Welcome to Speed City Sisters in Crime
Speed City Sisters in Crime is the Indiana chapter of the world-wide mystery/crime writers' association Sisters in Crime. The Speed City Chapter was founded in 2005. Find out more about Speed City Sisters in Crime.
Upcoming in 2024November 2024 SpeakerLillie Barnett Evans and Crystal V. Rhodes Adapting Your Books to Other MediaLillie Barnett Evans & Crystal V. Rhodes, authors of the Grandmothers Incorporated cozy mystery series, will show writers how their works can be more flexible than they think, and how writers can adapt their characters and their stories to other forms of media.
Lillie Evans is an author, playwright, and storyteller. Under her pen name, L. Barnett Evans, she is co-author (with Crystal V. Rhodes) of the cozy mystery book series, Grandmothers, Incorporated. In addition to the novels, she is co-writer of the plays Stake Out and Grandmothers, Incorporated, based on the characters from the book series. The play Grandmothers, Incorporated enjoyed a very successful Off-Broadway run. Lillie is the writer and producer of the play, Take My Hand, which was chosen for a reading at the prestigious National Black Theater Festival and was performed at the 2018 OnyxFest at the Indy Fringe Theatre Festival. Lillie has appeared as a crime commentator on TV One’s “Unsung.” Evans has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and is a member of Sisters in Crime.(www.lilliebarnettevans.com) Crystal V. Rhodes is an award-winning playwright and author whose plays have been produced in theatres throughout the United States. Rhodes has served as Playwright-in-Residence for the Conner Prairie Interactive History Park and is the recipient of the 2020 Creative Artist Renewal Fellowship. She is the recipient of The Black Theatre Alliance Award for Original Writing for her play, Stoops. Her play, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin was selected in the Readers Theatre for the 2017 Black Theatre Festival, won the 2019 American Stage 21st Century Voices New Play Festival, and was selected as a finalist in the 2020 Broadway Bound Theatre Festival. Her play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, is the winner of the 2020 Ivory ton Playhouse Women’s Playwrights Festival, the 2020 Columbus Black Theatre Festival and the 2022 Onyx Fest Playwright festival. Rhodes holds a Masters degree in Sociology and has written for newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Indiana Chapter of Sisters in Crime Mystery Writers and Crime Writers of Color. (www.crystalrhodes.com) The joint website for Evans and Rhodes is www.grandmothersinc.com We will be meeting on Saturday 23 November 2024 on Zoom and in person at the Carmel Public Library Meeting Room B (425 E Main St, Carmel, IN 46032). Business meeting starts at 11:00 AM and our speaker will start at Noon. Join us for lunch afterwards at 1:30 pm at Juniper on Main Restaurant (110 E Main Street, Carmel, Indiana 46032). Monthly MeetingsSpeed City Sisters in Crime meets online via Zoom monthly on the fourth Saturday of each month from January to November. There is a critique group meeting at 9:00, followed by the regular business meeting at 11:00 and a guest speaker at Noon.
Upcoming Events
In-Person Meeting Locations2024 Meeting dates and locations
These meetings will be hybrid and be both in person and on Zoom. All of the in-person meetings on the fourth Saturday of the month, (except for May and December), and will be held at: We are currently trying to find a location to meet at in person. Stay tuned. For the 23 November 2024 meeting we will meet in person at the Carmel Clay Public Library (425 E Main St, Carmel, IN 46032). The following are dates of our monthly meetings:
Past Chapter EventsOctober 2024 SpeakerSeptember 2024 SpeakerAugust 2024 SpeakerJuly 2024 SpeakerJune 2024 SpeakerMay 2024 SpeakerApril 2024 SpeakerMarch 2024 SpeakerFebruary 2024 SpeakerJanuary 2024 SpeakerNovember 2023 SpeakerLeslie Budewitz -- Building Characters Leslie Budewitz blends her passion for food, great mysteries, and the Northwest in two lighthearted mystery series: the Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in northwest Montana. Her books focus on strong women who share her passions and have a talent for finding trouble!
