Hello to you this Thursday instead of Friday,

I was eager to write to you so I’m submitting today. I found a great new website: http://crimesistahs.blogspot.com/. I don’t visit websites too often, the few I have are those of other writers and I’ve mentioned them in past entries so when I do come across one (it’s a blog on writing of course) especially one I hadn’t been looking for and find that it’s wonderful I have to let you know—let everyone know.

The Crime Sistahs can be found where I blog—blogspot which just made it better. One of the reasons why I like The Crime Sistahs is because it’s kept by crime and mystery novelists which of course gives me a new list of crime novels to fall in love with. I spent a lot of time reading on the site and was thrilled to discover it’s the kind of place that has everything and not just what a crime mystery writer would want, but any writer seeking advice, information, enthusiasm, a good laugh and encouragement. Reading the entries you get the sense these hard working successful writers want you to be successful too, they want you to make your writing dreams come true and are willing to do whatever they can to help you make it happen.

The site is low key and infused with the warm and engaging personalities of the writers. The entries began 10-23-2005 and just reading a few of them makes you want to read every one in the archive (I’m going to try) because you know you'll find something of use in just about every entry, for example: in the entry dated July 20, 2007 the writer Angela Henry, who writes the Kendra Clayton mystery series lets us know about the first annual St. Martins Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition being held right now and to send our novels out to them.

In the entry dated July 16, 2007 by Patricia Sargeant the writer of You Belong to Me, she imparts good advice on plotting she received from an editor at the Romance Writers of America conference and in another entry by Angela she tells what its like to have a book launch party and the scary anticipation of having another on a grander scale. As you can tell the entries are more than worth reading, more like essential.

So when you’re taking that momentary break from writing visit The Crime Sistahs site and do some reading keeping a lot of what they’ve written in mind. Think of it as just one more sturdy brick added to that solid foundation your writing is built upon.

If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori