this book to feel different, I de - be able to secure liability insurance for local chap - some writers hated being compared with him. cided to change Face of a Killer from first person to ters. If a chapter determines it needs such insur - Since People Magazine had recently compared third — not easy after writing all my previous ance, it will have to arrange for it. Rollins to Brown, I asked if he minded. He said novels in first. I wanted viewpoints from other Roberta updated the board on the upcoming they could compare him to whomever they want - characters and third person would make this easi - Publishers’ Summit in NYC and asked that mem - ed; they were reviewing his book. I thought that a er. bers forward to her any questions we want asked good attitude and quipped that if I could figure Next I tried writing a new synopsis. Since the of these high-level industry professionals. The out how to get The Da Vinci Code into my next old book was firmly implanted in my brain, I schedule includes: Carl Lennertz and Sarah Du - novel, I’d do it in a heartbeat. He said, “I can help made 3x5 cards for each chapter, thinking I’d lay rand at HarperCollins; Simon Lipskar at Writers you. Silence of the Lambs meets The Da Vinci Code .” them on the floor and move them around like a House; Dan Mayer, buyer mystery and pets at Brilliant. I couldn’t wait to get started with the storyboard. But with such a long book and three Barnes & Noble Booksellers; Kate Stine of Mys - various ideas we’d discussed. I only wish that kids in the house, the cards ended up everywhere tery Scene; Neil Nyren and Chris Pepe at Penguin; James and I had had this conversation the year be - except where I needed them. Sarah Reidy and Laura Hruska of Soho Press; fore, so I could start off my new series doing Somehow I needed a quick visual of what I had Tara Gavin, Margaret Marbury and Ann Leslie something really different; the novel I’d written and where I was going. I finally settled on sticky Tuttle at Mira; Ami Grecko and Scott Hoffman of was merely a kicked-up version of my previous notes and a dry-erase board. It was perfect. I the Folio Literary Agency. four police procedurals. A good book, yes, but could move my notes around and they’d stay put The enormously successful Mentoring Monday had I really done what I’d set out to do — move no matter how many kids traipsed through. will continue, twice per month. Roberta Isleib up my career a notch? I thought not. To start, I made one sticky note for each chap - asked members to e-mail suggestions for Monday Regardless, I sat down and wrote. I was excited. ter, writing the chapter number in one corner and Mentors to her. This new book was good. I’d definitely added the a couple of major plot points below it. I placed As a service to author members, Judy Clemens thriller element to my forensic artist series. Only the chapters in rows on the board, side-by-side. and Mary Boone are finalizing “Fee Guidelines one problem. This book (working title: Bone Man - These would be my reference points, not moving for Library Presentations.” tle ) was very, very different from Face of a Killer , or changing, and allowed me to see which ele - Mary Saums reported on the monitoring pro - which was most definitely a police procedural. ments I had to keep and which were expendable. I ject (see article above). Suddenly I doubted myself. I’d embarked on this left space below each row for a second row of Long-range planning: Mary Boone reported career change without consulting my agent or edi - sticky notes that would show the changes. This that SinC will have a table at ALA Anaheim tor. I wondered if I was shooting myself in the turned out to be a great method because as I staffed by a dozen local volunteers. foot. Or in the manuscript, as the case may be. changed my chapters from first to third then Drafting of a new SinC logo was approved. Should I finish it? See what happened? Or added new chapters in new character viewpoints, I And finally, please contact Roberta Isleib if you should I let someone on the inside know? Several could see at a glance not only how the book was have an answer to the question, “What can Sisters chapters into it, I e-mailed my editor and voiced progressing but how it related to the old version. in Crime do for you?” my concerns. I placed the blame solidly on James Although the original version rows never changed Respectfully submitted, Rollins. It was his fault for writing such a good the revision rows often did. I’d discover that an Marcia Talley, book. Fortunately for me, she loved the idea and original plot point might work better in a new po - Secretary June 2008 - 6 Agatha The Dilys