As Alicia Beckman, she also writes moody suspense. Leslie is a three-time Agatha Award winner: 2011 Best Nonfiction for her guide for writers, Books, Crooks & Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure; 2013 Best First Novel for Death al Dente (making her the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction); and 2018 Best Short Story (in a tie) for “All God’s Sparrows,” her first historical fiction. Her work has also won or been nominated for Spur, Derringer, Anthony, and Macavity awards. A Montana native, Leslie graduated from Seattle University and Notre Dame Law School. After practicing in Seattle for several years—and shopping and eating her way through the Pike Place Market regularly—she returned to Montana, where she practiced civil litigation and employment law, with an unhealthy dose of criminal law. Killing people —on the page—is more fun. Leslie recently finished four years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America. She served as president of Sisters in Crime in 2015-16, and is a founding member of the Guppies, the SinC chapter for new and unpublished writers. She is also a member of the Authors of the Flathead and Montana Women Writers. Leslie loves to cook, eat, hike, travel, garden, and paint—not necessarily in that order. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, Don Beans, a singer-songwriter and doctor of natural medicine, and their gray tuxedo, officially named Squirt but affectionately called Mr. Kitten. October 2023 Speaker
Deb Lambert -- Director, Collection Management
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Submission Guidelines for Speed City Anthology #10
Anthology Info Title: To Be Determined Editors: MB Dabney, Janet Williams, and Brigitte Kephart Theme: Indiana Landmarks Number of stories in book will depend on the length of those accepted (60-80K total words) To be released Spring 2026, self-published by the Chapter or Cardinal Publishing Submission/Publication Timeline
Landmarks: In addition to suggested sites listed at the National Register for Historic Landmarks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Indiana) Landmarks can include any easily recognizable place or structure that may be of interest because of its structure or historical significance. Submission Requirements To submit a story, you must be a current member of Speed City Sisters in Crime and the national Sisters in Crime One story submission per author Indiana landmark settings required All stories must have a mystery basis, but there does not have to be a murder in the story All stories must include an Indiana landmark in some way Any sub-genre of mystery – cozy, noir, thriller, suspense etc – is allowed. Word count of individual stories: 2,500 to 6,000 words Must be an original story, not previously published, no content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI generated) All stories must have made at least one pass through a critique group prior to submission Submissions should be a cleanly edited version of your short story (see Formatting Your Manuscript below); forwarded to Elizabeth San Miguel ([email protected]) Intended to be a paid anthology, details to be included with contract, likely to be $25 after a minimum sales threshold In addition: Members will need to provide a 250-word factual account of their chosen landmark, upon acceptance of their short story for publication. Members who are published in the anthology will need to commit to at least one in person event to promote the anthology. Formatting Your Manuscript All manuscripts should be between 2,500 and 6,000 words, double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, with one-inch page margins, and Microsoft Word format. Fiction and nonfiction should be double-spaced. The author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address should be typed at the top of the first page (This will be removed for blind submission stage and forwarded to editors). Contributors are asked to include a brief 100-word biographical note with the return of their signed contract, which will be used in the final publication. Cover guidelines need to be update: https://www.speedcitysistersincrime.org/cover-submission-guidelines.html Letter from our President Diana CattWelcome to the Speed City Indiana Chapter of Sisters in Crime. I’m thrilled to take on the role once again as President of the chapter. This year, we are planning and preparing for a hallmark anniversary that is approaching fast. This year, 2024, will be our 20th anniversary as a Chapter! Wow, time flies! We have some special events planned to celebrate. We will have an anniversary anthology that just came out at the end of 2023 (Amber Waves of Graves), a play is being written by an enthusiastic group of SinC members for the 2024 Indy Fringe (The Catphish Seat), and a members-only retreat weekend is being planned with an exciting guest speaker.
I’ve been involved with this chapter since 2006 as a member, an officer, or a board member. We have an extraordinary group of talented individuals and a very active chapter. If you are a writer looking for a like-minded tribe, or are a reader who loves mystery and crime, please think about joining Sisters in Crime. But, you are here and reading this, so you found us! Welcome! I’d like to tell you about some opportunities that you will have as a Speed City Indiana SinC member.
Sincerely, Diana Catt Speed City Indiana Chapter President Amber Waves of Graves Anthology NewsRURAL INDIANA – A PLACE WITH ACRES AND ACRES OF FARMLAND TO HIDE DEAD BODIES The rural Indiana landscape seems so bucolic, from the gently rolling hills of the south to the easy sway of cornfields in the north. Who knew those picturesque barns could hide criminal activity as well as livestock, or those rustic cemeteries be rife with murder victims as well as those who died of old-age? The members of the Speed City Sisters in Crime chapter, that’s who! In these seemingly peaceful rural settings, our authors uncover criminal deeds, unearth long dead secrets, provide justice for the wronged, and thwart the plans of the wicked. Sixteen tales testify that from the wide-open farmland to the small farming towns, the opportunity for mayhem and mischief is ever-present. Come along with authors Leanne Edelen, Roberta Barmore, Diana Catt, Joseph Walker, Andrea Smith, Ramona Henderson, Shari Held, Jon Burroughs, P.K. Richard, Mary Bischoff, Carol Paddock, Elizabeth San Miguel, Ross Carley, Norm Campbell, Stephen Terrell, and Elizabeth Perona as they explore the dark and deadly mysteries hidden within the fertile soil of rural Indiana. Become a member of
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