Tag Archives: Sisters in Crime

Sisters in Crime Celebrates 30 Years

Late Last Night Books

What do mystery authors Sara Paretsky, Margaret Maron, Nancy Pickard, and Dorothy Salisbury Davis have in common? They saw that women authors often missed out on publishing contracts, promotional dollars, and review opportunities in a publishing world weighted in favor of male authors. They decided to even the playing field and, in 1987, founded Sisters in Crime, an association of mystery authors and fans with the clear mission to help women who write, review, buy, or sell crime fiction or as its official

mission statement says, “to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional of women crime writers.”

I joined the organization several years ago and can attest to the benefits of membership. SinC arranged a visit to the Maryland Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore where I learned the difference between a medical examiner and a coroner and watched an autopsy under way.

The Scarpetta House

Late Last Night Books

8/17/2015 – The Scarpetta House

If you read best-selling author Patricia Cornwell’s forensic mysteries, you are familiar with her fictional character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, medical examiner in Richmond, Virginia, and her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino.

Cornwell sold her first Scarpetta novel, Postmortem, while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in 36 languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored 26 New York Times bestsellers.

Writers and the Doctor Who Kills

Late Last Night Books

9/17/2014 – Writers and the Doctor Who Kills

Psycho kept me out of the shower, and Jaws kept me out of the water. The Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, an association of mystery writers and fans, just presented a talk by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Eindra Khin Khin on serial murderers in the health care professions. Now I want to keep away from doctors, nurses, and hospitals.

One chilling bit of data is that serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed 17, and Ted Bundy, who killed 30, just can’t reach the numbers that doctors can because doctors can evade detection and punishment so much longer. Convicted serial killer Dr. Harold Shipman of Great Britain killed an estimated 270 people but was convicted of killing 218.

Deadline: Istanbul

Late Last Night Books

3/17/2014 -DEADLINE: ISTANBUL

Mystery as travel guide? That’s how I read Deadline: Istanbul, Peggy Hanson’s novel featuring a journalist named Elizabeth Darcy as amateur detective. Of course, Darcy carries Jane Austin with her wherever she goes.

Peggy spoke last week at a meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter meeting of Mystery Writers of America, an organization for mystery and crime writers.  She wore an Egyptian dress in memory of Elizabeth Peters, pseudonym of mystery author Barbara Mertz, who died last year.

A Team Effort Tougher Than Football

Late Last Night Books

12/17/13 — A TEAM EFFORT TOUGHER THAN FOOTBALL

After giving a talk recently about self-publishing, I received a series of plaintive emails from one of the participants who wanted to know why her book had been on Amazon.com for a year without one sale. I asked her if she belonged to the Maryland Writers’ Association, MidAtlantic Book Publishers Association or any association that might provide the help she needed.  “No,” she said, “they all want money for dues.”

Well, yes, but for a fledgling writer, the money is nominal and well spent.