NTohe mAgatihna Aewaerdss we/rWe preisnentned oen rAps ril 26, NTohism awairdn, geiveen bsy t/h eW Indeipnenndenet Mr ystery BIP : Last 2008, at Malice Domestic XX in Arlington, VA. Booksellers Association (IMBA) to the book mem - The winners are in bold, * denotes a SinC member. bers most enjoyed selling over the past year, was Call for 2009 presented at Left Coast Crime in March. * denotes ByL aVsti caklli tCo saemnde yorourn entry in for Books in Best Novel a SinC member, the winner is in bold. Print 2009 . This is also first call. Okay, it’s the Donna Andrews*, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much only call. Rhys Bowen*, Her Royal Spyness Rhys Bowen*, Her Royal Spyness You will not receive a reminder letter in Margaret Maron*, Hard Row William Kent Krueger*, Thunder Bay the mail. Go to the website after you finish , A Fatal Grace Lisa Lutz, The Spellman Files reading this article and update your BIP *, Murder With Reservations Deanna Raybourn*, S ilent in the Grave entry. Or write a Marcus Sakey, The Blade Itself note to yourself Best First Novel and stick it on Charles Finch, A Beautiful your computer Blue Death screen. But don’t Beth Groundwater*, A Real forget to go to Basket Case the website, or Deanna Raybourn*, Silent in LCC Award you’ll be sorry the Grave on August 2. *, NTohe mfolloiwnineg aewasrds/ wWere ipnresnenteed rats a Left BIP is collect - Prime Time Coast Crime banquet in , CO, on March 8, ed every year Hank Phillippi 2008. * denotes a SinC member, the winners are in until August 1. Best Nonfiction bold. All website Ryan Charles Foley, Jon Lellen- entries must be berg and , The Lefty updated or verified between January 1 and : A Life In Letters Donna Andrews*, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much August 1, 2008, to be included in BIP 2009 . *, The Official Nancy Drew Handbook Don Bruns, Stuff to Die For Fifty-six authors have already done this and Jeff Cohen*, Some Like it Hot Buttered can relax. The other 514 current authors Best Short Story Jess Lourey*, Knee High by the Fourth of July need to make time to do this. We expect Donna Andrews*, "A Elaine Viets*, Murder with Reservations another 100 new authors, too. Rat's Tale" (EQMM, Note: Going to the website and browsing Sept./Oct. 2007) The Rocky your entry is not enough. You must go in Rhys Bowen*, "Please C.J. Box, Free Fire through the Add/Change button. You will Watch Your Step" ( The Bill Cameron, Lost Dog be asked for passwords. You will eventually Strand , Spring 2007) Margaret Coel*, The Girl with the Braided have to click a button called Verify. If you Nan Higginson*, "Casino Hair don’t do this between January 1 and August Gamble" ( Murder New York Tim Maleeny*, Stealing the Dragon 1, your entry will be deleted by the Editor Donna Style ) Twist Phelan*, False Fortune Without Mercy. Andrews , "Popping If your memory is rusty, the user name Round To The Post" The Arty and password for the main door is the title (EQMM, Nov. 2007) Megan Abbott, Queenpin we give to SinC past presidents, one word, Elizabeth Zelvin*, "Death Will Clean Your Closet" Laura Benedict*, Isabella Moon no caps. The next password is one you gave (Murder New York Style ) Rhys Bowen*, Her Royal Spyness yourself and I can’t help you remember it. I Ken Issacson, Silent Counsel suggest you write it down and trust that no Best Children's/Young Adult Tim Maleeny*, Stealing the Dragon burglar sneaking through your house will use Sarah Masters Buckey, A Light In The Cellar it to mess with your online entry. Kathleen Benner Duble, Bravo Zulu, Samantha! Once you have reached your entry, you John Feinstein, Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl can add your new books and editions of Mary Hoffman, The Falconer's Knot your books, delete those that have gone out R.L. LaFevers, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos of print and write 20 sparkling words to describe each book. Poirot Award CKITErosswSAFEord SoBLOODlution If you create faulty information, with Janet Hutchings* and Linda Landrigan* ADES AC I D LIBRA spelling errors or incomplete details, it will NEAT GER I AB I RD stay there. No one will clean it up for you. SARAPARETSKY Grab a pen, and write yourself a note to How About Linking Your AL I B I SEARCH update your BIP entry. Or grab your books SST GIRDLE AIM and go straight to your computer. Do it now. Do it before August 1. Do it before the Website to SinC’s? CLA IRE LOUTS Editor Without Mercy clangs her finger INDEMNITYONLY Does your website have a link to SinC down on the Delete button on August 2. IDEST GEN I US National’s website ? Here is a chance for you to help promo te your organization. SON MORON I VIS Please link your website to the SinC Na - PLEASE ST INE The SinC website is always open for your changes, tional website at: VIWARSHAWSKI corrections and additions: www.sistersincrime.org . TOTAL LOLA YIPS Those having difficulty navigating the online BIP www. sistersincrime.org ARENA ODOR LOAM system may e-mail [email protected] for BEATS USED ANDO assistance.

June 2008 - 7 Chapter News Tell us what you’ve been doing! Submit news of your chapter’s activities (photos, too) to [email protected]. Do You Really Need an The deadline for the next issue (September) is July 15.

ABy Jganeet Rneid t to Get Plettuers.Tbhey dloin’ts lookh at yeour wdritin? g until Alaska The answer to the question posed in the after they say yes to the query. (I personally ask Alaska Sisters’ new board of directors includes: headline is “No.” You can be published quite for three to five pages with the query, but a Karen Laubenstein, president; Andrea Jacobson, easily without an agent. Lots of publishers are tepid query means a cursory glance at the vice president; Marta Cobb, secretary; Rhonda ready to “help out new writers.” I see those writing, not a focused read.) Sleighter, treasurer; Kimberley Gray and Sharon sites all the time. So, how to avoid a bad query and write a Wilson, at large. Current projects include A Stranger The reason I do is because their authors good compelling query? There’s lots of advice send me query letters saying they want to “step on this and lots of it is contradictory. The one photo by Karen Laubenstein up to bigger houses” or “get a wider reader - thing to remember is you must spell out in a ship.” Or they want to get film deals or sell in compelling way “why should I read this book.” foreign countries. Or they’ve sold lots of And that doesn’t mean you write “you should copies and think a major publisher will be read this book because…” It means that in a interested in taking on their books. Or they’ve few sentences you entice me into wondering discovered less pleasant things we don’t need “how does that work?” or “what happens to dwell on here. next?” This is an ideal place to let your distinc - I’m sorry to say this, but those authors now tive voice shine. get an almost instant rejection. Last year I took Other than books about query letters there a couple good hard swings on projects by is a new place to find help: a number of agents previously published authors. I struck out keep blogs. Nathan Bransford has a wonderful Alaska SinC members (left to right) completely. Damaged my ego enough to make blog as does Kristin Nelson. There are lots of Diane Hagemeister, Kathy Hughes me very reluctant to try again, but it also made others too, and you can find them on our me really look at what editors were saying and blogrolls — the list of other blogs to which and Rhonda Sleighter at (not) buying in this non-debut market: our blogs link, usually found on the right hand Bouchercon 2007. 1. Publishers prefer the unknown risk of side of the blog. Most of them talk a lot about debut authors to the known risk of estab - query letters. Mine (jetreidliterary.blogspot. Comes to Town: Mystery Authors Explore Alaska , an lished authors who’ve never sold more com) has an entire category called “query anthology by those who participated in the 2001 than 50,000 copies. That’s an ugly fact but it’s pitfalls,” showing some of the things not to do. Left Coast Crime Authors to the Bush and 2007 a fact. Authors on the New York Times Best - And if I may: I encourage every Sisters in Bouchercon Authors to the Schools programs. seller List can move houses pretty easily. Ev - Crime chapter to offer a query review session Dana Stabenow will write the introduction and edit eryone else can’t. at least once a year. Invite an agent to your the book. 2. Most publishers aren’t interested in chapter, plop her down in the meeting and let The chapter donated $1,500 Suzan Nightingale taking on a series that started elsewhere, her (or him) read and critique query letters. Or Literacy Funds to Alaska’s Big Read for companion particularly if the rights to those books are let an agent teach a workshop on queries. Just books for villages along the Iditarod Trail during still with another publisher. the chance to see what works (and what the race. 3. Publishers might be interested in a doesn’t) in a query letter can be the difference Alaska Sisters will host the 2009 Alaska Mystery new series from an established writer (a between getting your work read or not. Writing Convention/Authors to the Bush in the non-debut author) ONLY if they think the And here’s my plea for world peace: If fall of 2009. Stay tuned, we’ll work to keep infor - new book is a big breakout book. That you’re running a writing conference, get rid of mation out there. We’ve also created a social net - means radically new, better and different from pitch sessions. Have writers bring their query work, http://aksinc.ning.com/ online, with much the last one (that’s really rare of course). letters instead and sit down with an agent and more information on these and other projects, au - 4. If a publisher is interested in a non- learn what is good and what needs to be thors, reviews and more. Feel free to drop in and debut author, they want to see increasing changed. Pitch sessions are an invention of the visit. sales with every book, not flat and certainly devil (aka Hollywood) and should be banned Author Jessica Speart took home more than not decreasing, sales figures. Publishers from writing conferences forevermore. NO memories from Alaska after Bouchercon. She have access to sales reported to BookScan (a one likes them and this is a written medium adopted Karen Laubenstein’s hearing guide dog — company that tracks ISBN sales). The first anyway. (I’ve had authors cry or nearly faint six-year old Josie — a shitzu-poodle Alaskan and thing an editor does is look up sales figures on from nerves at these things — yikes!) We can took her to the East Coast. BookScan. In fact, I hear them tapping the yak all we want about your project but in the keyboard while I’m talking to them on the end, I need a query letter. Let’s just cut to the phone. chase and work on that first. New England The Scarlet Letters’ December meeting, Murder So, what does this mean for you? And here’s the bottom line: unless you’ve by the Minute, combined the pleasure of hearing I strongly encourage you to be careful that queried 50 agents on three separate books, you members read excerpts from their current works your desire to be published doesn’t squander shouldn’t even think about Plan B. with a delicious holiday smorgasbord. In February, both your chance at a career and a good work - Query on! members traveled to Hanscom Air Force Base, ing series. where they learned about the workings of a military Generally speaking, writers sign contracts base police force from the Hanscom Commander with Plan B houses after a raft of rejections of Security Forces, Major Tamara Mayer, and from agents. I write those rejections every day. Janet Reid is a literary agent at FinePrint Literary Criminal Investigator, Staff Sergeant Susan Ellis. Writers take these rejections to mean they’ll Management in . She specializes in never get an agent and will never be published. crime fiction and is proud to represent several members The truth from where I sit is that many of Sisters in Crime. She maintains a blog intended to Upstate New York writers don’t write compelling query letters. be helpful (but we know where good intentions lead!) at The Upstate New York chapter, Mavens of Most agents these days ONLY look at query jetreidliterary.blogspot.com. Mayhem, is planning a co-event with the New

