The Sisters in Crime Quarterly, Vol. 27. No. 3 Muddle in the Middle Writes of Passage Forensic Day SinC-Up Blog Hop Swear vs. Affirm Creative Starters Cannell Scholarship Get a Clue Editor’s Note Molly Weston.....................3 Laura’s Letter Laura DiSilverio ...................4 The Muddle in the Middle The mission of Sisters in Crime is to promote the Karen Harper .....................5 professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry. Membership: Why Two Types? .........7 Laura DiSilverio, President Chapters ............................8 Catriona McPherson, Vice President Awesome Anthology Stephanie Pintoff, Secretary 10 Not-So-Easy Steps Julie Hennrikus, Publicity Karen Pullen.....................12 Lori Roy, Treasurer Martha Reed, Chapter Liaison Writes of Passage Sally Brewster, Bookstore Liaison Adventures on the Writer’s Journey Carolyn Dubiel, Library Liaison Hank Phillippi Ryan...............14 Barbara Fister, Monitoring Project/Authors Coalition Frankie Bailey, At Large SinC into Great Writing: Robert Dugoni, At Large A Forensic Day with Jan Burke Val McDermid, At Large Molly Weston....................15 Hank Phillippi Ryan, Immediate Past President Molly Weston, inSinC Editor Board & Officer Nominees ...........16 Laurel Anderson, inSinC Proofreader Gavin Faulkner, inSinC Proofreader SinC at Library Associations Marisa Young, inSinC Proofreader Cari Dubiel......................18 Sarah Glass, Web Maven/Social Media SinC-Up with Blog Hop Barbara Fister ...................19 Beth Wasson, Executive Director Creativity Starters PO Box 442124 Katherine Ramsland, PhD .........20 Lawrence, KS 66044-2124 Email: [email protected] Val McDermid Mortuary..............21 Phone: 785.842.1325 Getting Facts Straight Fax: 785.856.6314 Leslie Budewitz ..................22 © We Love Libraries! 2014 Sisters in Crime International Andrea Smith....................23 Beth’s Bits inSinc is the official publication of Sisters in Crime International and is published four Beth Wasson ....................24 times a year. • One-year dues are $40 for professional US and Canada writers and $35 for non-professionals (add $5 for other countries). Two-year dues are $80 and $70; Awards & Nominations lifetime, $500 and $350. Address and all other changes can be made by members on www.sistersincrime.org. If you do not use a computer or need a user name, please Gay Toltl Kinman .................25 contact Beth Wasson at the address above. Information in inSinC is submitted or reprinted from sources listed in each article. Where required, permission to reprint has Events & Happenings ................26 been granted and noted. SinC does not investigate each submission independently and articles in no way constitute an endorsement of products or services offered. No mate- The Docket .........................27 rial may be reprinted without written permission from Sisters in Crime. Dorothy Cannell Scholarship..........28 2 inSinC September 2014 ¡ ¡ Sisters in Crime Past Presidents Editor’s Note Sara Paretsky 1987-88 Nancy Pickard 1988-89 by Molly Weston Margaret Maron 1989-90 Susan Dunlap 1990-91 Carolyn G. Hart 1991-92 appy fall! I always look forward P. M. Carlson 1992-93 Linda Grant 1993-94 to the end of summer—there are Barbara D’Amato 1994-95 so many of my favorites—holiday Elaine Raco Chase 1995-96 Annette Meyers 1996-97 seasons, mystery conventions and Sue Henry 1997-98 workshops, and football! By now Medora Sale 1998-99 many of you are reflecting on the Barbara Burnett Smith 1999-00 Claire Carmichael McNab 2000-01 things you learned (or reinforced) at “Doing Time Eve K. Sandstrom 2001-02 Hwith Sisters in Crime,” the first pre-Killer Nash- Kate Flora 2002-03 Kate Grilley 2003-04 ville workshop in August. I’m looking forward to Patricia Sprinkle 2004-05 Writers Police Academy here in North Carolina, Magna cum Murder Libby Hellmann 2005-06 in Indianapolis, and Bouchercon in Long Beach. Rochelle Krich 2006-07 Roberta Isleib 2007-08 Judy Clemens 2008-09 After “graduating” from WPA and Jan Burke’s Forensic Day at Marcia Talley 2009-10 Bouchercon, I’m fully expecting to get a call to be a TV consultant or Cathy Pickens 2010-11 an expert witness—well, in my dreams. Frankie Bailey 2011-12 Hank Phillippi Ryan 2012-13 Going to conferences is such a great way to network with other Sisters and Brothers. I hope to meet many more of you this year. Even Deadline & Submissions though it’s fun to be with friends from other years, I always try to sit Deadline for articles for the with total strangers at conference meals. Some of these folks have December issue of inSinC is October 15. Include name, become good friends (I’ve been going for more than 20 years) and email, mailing address, and phone many have become contributors to inSinC. number