Month: September 2023

New Release! Revenge of the Ziti

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

Colorado SinC member Kirsten Weiss has a new short mystery out in her Wits’ End series, Revenge of the Ziti, published by misterio press.

Murder, Mayhem, and Meatballs.

It’s been an idyllic Italian honeymoon for lovebirds Susan and Arsen, as they explore the winding streets of romantic Sicily. For once B&B-owner Susan is enjoying staying in someone else’s bed and breakfast, even if that someone else is a tightly wound innkeeper who reminds her a little too much of herself.

But sunny Sicily takes a dark turn when the newlyweds discover a body on the inn’s private grounds. In this Italian-garden mystery, any of the quirky guests could be the killer. Danger lurks around every corner as Susan and Arsen navigate newlywed bliss, Sicily’s historic hilltop towns, and the twists and turns of murder. Will they be able to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?

If you love quirky heroines, twisty mysteries, and laugh-out-loud humor, you’ll love thisshort mystery, book nine in the Wits’ End mystery novels. Get cozy with Revenge of the Ziti and start this hilarious whodunit today! (A book written entirely by a natural, semi-intelligent human and not by AI).

​​​​​​​Pasta recipes in the back of the book!

Kindle: https://amzn.to/45khUm8

Apple: https://apple.co/3Ot8Qo7

Nook: https://bit.ly/3Yy5XXN

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3Ky6m6I

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3OxH6yU

Launch Party! Last Word to the Wise by Ann Claire

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

Ann Claire will be celebrating the launch of her second Christie Bookshop Mystery at Tattered Cover, downtown Colorado Springs, on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd, at 6:00 pm. If you’re in the area, Ann would love to see you there! 

This event is free to the public and no ticket is required for entry.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Christie sisters and their bookshop cat, Agatha, flirt with coldhearted crime when bookish matchmaking turns into a date with death.

Sisters Ellie and Meg Christie share a love of books, reading, and their new roles as co-caretakers of the Book Chalet, their family’s historic bookshop tucked midway up a scenic Colorado mountain. But romance? That’s another story. Ellie and Meg joke that they’re in sisterly competition for worst relationships. So when their cousin signs them up for her newest business endeavor—matchmaking based on bookish tastes—the sisters approach their blind double dates with foot-dragging dread.

While Ellie’s date meets her low expectations, Meg’s match, a book-loving romantic straight out of classic literature, charms her over a lovely dinner. The next morning, Meg is giddy with anticipation of a second date—until she’s stood up without a word. She fumes that she should have known better. However, her date had a good reason for ghosting her: He’s dead. Murdered, the police later confirm.

As the last known person to see the victim alive, Meg becomes a prime suspect in his death. She grimly quips that at least her dating record can’t get any worse. But it does. A thorn from Meg’s romantic past returns to their little town of Last Word, espousing motives too sweet to believe.

To sleuth out the truth, the sisters must sift through secrets deeper than the February snowfall. Clues accumulate, but so do suspects, crimes, and betrayals. Ellie and Meg can’t afford to leave any page unturned. Romance may not be their forte, but hearts and lives are on the line, and the Christies know how to solve a mystery—especially when murder is involved.

Last Word to the Wise will be available from your favorite local bookshop, Oct. 3rd. You can also pre-order at https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/690730/1A/

Chapter Meeting: Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel & The Mind of a Hunter and Mercenary vs. Contractor

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

Quarterly Chapter Meeting/Event: October 21, 2023

Lone Tree Library, 10055 Library Way, Lone Tree, Colorado 80124 (303-791-READ)

Also Via Zoom; (Information on how to join the presentation will be posted in the Sisters in Crime-Colorado Groups.io members listserv.)

Please note: Chapter meetings are a member only benefit. You can learn more about us and our chapter here: https://sistersincrimecolorado.org/join/

To request more information, please use our contact form: https://sistersincrimecolorado.org/connect/

PROGRAM/SCHEDULE

9:30 am – 10:00 am   Welcome, Announcements

10:00 am – 12:00 pm   Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel by Becky Clark

Have you ever wanted to speed up your process and write a complete and non-crappy novel in only two months? Learn how to create a flexible outline you can live with (even if you hate outlines with an intensity usually reserved for walking into a spider web); how to write fast; and how to organize yourself using Becky Clark’s tried-and-true techniques. This workshop will teach you how you can devise your own system to reliably get from premise to THE END in only eight weeks, allowing you to write multiple books per year.

12:00pm – 1:00 pm   Lunch (brown bag or visit nearby restaurants)

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm   The Mind of a Hunter and Mercenary vs. Contractor Two Part Presentation by Jacob Schriver

The Mind of a Hunter: In this presentation, Jacob Schriver presents how individuals in his line of work think, how they make their moves and understand the world around them. The purpose of this talk is to give authors an initial understanding to make their characters, including the hero and villain, more realistic.

Mercenary vs. Contractor:  After his talk on the Mind of a Hunter, Jacob will describe the differences between a mercenary and a contractor, and what those definitions really mean.

It is the speaker’s hope that after this afternoon presentation in which he shares his experiences, authors will get the full benefit of terms what they actually mean.

RVSP on our Meet-Up Page or through our Groups.IO Listserv

The Zoom login information will be posted in the chapter’s groups.io listserv.

