It's easy to apply for the Sisters in Crime We Love Bookstores grant! Here's a link: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/WeLoveBookstores
My Favorite Bookstore:
Murder by the Book
by S. C. Perkins
The first time I walked into Murder By The Book in Houston nearly twenty years ago, an avid reader with dreams of becoming an author, I knew I’d entered a truly special bookstore. Beyond being a veritable wonderland of crime fiction, it is also where I was hand-sold a mystery that has since become a favorite series. Where I attended my first book signing and raptly listened to the author speaking about their books and writing. And where I learned the Staff Picks shelf would never steer me wrong. These events were to be repeated often with the coming years. And over those years, I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with McKenna, John, Brenda, Sally, and other wonderful staffers. When I told them I was to be published, their excitement for me was genuine and humbling. Murder By The Book is where I had my own very first book signing, and it’s a thrill I’ll never forget! Yet to this day, when I walk in the doors, I’m still a reader first, walking the shelves, listening to the book recommendations of passionate booksellers, and feeling lucky to have a bookstore like Murder By The Book in my city.
S.C. Perkins is a fifth-generation Texan who grew up hearing fascinating stories of her ancestry and eating lots of great Tex-Mex. Her first book in her Ancestry Detective series, Murder Once Removed, was the winner of the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery competition, and an Agatha Award Nominee. She resides in Houston and, when she’s not writing, she’s likely outside in the sun or on the beach. You can find her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @SCPerkinsWriter, and at www.scperkins.com.
Looking for a list of mysteries set in bookshops?
Janet Rudolph, Sisters in Crime's Queen of Lists, has a brand new list for that: http://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2021/04/independent-bookstore-mysteries.html
