A few years ago, I went to Sleuthfest. Was researching a subplot, which mostly my subplots have suspense, some even murder. So I needed guidance specific to mystery. I met a friend there and she was surprised I didn’t belong to any mystery writer organization. She encouraged me to join Sisters in Crime.
Time went by. I wasn’t sure if my suspense plots were cutting it. Then my editor, after I turned in my last book, said “this is a mystery, you’ll be on our mystery imprint now.”
Wow. It helped that I was actually trying to write a thriller/noir/gritty city type murder mystery. Validation, somehow. And I remembered my pal who suggested Sisters in Crime. When I found out Sara Paretsky of V.I. Warsharski fame was a founding member, I was hooked. Also Mystery Writers of America did not recognize my publisher, so I’d come in as an unpublished author, which is difficult on the ego after half a dozen novels published.
Sisters in Crime welcomed me as a published author of mystery novels. So I took the plunge. Now I’m contemplating a police procedural workshop this August. I need it. My private eye has a cop friend and I know almost nothing at all about how the police work. I need to step up my game. Sisters is just the next logical and totally exciting step.
Cynthia Harrison 