The MWA-NY Library Committee branched out with an inaugural event at the historic New York Society Library on September 21st with an author panel themed The Golden Age of Mysteries: Tracing the Bloodline of Crime Fiction. Co-sponsored by MWA-NY and the NYSL, the panel included Charles Ardai, Julia Dahl, Elizabeth Zelvin, and Parnell Hall (just four days from winning the […]
One of the many challenges for public libraries today is attracting community interest. Building engagement with local communities through fun, educational, and relevant programs that bring people together at no cost to the public is a tall order. As an employee of two public libraries in New Jersey, I talk with library staff about this issue quite often. As a
It was mysterious! It was horrific! It was . . . romantic! Members of the Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter, the Horror Writers Association, and the Romance Writers of America-New York City met and mingled over cocktails (and in air conditioning, on an extremely muggy summer night) at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan on August 11. MWA-NY’s Laura
The deadline for the inaugural Leon B. Burstein Scholarship has been extended. Aspiring mystery writers can now submit their applications until Friday, September 23. You can download the application by clicking here. The scholarship, named for avid mystery fan Leon B. Burstein, supports mystery writing by providing financial assistance to writers who want to take a specific class, attend a conference,
When I first became serious about writing mysteries, I considered going to a writer’s conference in Chicago. My problem was simple… the cost. When I added up the cost of the conference registration, the hotel and airfare, I struggled to justify the expenditure. Then one of my friends offered a bit of advice. If you want to be a real
If you can’t tell from my picture, I am not ready for 2016! Unfortunately, we don’t get much choice in the matter, and 2016 has arrived and with it, my term as your friendly and not-at-all-murderous chapter president! You’ll hear from me in the Noose (you all read your Noose, right?), but in case you miss that, do feel free
When I was first asked by the Nominating Committee if I wanted to be chapter president of MWA-NY, I was sure they were mistaken. Who me? Someone who had racked up no books in print, no bestsellers, no major awards. I felt the members would look at me and ask, So when is the real president arriving? But the then-president,
On Wednesday, December 2, we had our MWA-NY Chapter annual Winter Revels holiday party. Our guest of honor, our sort-of-Secret-Santa, was best-selling author Lee Child. We were in the formal reception room of the Salmagundi Club, the club where we have all our meetings. There was an open bar, appetizers, and a mountain of bright red goodie bags. The place
This past Saturday, a number of MWA-NY members met to assemble the gift bags which will be given to all who attend our Winter Revels on December 2. Lots of swag—books and magazines, yes, but also a few surprises. With the gift bag, the food and drink, and the chance to congregate and indulge in convivial conversations, it’s safe to say
Host Robert Daniher (far left) with the cozy crew of (left to right) Mary McHugh, Carole Bugge (aka C.E. Lawrence), Susan Breen, and Peggy Ehrhart. On Saturday, October 17, Madison Public Library and MWA-NY hosted the first-ever Bones & Scones reading event in Madison, New Jersey. A cozy mystery version of Noir at the Bar, Bones & Scones was the brainchild of
On the blog, we have recently published reports on four bookstore interviews I conducted recently: Doylestown Bookshop, the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop, Moonstone Mystery Book Store, and Buffalo Street Books. This project began because Sisters in Crime asked Stefanie Pintoff and me to interview Otto Penzler and Ian Kern of Mysterious Bookshop about the state of the retail book business. SinC
Meet Glenda Childs, owner of the Doylestown Bookshop. BACKGROUND: Doylestown Bookshop is a general bookstore that has been in business 18 years and has excellent community support. The customer base skews somewhat to women of all ages, and they have regular children’s programs. They have eight bookclubs. The store is 6,000 square feet, and it 75% books with 25% gift
Meet Debbie Beamer of the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop. BACKGROUND: The store, established in 1990, sells only crime stories — mysteries, espionage, thrillers, and so on, both new and used, and related other items, such as gifts. They will also do special orders for any book. Their customer base is all ages, in a diverse community, but with the majority being
Meet Marilyn Thiele of Moonstone Mystery Book Store. BACKGROUND: In 1999, Marilyn bought, and still owns, a used book business called Twice Told Tales. When the adjoining store closed, she took over the space and opened Moonstone, fulfilling a longtime dream of owning a mystery bookstore. The nearby presence of a Borders was a concern, but she took what she
Last week I provided some background to this project of learning more about the independent bookstores in our very diverse MWA-NY region. Here is the first of a series of interviews. Meet Asha Sanaker of Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is a small, lively town in the Finger Lakes region and is home to both Cornell University
