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WHAT’S NEW THIS MONTH – September 2023
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New Releases
Praise, Awards, & Nominations
Book Deals
Author Appearances
New Releases
HANGING BY A THREAD, the second book in Dorothy Howell‘s Sewing Studio cozy mystery series, will be released on September 26th in hardcover, ebook, and audio from Kensington Publishing.
“When the owner of a new bakery in the quaint, touristy town of Hideaway Grove is murdered, suspicion falls on Abbey Chandler’s aunt, and it’s up to Abbey to clear her name.”
THE NINJA’S OATH by Tori Eldridge comes out September 12 from Agora/Polis Books. The fourth book in the Lily Wong series takes Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja, Lily Wong, to Shanghai in an explosive joint mission with her father’s former-triad cook and the assassin J Tran.
“Loyalty, family and martial arts take center stage in The Ninja’s Oath, a smashing thriller that climaxes with a death-filled battle royale that would make Quentin Tarantino blush.” ―Best Thriller Books
Writing as E.J. Williams, Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger are debuting STONE PUB in mid-September. This fast-paced adventure thriller transports the reader to Ireland in 1962. It is the first in the International Crime Files series.
Praise, Awards and Nominations
Our members Tori Eldridge, Naomi Hirahara, and Gary Phillips have short stories in Mystery Writers of America’s 2022 anthology, CRIME HITS HOME, which won the 2023 Anthony Award for Best Anthology. Congrats!
Naomi Hirahara‘s EVERGREEN, which came out earlier this summer from Soho Crime, was included in CrimeReads’ praise for the best historical fiction of the year thus far.
CrimeReads included Winnie Li‘s COMPLICIT in its list of Best Paperback Reads of the Summer.
Book Deals
Ellen Byron has signed a deal with Severn House for two more Vintage Cookbook mysteries.
Author Appearances
Join Tori Eldridge in conversation with Naomi Hirahara on September 13 at 7 pm at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. They’ll be talking about the fourth book in Tori’s Lily Wong series, THE NINJA’S OATH.
Carl Vonderau and Adam Sikes will talk about money laundering, kidnapping, weapons smuggling, mercenaries, drug cartels, and their novels at the Village Well bookstore in Culver City on Sept. 21 at 7:30 pm. Carl is a former international banker and worked in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and North Africa. He just published his second thriller, SAVING MYLES. Adam spent 25 years in the military and the CIA in Central Asia, East Africa and Europe. His debut thriller is LANDSLIDE.
Read the CrimeReads interview of Edgar-nominated Winnie Li by Edgar-winner Jordan Harper, about writing mysteries set in Hollywood, the complicity of the film industry, and their journeys as crime writers:
https://crimereads.com/winnie-m-li-and-jordan-harper-on-complicity-confrontation-and-the-city-of-angels/
WHAT’S NEW THIS MONTH – August 2023
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New Releases
Books Up For Awards
Author Appearances
Party Invitations
Conferences, Fairs and Festivals
New Releases
Julia Bricklin’s RED SAPPHIRE: The Woman Who Beat the Black List, tells the true story of Hannah Weinstein who, facing persecution by Senator Joe McCarthy because of her purported communist affiliations, fled to Europe in 1950 and built a successful television studio and production company using scores of blacklisted American writers. The book comes out in September from Lyon’s Press.
The next installment in Tori Eldridge‘s Lily Wong series, THE NINJA’S OATH, comes out in September from Agora Books.
International action adventure ensues when Lily Wong—a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja—travels from Shanghai to Japan to help family friend and former triad enforcer, Lee Chang, locate and rescue his kidnapped twelve-year-old niece while, back home in Los Angeles, her father’s health wanes.
Several of our members have short stories in the forthcoming collection KILLIN’ TIME IN SAN DIEGO:
LH Dillman, “To Hell and Back”
Naomi Hirahara, “The Celestial”
Kim Keeline, “Business of Death”
Mary Keenan, “The Canadians”
Kathy Norris, “Wildfire”
James Thorpe, “Casualties of War”
Desiree Zamorano, “President- Elect”
Edited by Holly West, the volume is now available for pre-order, and will be sold at Bouchercon.
Michelle Rodenborn has a short story, “Bird of Prey,” in the lastest edition of the Santa Barbara Literary Journal.
