Hear authors read from their mysteries – Avon Public Library, Avon, CT on May 20. Peggy Gaffney will be joining other member of Sisters in Crime doing five minute readings from their mysteries. Afterwards, authors will be taking questions and meeting with those who attend.
ABOUT SISTERS IN CRIME
In 1986, women wrote 40% of the mysteries being published and got 15% of the reviews in the New York Times. Those same women were receiving smaller advances and lower royalties than male writers.
At the first-ever conference on Women in the Mystery, put together by BJ Rahn at Hunter College in March of 1986, Sara Paretsky spoke on the growing use of graphic sadism against women in mysteries.
Not long after that, Phyllis Whitney wrote her now-famous letter to Mystery Writers of America, in which she pointed out that women authors were not being nominated for writing awards. MWA sent a dismissive reply and the major women writers decided to take action. In October 1986, Sara Paretsky convened a meeting of concerned women at the Bouchercon Conference in Baltimore to discuss the issue(s).
At the annual Edgars Awards week in 1987, another meeting took place at Sandra Scoppettone’s SoHo loft for breakfast, and the group formed Sisters in Crime. Leaders in the movement included Paretsky, Charlotte MacLeod, Kate Mattes, Nancy Pickard and Dorothy Salisbury Davis. Margaret Maron and Mary Higgins Clark soon offered their support and the group gained traction…and visibility.
Today, Sisters in Crime is an international organization that includes over 3600 members. The New England Chapter serves over 200 alone, roughly 30 in Connecticut.
Sisters in Crime New England consists of “authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by our passion for the mystery genre and our support of women who write mysteries. We welcome Sisters and Brothers [Misters] in Crime from anywhere who have an interest in the New England Mystery Community.”
Avon Free Public Library
Avon, Connecticut
Saturday, May 20, 2017
1 to 3 pm.
Members of Sisters in Crime will read excerpts from their works in progress (WIP). After five minutes, they will pause and the audience can ask to hear more.
If so, the reader will read for another five minutes before relinquishing the floor to the next reader.
After the readings, we invite you to chat with the readers about Sisters in Crime and their own work. Several authors will have books to sell and sign for you, and they are donating a signed copy of one of their books to the Avon Free Public Library.
The readers (in order of appearance):
Steve Liskow has been a finalist for the Edgar Award and the Shamus Award and has won the Black Orchid Novella Award twice. He serves as a mentor and panelist for Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and his twelfth novel, Hit Somebody, will be released in June. For more, check his website, www.steveliskow.com.
Peggy Gaffney, author of the Kate Killoy Mystery Series of Suspense for the Dog Lover brings to her stories almost 50 years breeding and showing her Samoyed dogs and more than 20 designing picture knit clothing styles for dog lovers. She is also the author of 10 knitting books. She will be reading from the first book in the series FASHION GOES TO THE DOGS set in NYC at the dog show, it has been called Die Hard meets Best in Show. Peggy is also a member of Connecticut Authors and Publishers. www.peggygaffney.com
Mark Dressler retired. Started writing mysteries 3 years ago. Have 4 manuscripts (all unpublished to date). Member of MWA, SinC, and the West Hartford Writers Group.
Marian Lanouette took up writing to explore new and adventurous places. She contributes to The Season of… Anthologies under the pseudonym Merry Holly. She recently signed a four-book deal with Kensington/Lyrical for her Jake Carrington thriller series, and All the Deadly Lies will be released in February 2018.
Cori Lynn Arnold, author of Thin Luck, has worked as an archivist, algebra teacher, mathematics tutor, hotel housekeeper, library clerk, photo lab junky, portrait and wedding photographer, computer programmer, and ethical hacker. She currently resides in West Hartford and is getting her Masters of Library Science from Syracuse University.
Rhonda Lane covered “Cops & Courts” for a Connecticut daily newspaper. She created The Horsey Set Net, a horse blog with an international readership, and writes crime fiction set on the fringe of Kentucky horse country. A Southington resident, Rhonda is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America. “On Like Donkey Kong” is her fiction debut. Find out more at rhondalane.com.
A grateful thank you to Tina Panik and the entire staff of Avon Free Public Library for providing space, promotion, and support for this event.