In celebration of Bouchercon 2023, Partners in Crime: The San Diego Chapter of Sisters in Crime welcomes members of the San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles chapters to submit a short story to their second anthology titled CRIME UNDER THE SUN. Submissions are free and open! Due June 15th.
Stories will be chosen in a blind-read process and edited by Matt Coyle, best-selling author of the Rick Cahill crime novels; Naomi Hirahara, best-selling author of several mystery series and short stories; and Tammy Kaehler, award-winning author of the Kate Reilly mystery series.
CRIME UNDER THE SUN will be an official Sisters in Crime Anthology. Partners in Crime will market the anthology with press releases and social media. In addition, Partners in Crime will host an anthology signing party at Bouchercon 2023, which will take place August 30-September 3, 2023 in San Diego.
All proceeds from the sale of the anthology will support the ongoing efforts of Partners in Crime to bring workshops of interest to crime writers and readers.
Why CRIME UNDER THE SUN? Southern California offers a wide variety of settings. Beaches, mountains, deserts. We’re urban. We’re rural. We have something for everyone. All under the sun. We’d love to see stories set in SoCal that reflect the California experience. Mysteries of all genres, suspense, thrillers and true crime are encouraged.
1) The Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime announces its 2023 anthology, “Entertainment To Die For.” Submissions open March 1 and close May 31, 2022. The judges of this blind contest will consider stories up to 7500 words in any sub-genre of crime. Guidelines will appear here soon: https://www.sistersincrimela.com/anthologies/
2) Partners In Crime, the San Diego Chapter of Sisters in Crime, seeks stories of up to 5000 words for its 2023 short story collection, “Crime Under The Sun.” The deadline is 6/15/22. https://sistersincrimesd.org
4) New Arc Books, an imprint of Level Best Books, is actively seeking new novel-length fiction in the categories of Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Literary Fiction, Romantic Suspense, etc. https://leelofland.com/new-arc-books-is-open-for-submissions/
6) Bouchercon’s 2023 anthology, tentatively titled “Peril Under The Palms” is open for submissions. The deadline is October 15, 2022 https://bouchercon2023.com/anthology/
An impossible crime. A family legacy. The intrigue of hidden rooms and secret staircases. Known for her wonderfully addictive characters, multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian introduces her newest heroine in this heartfelt series debut. Under Lock & Skeleton Key layers stunning architecture with mouthwatering food in an ode to classic locked-room mysteries that will leave readers enchanted. Out March 15 from Minotaur Books: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250804983
Mike Befeler has a short story in the new anthology Eccentric Circles
“The Wages of Sin: The ballad of Margie and Dale,” by Joan Renner, appears in The Best New True Crime Stories by Partners in Crime
“Committing Suicide,” a short story by Gay Kinman, appears in the January 2022 edition of the online magazine, King’s River Life.
Lori Dillman’s story “Just One” appears in the Bould Awards Short Story Anthology 2021, Volume 2, available in print and e-book.
Gay Kinman’s new short story, The Burglaries, is out on Kindle. The wonderful cover art is the creation of Peggy Chan.
NEW NOMINATIONS
CONGRATS to Matt Coyle for his Barry Award nomination for Best Novel. His book, Last Redemption, has also been nominated for a Lefty Award. His fellow Barry Award nominees include Michael Connelly, S.A. Crosby, Stephen King, and Naomi Hirarara. (Nice company!) The winner will be announced at the opening of Bouchercon in Minneapolis on September 8, 2022.
Previously Announced Nominations:
Congrats to Gigi Pandian for her Edgar Award nomination for Best Short Story. “The Locked Room Library” appeared in the July / August issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Edgar awards in this and other categories are given annually by Mystery Writers of America. The winners will be announced at the Edgars Banquet in NYC on April 28. https://edgarawards.com
Congratulations to Wendall Thomas for her nomination for a Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel for her 2021 book, Fogged Off. Winners of Lefty Awards will be announced at the Left Coast Crime convention in Albuquerque in April.
CONGRATULATIONS to Ellen Byron for her nomination for the Best Contemporary Novel Agatha Award for Cajun Kiss of Death. Her fellow nominees include Louise Penny and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Winners of Agatha Awards will be announced at the Malice Domestic convention in Bethesda in April. The book has also been nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel.