June 2008 - 8 York/Tri-State chapter this month to promote their anthology, Murder New York Style . The panel will consist of short story writers from both chap - ters, featuring Frankie Bailey, Bob Knightly and Chapter Flash Training Session M.E. Kemp from Mavens of Mayhem. The event will also include a writing workshop taught by Mar - ion Roach Smith in the morning and a book fair in at Malice Domestic the afternoon, after the panel. TeCxrte atinngd a P Mhuostt-oResa db Cyh Bapotenrn Niew Jsl.e tCtear, rSdpoicinneg T, IhninSgsi nUCp wEitdh iStoper cial Projects, Producing a Professional Anthology, and Forming and Implementing a Spellbinding Speakers’ Bureau were the Los Angeles topics discussed at the Flash Training Session for Chapters, held April 25, 2008, during Malice The LA Times Festival of Books was held April Domestic. Twenty-five people, including four former SinC National 26 to 27, 2008, in Westwood and SinC/LA was out presidents, attended the lively, informative event. Participants represent - in full force, taking our usual four-booth space in ed chapters across the country, from California to New England. conjunction with Crime Time Books. As many as The two-hour meeting sped by. SinC president, Roberta Isleib was first on the agenda, discussing newsletters. She passed out copies of her New England chapter’s eight page newsletter, “She Dunnit.” While edited by volunteers, it is put together by a paid professional. The newsletter includes articles by published authors, summaries of past meetings, and news and announcements from members. Jane Cleland had an interesting handout, “Five tips to Help You Write, Edit and Design Newsletters that Get Read.” You can download a copy from her website: www.janecleland.net/htm/keynotes.htm. Beverle Graves Ruth McCarty, president of the New England chapter, discussed special projects. In 2006 the chapter published a calendar featuring most Myers of its members, including many authors. They had fun doing it but it was From left to right: Les Klinger, Laurie a lot more work and took a lot more time than they expected. In hind - King, Steve Brewer, Cara Black, Tim sight, McCarty wishes they had started work on it a lot sooner. The chapter was awarded $5,000 for the project (it cost $6,824) as a result Maleeny and Diana James. of submitting the winning idea for a SinC 20th Anniversary publicity project. Ruth provided a handout on the calendar, for a copy of it, eight authors signed every other hour during the contact her at: [email protected]. two-day event. Chapter members also sold SinC Next up on the agenda were anthologies. Elena Santagelo from the merchandise and promoted the benefits of mem - Delaware Valley chapter and Beverle Graves Myers of the Louisville bership. chapter discussed how theirs were done. (Note: There are anthology Last November, SinC/LA and SoCalMWA of - production guidelines posted on the SinC website.) Anthologies are fered a fun-filled year-end social. Four NorCal au - seen as having two very useful functions: educating members on the thors were invited as the celebrity guests: Laurie production of books and raising money for special projects. (One King, Steve Brewer, Cara Black and Tim Maleeny. chapter produced a cookbook instead of an anthology.) The turnout was overwhelming and the event was Suggestions included: asking a famous author to write the preface declared a hit. Another such joint effort is planned to give the anthology a higher profile and adding “transition pages” to for this September. make it longer. The Louisville chapter’s anthologies have a Kentucky Our chapter is planning an upcoming anthology; Derby theme and their transition pages contain Derby-related recipes. Elena guidelines for Murder in LaLa Land will be an - Some chapters publish every story submitted. Improving the quality of nounced in July. the stories was part of the process, with critique groups and published Santangelo authors working with newer writers. Houston Kate Flora discussed the New England chapter’s very successful Speak - The Final Twist had a busy spring with several ers’ Bureau. The chapter has 170 members and sets up events in six states, fun events. They participated in Springfest in Old with more than 40 authors participating. New authors are paired with Town Spring, went to a shooting range and experienced ones so there’s a learning process. Events vigorously promote checked out the CSI Exhibit at the Houston Muse - SinC, and include discussion of why and how the organization was formed. At the end of each speech, one of the authors gives what Kate calls “the cup of coffee speech,” i.e.: “A paperback book costs about the same as two cups of Starbucks coffee. We survive on our numbers. Buy our books.” The suggested honorarium is $50 for each author involved in an event. For more information and free downloads to help you plan your events, see the Speakers’ Bureau page on the New England chapter’s Gigi Pandian website: www.sincne.org. Gigi Pandian of the Northern California chapter said its speakers’ bureau has a page on the chapter’s website that explains what the bureau does and how to request a speaker. Requests (three to four a month) are posted to the chapter’s online web group, where published members can respond to them. At the end of the session, the floor was opened for a discussion of chapters’ concerns. These included getting newsletters produced and motivating members to participate in chapter meet - ings/events. Suggestions included holding brainstorming sessions after social events, such as picnics and Christmas parties. The worst problem seemed to be finding a good restaurant for luncheon Shooting range demo. meetings. Topics were covered so thoroughly that past presidents Margaret Maron, and Eve um of Natural Science. The chapter also participat - Sandstrom had no questions to answer at the end of the session. ed in Texas Mystery Month with an event at Mur - Chapter board members are encouraged to join the chapter discussion ListServ by e-mailing Kate der By The Book on May 24, 2008. Grilley at: [email protected].

