Speed City Author addressing Society of Midland Authors in Chicago, April 11

Speed City Sisters in Crime member Stephen Terrell will address the century old Society of Midland Authors in Chicago Tuesday, April 11.  Terrell is an Indianapolis lawyer and author of two legal thrillers. He will discuss the law and writing, as well as self-publishing.

The meeting will be held at Celler Dwellers, on the 22nd floor at 200 S. Michigan Avenue, overlooking Millennium Park and Lake Michigan. The reception begins at 6 p.m. with the presentation at 6:45 p.m. It is open to the public.

The Society of Midland Authors was founded in 1915. Among its charter members were Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley, Edna Ferber and lawyer Clarence Darrow. Noted members have included Ring Lardner, Edgar Lee Masters, Gene Stratton Porter, Daniel Boorstin, Jane Addams and Carl Sandburg.

Terrell is the author of Stars Fall, a 5-star rated legal thriller, and his newly released legal thriller, The First Rule. Both are available in trade paperback and ebook on Amazon.

Terrell has also self-published two personal books, a short story collection titled Visiting Hours and Other Stories from the Heart, and There and Back: Journal of a Last Motorcycle Ride. While both are available to the public, they were published primarily for friends and family.  He has also assisted other authors in self-publishing their own works.

Terrell also has two stories -- Expose Yourself to Art and Street Art -- in The Fine Art of Murder, the Speed City Sisters in Crime most recent short story collection.  The Fine Art of Murder is available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Walmart.com.

Jouney Girls -- Latest Book from Penny Davis

 Journey Girls
By Penny Davis

      Speed City Sisters in Crime member Penny Davis newest book has just been released and is now available. Set in Savannah, Journey Girls is an unforgettable story about the power of women who are bound together by generations of friendship.

       Shortly after her husband was killed by a drunk driver, Meghan Kingston opened Marigold's, an interior design business located in Savannah, Georgia.  Her friend Ellie Hall inherited Annabelle's Bakery from her grandmother. Meg and Ellie, now savvy businesswomen have been friends since they wore their Brownie uniforms in second grade.  Anna, Ellie's daughter is an amazing spirited young girl who is wise beyond her years. 

Jenny Thompson, from Indianapolis is attending a writers' conference in Atlanta when she decides on a whim to drive to Savannah where her mother Karen Ashland grew up.  

And, then there is Lovey, the little girl ghost in a pink sundress, pigtails and a half heart necklace. She appears so often in Meg's mirrors that she isn't sure if she still lives there or just loves to visit.

Journey Girls is available on Amazon in both paperback and ebook (Click HERE), or through Penny's website at www.penny-davis.com.

Murder We Wrote: C.L. Shore's Titania's Suitor

Cheryl Shore writing as C. L. Shore is the author of two novels. Cheryl is a member and past president of Speed City Sisters in Crime.

About Titania’s Suitor: This is my first novel, although it was published after Seeker of Truth. The story develops against a background of phenomena encountered in today’s society including (1) misogyny encountered by women in the sciences (2) cyberstalking,  and (3) the coalitions formed by industry and higher education which can interfere with academic freedom. 

I grew up on mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew in grade school and progressing to Agatha Christie in high school. As a young adult, I read the majority of Andrew Greeley’s mysteries. Today, I enjoy psychological thrillers and historical novels.  My greatest challenge in writing Titania’s Suitor?  Building suspense when the entire novel consists of emails, mostly between two friends/confidantes.

Synopsis: Charlotte Stone never dreamed that her graduate student status would make her the target of a devious psychopath. But she is forced to admit her position of danger when vindictive messages appear in her email Inbox. The sender has obvious research expertise and the possible suspects include her estranged husband as well as several colleagues and acquaintances. Charlotte’s best friend, Veronica, has helped her through the crisis of her husband moving out, but she’s out of her league when it comes to this level of threat. Charlotte begins to feel danger could be lurking anywhere. Unsure of who is friend and who is foe, she realizes a broken marriage is not her biggest problem. Charlotte may be fighting for her life.

For a trailer to the novel, CLICK HERE

Excerpt from Titania's Suitor -- The novel opens with an exchange of emails. 

    

To: Hansen, V
Date: Wednesday, November 26
From: Stone, Charlotte P 
Subject: It’s finally here

Veronica,
Well, the deed is finally done. Pete moved out last night. And even though we both knew it was coming, it was very, very hard. Lauren cried and cried, before and after Pete left. I thought I would cry, too; but I couldn’t. I guess I’ve cried all the tears I’ve got. It will take a while for them to replenish themselves.
To top it all off, Lauren will go with Pete to his parents’ over Thanksgiving weekend. He’ll pick her up early tomorrow morning. It makes sense, since I’ll have her for every week during the school year and every other weekend. We’re determined to keep things amicable, for Lauren’s sake and for ours. It’s crazy, but we both feel like we still love each other. But this break-up seemed inevitable since I started back to school almost two years ago. We seemed to be arguing constantly once that change took place. Things kept going downhill. But somehow, I don’t think dropping out of grad school is right. For one thing, I have the government scholarship. If I quit now, I’d have to pay it back. Besides that, when I took that scholarship, I gave my word that I would try my best to complete this program and learn how to do research. I signed a contract of sorts. And I want to finish. Maybe I’ll put myself on the fast track and try to finish as quickly as possible.
Anyhow, fortunately (?) I do have an invitation to an “adults only” Thanksgiving with some of the other research assistants. They are almost all younger than me by at least seven years. But we know each other well, and there won’t be any kids around to make me miss Lauren. I’ll bring a salad, try to enjoy the company and/or watch football. Beats being alone on the holiday. I don’t have the money to fly home to Chicago, and I don’t want to drive by myself… too much time alone to think.
So here I am working on this set of data, trying to scan it for errors. I’m not in the best frame of mind to do that. I even did this intelligence test that popped up after checking my email. It turned out to be longer than I thought. After investing so much time in it, I wanted to know my score. I had to give my email address in order to get the results. And all it told me is that I did “very well.” I thought I at least deserved to know the items I got right!
Oh well, back to work. The office is almost deserted. Today is a holiday for students, but not staff. Still, very few people are here. You know how it is, everyone wants a jump-start on the holiday.
You are so lucky, you’ll have both of your kids and their kids around you on Thanksgiving! Be grateful!! By the way, thanks for the book on anger in relationships. It has been helpful already.
Have a good Turkey Day – Charlotte