And we congratulate Jennifer Chow for her nomination for the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel for Mimi Lee Cracks the Code. Winners of Lefty Awards will be announced at the Left Coast Crime convention in Albuquerque in April
This webinar is part of the SinC into Great Writing series. The event will take place on March 5, 2022 at noon ET/11am CT/10am MT/9am PT. The seminar includes three panels: Things I Wish I’d Known: Jennifer J. Chow, Jennifer Hillier, Ausma Zehanat Khan , moderated by Wanda M. Morris Publishing in the Present Tense: Michelle Addo, Jenny Chen, Samantha Fabien, moderated by Kellye Garrett Structures for Success: Gigi Pandian, Alex Segura, moderated by Sandra S.G. Wong
The March meeting of the Upstate South Carolina chapter will feature guest speaker Carmen Amato, mystery and thriller author, who will talk about her 30 years in the CIA, her police procedural series, and her recent foray into historical fiction. Carmen has traveled the world, surviving multiple earthquakes, a persona-non-grata expulsion, a train derailment, and a Givenchy fashion show. Networking at 3:30 pm pacific time; presentation starts at 4 pm pacific time.
Jane Friedman has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers. She’s the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors, and has previously worked for Writer’s Digest and the Virginia Quarterly Review. In 2019, Jane was awarded Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World; her newsletter was awarded Media Outlet of the Year in 2020.
“Sometimes revenge is the only option for what’s gotten under the skin.”
Los Angeles is the City of Angels. But these natives of Los Angeles don’t wear halos. From the beaches of Palos Verdes to the San Gabriel Valley, from Beverly Hills to Pasadena, this anthology sprawls across Los Angeles County with stories of vengeance, retribution and justice served cold. Avenging Angelenos, from newborns to neighbors, physicians to funeral directors, athletes, artists, students and teachers, have scores to settle and a nefarious itch under their skin that’s got to be scratched.
AVENGING ANGELENOS, a Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles anthology, is edited by Sarah M. Chen, Wrona Gall, and Pamela Samuels Young, with an introduction by Frankie Y. Bailey. It includes these original stories:
The Inkwell by Kathy Norris The Queen of Mean by Paula Bernstein The Magic Hour by Peggy Rothschild Gunning for Justice by Laurel Wetzork Best Served Cold by Gay Totl Kinman Manny’s Angel by Jenny Carless Avenging Superheros by Meredith Taylor The Baby by Avril Adams The Unkindest Cut by L.H. Dillman Funeral Games by Hal Bodner Christine Thirteen by Melinda Loomis
EPILOGUE with Norman August, moderator, and Sarah M. Chen, Wrona Gall and Pamela Samuels Young, editors.
Considering featuring AVENGING ANGELENOS, for your book club? Find some suggested Discussion Questions below.
1) What do you feel the title AVENGING ANGELENOS, means?
2) What do you feel the theme of each story is, and does it tie back to the title?
3) Which stories do you think are “who-dunit” stories? Which feel more like they are a “how-dunit” story? Do any feel like they are “why-dunit” stories?
4) Which short story was your favorite and why?
Librarians in Los Angeles County – if you have a Book Club at your library and want to find out how to bring some of FATALLY HAUNTED’s authors to your library, check our Speakers Bureau page for more information.
Authors Julia Bricklin and Jennifer Younger read from their short stories from the Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles chapter anthology, FATALLY HAUNTED.
Mike Befeler: Becoming An Author Has No Expiration Date
by Laura Brennan
At the age of 57, Mike Befeler, author of Paradise Court, Unstuff Your Stuff, and more than a dozen other novels, decided he would “retire into writing.” He began by taking fiction writing courses at the University of Colorado while he was still working, and he started writing. Persistence paid off: he made 112 submissions before his first fiction sale.
“If I’d stopped after 111 rejections,” Mike said, “I wouldn’t be here today.” He believes in the Stockdale Paradox, which can be distilled to having complete faith in a positive outcome while also being brutally realistic about how difficult your situation is. He focused on doing everything he could, from getting better as a writer to getting out and meeting people at conferences, and at the same time, he never expected the road to be easy.
His plan was to focus first on craft. He did this by taking university courses which not only helped him become a better writer, but forced him into a critique group experience, giving him a chance to learn from others. He also started going to conferences, and once again, decided which conferences to attend based on where he was in the process. First, he went to conferences focusing on craft. After his writing improved, he started going to conferences which taught how to sell your novel. Finally, he goes to conferences with tracks on PR and marketing, as he works to build his audience.
It worked! Mike sold his first book to Five Star at a pitch session at one of the writers conferences. He met another publisher through LinkedIn. His current publisher, Encircle Publications, was started by someone he’d met at Five Star, who branched out into publishing when Five Star cut back on its mystery imprints (it now focuses primarily on Westerns, with some historical mysteries). Encircle is now publishing all of Mike’s backlist in Trade Paperback.
Finally, Mike talked about marketing. He promotes his books by giving talks, meeting people, having an author website, building an e-mail list, and sending postcards to his snail mail list of friends and fans.
Mike demystified the process and proved his point: you can start writing at any age and become a published author. Keep the right attitude, expect obstacles, but plan for success.