June 2008 - 9 The event will feature three tracks of panels and presentations, including one tailored to published writers, as well as local crime-related tours, special Coming up: Conferences events and a charity auction. Early registration is available until June 30, 2008, at a discounted rate of $180. & Happenings Launched in 1991 by mystery fans, Left Coast some of the most renowned mystery writers today: Crime is held annually at a city in the West. Awards NATIONAL WRITERS , , Susan Rowland presented include the Lefty for the year’s most hu - ASSOCIATION and Druscilla French. morous mystery and the Dilys, given by the IMBA Participants will meet in the Soule Park Banquet to the author of the book they’ve most enjoyed ATUhRe NOatRionAal, W CriOters Association Foundation Room, 1033 E. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA, from selling. will hold its day-long workshop on June 14, 2008. It 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and 9:00am to For more information and to register online, vis - will feature presentations by three film producers, a 4:00pm on Sunday. For more information and reg - it www.leftcoastcrime.org and click on the link to question and answer session and one-on-one ap - istration, go to www.mythology.org. 2010. pointments for attendees. The workshop will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport at 16475 East 40th Circle, Aurora, CO. BOUCHERCON 2008 A Saturday evening cocktail reception will cele - brate the 71st year of the National Writers Associa - BBAoLucTheIMrcoOn 3R9,E “C, hMarmD ed to Death,” will be SIBA in Mobile, AL tion’s service to writers and the winners of the con - held October 9 to 12, 2008, at the Sheraton Balti - The annual SIBA (Southern Independent Book - tests will be announced. more City Center. The guest of honor will be Laura sellers Association) convention will be held The workshop is open to the public. Day and Lippman, the international guest of honor, John September 26 to 28, 2008, in Mobile, AL, and SinC cocktail reception rates are available upon request. Harvey, and the toastmaster, . will be there! Mobile is beautiful in September and For further information go to www.national Thalia Proctor will be the fan guest of honor. SinC authors are encouraged to come meet south - writers.com or call 303/841-0246. Barbara Peters and Rob Rosenwald will be hon - ern booksellers and acquaint them with your ored for their contributions to the genre and books. Did you know more books are sold in the will be honored for his distin - Southeast than any other part of the country? ALA CONFERENCE guished contribution to the genre. If you want to, we’ll try to rent a house on For more information see the website: Dauphin Island to provide Gulf relaxation around ATNhAe AHmEeriIcMan ,L CibrAary Association annual con - www.charmedtodeath.com. the edges of the conference and throw a big SinC ference will be held June 28 to July 1, 2008, in Ana - party on Saturday night. Y’all come! For informa - heim, CA. The Exhibit Hall hours are: June 28 to tion or to sign up to attend SIBA, contact Patricia 30, 9:00am to 5:00pm; and July 1, 9:00am to GREAT MANHATTAN Sprinkle: [email protected]. 3:00pm. E-mail SinC Library Liaison, Mary Boone MYSTERY CONCLAVE ([email protected] ), if you plan to come to MANHATTAN, KS the booth and/or for the address where you should The fifth Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave send materials. will convene October 31 to November 2, 2008, at the Holiday Inn at the Campus in Manhattan, KS. BookStore Beat Joanna Carl (Eve Sandstrom) will be the guest of ByN Kewast fero Dme threie fi rst quarter of 2008: honor; Joel Goldman, the toastmaster. THRILLERFEST Registration is $220 and includes all events: Fri - New Store day Halloween party reception, Saturday continen - NTEhWrille rYFeOst wRilKl be, hNelYd July 9 to 12, 2008, at the • Mystery on Main Street tal breakfast and all day snacks, buffet luncheon Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The confer - David Lampe-Wilson and Saturday evening Chocoholic Banquet; all pan - ence is open to all fans, authors and would-be au - 119 Main Street el sessions; newsletters and program booklet. thors. Brattleboro, VT 05301 For more information, see the website: Among those scheduled to attend are James Pat - Phone: 802/258-2211 www.manhattanmysteries.com/. terson (ThrillerMaster 2007) and Spotlight Authors Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am — 6pm, Sunday Eric Van Lustbader, Kathy Reichs and Brad Thor. 11am — 5pm Sandra Brown will receive the ThrillerMaster E-mail: [email protected] 2008 Award at the banquet on Saturday, July 12. In NEW ENGLAND Website: www.mysteryonmain.com addition, David Baldacci will receive the Silver Bul - CRIME BAKE Specializing in new mystery and true crime titles. let award for his achievements in the promotion Hosts author appearances. and advancement of literacy and awards will be DSEpoDnsHorAedM by ,t hMe NA ew England chapters of Sis - presented for best novel, best first novel, best pa - ters in Crime and MWA, the Seventh Annual New Changes perback original and best script. England Crime Bake will take place November 14 • High Crimes Mystery Bookstore ThrillerFest includes a multitude of author pan - to 16, 2008, at the Hilton /Dedham in Ded - Denver, CO els, signings, a complete bookstore on premises, ham, MA. The guest of honor will be Harlan Phone: 303/772-9964, toll free 800/356-5586, fax and a reader’s reception. Registration for Thriller - Coben . 303/772-2206 Fest, CraftFest (July 9-10) and AgentFest (July 10) For more information see the website at: E-mail: [email protected] are open to everyone and there are money-saving www.crimebake.org . Website: www.highcrimesbooks.com packages. Closing their storefront but staying in business Complete details and date/rate schedule can be online and by mail order. Their reading group con - found at www.thrillerfest.org. LEFT COAST CRIME 2010 tinues to meet at the Meadows Branch of the Boul - der Public Library. LOJanS B uArkNe aGndE LLeeE CShi,ld C wAill be the guests of WRITERʼS SERIES honor at “Booked in LA” (aka Left Coast Crime), at If you have any information about bookstores opening, the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles from closing or moving, please e-mail [email protected] or OJJoiAn uI,s CJulA y 26 to 27, 2008, for a Weekend of March 11 to 14, 2010. Janet Rudolph will be fan write to Kate Derie, 1205 SE 57th Avenue, Portland, OR Myth & Mystery, exploring the deeper psychologi - guest of honor and Bill Fitzhugh will serve as toast - 97215. For up-to-the-minute changes, consult the Deadly cal twists and turns of the craft of writing with master. Directory Online at www.cluelass.com. June 2008 - 10 Down But Not Out: Results of the

By Mary Sau2ms 007 Review MonitoSursani Fnleet g ProjeSarac Rostett Anne Gallagher Debby Schenk Monitor Team PrTohjee fcinta lC nuomobredrsi nfoar ttoher 2007 Review Moni - Robin Agnew Pat Gulley Kate Sender toring Project are now in. The project's data entry Mary Dodge Allen Amy Gunby Liz Sharpe pages are up and running once again, thanks to the Deb Baker Heidi Holzer Verna Suit skill and patience of our website magician, Jesse Rebecca Bates Becky Hutchison Barbara Fritchman Kartus. Many thanks to him and the devoted Sis - Leslie Budewitz Jonnie Jacobs Thompson ters and Brothers who take time through the year to Andrea Campbell Tom Leitch Janice Trecker make this project possible. Kathleen Chalmers Kate Lyons Sylvia Ulan The review totals for Judy Clemens Claire McNab Nancy Glass West mysteries written by Alzina Stone Dale Mary Lou Merkel Evelyn Whitehill women fell a bit last year Monette Draper Ann Parker Deborah Woodworth compared to the 2006 Karen Duxbury Sandra Parshall Jesse Kartus - Review Project numbers. Overall, the Eden Embler Caroline Young Petrequin Website Maven publications we moni - Sally Fellows Pamela Reynolds tored reviewed 42 percent by female authors, 58 per - Booklist ...... 39 percent cent by male authors. Last Ellery Queen ...... 38 percent year, women came in at 44 List of Publications USA Today ...... 38 percent percent, with 56 for men. Overall Average for 2007: Globe ...... 37 percent In looking at our data, I Male - 58 percent Seattle Times/Post ...... 37 percent believe the main reason for the dip is the trend Female -42 percent Entertainment Weekly ...... 36 percent many publications have adopted recently, that of Bookpage ...... 35 percent devoting less space to book reviews and in some 50 Percent and Higher Sun-Times ...... 35 percent cases doing away with reviews entirely. Only eight Romantic Times ...... 82 percent Houston Chronicle ...... 34 percent publications we monitored gave women's mysteries St. Martin's Read It First ...... 67 percent Orlando Sentinel ...... 33 percent 50 percent or more reviews, down from ten last Valley Times...... 62 percent Newport News Daily Press ...... 33 percent year. Fourteen publications gave women less than Arizona Daily Star ...... 56 percent Crimespree ...... 32 percent 30 percent of total reviews this year, when last year Baltimore Sun ...... 54 percent Detroit Free Press ...... 32 percent only eight publications fell in that category. Contra Costa Times ...... 53 percent Omaha World Herald ...... 32 percent On the other hand, in the past year we've seen Kirkus Reviews ...... 51 percent Sunday Oregonian ...... 31 percent tremendous success by some top female mystery Mystery Scene ...... 50 percent Hartford Courant ...... 30 percent writers in the U.S., most notably New York Times ...... 30 percent and . Their work has helped raise 40 to 49 Percent the profile of all women crime writers. Our mys - Mystery News ...... 48 percent tery-specific magazines did a fantastic job in 2007 People ...... 47 percent Lower than 30 Percent of making women in our industry more visible, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . . . . 46 percent Winston-Salem ...... 29 percent with magazine cover photos and more articles by St. Louis Post-Dispatch ...... 45 percent Indianapolis Star ...... 29 percent and about mystery women than I remember ever Publishers Weekly ...... 44 percent /St. Paul Star Tribune . . 28 percent seeing before. Charlotte Observer ...... 44 percent Los Angeles Times ...... 26 percent So, take heart. I wish all our writer members Library Journal ...... 44 percent Mystery Readers Journal ...... 26 percent much success as we press on. Let's hope the re - Strand Magazine ...... 43 percent Washington Post ...... 26 percent views we monitor in the coming months will reflect Morning News ...... 43 percent New Yorker ...... 25 percent more openness to women in the mystery field in San Antonio Express ...... 42 percent Chicago Tribune ...... 24 percent 2008. City Star ...... 41 percent Powell's Daily Reviews ...... 24 percent Enquirer ...... 41 percent Essex County Star Ledger ...... 24 percent If you would like to help with the Monitoring Project, Denver Post ...... 40 percent Chronicle ...... 22 percent please contact Mary at [email protected]. Wall Street Journal ...... 19 percent 30 to 39 percent Missoulian ...... 15 percent Deadly Pleasures ...... 39 percent San Jose Mercury ...... 13 percent

