DEADLINE ALERT!
The
Tony Hillerman Prize is still accepting entries until tomorrow for the best first mystery novel set in a Southwest setting. All entries must be received
or postmarked no later than June 1, so get that manuscript in the mail. The contest is sponsored by St. Martin's Press and awards the winner a book contract and $10,000. C'mon, make your mother proud! Send in that manuscript. Click the link in the first sentence for details, and download the form
HERE.
Mystery and Writers Conferences
A couple of upcoming events of note: The
California Crime Writers Conference runs June 22nd and 23rd. Guest Speakers Sue Grafton and Elizabeth George are featured. And the annual conference of the
American Library Association starts June 27th until July 2nd in Chicago. For writers and readers alike, this is one of the best annual events in the book world.
Local Appearances
In Massachusetts, up and coming writer
Edith Maxwell is speaking at the Amesbury Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends. Edith is an organic farmer, has a PhD in linguistics and had a murder mystery published in May by Kensington,
A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die. Visitors are welcome, but reservations are requested. Click
here for more info.
Nancy Pickard and Jenny Milchman come to Kansas City! Nancy is a local, and a local favorite, but this may be Jenny's first visit to the Paris of the Plains. Both women will be at Mysteryscape Bookstore on June 1st to discuss
Thirty Years in Publishing. Ms. Pickard is a best selling crime writer and the only one to win a Macavity (5), Anthony (4), Agatha and Shamus award. Jenny's debut novel,
Cover of Snow has garnered a lot of attention, deservedly so, for its dark, suspenseful story and beautiful writing.
The discussion at Mysteryscape is free and open to the public, staring at 11:00 AM.
Obits
And, sadly, Jack Vance has passed away at the age of 96. A tireless science fiction and fantasy writer, he also wrote threee Ellery Queen novels, and won 3 Hugo awards, a Nebula and and Edgar. The LA Times has a nice tribute to him in their latest edition of
Jacket Copy. He continued to write for the last thirty years of his life despite being legally blind.
And the Reverend Andrew Greeley passed away in Chicago following a long illness. He wrote over 100 books including 50 novels, many of them international best selling mysteries. He was an outspoken critic of the Catholic Church's handling of the child abuse scandals. Read more about this priest turned author, who wrote both about spiritual love and carnal desires, in this piece from the
Vancouver Sun.
We were thrilled to have Hank Phillippi Ryan, award winning writer of thrillers such as The Other Woman and The Wrong Girl at the Kansas City Library on Thursday, November 22nd. Sisters in Crime Border Chapter is celebrating its 5 Year Anniversary, thanks to writers like Nancy Pickard, who helped establish the local chapter. 
Are you a writer with an unpublished manuscript? Need some help finding an agent or polishing the novel? Then sign up for Pitch Wars, for your chance to find a mentor who can help get that novel into shape. The next submission round starts December 2nd. Check out the link for details and to pick out a mentor who may be interested in your work. There are 32 participants, so you'll have plenty of options. Polish up those queries and get ready to pitch!
