Register for an All-Day Workshop with Hallie Ephron!
TOOL UP TO WRITE YOUR CRIME NOVEL with a SPECIAL SATURDAY EVENT from 9am-4pm in New York City!
Hallie Ephron, popular instructor and author of the Edgar-nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel, will help you master a range of writing dilemmas and solutions in an all-day, hands-on workshop!
This event places replaces our April meeting, and there will be a fee of $50 and pre-registration required. All the details you’ll need are at our 2012 Chapter Meetings page.
We’re delighted to be able to offer in-depth instruction with such a talented expert, so don’t miss out, and do register early!
Our Chapter’s on Target with 3 Derringer Nominations!
The Short Mystery Fiction Society‘s prestigious annual awards are called the Derringers, and we’re thrilled to announce that local Sisters in Crime have earned 3 nominations!!!
Stories are categorized by length, and you can view all the talented finalists here, but we especially want to congratulate our chapter members below:
Best Flash Fiction Story (less than 1,000 words)
Kathleen Ryan, “Heat of Passion,” A Twist of Noir, February 2011
Best Short Story (1,001 to 4,000 words)
Cathi Stoler, “Fatal Flaw.” Beat to a Pulp , April 2011
Elizabeth Zelvin, “Death will Tank Your Fish,” Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices, September 2011**
**The anthology is our own chapter’s short fiction anthology.
We’re so delighted for our members, and don’t envy the Society members their tough choices, to be announced by the end of March. Best of Luck to all and Congratulations!
Chapter Signing and Party at Partners & Crime (Th-12/15) 7pm!
We’re so proud of our chapter’s recently published anthology, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices. And we’re having a great signing party and brief reading at Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers on Thursday, December 15th at 7pm. (More info at anthology link or invitation below.) Stop by for festivities and cheer, and as a bonus, you’ll get all your shopping done for the crime fans on your list!
The September Meeting Is Upon Us!
Thursday, September 22.
And what a meeting it is! To welcome you back from the summer, when publishing slows down, super agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management tells you what agents wish you knew.
Janet Reid specializes in compelling fiction, particularly crime fiction, and narrative non-fiction. She’s always on the lookout for fabulous projects. Her publishing background includes fifteen years in book publicity with clients both famous and infamous. In her spare hours she drinks scotch and stalks Jack Reacher.
She is actively looking for projects that show mastery of craft and originality. Recent sales include Even by Andrew Grant (Minotaur); The Breach by Patrick Lee (Harper: forthcoming); Chasing Smoke by Bill Cameron (Bleak House); All Roads Lead Me Back to You by Kennedy Foster (Pocket); The Eternal Prison by Jeff Somers (Orbit); First Contact by Evan Mandery (Harper: forthcoming 2010); Siesta Lane by Amy Minato (Skyhorse); Declarations of a Dinosaur by Dr. Lucy Hornstein (Kaplan); The Ephailtes Affair by Gary Corby (Minotaur; forthcoming); Blue Knight, White Cross by Colin Campbell (Severn House); The Little Book of Curses and Maledictions for Everyday Use by DawnRae Downton (Skyhorse: 2009).
Says Janet on her site: “I’m particularly looking for narrative non-fiction; history; current events. I’m also actively looking for high-concept thrillers. Just FYI, I do not consider books that deal with assassinating the US President as a major theme. PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT accepting queries between 8/1/11 and 9/30/11. Please wait to query until 10/1/11.”
As usual:
Meet and Greet 6:00 p.m.
Program 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Muhlenberg Branch NYPL, 3rd Floor
209 W. 23rd St. NYC (near 7th Ave.)
Optional dinner follows.
Saturday Night Rifles in NYC on June 4th
Enjoy a unique Saturday night in NYC, learn to shoot a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle, get professional answers to your firearm questions from an NRA-certified trainer, and finish with plenty of time for cocktails and dinner and stories about the target that got away.
Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Time: 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Tab: $100, paid by check in advance.
No extra charge for ammunition or targets!
Location: Westside Pistol and Rifle Range, 20 West 20th Street
Private Event. Attendance limited–first come, first served
To RSVP for this event or if you have other questions, please contact EW Count at: cop(underscore)talk{at}yahoo-dot-com. She’ll give you the name/address to mail your check to the instructor.