Get Your nearly every operating system — no matter how store the PDF in a folder on your computer or old — at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/ burn it onto a CD or DVD for future reference. NTeirewd osf wleaittintge forr thbisy ne wEsle-tmter tao biel deliv - readstep2.html. Downloading Acrobat Reader is Saving the PDF to your computer takes only sec - ered by the post office? Many of your Sisters get quick and easy; just follow the directions at the link. onds; the time it takes to print out depends on the the news when it’s fresh; they receive their newslet - Since Acrobat Reader is necessary for viewing oth - speed of your printer. ter via e-mail, on the day it’s mailed. Another big er documents you’ll come across on the internet it’s Of course, there are two big advantages to Sis - plus is that the e-mail version comes in wonderful, a useful addition to your software. ters in Crime in sending your newsletter via e-mail glorious color. When you get the PDF, you’ll have several choic - — neither postage nor paper are needed, saving a The e-mail version is a PDF (Portable Docu - es: save it on your computer to read or print out at lot of money for other projects. ment File), which you’ll need Acrobat Reader to your leisure or read it on the screen. A huge benefit To sign up for electronic newsletter delivery, e- view. Most computers come with this software al - of the latter is that you can zoom in and make the mail [email protected] and faulkner@ ready installed but free versions are available for text bigger — and thus easier to read. Once read, bev.net.