Gary Phillips co-edited the anthology THE HEIST WAS JUST THE BEGINNING, which is the basis for a new miniseries coming from Disney+UK.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL by Gay Toltl Kinman’s has just been released as an audio book with narration by Harley Jane Kozak, actress and award-winning mystery writer. The book is the second in the series featuring Jo Peters, a part-time city attorney and private investigator. For a free audio code email gaykinman@gaykinman.com
Books Up For Awards
And, as previously mentioned, several of our members’ works are finalists for 2023 Anthony Awards: James T. Bartlett – THE ALASKAN BLONDE (Best Critical / Non-Fiction), Jennifer J. Chow – DEATH BY BUBBLE TEA (Best Humorous Novel), Ellen Byron BAYOU BOOK THIEF (Best Humorous Novel), Mysti Berry, as editor – LOW DOWN DIRTY VOTE (Best Anthology). Voting occurs and winners will be announced at Bouchercon — August 29 – September 3, 2023 in San Diego.
Two members are up for awards from Killer Nashville:
Peggy Rothschild is a finalist for a Silver Falchion Award for Best Cozy for her novel, PLAYING DEAD
Lori Dillman is a finalist or a Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Mainstream / Commercial novel,
RAGGED RUN
Author Appearances
Sheila Lowe is scheduled to appear on the CW network’s Mysteries Decoded show in August, talking about handwriting analysis as applied to an historical figure.
August is a busy month for Carl Vonderau as his latest novel, SAVING MYLES, comes out August 15 from Oceanview. He’ll be at Warwicks bookstore in La Jolla on Tuesday the 15th at 7:30. Then on Sunday the 20th at 2 pm, he’ll appear at Book Carnival in Orange, where he’ll be interviewed by Matt Coyle.
On Saturday August 12 at 2 pm, Jeri Westerson will talk about “From Historical Mysteries to Modern Marketing” by invitation of the California Writers Club of Long Beach. Find them at the Los Altos United Methodist Church (Heritage Hall) 5950 E. Willow Street, Long Beach.
Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles is supplying more than its fair share of talent to Bouchercon 2023, which will be held August 30-September 3 in San Diego. The list of panelists at who are members includes:
Lawrence Allan, Judith Ayn, James T. Bartlett, Mike Befeler, Paula Bernstein, Mysti Berry, Ellen Byron, Craig Faustus Buck, Jennifer Chow, Matt Coyle, Connie DeMarco, Tori Eldridge, Naomi Hirahara, Georgia Jeffries, Linda O. Johnson, Sybil Johnson, Kim Keeline, Gay Toltl Kinman, Leslie Klinger, Ellen Kirschman, Melinda Loomis, Peggy Rothschild, Susan Rowland, Terry Shames, Carrie Voorhis, Jeri Westerson, Iris Yamashita, and Desiree Zamorano
The full line-up of panelists and schedule of panels is here https://bouchercon2023.com/panels/
Alison McMahan, award winning writer and screenwriter, will be teaching a free class on “What Makes a Good Scene: Twists, Misleads and Reveals” at Nova Southeastern University on Saturday August 5 at 2 pm by Zoom. Register in advance so you can watch it in real time or later:
https://nova.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqcOygqTkjHtXDTY6fhPJAuF9yxnHkQbby#/registration
Party Invitations
Join the fun at the Launch Party and Book Signing for the anthology KILLING TIME IN SAN DIEGO at Bouchercon on Thursday the at 6 pm in the Grand Ballroom.
Ellen Byron will host a “Cozies & Cocktails” event at Bouchercon on Wednesday August 30th at 8:30 pm in the hotel Grand Ballroom featuring readings, give aways, swag and a cash bar.
Come one, come all! Partners in Crime, the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime, is hosting a launch party for their 2nd anthology CRIME UNDER THE SUN at Bouchercon on Thursday August 31 at 8:30 pm in Grand Ballroom 4! Come for books, luau music, and a raffle!