There is also an advance mandatory criminal background check which must be submitted online. Because of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, submit your information no later than Thursday, May 26th, to: http://www.westsidepistolrange.com/registration.php
In the last field, GROUP LEADER, please paste in: nratraininginnyc-at-yahoo[dot]com
See you at the range!
Member News: 2 Agatha Nominations
The Agatha Award nominations have been announced for the upcoming Malice Domestic convention, to be held from April 29th to May 1st of this year, and two of our local Sisters are on the rolls!
Avery Aames has been nominated in the Best First Novel category for THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE, and Elizabeth Zelvin was nominated in the Best Short Story category for “The Green Cross” which appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.
As always, there’s terrific company and competition among the wonderful nominees, but we’re delighted and proud to have two local Sisters recognized in this special way, and very good luck to you both!
Discuss the Reader Survey Online Tomorrow!
On February 17th, our chapter’s own Triss Stein will be presenting and discussing these results at our meeting. She was one of the point people from Sisters in Crime who worked on this project. Go to 2011 Chapter Meetings link in right sidebar for details. But, if you’e unable to attend then…
This Tuesday, Jan. 18th, the SinC listserv will host two representatives from Bowker, the company that conducted SinC’s groundbreaking Mystery Book Buyer Study. They will be available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time to answer members’ questions about the study and how writers can use the information to better target their marketing efforts. The full survey report is available through the SinC national website.
Any SinC member not already on the listserv can join by sending an e-mail to sistersincrime-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with his or her full name in the body of the message. It’s perfectly all right to join the list for the Tuesday session and unsubscribe afterward, although, of course, we think all SinC members can benefit from being on the list.
Also, see you local Sisters at the library on Thursday for what promises to be another terrific meeting with veteran literary agent Victoria Skurnick!
Call for Astoria/LIC Int’l Film Fest Readers
Members of our chapter have been invited to read from our crime fiction at the Astoria/LIC International Film Festival on Saturday, October 23rd, from 2 to 4pm. All the events are being held at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, and there’s more information about this inaugural festival at the link. If you’d like a spot reading eight to ten minutes of your work– with the opportunity to sell and sign your books as well– please contact Lina Zeldovich by e-mail. The address is her first name [underscore] her last name at that Yahoo-dot-com place. Looking forward to hearing you there!
Sept. Meeting: The Female of the Species
Deadlier than the male? Different, for sure!
On Thursday, September 23rd, our chapter meeting’s speaker will be forensic profiler Dr. Kostas Katsavdakis. Dr. Forensic is a psychology professor and consultant who’s going to highlight common myths and mistakes about the pathology of violent criminals. Additionally, he’ll focus on why what we may think we know about male criminal behavior and motivation is dead wrong when dealing with the female of the species.
Chapter meetings at the Muhlenberg Library are open to the public, and we warmly invite you to come and to bring guests. See logistical details at the 2010 Chapter Meetings link.
Image: Alastair Muir from London production of The Female of the Species.Special Events Mean Member Opportunities
Besides our chapter’s monthly gatherings (see sidebar for 2010 meetings), we now find ourselves involved in so many extra-meeting activities that they needed their own page!
To learn more about our upcoming participation in the Brooklyn Book Festival and the Astoria/LIC International Film Festival, visit our brand-new Special Events page, via the link or the menu item on the right sidebar, and save-those-dates!
Chapter Call for Submissions
Today, we’re kicking off our chapter’s second anthology with a call for crime story submissions! Visit the Anthology link in our sidebar for all the juicy details and even some local inspiration.
Events: Register NOW for Chris Roerden
Chris Roerden, award-winning author and manuscript editor, is giving us a workshop on Tuesday, May 25th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, here in NYC! The Writer’s Voice will be a 2-hour, interactive seminar designed for new writers and veterans alike, examining what that “fresh, new voice” is that agents and editors keep demanding, and providing hands-on practice in finding, or refining, your own. This workshop requires advance registration and payment, as seating is limited. The cost is $20 for chapter members, and $25 for non-members. Please see more details about the speaker, venue, and how to register at our Chapter Meetings page from the sidebar.
You may have one or more of Chris’s writing books on your shelves already, so don’t miss this chance to benefit from up-close and in-depth instruction right from the horse’s mouth- er- publishing professional’s voice!