About the Presenters:

Award-winning author Becky Clark published her first book in 2001 and has been honing her writing process ever since. She has developed many tricks and tips to speed up her writing because the key to a professional writing career is to consistently produce books. She is the seventh of eight kids, which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them, too. She surrounds herself with quirky people and pets who end up as characters in her books. Readers say her books are “fast and thoroughly entertaining” with “witty humor and tight writing” and “humor laced with engaging characters” so you should “grab a cocktail and enjoy the ride.” She writes the Marketplace Mysteries, the Mystery Writer’s Mysteries, the Crossword Puzzle Mysteries, the Dunne Diehl novels, as well as some nonfiction and short stories.

Here’s the link to Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel …www.amazon.com/Eight-Weeks-Complete-Novel-Organized-ebook/dp/B085BWJK1V

Jacob Schriver served as a firefighter in Colorado for two years before joining the United States Army as an airborne infantryman for six years, leaving the military in 2018. After the military, he attended Pacific West Academy Executive Protection School and Mano Maritime Security. Incorporating this additional training, he has worked in various states and countries providing security service for private clients, such duties entailing celebrity protection to close protection in hostile countries.

Publication News: Hunting The Truth by Kathleen Donnelly

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

Kathleen Donnelly is excited to announce the release of her second book in the National Forest K-9 series, Hunting The Truth, on September 26, 2023.

“Hide, Maya. Don’t let the bad people find you.”

Those are the last words Forest Service law enforcement officer and K-9 handler Maya Thompson ever heard her mother say.

Returning to the Colorado mountains, ex-soldier Maya is no longer a scared little girl. She’s here to investigate her mother’s cold case, but fear creeps in when it comes to her personal life—things are getting serious with sheriff deputy Josh Colten.

After new DNA evidence surfaces, both her beloved grandfather and Josh warn her away from the case, suspecting that she could be the next victim. But Maya doesn’t listen.

Instead, Maya and her K-9 partner, Juniper, track a suspect deep into the forest and directly into grave danger…

Pre-order today from your favorite bookseller:  E-book  Paperback 

For more information and to sign up for Kathleen’s newsletter and receive a free eBook of Working Tails: The Stories Behind the K-9s, visit www.kathleendonnelly.com

Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

Congratulations to JvL Bell, who published Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era with Jan Gunia!

Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era is a collection of biographies that explore the lives of ten unforgettable Native American, Hispanic, Anglo, and African American women who called Colorado home during the turbulent years of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush.

The book is published by Filter Press (https://www.filterpressbooks.com/ ) and they are offering 20% off if you buy from them (discount code teach). Or you can order Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era from your local bookstore.

Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era

·       AMACHE PROWERS: A successful Cheyenne businesswoman who negotiated life between two cultures.

·       MARY COZENS: An early settler in Central City who later helped establish and run a ranch and stage stop in the Fraser Valley.

·       CLARA BROWN: A former enslaved woman who became one of Colorado’s most beloved pioneers.

·       ALBINA WASHBURN: A radical reformer and suffragist who spent her life working for political, economic, and social change.

·       KATRINA MURAT: An adventurous spirit who was, perhaps, Colorado’s only countess.

·       MARY MELISSA HALL: A South Park ranchwoman who provided a haven for weary travelers and later helped bring Christian Science to Denver.

·       MARIA DOLORES BALLEJOS: One of the earliest settlers in the San Luis Valley whose descendants continue the fight to retain the land she cultivated.

·       AUGUSTA TABOR: An industrious entrepreneur who forged a new life after her husband’s betrayal and the ensuing national scandal.

·       ELIZABETH BYERS: A Denver philanthropist who brought compassion and generosity to her new state.

·       TSASHIN: A Ute woman who successfully advocated for the release of Anglo captives during the Meeker Incident, yet she was forced from her homeland.

ISBN: 978-0-86541-010-7 (paperback) $22.95

ISBN: 978-0-86541-015-2 (hardcover) $29.95

Upcoming Release and Launch Party: Hunting The Truth by Kathleen Donnelly

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

“Hide, Maya. Don’t let the bad people find you.”

Those are the last words Forest Service law enforcement officer and K-9 handler Maya Thompson ever heard her mother say.

Returning to the Colorado mountains, ex-soldier Maya is no longer a scared little girl. She’s here to investigate her mother’s cold case, but fear creeps in when it comes to her personal life—things are getting serious with sheriff deputy Josh Colten.

After new DNA evidence surfaces, both her beloved grandfather and Josh warn her away from the case, suspecting that she could be the next victim. But Maya doesn’t listen.

Instead, Maya and her K-9 partner, Juniper, track a suspect deep into the forest and directly into grave danger…

Hunting The Truth releases September 26, 2023.

Pre-order today from your favorite bookseller:  E-book  Paperback 

Book Launch Party: Come celebrate the release of Hunting The Truth September 30th at the Loveland Barnes and Noble from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

For more information, please visit: kathleendonnelly.com

Congratulations to Michele Packard!

/ Sisters in Crime-Colorado

Congratulations to SinC Colorado member Michele Packard on her book launch today!

In this touching and illuminating work of non-fiction, Packard presents an unfiltered and profoundly intimate narrative that deeply resonates with the challenges faced by countless people. Confronted by a stark reality where suicide now stands as the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10-14 and 20-34, it is crucial that we acknowledge the silent struggles endured by those who are impacted.

Let’s not allow ignorance to triumph. Join the movement aimed at fostering awareness and compassion surrounding the issue of suicide.

100% of the net proceeds from its sales will be donated to national and local charities and organizations at the forefront of suicide awareness and prevention efforts.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Willed-Ignorance-Unspoken-Michele-Packard-ebook/dp/B0CD2W3C6P