2010 Calendar of Crime

HERE IS THE 2010 Calendar of Crime from the Mystery Writers of America:

February 25-28
Sleuthfest, Boca Raton, Florida
www.mwaflorida.org/sleuthfest.htm

March 11-14
20th Annual Left Coast Crime: Booked in L.A., Los Angeles
www.leftcoastcrime.org/2010/index.htm

April 30-May 2
Malice Domestic 22, Arlington, Virginia
http://malicedomestic.org/

May 20-23
Crimefest, Bristol, England, UK
www.crimefest.com

May 25-27
Book Expo America, New York
www.bookexpoamerica.com

May 27-29
Mayhem in the Midlands, Omaha, Nebraska
www.omahapubliclibrary.org/mayhem/

July 7-10
Thrillfest, New York
www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillfest/

July 22-25
Theakston’s Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Festival, Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK
www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/

August 20-22
Killer Nashville Mystery & Thriller Conference, Franklin, Tennessee
www.killernashville.com

September 24-26
Writers’ Police Academy, Jamestown, NC
www.writerspoliceacedemy.com/

October 14-17
Bouchercon by the Bay, San Francisco, California
www.bcon2010.com/

November 4-7
NoirCon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
www.noircon.com/

November 12-14
New England Crime Bake, Dedham, Massachusetts
www.crimebake.org/index.htm

A good way to become a published author is to attend one or more conferences. Plan to attend one during the upcoming year.

More on the MWA-Harlequin dispute

LAST WEEK I POSTED a letter from the Mystery Writers of America concerning Harlequin Publishing. The problem centers around vanity press services Harlequin will offer to writes whose work is submitted and rejected by Harlequin’s main imprints. (A word of disclosure here, the paperback version of my first book, Murder Most Holy, was published by a Harlequin imprint, World Wide Mystery.)

I received the following from MWA, it seems that the dispute is still simmering and writers considering submitting to Harlequin should investigate this matter further:

Dear MWA Member:

The Board of Mystery Writers of America voted unanimously on Wednesday to remove Harlequin and all of its imprints from our list of Approved Publishers, effective immediately. We did not take this action lightly. We did it because Harlequin remains in violation of our rules regarding the relationship between a traditional publisher and its various for-pay services.

. . .

MWA does not object to Harlequin operating a pay-to-publish program or other for-pay services. The problem is HOW those pay-to-publish programs and other for-pay services are integrated into Harlequin's traditional publishing business. MWA’s rules for publishers state:

“The publisher, within the past five years, may not have charged a fee to consider, read, submit, or comment on manuscripts; nor may the publisher, or any of the executives or editors under its employ, have offered authors self-publishing services, literary representation, paid editorial services, or paid promotional services.

“If the publisher is affiliated with an entity that provides self-publishing, for-pay editorial services, or for-pay promotional services, the entities must be wholly separate and isolated from the publishing entity. They must not share employees, manuscripts, or authors or interact in any way. For example, the publishing entity must not refer authors to any of the for-pay entities nor give preferential treatment to manuscripts submitted that were edited, published, or promoted by the for-pay entity.

“To avoid misleading authors, mentions and/or advertisements for the for-pay entities shall not be included with information on manuscript submission to the publishing company. Advertising by the publisher's for-pay editorial, self-publishing or promotional services, whether affiliated with the publisher or not, must include a disclaimer that it is advertising and that use of those services offered by an affiliate of the publisher will not affect consideration of manuscripts submitted for publication."

. . .

MWA has a long-standing regard for the Harlequin publishing house and hopes that our continuing conversations will result in a change in their policies and the reinstatement of the Harlequin imprints to our approved list of publishers.

Frankie Y. Bailey,
Executive Vice President, MWA

Date for next book: June 2010; read all about it!

PUBLICATION DATE FOR my next novel, End of the Line, is scheduled for June 2010. Here’s the tentative book blurb:

R. J. Butler is a banker…or was a banker. After being promoted to manager of his bank’s downtown branch, R. J. was fired when the bank was sold and the new owners discovered an embezzlement.

When R. J. is found murdered in a city transit bus, police immediately make the connection between his murder and the bank embezzlement and the state police special investigations unit is assigned to investigate. The lead investigator is Detective Sergeant Jerome (Stan) Stankowski. Assigned to “advise” the investigation is Deputy Attorney General Parker Noble, Stan’s persnickety nemesis from Murder Most Holy.

R. J.’s widow, Linda, a former cheese-cake model, is undergoing drug rehab therapy through a local hospital with her apparent lover and therapist Bob Maxwell. R. J. and Linda’s divorce was pending at the time of his murder.

R. J.’s first wife, Ann, is now engaged to the nephew of a local Mafia-type, Johnny Capo, who Parker, as a prosecutor, had sent to prison. To accommodate his family’s desire that the nephew, Chris Roncolli, be married in the Catholic Church, Ann filed for a Church annulment of her marriage to R. J. The annulment was granted, but R. J. (partly out of spite) appealed the decision to Rome, which may delay Ann and Chris’ wedding plans several years.