Member News: Lina Zeldovich Wins with Love
Lina Zeldovich’s short story “Love Is a Strange Thing” just won an honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Award. It was submitted in the Romance category, though she swears there’s a juicy death in it, too.
Congratulations, Lina, and we look forward to hearing more good news about these characters!
Member News: Three Agatha Nominations!
Malice Domestic is having its 22nd annual conference to discuss and celebrate mysteries from April 30th to May 2nd, 2010. We’re thrilled that 3 of our local/recently-local Sisters have been nominated for Agatha Awards, which will be announced and presented at the event’s banquet.
Elizabeth Zelvin’s “Death Will Trim Your Tree” (Wolfmont Press) has been nominated for best Short Story and can be read at her site. Meredith Cole’s novel POSED FOR DEATH (St. Martin’s Minotaur) and Stefanie Pintoff’s novel IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM (Minotaur Books) have both been nominated for Best First Novel.
All conference attendees are eligible to vote, and a complete list of Agatha nominees is here.
Many congratulations and best of luck to all!
Announcements: Call for Submissions to Read at Kettle of Fish
Greenwich Village’s legendary Kettle of Fish hosts monthly readings, and on March 31st, the readers will all be from our chapter! Get practice, publicity, or just warm encouragement from a friendly, fiction-loving crowd.
The theme of the evening is International Night, and any crime fiction you’ve written with an international setting or topic is eligible. If you’d like to join your local Sisters on stage, please submit your excerpted work of between 6 to 8 minutes (around 1500 words) to member Lina (underscore) Zeldovich (at) yahoo (dot) com. Final editorial selections will be the responsibility of Michael Mejias of Writers House, who organizes and curates the evenings. We hope that this will be a successful program, and only the beginning of more such opportunities for our members.
Add your name to Jack Kerouac’s and the other incredible authors who’ve read there, by submitting to Lina by Friday, February 20th for consideration!
Member News: Remembering Winifred Seery
With sadness, we report that chapter member Winifred Seery of Glastonbury, Connecticut passed away on January 29th at the age of 75. Her obituary with online guestbook is posted at the Hartford Courant.
We celebrate her wonderful contributions to our community as a writer and Sister, and wish her family all the best.
Member News: Why She Can’t Throw the Bum Out
On February 18th at 6:30 pm, member Elizabeth Zelvin, psychotherapist as well as mystery author, will be presenting a program at the Mid-Manhattan Library on bad relationships and why they’re often so hard to leave.
Between this free program and our concurrent chapter meeting on the Craigslist killer, local Sisters have the darker side of Valentine’s Day covered!
Image site here.
Holiday Party: Yee Ho!
Of course, at this time of year, we’re very thankful for our Sisters in Crime, and we’re grateful for all the good times and successes within our chapter. That’s why we’re talking about our upcoming party to celebrate!
On Tuesday, December 8th, we kick it off at 6pm at the kitschy and delish Cowgirl restaurant. All the details are posted on the Chapter Meetings page. We need final counts by Friday, December 4th, so polish up your spurs and RSVP for holiday festivity with your Sisters!
November 7th is National Bookstore Day!
Publishers Weekly is spearheading the first of this annual event as an opportunity to celebrate bookselling and the vibrant culture of bookstores. No matter your favorite independent nook or chain, stop by this Sunday and share the love!
Come to the Brooklyn Book Festival!
On Sunday, September 13th, 2009, from 10am to 6pm, avid readers will be at the 4th annual Brooklyn Book Festival. A stellar line-up of local and international authors is planned for this thriving public celebration of the written word. This free event takes place outside Borough Hall, and attracted over twenty thousand people last year. For the first time, we’re sponsoring a New York/Tri-State chapter table, and inviting all our published members in good standing to bring their books to sign and sell.
We anticipate 2-hour slots per author, and we’re also requesting a contribution of $20 to help defray the cost of the booth. If you’d like to participate, please e-mail clare2e (at) me (dot) com with your time of day preferences and how many titles you’d wish to display.
The deadline to sign up is August 21st, but early notification is much appreciated and we expect the slots to fill quickly. See you at the festival!
Brooklyn Book Festival
Our chapter will have a table at the Brooklyn Book Festival in September. More details to come, but in the meantime, save the date of September 13!