Conferences and Festivals
Killer Nashville August 17-20 in Franklin TN. Guests of honor include Maureen Corrigan and Cindy Dees. https://www.killernashville.com/
Bouchercon: San Diego August 30 – September 3. Our own Naomi Hirahara is a toastmaster. Fee: $ 230. https://bouchercon2023.com
Bouchercon 2024: August 28- September 1 in Nashville TN. Guests of honor include Harlan Coben, Brad Thor, Kelli Stanley, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Heather Graham. https://www.bouchercon2024.com/
What’s New This Month – July 2023
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New Releases
Book Deals
Awards, Nominations and Praise
Author Appearances
Conferences and Festivals
New Releases
The Summer 2023 issue of MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL, “Hobbies & Crafts in Mysteries,” has articles and columns by several members: Sybil Johnson‘s “Blending My Love of Crafts and Cozies,” Daryl Wood Gerber‘s “I Love Making Fairy Gardens,” Anne Louise Bannon‘s “How My Sewing Patterns Help Me Write,” and Gay Toltl Kinman‘s “Children’s Hour: Hobbies in Mysteries.”
Gary Phillips‘ short story “OneNight in Brownsville” appears in A SAMPLING OF SLEUTHS: SHORT STORIES FROM BINGEWORTHY MYSTERY AUTHORS, now available from Amazon in e-book and in trade paperback from Thalia Press. The story features not a sleuth but Gary’s professional thief character, O’Conner, who has appeared in a previous novel, WARLORD OF WILLOW RIDGE, and a linked anthology, CULPRITS: THE HEIST WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. The latter is the basis for an upcoming miniseries from Disney+UK.
SinC-LA members Wrona Gall, BJ Graf, Kathy Kingston, Kathy Krevat, Kathy Norris, Michelle Rodendorn, James Thorpe, and Wendall Thomas all have stories in the anthology CRIME UNDER THE SUN, out now from our sister chapter in San Diego. Two of the editors, Matt Coyle and Naomi Hirahara, are also members of our chapter.
Book Deals
Carol Newhouse has signed a contract with Harlequin for a novel in appear in the publisher’s Love Inspired Cold Case line of books.
Awards, Nominations & Praise
Iris Yamashita‘s novel CITY UNDER ONE ROOF is number 2 on Reader’s Digest list of “The 25 Best Fiction Books of 2023 (So Far).”
Congratulations, Iris!!
DOOMED LEGACY, the ninth book in Matt Coyle’s bestselling Rick Cahill crime series, won the Bronze Prize in the Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Award for Thriller/Suspense.
Congats, Matt!
Three stories in EDGAR & SHAMUS GO GOLDEN, a collection published by Down & Out Books and edited by Gay Toltl Kinman and Andrew McAlleer, have been nominated for a Shamus Award for Best P.I. Short Story.
BIG FAT F@!K-Up by Lawrence Allan is a Shamus Award Finalist for Best First P.I. Novel.
And, as previously mentioned, several of our members’ works are finalists for 2023 Anthony Awards: James T. Bartlett – THE ALASKAN BLONDE (Best Critical / Non-Fiction), Jennifer J. Chow – DEATH BY BUBBLE TEA (Best Humorous Novel), Ellen Byron BAYOU BOOK THIEF (Best Humorous Novel), Mysti Berry, as editor – LOW DOWN DIRTY VOTE (Best Anthology). Voting occurs and winners will be announced at Bouchercon — August 29 – September 3, 2023 in San Diego.
Author Appearances
Sheila Lowe invites all who feel like a drive to the beach to the launch of her memoir, GROWING FROM THE ASHES, on July 18th at 5:30. As this event is being held in a private home in the Ventura Keys, RSVP is required: sheila@sheilalowe.com
Crime writer Laurie Fagen will join other authors in a variety of genres at the annual Payson Authors & Artists Festival in Payson Arizona on Sat., July 15 from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. https://paysonbookfestival.org/
Jeri Westerson continues her new release tour for her Sherlockian pastiche THE ISOLATED SEANCE on Friday, July 7 at7 pm at Vroman’s Bookstore 695 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA and on Saturday, July 8, at 1 pm at Gatsby Books 5535 E Spring St, Long Beach, CA. Giveaways at both locations.
Conferences and Festivals
Sleuth Fest: Boca Raton, July 6-9. Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of MWA. Fee in the range of $250. https://sleuthfest.com
Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference July 2-23. Corte Madera CA. https://www.bookpassage.com/mystery
Gotham Writers Genre Fiction Conference. August 12-14. Mostly by Zoom; pitch in NYC.
https://www.writingclasses.com/genre-fiction/writers-conference/index#:~:text=The%20Gotham%20Writers%20Genre%20Fiction,eye%2Dopening%20panels%20and%20presentations.
Bouchercon: San Diego August 30 – September 3. Our own Naomi Hirahara is a toastmaster. Fee: $ 230. https://bouchercon2023.com