March 2023 Dear Booksellers and SinC Members, In the March issue of We Love Bookstores News Karen Odden, SinC National Board Publicity Liaison, recommends checking out Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. As Karen mentions in her wonderful article below, the store’s tagline is, “Your local bookstore, no matter where you live.” I am also pleased to announce the March 2023 We Love Bookstores award winner is The Last Word Bookstore in Mount Airy, Maryland Please find more information about the prize and a link to the online application below. |
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The Poisoned Pen Bookstore by Karen Odden |
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Karen Odden (left) is pictured with Poisoned Pen Bookstore owner, Barbara Peters (right) The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, in the heart of Old Town, Scottsdale, opened its doors in 1989 and rapidly became a hub for the writing and reading communities in Arizona, hosting SRO events over the years with bestselling authors including Diana Gabaldon, Anne Perry, Clive Cussler, and Michael Connelly. The store’s tagline is, “Your local bookstore, no matter where you live,” for they have a strong mail-order business, sending first-edition, signed copies of books all over the world. In 1997, founder Barbara Peters and her husband Robert Rosenwald established a publishing company, Poisoned Pen Press; it is now an imprint of Sourcebooks. During Covid, the Pen nimbly accommodated by changing to an online sales model and hosting virtual author appearances—sometimes two or three a day—which were recorded and added to their podcast series, Facebook Live page, and YouTube channel, which now have hundreds of fabulous interviews. Back in person, the store is once again bustling, and the Pen staff continues to support mystery authors and fans by hosting author interviews (virtual and in-person), book clubs, and events for writers’ groups as well as by publishing an e-newsletter chock-full of reviews, recommendations, and announcements. (You can sign up for it on the website below.) The store has a pleasing vibe with comfortable chairs and fun gift items for book lovers. There’s even a truly adorable dog! The Pen continues to evolve and grow, recently adding a room upstairs that can be used for book clubs, writing workshops, and community meetings. I’m proud and honored to say the Poisoned Pen has hosted every one of my book launches, including the most recent, Under a Veiled Moon. Connect with Poisoned Pen Bookstore: |
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Karen Odden is the USA Today bestselling author of mysteries set in 1870s London. After earning her PhD in English at NYU, she taught at UW-Milwaukee and edited for the journal Victorian Literature and Culture (Cambridge UP). She remained camped out in Victorian England for all five of her novels, beginning with A Lady in the Smoke (2016). Down a Dark River (2021) introduced readers to Michael Corravan, a former thief and bare-knuckles boxer who becomes an inspector at Scotland Yard. The sequel, Under a Veiled Moon (2022), was nominated for a Lefty Award. A recipient of a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Karen lives in Arizona with her family. |
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Write for We Love Bookstores News! Would you like to write an entry for We Love Bookstores News about your favorite shop or something else? Did you put together or see an amazing bookstore display? Submit your ideas to Susan Hammerman, Library and Bookstore Liaison at librarian@sistersincrime.org |
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We Love Bookstores Winner: The Last Word Bookstore in Mount Airy, Maryland |
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Manager Erin Matthews and bookseller Amanda are pictured above. The winner of the We Love Bookstores $500 award for March is The Last Word Bookstore in Mt. Airy, Maryland. From the store's website: The Last Word is an independent bookstore with two locations in central Maryland. The original store (the “mothership,” if you will), known as Books With A Past, was located in Glenwood (western Howard County) for 25 years. Our second store opened in 2015 in historic Savage Mill. In early 2021, we shook things up a bit: not only did we move the Glenwood location to downtown Main Street in Mount Airy, but we also changed our name from Books With A Past to The Last Word. The new name is a better fit to what we offer in both stores: new and used books, stationery, literary gifts, and small helpings of wit. You are welcome to come in and browse, though of course we hope you will fall in love with some of our book or gift offerings and decide to give them a good home. Connect with The Last Word Bookstore |
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Apply for the We Love Bookstores Award |
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To find out more about all SinC offers, including live webinars, please visit our website. Thank you for all you do for your community. Sisters in Crime loves bookstores. Happy reading! Susan Hammerman Library and Bookstore Liaison Library and Bookstore Liaison: Susan Hammerman, a former rare book librarian, is the Library and Bookstore Liaison and coordinator of the We Love Libraries program. Susan writes crime and neo-noir short stories. Her stories have appeared in Mystery Magazine, Dark City Mystery Magazine, Blood and Bourbon, Retreats From Oblivion, and the Stories (Within) anthology. Website: www.susanhammerman.com We Love Bookstores Coordinator: Robin Agnew owned the Raven Award-winning bookstore Aunt Agatha’s Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for 26 years with her husband Jamie. Robin writes a review blog at auntagathas.com and the cozy column for Mystery Scene Magazine. WLL and WLB News Editor: Gail Lukasik’s latest book, White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing, was named one of the most inspiring stories of the year by The Washington Post. She is also the author of the Leigh Girard Mystery series and the stand-alone mystery, The Lost Artist. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, such as The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and The Georgia Review. Gail appeared in the documentary, History of Memory, which is available on Amazon Prime. Her fifth mystery, The Darkness Surrounds Us, a Gothic, historical mystery, will be released in fall 2023. Website: www.gaillukasik.com |
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We've put our member books in a spreadsheet that we'll update every month, and send as part of this newsletter. This month's releases are on a separate worksheet. Feel free to sort by author name, book title, or author location. |
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Sisters in Crime hosts LIVE webinars each month. Webinars last 60-90 minutes depending on the topic and the audience questions! These webinars are open to all. |
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Sisters in Crime is the premier crime writing association focused on equity and inclusion in our community and in publishing. Our 4,500+ members enjoy access to tools to help them learn, grow, improve, thrive, and reinvent if necessary. They also gain a community of supportive fellow writers and readers, both peers to share the peaks and valleys of writing, and mentors to model the way forward. |
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