@desertsleuths.bsky.social
Phoenix Metro+ Chapter of Sisters in Crime (SinC). Award-winning anthologies, the annual WriteNow! Conference & support for all of our siblings! https://desertsleuths.com Check out our latest anthology, SoWest: DangerAwaits!
Queer Crime Writer Sightings at @LeftCoastCrime2026
THANK YOU @johncopenhaver.bsky.social @thejennhooker @roboslerwriter.bsky.social for the get-together @ Top of the MarkSF
And to Alexa Wejko and Nick Whitney from @sohopress.bsky.social for hanging with the cool kids
@bywaterbooks.bsky.social
Group photo of Crime Writers of Color members at Left Coast Crime conference in hotel lobby
Check out the Crime Writers of Color meet-up at Left Coast Crime in San Francisco!
04.03.2026 05:26 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
#writing #leftocoastcrime #crimewriters #crimeauthors #mystery #mysterywriters #awards #banquet #leftyawards #sistersincrime #debragoldstein #edithmaxwell #lesliebudewitz #raquelvreyes
04.03.2026 14:09 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Sign up for my newsletter on Substack for pictures of locations from DEATH TAKES A KNIGHT: A Cotswold Crimes Mystery, Book 4! www.substack.com/@sharonlwrites
@bbirdwriters @desertsleuths @grandcanyonwriters #cozymystery #england #kingarthur
**Looking For Mentors!**
SinC Connect is our mentoring program for SinC members exclusively. The program runs from mid-May through mid-Oct 2026.
To apply to be a mentor, please complete an application at: www.sistersincrime.org/general/cust....
Why You Should Write Short Stories
Sunday, 3/15, at 1 pm EDT/10am PDT/5pm GMT
*First day of Daylight Savings Time*
Part 1 of the 2026 SinC Spring Series on Short Stories.
Learn how writing short stories can help you develop your craft as well as your career.
Register: https://twp.ai/4ivXc7
**Submissions are open!**
The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer of color administered by Sisters in Crime.
Grant information and submission requirements are here: https://twp.ai/4ivbg5
Help us spread the word!
My short story is deliciously vicious, & ready to go for this event! All I have to do is omit unnecessary words, & practice my delivery! Can. Not. Wait. It's really vicious. When my husband read it, he gave me that 'FayeHenry Hank' look & said, 'where is this going to be published? I just giggled.
19.02.2026 15:22 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Halfway into my residency now but there’s still time for 1-on-1 mentoring sessions, and 2 more workshops. If you’re a writer in the Phoenix metro area this opportunity is for you.
library.glendaleaz.gov/News-article...
#writer #writing #process #workshop #library #Glendale
Sonoran Writers Conference request for speaker, moderator, and panel proposals. Proposal deadline: Saturday, February 28, 2026. Event: Saturday, May 9, 2026, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Benedictine University, Mesa, Arizona. More information at desertsleuths.com/sleuths-on-the-trail.
We're partnering w/ @anthologyaz.bsky.social & #TucsonSistersinCrime for the Sonoran Writers Conference. If you're a member of Desert Sleuths or Tucson SinC & interested in being an in-person presenter, moderator, or panelist, please connect w/ us at desertsleuths.com/sleuths-on-t... by Sat, Feb 28.
20.02.2026 16:03 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Arizona writers — ready to sharpen your craft and expand your publishing knowledge? Spend a full day learning, connecting, and growing at the Sonoran Writers Conference.
Register: vist.ly/4rx3r
#SonoranWritersConference #AmWriting #ArizonaWriters
Coming in August, a dark thriller that’s also a twisted live letter to 1970s thrillers! Be on the lookout!
17.02.2026 01:44 — 👍 6 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0
Text: Congratulations, Karen Odden Karen's story "The Dark Side of Bright Angel" has been accepted into the 2026 BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR. Images: Headshot of Karen Odden Plus Desert Sleuths logo. DesertSleuths.com
We're so pleased that Karen Odden's story "The Dark Side of Bright Angel" from SoWest: Danger Awaits! has been selected for the 2026 BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR edited by Tess Gerritsen. Congrats, @karenodden.bsky.social!
16.02.2026 15:20 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
And pick up your very own copy of our AWARD-NOMINATED anthology, SoWest: Danger Awaits!, filled with 25 delicious snack-sized mystery and crime stories!
www.amazon.com/SoWest-Siste...
Short Mystery Fiction Society & the Derringer Awards
shortmystery.blogspot.com/2026/02/derr...
Desert Sleuths
desertsleuths.com
And one story from the SoWest: Danger Awaits! Anthology has been nominated for the Derringer Award for Best Short Story (up to 4k words).
"Hard Times" by Meg Dobson
Congrats & best of luck, Desert Sleuths!
And...
"A Killer Job" by Roberta Gibson
"Echoes of the Past" by Anna Dalhaimer Bartkowski
"In Plain Sight" by Lisa Harkrader
"The Dark Side of Bright Angel" by Karen Odden
@robertagibson.bsky.social @annabartkowski.bsky.social @lisaharkrader.bsky.social @karenodden.bsky.social
Eight stories from the SoWest: Danger Awaits! Anthology have also been nominated for the Derringer Award for Best Long Story (4k-8k words).