June 2008- 11 THE DOCKET THE DOCKET THE DOCKET THE DOCKET THE DOCKET THE DOCKET THE DOCKET THE DOCKET Beverle Graves Myers, THE IRON TONGUE Jeffrey Marks, ANTHONY BOUCHER: A ByA Pnnaoutnrciecmieant sG four nlleew y books (please, no reprints), short OF MIDNIGHT, Poisoned Pen Press, March 2008 BIBLIOGRAPHY, McFarland & Co., May 2008 stories, articles and plays (all relating to mysteries), also nom - , THE BODY IN THE inations and awards, may be sent to Patricia Gulley via snail GALLERY, William Morrow May 2008 Awards/Miscellaneous mail to: 1743 N. Jantzen Avenue, Portland, OR 97217- Gerald A Shiller, THE MAN WHO DEFIED Keri Clark's short stories, YOUR NEW FAN 7849 or e-mail to: [email protected]. Please be sure DEATH, InterContinental Publishing, January and SAVED, were nominated for a 2008 Derringer to put Sisters in Crime, The Docket or InSinC in the subject 2008 Award from The Short Society. line — otherwise your e-mail won’t be opened. Denise Swanson, MURDER OF A CHOCO - Morgan Hunt's STICKY FINGERS has been The deadline for the next The Docket is July 10 , 2008. LATE-COVERED CHERRY, Obsidian, April nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the 2008 mystery category and is a finalist in the gay/lesbian Books Nancy Means Wright, THE GREAT CIRCUS category for Reader Views Literary Awards. Heather Ames, ALL THAT GLITTERS, Awe- TRAIN ROBBERY, Hilliard and Harris, March Liz Jasper’s UNDERDEAD won a 2008 Eppie Struck eBooks, February 2008 2008 for best mystery. Sarah Atwell (Sheila Connolly), THROUGH A Beverle Graves Myers' BRIMSTONE P.I. and GLASS, DEADLY, Berkley Prime Crime, March Short Stories/Anthologies THE BOOKWORM’S DEMISE are finalists for 2008 CAPITAL CRIMES, Kathleen L. Asay (editor), the 2008 Derringer Award given by the Short Mys - Deb Baker, MURDER TALKS TURKEY, Mid - Patricia E. Canterbury (editor), Juanita J. Carr, SM tery Fiction Society. night Ink, April 2008 Caruthers, Geri Spencer Hunter, R. Franklin James, Hank Phillippi Ryan's PRIME TIME was nomi - Lorna Barrett (Lor - Teresa Judd, Norma Lehr, Nan Mahon, Joyce Ma - nated for two RITA awards; Best First Book and raine Bartlett), MURDER son, Maggie McMillan, Cindy Sample, Linda Joy Best Romantic Suspense. FACE TIME, the second IS BINDING, Berkley Singleton, Nancy Streukens, Danna Suzanne in the series, was named a January 2008 BookSense Prime Crime, April 2008 Wilburg, Umbach Consulting, January 2008 Notable Book. and as L.L. Bartlett, Karen R. Wilson's COYOTE KILL received DEAD IN RED, Five Honorable Mention in the Reader Views 2007 Lit - Star, June 2008 How to Send Us Your Entry erary Awards in the Mystery, Suspense, Thriller cat - Hana Cannon, MUR - The format is simple: egory. DER IN AN AME- Name of author, TITLE OF BOOK, THYST HAZE, Book - Name of Publisher, Month to be released. Surge, March 2008 Name of Author, TITLE OF STORY, CR Cardin, Case Study, Name of magazine or anthology, Month to Evolution Press, May 2008 be released. Jane K. Cleland, ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR, St. Awards and nominations should be in Martin’s Minotaur, April 2008 sentences. Two Heads are Judy Clemens, LOST SONS, Herald Press, April Always put The Docket in the subject line 2008 of your e-mail. Anything else may be deleted. Better Than One Dave Diotalevi, MIRACLE MYX, Kunati Don’t send ISBNs, character names, se - Books, May 2008 ries names or places to buy the books. ByC Litiezen Ls aorfel aranred ly allowed to view the private Carola Dunn, BLACK SHIP: A DAISY DAL - Don’t send newsletters, publicity sheets lives of police officers. The public sometimes see RYMPLE MYSTERY, St. Martin’s Minotaur, or website addressess. cops as uncaring, gruff individuals with little or no September 2008 Don’t send in colors other than black and sense of humor. Nothing is further from the truth. Sharon Ervin, MURDER ABOARD THE white. Many police officers I worked with thought of CHOCTAW GAMBLER, Five Star, May 2008 Don’t send entries older than six months. themselves as the ulti - Lynn Gravbelle, MEDITATIVE ROSE, Alpha Editors of anthologies will not be listed mate practical jokers. World Press, April 2008 unless they have a story in the anthology. After all, what could Carolyn Hart, DEATH WALKED IN, William If you are using a pen name, we can add be funnier than squirt - Morrow, March 2008 your real name after it in parentheses. You ing a thick cloud of pep - Neil Plakcy, MAHU FIRE, Alyson Books, April must tell me if you do not want this done. per spray under a locked 2008 restroom door while Jill Thompson Decker, FAMILY SPIRIT, your partner is in there Mountain State Press, October 2007 with his uniform pants Jo Dereske, INDEX TO MURDER, Avon, May Meredith Cole, EXERCISE IS MURDER, down around his an - 2008 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2008 kles? Taking and hiding Christy Tillery French, THE BODYGUARD Gay Tolt Kinman, MEAN STREETS and a fellow officer’s patrol AND THE ROCK STAR, L&L Dreamspell, Jan - DEATH AT THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, car — after he left his uary 2008 AmazonShorts, February 2008 keys in the ignition and was in foot-pursuit of a Jeanne Glidewell, LEAVE NO STONE UN - MEDIUM OF MURDER, Gay Tolt Kinman, fleeing suspect — was another favorite trick. TURNED, Five Star, May 2008 Kris Neri, Gigi Vernon (Virginia Cole), Red Coyote Watching the officer frantically search for the miss - Elizabeth Hawn, SIFTING THROUGH SE - Press, April 2008 ing vehicle as he wondered how to explain the loss CRETS, Alabaster Book Publishing, February 2008 Judith O’Sullivan, DEATH AND THE JERSEY to his supervisor was hilarious to the pranksters. Morgan Hunt, FOOL ON THE HILL, Alyson DEVIL, Deadly Ink Anthology 2007 There were times, however, when the last laugh was Books, April 2008 on the comedians. Jess Lourey, AUGUST MOON, Midnight Ink, Non Fiction/Articles Winters can be extremely harsh in the south. June 2008 Bonnie J. Cardone, THE ANNA PIGEON Bitter winds can pierce the uniforms of cops like G.M. Malliet, DEATH OF A COZY WRITER, NOVELS, Mystery Scene, Spring 2008 rifle-fire. As patrol deputies, we thought of every Midnight Ink, July 2008 Gay Toltl Kinman, INTERVIEW: MARCIA excuse available to hang around the office on Julie Kramer, STALKING SUSAN, Doubleday, MULLER, Crimespree, January/February 2008 those nights of unforgiving temperatures. Grave - July 2008 D. P. Lyle, HOWDUNNIT: FORENSICS: A yard shifts were the worst for the cold and bore - Evan Marshall, DEATH IS DISPOSABLE, GUIDE FOR WRITERS, Thomas Dunne Books, dom. To pass the time, we dreamed up some of Severn House, June 2008 May 2008 the wildest practical jokes imaginable. Our victims June 2008 - 12 were fellow officers, dispatchers and the jail staff. One particular night, a couple of the guys borrowed a department store mannequin and Sisters in Crime Financial Report smuggled it upstairs in the county jail. There they Balance Sheet dressed the mannequin as an inmate, in orange, jail- Assets: issue coveralls. The plan was for two of the Cash ...... 54,509 deputies to make their way down the steps while Equipment ...... 4,786 pretending to fight with the dummy. The scuffle Depreciation ...... (4,711) was to end at the office of an elderly graveyard shift Investments ...... 136,139 dispatcher. This granny was the queen of all Other Assets ...... 2,917 jokesters. Her most famous prank was baking Total Assets: ...... 193,640 homemade Christmas cookies laced with a very Liabilities: strong laxative. The mannequin idea was supposed Payroll Taxes Payable ...... 813 to scare her into sending out an officer-needs-assis - Total Liabilities ...... 813 tance call and we all expected a good laugh when she realized the joke was on her. Net Worth: The officers began the descent down the stair - Add’l Paid-In Capital ...... 56,599 well, yelling and screaming as they neared the dis - Retained Earnings ...... 110,314 patcher’s station. When they rounded the corner Net Income, 2007 ...... 25,913 and were in full view of the poor woman, the Total Net Worth: ...... 192,827 “fight” became more intense. The dispatcher stood Total Liabilities & Net Worth: ...... 193,640 to see what was causing the disturbance and, as they expected, she was terrified. Just as she reached for the microphone to call for assistance, the head Profit and Loss Statement for year ended fell off the mannequin. The dispatcher watched in horror as it tumbled down the steps and rolled to a December 31, 2007 Income: stop at her feet. Thinking the deputies had decapi - Author’s Coalition ...... 97,425 tated the poor inmate; she promptly fainted and Clipping Service ...... 205 struck her head on the concrete floor. An ambu - Dividends from Investments ...... 7,334 lance had to called, an accident report had to be Events ...... 30,267 completed, and the sheriff had to be notified — at Interest Income ...... 918 3:00 am. The dispatcher was fine but when the Membership Dues ...... 126,866 sheriff arrived real heads rolled. Merchandise Sales ...... 1,722 Until next time, I’m 10-7 (out of service). Miscellaneous Income ...... 851 Total Income: ...... 265,588 Lee Lofland, a retired detective, is the author of Book Expenses: of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Accounting ...... 2,445 Writers . Check out his website at: www.leelofland.com. Advertising ...... 2,000 Amortization ...... 173 Archive Maintenance ...... 10 Bank Service Charges ...... 5 In Memoriam Board of Directors Expense ...... 581 Phyllis A. Whitney , author of 73 novels, Clipping Service Expense ...... 243 died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, in Computer Maintenance/Repair ...... 238 Charlottesville, VA. She was 104. The rising Conference Calls ...... 754 tide of activism among women mystery writ - Contract Labor ...... 11,812 ers was boosted by Whitney’s famous letter Dues & Subscriptions ...... 530 to MWA, pointing out that women authors E-Communications ...... 191 weren’t being nominated for awards. She lat - Events ...... 62,967 er won two Edgars (for juvenile mysteries) Grants ...... 6,890 and was honored as a Grand Master. Insurance ...... 2,316 Whitney is survived by her daughter, two Maintenance-Mbrshp List ...... 394 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Monitoring Project ...... 51 For more on Whitney’s life and work see Office Supplies ...... 968 her website: www.phyllisawhitney.com. PayPal Charges ...... 2,066 Pension Expense ...... 2,000 Karen Swee died of a cerebral hemor - Postage & Freight ...... 5,705 rhage in New Brunswick, NJ, on March 3, Printing – Other ...... 2,965 2008. She was 63. Her first Publications ...... 38,463 novel was published in 2005 and she was Public Relations Firm ...... 3,000 working on a sequel. She is survived by her Refunds & Returns ...... 32 husband, David Swee. Salaries ...... 41,306 Taxes ...... 3,593 Telephone ...... 1,222 Travel ...... 10,779 Treasurer Expense ...... 454 Check us out online: Twentieth Anniversary ...... 35,522 Total Expenses: ...... (239,675) www.sistersincrime.org Net Profit (Loss): ...... 25,913

