August 2026 Dear Librarians and SinC Members, In this issue of the We Love Libraries News, we are pleased to announce the July 2026 We Love Libraries Grant winner is Lakeland Village Library in Lake Elsinore, California. This issue also features an essay by author and SinC member Susan Calder. Through September 30, use the code SUMMER26 to join SinC for 50% off a Professional or Active membership! Don't miss these upcoming SinC webinars: |
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Connecting with an Overseas Library
by Susan Calder |
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Susan Calder with interviewer, translator, and audience at Karlovy Vary Municipal Library While I was planning my research trip to Karlovy Vary, Czechia, I realized the municipal library probably had books about their location not easily found elsewhere. I emailed the Karlovy Vary Library, explained that I was writing a historical novel set in their spa city in 1914, and asked their advice about preparing for my visit. Librarian Kateřina Krieglsteinová replied with enthusiasm. She suggested I browse the library’s online catalog and send a list of books that she would have ready when I arrived. In addition, she offered to organize a tour of the local history museum, a private walking tour with an English-speaking guide knowledgeable about local history, and an evening talk at the library about my writing and ancestors in Czechia. I gladly accepted everything. My maternal grandparents immigrated to Canada from (then) Czechoslovakia after World War I, but I don’t speak the language. Kateřina arranged for a translator and created posters in Czech and English to promote the event. I found the library’s online catalog easy to navigate and identified 21 books of interest, none of them available to me in North America. My first morning in Karlovy Vary, I spent an hour in the library poring through a half dozen books. The staff gave me a temporary library card so I could peruse the remaining books at my hotel. During the next few days, I took more than 250 pictures of old photographs and text that was mostly in Czech. Translation apps are a godsend. A handful of Karlovy Vary Library patrons showed up for my evening interview event. Kateřina posed thoughtful questions, the translator restated them in English, I replied, and the translator repeated my answers in Czech for Kateřina and the audience. Somehow, we all managed to communicate. To my surprise, Kateřina had purchased two of my novels online for the library. I signed them and added an inscription in Czech. One attendee had already read my latest novel, A Killer Whisky. During the audience Q & A, she had an intriguing question about the book’s ending. My research from the library books and additional activities in Karlovy Vary will be invaluable for making my historical novel-in-progress authentic and engaging for readers. Moreover, I was touched by Kateřina’s and her staff’s warmth for a stranger from overseas who spoke a different language. Susan Calder is the author of six novels published by BWL Publishing. Four are part of her Paula Savard Mystery Series set in Calgary, Alberta, and the fifth is a standalone suspense novel. Her recent release, A Killer Whisky, takes place in Calgary during the 1918 influenza pandemic and final days of WWI. A Killer Whisky is book #12 of the BWL Canadian Historical Mystery Series. Visit her website at www.susancalder.com |
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Karlovy Vary Municipal Library in Czechia Susan Calder is the author of six novels published by BWL Publishing. Four are part of her Paula Savard Mystery Series set in Calgary, Alberta, and the fifth is a standalone suspense novel. Her recent release, A Killer Whisky, takes place in Calgary during the 1918 influenza pandemic and final days of WWI. A Killer Whisky is book #12 of the BWL Canadian Historical Mystery Series. Visit her website at www.susancalder.com |
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July ’26 We Love Libraries Winner:
Lakeland Village Library in Lake Elsinore, California! |
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Lakeland Village Library staff Malvina Babb (left) and Gaby Sepulveda (right) holding Her Name Is Knight by Yasmin Angoe, Desert Kill Switch by Mark S. Bacon, The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer by Cathy Ace, and Murder by the Seashore by Samara Yew From the WLL application: “On November 8, 2025, the Lakeland Village Library opened its doors. Most of our patrons are families with young children. Our goal has been to provide our patrons with as many resources as possible to promote early literacy because we firmly believe that literacy opens up a world of possibilities. “Like many libraries, we have story times throughout the month to engage our youngest community members. We are in search of funding to prepare board book kits, with sensory toys, and quick developmental facts for families to use during story times and then bring home. Repetition is key to development; having board book kits available for checkout after story time would aid in this repetition. “As a new library, we have yet to establish a Friends group that can help us with our goal of reaching our community to provide valuable resources. Funding for board book kits would aid us in making sure the youngest members of our community are set up for success.” |
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How Can Your Library Win a We Love Libraries Grant? Does your library need materials? Do you have a great idea for a library program? Apply for the We Love Libraries award! Find grant details and the brief grant application on our website. A WLL winner of $500 is selected every other month. |
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Thank you for all you do for your communities. Sisters in Crime loves libraries. Happy reading! Kaylyn Groves
We Love Libraries and We Love Bookstores Program Coordinator WLL and WLB Program Coordinator: Kaylyn Groves, a writer, editor, and former librarian, is the coordinator of the We Love Libraries and We Love Bookstores program. Connect with Kaylyn: www.kaylyngroves.com and librarian@sistersincrime.org |
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Below is a link to search for our members' books. Search by author name, location, title, or release date. |
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Sisters in Crime hosts LIVE webinars each month! Webinars last 60–90 minutes depending on topic and audience questions. These webinars are open to all. |
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Looking for diverse books? For many years, SinC has curated Frankie’s List, an extensive list of crime novels by people of color and other marginalized groups. Frankie Y. Bailey, building on work by the late Eleanor Taylor Bland, began to compile a list of published Black crime writers over a decade ago. Frankie has expanded the list to include other WOC and LGBTQ+ authors. Visit https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/FrankiesList |
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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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