That’s me, a Sister in Crime. Fortunately, it’s a lot less lethal than it sounds. Sisters in Crime (SINC) is an international organization, now with more than 4,500 members and chapters throughout the US, including two in Florida. I’m fortunate to have one near my home. Its purpose is to encourage mystery, crime, and thriller writers in their pursuits. Writing books and stories filled with secrets can be isolating, particularly when you must immerse yourself in the underworld. It helps to have a group of like-minded individuals to keep your life from veering totally to the dark side.
The organization was founded to tackle issues of women’s rights and opportunities in crime writing, as well as in the real world of publishing. In 1986, Sara Paretsky (above) was a major force in the establishment of Sisters in Crime. Paretsky wrote novels featuring V.I. Warshawski, a tough female Chicago private investigator. Defying the conventions of the genre with its male protagonists, the fictional Warshawski became the central character in a series of more than twenty novels, the first one published in 1982, that addressed social issues as well as crime.
Since those early years, the universe of crime fiction has expanded. With its goals of establishing camaraderie and supporting female mystery writers, SINC has been of great assistance to me. I can listen to speakers each month, meet like-minded women, attend webinars on writing-related topics, and even get direct comments on my writing-in-progress from my critique group. It has been a boon to my life, so I must thank Sara and the others who went before me in these pursuits.
Stay tuned for more about Sara and her connection to my life in Florida—even less than the proverbial six degrees of separation!