"Ariana" by Jay Kinney
"Come Hell or High Water" by Claire A Murray
"Herman Pines and Archie" by Bill Butler
"The Bride Wore Blood" by Wendy Harrison
...
Text: Congratulations to the editors and authors of the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime FINALIST: Derringer Best Anthology Award "SoWest: Danger Awaits!" Images: Book cover of SoWest: Danger Awaits! which has the back of a man grabbing a gun from the waist of his jeans as he heads into the ominous desert. Plus the Desert Sleuths logo AND the amazing Short Mystery Fiction Society Finalist badge. DesertSleuths.com Shortmystery.blogspot.com
Amazing News! Our SoWest: Danger Awaits! Anthology is a Finalist for the 2026 Derringer Best Anthology Award.
Congrats to all of our authors and editors on the nomination!
My book is officially out in the world now!
Still wrapping my head around that.
Text: Join Desert Sleuths at the Tucson Festival of Books Saturday and Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2026 Tucson, Arizona TucsonFestivalofBooks.org DesertSleuths.com Images: Desert Sleuths president and author Claire Murray at a past TFOB booth showcasing the Desert Sleuth anthologies and goodies for sale. Authors Deborah J. Ledford, Craig Johnson and William Kent Krueger chat just before a panel at a previous TFOB. Plus the TFOB and Desert Sleuths logos.
In a few short weeks, we'll be at one of the biggest & best book events of the year, the #TucsonFestivalOfBooks.
Join us for a weekend full of BOOK LOVE (and great weather)!
March 14 & 15
U of A campus, Tucson, Arizona
#TFOB #SINCworldwide #SinC #WritingCommunity #AmReading #AmWriting
Register NOW for the 2026 Edgar® Week Symposium! Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Location: Marriott Marquis Times Square – Sky Lobby – 16th Floor 1535 Broadway (between 45th and 46th Streets) Murder by Death Where crime, art, and literature intersect. Composite Sketch Creating unforgettable characters. Feds and 5-0 Writing about law enforcement. Breaking News and Hot Takes Addressing difficult questions and social issues in fiction. The Deep Dive Research and real life (fiction/nonfiction). A Dark and Stormy Night Setting the scene and building suspense. From the Writer's Desk 2026 Grand Masters Donna Andrews and Lee Child.
We are thrilled to announce the panels for the 2026 Edgar® Week Symposium! Members and nonmembers can register today: mysterywriters.org/2026-edgar-a...
13.02.2026 16:48 — 👍 11 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0
SinC into Great Writing: Writing Historical Fiction
Thurs., Feb. 19, 1 pm ET
Finding the Story in the Past
$15 for non-members
Sat., Feb. 21, 1-5 pm ET
Crafting Character in the Past
How to Bring the Past to Life
Potpourri of Research: Interpretation, Analysis and Creating Story
$30 for non-members
We all dream.
But how often do we truly remember?
Dreams Remembered is a guided dream journal to help you capture, reflect upon, and interpret your nightly visions in just minutes a day. Build a meaningful practice of dream recall and intuitive listening. Available now!
Link in comments.
AT LAST. The cover, finalized. Pub date June 2.
1879 London, women thieves & a nearly impossible heist.
Grateful to all my peeps for encouragement & love.
#mystery #victorian #newbook #london #books
Preorder: bit.ly/3Mp22Ll
@jgetzler.bsky.social @sohopress.bsky.social @sincworldwide.bsky.social
Next Wed, Feb 18, Karen Krause presents "Getting Out of Your Head... and Into Your Listener's Ear." An audiobook narrator, Karen will share tips & techniques that will help writers engage listeners. All welcome! DesertSleuths.com
#SinC #MysteryWriters #CrimeWriters #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
If one of your 2026 goals is to produce compelling audiobooks, join us for craft, community, and a great chat! Register at DesertSleuths.com.
01.02.2026 19:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Karen Krause is an audiobook narrator with dozens of books under her belt. She has been acting and studying theatre for most of her life. Her aptitude for dialect/accents and character voices make her a great fit for fiction as well as bios/memoirs.
www.karenkrause.com
Adapt your writing so it's effective for listeners, too. From ways to check for "audio-ability" to making prose more performance friendly, Karen Krause will share tips and techniques that engage your listeners. She will also provide links for you to dive deeper into the art of writing for audio.
01.02.2026 19:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Text: Getting Out of Your Head... and Into Your Listener's Ear with Karen Krause February 18, 6p MST Register at DesertSleuths.com Adapt your writing so it's effective for listeners, too. From ways to check for "audio-ability" to making prose more performance friendly, Karen Krause will share tips and techniques that engage your listeners. She will also provide links for you to dive deeper into the art of writing for audio. Krause is an audiobook narrator with dozens of books under her belt. Her aptitude for dialect/accents and character voices make her a great fit for fiction as well as bios/memoirs. Images: Photos of Karen Krause plus the Desert Sleuths logo
At our Wed, Feb 18 meeting, Karen Krause presents "Getting Out of Your Head... and Into Your Listener's Ear."
All welcome! Register at DesertSleuths.com
#SinC #MysteryWriters #CrimeWriters #Audiobooks #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