with submissions. Send columns, articles, high-res photos, As usual, this issue of inSinC is crammed with articles that will, hope- ideas, praise, and story ideas via fully, inform and amuse you. In addition to our wonderful regular email to contributors we welcome Karen Harper, Karen Pullen, Hank Phillippi Molly Weston [email protected] Ryan, and Barbara Fister. Our publisher and proofreader Gavin 919.362.1436 Faulkner sent me a link to the article about Val McDermid’s new honor in The Scotsman. I condensed it for inSinC, but I hope you’ll The Docket read the whole article at tinyurl.com/mcxtnxk. To list your publications and award nominations, login to There’s a wonderful new opportunity for a fortunate Guppy member. SistersinCrime.org and look for “Quick Links” at the Please see the article about a great scholarship on page 28. bottom of the home page. Fill in the information, one entry per I learned (in the kindest way) that I had confused chapters when publication. Titles released more referring to Virginia Loves Mysteries in the June issue. The collaborat- than six months from inSinC publi- ing chapters were Central Virginia and Virginia Beach. I’m sorry! cation date cannot be included. Happy writing! Molly 3 inSinC September 2014 ¡ ¡ arlier this summer, I or a novel. Having the “almost right” Laura’s renovated my daughters’ tool (like a 10” wet saw) isn’t good Letter bathroom. (I might have enough. In the home reno world, been hoping that hav- you can rent the right tools. That ing tile on the floor and doesn’t work in the novel writing biz new towel hooks would (although you can buy expertise in motivate them to hang their towels the realm of editing, perhaps, to fix Eso one could actually see the floor; if certain aspects of your manuscript). so, I was wrong.) Anyway, I stripped the old linoleum and removed the Still, if the writing task at hand baseboards, peeled off a wallpaper is exposition and the only tool in border, removed the old toilet, and your writing toolbox is dialog, your sanded all the cabinet surfaces. book is going to suffer. The best Then, I laid tile, painted the walls, tool for the job might be summary, primed/painted/polyurethaned the or a flashback scene, or interior cabinets, installed a low flow toilet, thoughts. Acquiring as many tools painted and replaced the baseboards as possible (which means taking and hung the aforementioned new classes, reading craft books/periodi- cals, working with a critique group, towel hooks. It looks like a new and the upcoming SinC into Great and practicing) will make you a bet- bathroom for less than $500. (When Writing program on forensics at I’m feeling richer, I’ll replace the el ter writer and make the job easier. Bouchercon in November. cheapo light fixture and mirror.) Luckily, SinC has ongoing educa- On a different note, this is my last You might think the hardest part of tional programs and opportunities letter as president of Sisters in the project was cutting and laying to help you stock your toolbox. First Crime. It’s hard to believe since I’m tile, or removing the old toilet and and foremost, chapters offer mar- writing this in mid-July and my term seating the new one. That’s what I velous opportunities to improve isn’t up until mid-November. (I’ll be was anticipating. But the hardest your craft. The New England chap- hanging around after that, though, part of the project was scraping the ter recently presented “Can This putting the finishing touches on linoleum off the plywood underlay. Manuscript Be Saved?” and the this year’s Publishing Summit report Why? Because I didn’t have the right Central Virginia chapter is offer- which is going to be a fabulous and tool (which I found out later I could ing “Plotting the Cozy Mystery” in enlightening look at bookstores in have rented from Home Depot). October. Most of the chapters have the digital era. The team is hard I used a rigid, hand-held scraper exciting programming upcoming. If at work gathering data, building which I think was designed to get you don’t belong to your local chap- surveys, and conducting interviews remove old caulk. It did the job, but ter, sign up now. If you don’t have a as I write.) It has been an honor and I had to sit on the floor and scrape local chapter, start one! a privilege to serve as your president up an inch of backing and glue at and I look forward to a lifetime of We still offer a huge discount for a time. Ga-a-gh! I also learned the friendship and learning with the members wanting to take a class at hard way that when your tile mea- most collegial, talented, helpful, and the online Gotham Writers (I can sures 16”x24” you need a 24-inch wonderful people it’s ever been my personally vouch for the excellence wet saw to cut it—a ten-incher pleasure to associate with.