___________

To: Stone, Charlotte P
Date: Wednesday, November 26
From: Hansen, V
Subject: Re: It’s finally here

Charlotte,
I am so proud of you. I’m not taking sides with the breakup – not at all. But I’m proud of you for getting through this event and keeping your head together. I know it is difficult, since I’ve been through it twice, with the same person. But, I didn’t love the guy at the times of the breakups and you do. It has got to be an awful experience.
I’m glad you have somewhere to go for the holiday. I would invite you over, but I will be at Allen’s with his kids. Allen is going to try this new turkey stuffing that he found in an Italian cookbook. He is quite the chef. I guess single fatherhood can force that role on you! Helen is playing the martyred ex-wife right now, but I’m sure she’ll snap out of it when she has the kids on Christmas. She is such a whiner!
Yes, the anger book really helped me out, too. I also started journaling when Stan and I broke up. I also saw a counselor, who really helped me get my life in perspective. You may want to consider it at some point.
You are being true to yourself in this situation. You will not regret it, even though it’s hard for you now. Trust me on this one! I’ll be home late Thursday night, and I only have to work a half-day on Friday (in the morning). So call me if you need me.
Veronica




To order Titania's Suitor on Amazon, click here.
To order Seeker of Truth on Amazon, click here.

BOUCHERCON 2016: Barry Award Nominees for Best Mystery and Best Thriller

The Barry Awards are awarded annually at Bouchercon by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. If you're a crime fiction fan and looking for something to add to your reading list, check out these nominees.  

Best Novel

Badlands by C. J. Box (Minotaur)

A Song of Shadows by John Connolly (Emily Bestler/Atria)

The Stolen Ones by Owen Laukkanen (Putnam)

Life or Death by Michael Robotham (Mulholland)

Devil of Delphi by Jeff Siger (Poisoned Pen Press)

The Cartel by Don Winlow (Knopf)

(My pick: The Cartel by Don Winlow)

Best First Novel

Ruins of War by John A. Connell (Berkley)

Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton (William Morrow)

Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart (Minotaur)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Riverhead)

The Unquiet Dead by Asuma Zehanat Khan (Minotaur)

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich (Putnam)

(My pick: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins)

Best Paperback Original

Blessed are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino (Witness Impulse)

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney (William Morrow)

Quarry's Choice by Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime)

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary (Penguin)

Snow Blind by Ragnar Jonasson (Orenda)

Stone Cold Dead by James W.Ziskin (Seventh Street)

(My pick: Quary's Choice by Max Allan Collins)

Best Thriller

Brute Force by Marc Cameron (Pinnacle)

The Killing Kind by Chris Holm (Mulholland)

Viking Bay by M. A. Lawson (Blue Rider)

Hostage Taker by Stefanie Pintoff (Bantam)

The Mask by Taylor Stevens (Crown)

Foreign and Domestic by A. J. Tata (Pinnacle)

(No pick here - but they're on my "to read" list)

If you have read any of these, feel free to leave your thoughts or short review in a comment.

EXCERPT: "There Ain't Nothing Wrong With Miss Zelda" by L. Barrett Evans & C.V. Rhodes

This is an excerpt from the published novel "There's Something Wrong With Miss Zelda," by Speed City Sisters in Crime members Lilly Evans and Chrystal Rhodes. This is part of their Grandmother's Incorporated mystery series.

The novel is available on Amazon. Just CLICK HERE.

“There ain’t nothing wrong with Zelda. We’ve known each other for years, and she’s one of the few friends that I’ve got who is still alive. Why are you so set against her?

“Jeff is Luther’s only living relative and she didn’t bother to tell the poor man he was in the hospital.”

Miss Fanny was not convinced. “Maybe she didn’t have time.”

“Miss Fanny, please. She cremated him in record time, how much time does it take to make phone call? He had to drive all the way here to find out his uncle was dead.”

“Hattie, the woman was grieving. She lost her husband.”

“She ought to be used to that. You told me yourself that she’s buried about seven of them.”

“Luther was only her fourth—or maybe her fifth husband.” Miss Fanny started counting on her fingers. “Let’s see. She told me that she was married to some doctor before she came to Indiana, and then there was another one with the first name or last name of Chee…”

“Lord have mercy!” Hattie shrilled. “What kind of name is that?”

“And then there was Jeremiah Stewart. My husband knew him, just like he knew Luther. He died of some kind of stomach ailment, and then she met Chambers. Yes, that’s it. She’s had four husbands; that’s all.”

“That’s all? The woman is the Elizabeth Taylor of the ghetto! ” Hattie pointed at her mother-in-law accusingly. “I’m telling you! That house is not big enough for you, me and her!”