June 2008 - 13 Malice Domestic XX April 25 to 27, 2008 Arlington, VA

on wit and intelligence. Peter Lovesy accepted his award, then presented a TeMxat laicne Dd oPmheosttico aslw bayys B tioltsn tnowiea rJd. t hCinagrsd Borintiesh,. IAn tSeainpoCt aEnd tietoacr up gift to his wife, Jax, for her support and help (she is also a writer) over the are its logos, is its paragon. This year, if you closed your decades. eyes during certain events and listened to the voices around you, you could Accepting her plaque was an emotional moment for Charlaine Harris, almost imagine you had been transported across the pond; two of Malice’s who pointed out family members, her agent and other supporters in the honorees were Brits and they were interviewed by compatriot, Robert audience. Barnard. All spoke with delightful accents and proved exceptionally witty One of the banquet highlights, of course, was the presentation of the and articulate. Agatha Awards. For a complete list of the The International Guest of Honor was Lindsey Davis, nominees/winners, see page 7. who writes a series set in Roman times that features The SinC breakfast was held on Sunday morning at detective M. Didus Falco. Speaking of desirable elements 7:30. One hundred and five in a novel she said: “You always need a dead body some - Sisters enjoyed scrambled where, your publisher expects it!” eggs, potatoes and sausages, The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Peter along with a variety of sweet Lovesy. He was a boy living in Bath and London during breads, orange juice, coffee WWII and said those days were not grim for kids, they and tea. President Robert were exciting. He busied himself collecting shrapnel and Isleib introduced the board parts of bombs. (His interviewer, , said members present and briefly he spent time “looking for spies.”) After Lovesey’s home talked about the SinC List - was bombed, his family was homeless for a while and Serv and the Book Club they had only two books. Peter read both of them many Database. Mary Saums gave a times and believes they had a major influence on his quick summary of the latest writing. The nonfiction book Review Monitoring Project was by a judge and contained results (you’ll find a full accounts of trials he had report on page 11), after presided over. The fictional which Roberta returned to book, Alias the Saint , by Leslie Malice chair, Verena the podium to announce that Charteris, featured Simon Rose (left), handed SinC will hold a publishing International Templar, aka, The Saint. (You Guest of Honor Char - conference in 2009 in con - Guest of Honor, may remember Roger Moore as junction with Bouchercon the title character in the 1960s laine Harris her teapot. Indianapolis. She also said Lindsey Davis. TV series.) that she, Judy Clemens, Jim The non British faction of the convention Huang and Nancy Martin would be traveling to New York for SinC’s included SinC member Charlaine Harris as second Publish - Guest of Honor. ers’ Summit and Charlaine’s career began as a newlywed, when that there are her husband gave her an electric typewriter and plans to start an offered her the option of staying home and e-newsletter writing or working outside the home. Charlaine about the pub - chose the former. Five months passed. When lishing industry. Fan Guest of Charlaine’s new husband pointed out he hadn’t For that project, Honor Beth seen her working, she said to herself, “I guess he she is looking Foxwell with means it.” So she sat down, wrote a book and for “stringers,” sold it. It was published in 1980. i.e.: people her teapot. Charlaine has been very prolific, writing four willing to moni - different series, two stand-alones and stories for tor industry three collections. She has also edited two anthologies. An HBO series, True publications and Blood , based on her Sookie Stackhouse books, will debut in the fall. Ac - report what’s Fan Guests of Honor Ron and Jean cording to Charlaine, “working with Hollywood is like sticking a hand in a going on. McMillen with Verena Rose. bucket of eels.” Her advice to would-be writers is to read everything, then The breakfast sit down and write. ended with The Agatha Banquet on Saturday night was interesting and entertaining, Roberta and vice president Judy Clemens drawing tickets for six signed with Toastmaster Dan Stashower, Fan Guests of Honor Ron and Jean copies of the Sara Paretsky-edited anthology, Sisters on the Case , which McMillen and Beth Foxwell proving that the Brits don’t have a monopoly contains short stories by former SinC presidents.

June 2008 - 14 Toastmaster Dan Left to right: Kate Flora, Carole Stashowerʼs interview Nelson Douglas and Pari Noskin by Parnell Hall (right) Taichert prepare for The Malice Theatre of the Airʼs The Adven - was hilarious. ture of the Murdered Ship . At SinCʼs sunday breakfast, vice president, Judy Clemens and president Roberta Isleib drew tickets for six signed copies of Sis - ters on the Case .

Guest of Honor Charlaine Lifetime Achievement Award Harris was interviewed by winner, Peter Lovesy (left), was interviewed by fellow Brit, Robert Barnard. Margaret Maron (left) and

Penny Warner Vicki Lane

Seen in the Signing Room... Patricia Smiley Kate Collins

Deanna Rosemary Raybourn Harris

Mike Befeler Beth Groundwater June 2008 - 15 D E A D L I N E S

 JULY 10, 2008 — Deadline for submission of items for the September Docket. Send to Patricia Gulley, 1743 N. Jantzen Avenue, Portland, OR 97217-7849 or e-mail: [email protected].

 JULY 15, 2008 — Deadline for the September InSinC newsletter. Contact Bonnie Cardone: [email protected]; phone 805/938-1156. Other newsletter deadlines are October 15, January 15 and April 15.

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