What’s New This Month – April 2023

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New Releases
New Book Deals
Other Media and Formats
Awards and Nominations
Author Appearances
Conferences and Festivals

New Releases

Gay Toltl Kinman’s short story, “From Poodles to Pants,” appears in MORE GROOVY GUMSHOES, edited by Michael Bracken, from Down & Out Books. Due April 2023.

Malice Domestic’s newest anthology, MURDER MOST TRADITIONAL, will feature these stories:

Anne Louise Bannon – “Darby O’Malley and the Body in the Pinot Block”
Jennifer Chow – “The Fall of the Tech Titan”
Nancy Cole Silverman – “Poetic Justice”

Sheila Lowe has a short story in INFINITY, an anthology edited by Catherine Coulter that came out March 31.

Laurie Stevens has a novella out: THE DEVIL AND DANIELA WEBSTER

Illyn Welch‘s novella, SIGNS OF PAIN, is due out April 7 from Shotgun Honey books.

Although the cover isn’t yet available and the book won’t be out until August, we thought we’d mention that several members recently had their short stories selected for the next Bouchercon anthology: Lori Dillman, Naomi Hirahara, Kim Keeline, Mary Keenan, Kathy Norris, James Thorpe, and Desiree Zamarano.

Sheila Lowe has a memoir coming out in April, and it looks fascinating: GROWING FROM THE ASHES: What My Daughter’s Murder Taught Me About Life After Earth. http://www.sheilalowebooks.com

Wendall Thomas‘s article, “Vacation, Vacation, Vacation,” appears in the current issue of MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL. Her piece provides delightful insight into the inspiration and research for her first novel.

New Book Deals

Terry Shames has signed contracts for two new books, both to be published by Severn House. One is tentatively titled THE CURIOUS DEATH OF MADDY BENSON, the eleventh in the Samuel Craddock series. The other is for PERILOUS WATERS, the first in a new series.

Other Media And Formats

Craig Faustus Buck’s cold war noir story “Scorching the Back Seat,” which takes place in 1960 Berlin just before the wall went up, will be a live audio presentation with original music in a series called Mysteries to Die For, which will also be anthologized. The recording can be heard at https://tgwolffcom.wordpress.com/podcast/.

Laurie Fagen’s “Murder in the Air Mystery Theatre” podcast features author Dennis Palumbo in episode #13, to be released April 12. Portions of Fagen’s audiobook “podcast” from her crime fiction novel “Dead Air” will be featured on episode #14, which drops April 19. www.ReadLaurieFagen.com

Awards and Nominations

Congratulations to Ellen Byron for her fourth Lefty Award! Her 2022 novel, BAYOU BOOK THIEF, won the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery at the Left Coast Crime convention in March.

On April 28, Terry Shames will be inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters, a distinguished honor society established in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and recognize literary achievement. Among the members are Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtry, and Joe Lansdale. Congrats, Terry!

Rachel Howzell Hall‘s 2022 novel WE LIE HERE is a finalist for the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Mystery Thriller category.

BAYOU BOOK THIEF by Ellen Byron and DEATH BY BUBBLE TEA by Jennifer Chow are both up for the 2023 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. PROMOPHOBIA, with essays by Mike Befeler, Ellen Byron, Matt Coyle, Daryl Wood Gerber, Sheila Lowe, Patricia Smiley, and Pamela Samuels Young was nominated for the 2023 Agatha Award for Best Non Fiction. Agatha Awards will be handed out at Malice Domestic at the end of April.

Author Appearances

Rachel Howzell Hall will take the stage on Friday April 21st at 7 pm at Bovard Auditorium on the USC campus as one of the finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Tickets to the event can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/43rd-annual-los-angeles-times-book-prizes-tickets-tickets-548047263117

Rachel is also one of the Guests of Honor at the 2023 California Crime Writers Convention, set for June 10-11 https://ccwconference.org/

Jennifer Chow and Ellen Byron will both appear at Malice Domestic on the panel of “Our Agatha Best Contemporary Novel Nominees” on Friday April 28th. Ellen will also moderate a panel: “Cozy or Traditional – What’s the Difference?”

Laurie Stevens joins authors Steve Lopez and Sandra Tsing Loh at the annual authors luncheon on April 1 benefiting the Assistance League of the San Fernando Valley

Jeri Westerson has a busy April. On Sunday April 2, she was the featured reader at the SinC/LA meeting, sharing a page from COURTING DRAGONS, book one of her King’s Fool Mysteries series set in the court of Henry VIII.

Thursday, April 6 — Jeri will appear twice at “Read the Book, Meet the Author,” a program sponsored by Ridge Writers of Ridgecrest. At 2 pm she’ll discuss OSWALD THE THIEF. At 7 pm her presentation will include books for sale.

Saturday, April 15, 8:15 am — Mavens of Mayhem, the Upper Hudson Valley Chapter of Sisters in Crime, will host Jeri in a Zoom presentation on “From Historical Mystery to Modern Marketing” and other publishing topics. Check back at https://www.jeriwesterson.com for Zoom link.

On April 30th Sheila Lowe will be moderating the panel at the Anaheim Library Mystery Author Luncheon. Panelists are George Font, Rachel Howzell Hall, and David Putnam. It’s a great event and can use your support—auction items and your presence.

Tori Eldridge, Paula Bernstein, Naomi Hirahara, Jeri Westerson, and Julia Bricklin will appear Saturday May 6 at 2 pm on a panel discussing “Not Quite Silenced Voices” at LitFest in the Dena a free event tat the Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena. https://litfestpasadena.org/

Conferences and Festivals

California Crime Writers Conference: The premier craft conference for crime writers is back live in the City of Angels. Two days of workshops covering everything from forensics to film option contracts. Come learn, connect, and have fun! Register now: https://ccwconference.org/registration/

LA Times Festival of Books: Saturday and Sunday April 22-23 on the USC Campus. Sisters in Crime /LA will have a booth. Come on down! Admission is free. https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Malice Domestic: April 28-30 in Bethesda Maryland. This fan convention takes place each year in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Malice Domestic celebrates the traditional mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. https://www.malicedomestic.org

LitFest in the Dena: Saturday May 6 and Sunday May 7 from 12:30 to 6:00 pm each day at the Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena. Admission is free. https://litfestpasadena.org/

ThrillerFestXVIII: New York City May 30 – June 3. The fee ranges from $350 to more than $1500 depending on which of a half-dozen offerings you choose, including MasterClass, PitchFest, QueryFest, CraftFest and ThrillerFest Awards Banquet. https://thrillerfest.com

Sleuth Fest: Boca Raton, July 6-9. Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of MWA. Fee in the range of $250. https://sleuthfest.com

Bouchercon: San Diego August 30 – September 3. Our own Naomi Hirahara is a toastmaster. Fee: $ 230. https://bouchercon2023.com