Stan is “aided” in the investigation by newspaper reporter Buffy Cole, and also receives some “moral” assistance from a bank teller, Kitty Quinn, and by Teri Barkley, the niece of one of Parker’s old classmates, as he and Parker try to piece together the disparate clues to solve the murder.

Beware of writing scams, check before you sign!

ONE OF THE THINGS budding writers need to guard against is people who prey on their desire to publish. There are numerous examples of hucksters who try to make a quick buck by playing on the dreams of writers. One great site to bookmark that will help you avoid problems is Preditors and Editors. Recently, Mystery Writers of America writers received the following notice, which I’m copying here as a word of warning:

Dear MWA Members:

Recently, Harlequin Enterprises launched two new business ventures aimed at aspiring writers, the Harlequin Horizons self-publishing program and the eHarlequin Manuscript Critique service (aka "Learn to Write"), both of which are widely promoted on its website and embedded in the manuscript submission guidelines for all of its imprints.

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is deeply concerned about the troubling conflict-of-interest issues created by these ventures, particularly the potentially misleading way they are marketed to aspiring writers on the Harlequin website.

It is common for disreputable publishers to try to profit from aspiring writers by steering them to their own for-pay editorial, marketing, and publishing services. The implication is that by paying for those services, the writer is more likely to sell his manuscript to the publisher. Harlequin recommends the "eHarlequin Manuscript Critique Service" in the text of its manuscript submission guidelines for all of its imprints and include a link to "Harlequin Horizons," its new self-publishing arm, without any indication that these are advertisements.

That, coupled with the fact that these businesses share the Harlequin name, may mislead writers into believing they can enhance their chances of being published by Harlequin by paying for these services. Offering these services violates long-standing MWA rules for inclusion on our Approved Publishers List.

On November 9, Mystery Writers of America sent a letter to Harlequin about the "eHarlequin Manuscript Critique Service," notifying Harlequin that it is in violation of our rules and suggesting steps that Harlequin could take to remain on our Approved Publishers list. The steps outlined at that time included removing mention of this for-pay service entirely from its manuscript submission guidelines, clearly identifying any mention of this program as paid advertisement, and, adding prominent disclaimers that this venture was totally unaffiliated with the editorial side of Harlequin, and that paying for this service is not a factor in the consideration of manuscripts. Since that letter went out, Harlequin has launched "Harlequin Horizons," a self-publishing program.

MWA's November 9 letter asks that Harlequin respond to our concerns and recommendations by December 15. We look forward to receiving their response and working with them to protect the interests of aspiring writers. If MWA and Harlequin are unable to reach an agreement, MWA will take appropriate action which may include removing Harlequin from the list of MWA approved publishers, declining future membership applications from authors published by Harlequin and declaring that books published by Harlequin will not be eligible for the Edgar Awards.

We are taking this action because we believe it is vitally important to alert our members of unethical and predatory publishing practices that take advantage of their desire to be published. We respect Harlequin and its authors and hope the company will take the appropriate corrective measures.

This e-bulletin was prepared by Margery Flax on behalf of MWA's National Board of Directors.

Competency and the law

MANY WRITERS SEEM to have problems distinguishing between the different forms of mental competency in their stories. Here is a short list of mental competency items writers might find helpful:

Mental health commitments: People are ordered into mental health treatment after a hearing before a judge where it can be shown that the individual poses a risk of harm to himself or others. Substance abuse matters are handled in a similar fashion.

Usually the procedure is started by a relative or physician who makes an application to a court outlining their concerns that the individual is at risk of harm due to his mental condition, or that someone else may be at risk. The application is usually by affidavit and the judge will then decide if the individual will need to be taken into custody (usually to a hospital mental ward) until a hearing can be held. At that time the judge will also appoint an attorney for the individual. A full hearing is also scheduled, usually within a week or ten days from the date the application is filed.

Guardianships and conservatorships: Individuals who cannot care for themselves are often assigned a guardian and/or conservator by the court. The difference is easy to know: a guardian assists the individual (called the ward) with physical needs while the conservator assists with financial and business matters. The guardian and conservator can be separate persons or a single individual.

Guardianship and conservatorships can be established by petition to the court in an involuntary procedure or can be done by petition of the proposed ward himself as a voluntary petition. In an involuntary case, the petitioner is often a department of human services or a family matter. Usually the court will also appoint an attorney for the proposed ward at the time the petition is filed with the court and an initial hearing date is set. In an emergency situation the court can also order the proposed ward taken to a hospital or nursing home pending a full hearing.

Powers of attorney: POAs are voluntary documents signed by an individual giving another authority to handle his financial affairs. These can be done in anticipation of some legal incapacity or for the convenience of the individual. For example, it is not unusual for a soldier being shipped overseas to execute a POA in favor of his parents so they can handle his affairs while away. A medical power of attorney can be used to give another person authority to make medical decisions when the individual is no longer able to make those decisions himself.

Estate planning: The establishment of any of the above will not necessarily impair the legal ability of a person to write a will. The requirement for a testator is that they will know and appreciate those who might be the natural objects of their estate. So if a person has a clear idea how he would like to have is property distributed after his death, he still may be legally capable of writing a will.