Weather: Hot and rainy with falling leaves. Mesdames and Messieurs: Bursting to share new books—a thriller, gritty noir, a Pride & Prejudice romcom, magic and murder, and a story that proudly r…

The summer this August is HOT for the Mesdames and Messieurs with promises for a scorching fall! Coming up: Calgary Bouchercon, Word on the Street, book launches and of course, our 7th anthology, T…

Celebrating 13 years of mayhem, mischief and murder, I’m delighted to announce the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem’s 7th anthology, The Power of 13! Published by Carrick Publishing, to…

Celebrating 13 years of mayhem, mischief and murder, I’m delighted to announce the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem’s 7th anthology, The Power of 13! Published by Carrick Publishing, to…

Celebrating 13 years of mayhem, mischief and murder, I'm delighted to announce the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem's 7th anthology, The Power of 13! Published by Carrick Publishing, to be released Fall, 2026. More than 20 tales, ranging from comedy to noir, celebrating our 13th anniversary: after all, 13 is our lucky number. And our 7th anthology is a lucky number, too!

Dear Readers, As Canada cheers for our soccer team, we also have exciting news for you: another award for Therese’s coauthoring of The Many Names of Robert Cree, a new psychological suspense …

Join Mme Hope Thompson, Jeffrey Round and a group of talented noir writers at the Churchmouse Pub, 475 Church Street, on Wednesday, June 3rd at 7 pm. Many Toronto noir authors promise to be in the …

Seattle-born guitarist-singer-songwriter Jimi Hendrix died in London, England, on September 18, 1970. The accepted medical verdict was death by barbiturate-related asphyxia. With his death, timely or ...

Greetings Readers! Sharing some terrific news: my short story, “The Lost Diner”, published in Issue 47 of Pulp Literature Magazine, is a finalist for the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Aw…

Greetings Readers! Sharing some terrific news: my short story, "The Lost Diner", published in Issue 47 of Pulp Literature Magazine, is a finalist for the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Award for Best Short Story! In addition, I've been interviewed by CWC's Erik D'Souza for their podcasts. To hear and see our great discussion, follow these links: Video Facebook: …

DEAR READERS Spring is finally upon us, and we have huge news to share: wonderful recognition from the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence for four Mesdames Plus exciting conferences and e…

Hope Thompson Hope Thompson’s film, It Happened in the Stacks, will be in the April 30th screening and panel at V-Tape, This is the Feminist Archive: Mystery & True Crime. This is a ticke…

Mega congrats to Therese Greenwood who co-wrote the biography of her friend, Elder Robert Cree, The Many Names of Robert Cree (ECW Press). On March 30th, this critically acclaimed book won the bron…

It’s March already.  Riding the bike at the gym is deadly dull and boring. Also you don’t get the wind resistance and the hills. Time to get out there! Besides the spring flowers were o…

It's March already.  Riding the bike at the gym is deadly dull and boring. Also you don't get the wind resistance and the hills. Time to get out there! Besides the spring flowers were out. My very first ride was 10 km up and down the Beltline via Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Not too bad, despite dodging ice patches and mud.

DEAR READERS, April is always an exciting time for the Mesdames and Messieurs: the beginning of awards season, writer conferences such as Bony Blithe and the Toronto Indie Author Conference, more e…

Three great events are coming up at the end of March and the very beginning of April – and bringing spring with it, we hope! On April 1st, the Short Mystery Fiction Society will announce the …

Dear Readers, Time for a little romp in the sun, but not too long. We are busy writing stories for our anthology, while Rosemary and Melissa have other stories accepted. Melodie has another Merry W…

Hello, Dear Readers! The Mesdames and Messieurs had yet another stellar year in 2025! It was The Year of Hard Work and Fun! Altogether, we published four crime novels, two non-fiction books, six no…

Wow! Have we got a busy February for you, Dear Readers. Despite the bone-chilling cold and snow, we have a month of stories, readings, presentations and new ways to reach writers and readers. And d…

I have no talent with plants, but here’s a weird story. Two Christmases ago, a friend gave me an amaryllis bulb. It bloomed beautifully then shed a mess of red petals.  I was ready to toss it…

I have no talent with plants, but here's a weird story. Two Christmases ago, a friend gave me an amaryllis bulb. It bloomed beautifully then shed red petals all over.  I was ready to toss it in the compost bin when Ed, my husband, speculated about what would happen if we  simply left it alone. What would happen? Far from dying, it grew a profusion of long green tulip-like leaves - and stayed that way. 

Happy New Year, Dear Readers! Our year is already purring with new life: an exciting new book in progress, an award-winning Blog, our own Year-End Review and another great Bony Blithe mini-conferen…

I don’t usually read psychological thrillers so it was great to discover author, Miranda Rijks.  And through the mundane route of an Amazon book recommendation, no less. I’ve now devour…

I don't usually read psychological thrillers so it was great to discover author, Miranda Rijks.  And through the mundane route of an Amazon book recommendation, no less. I've now devoured two of her thrillers, The House Swap and Every Breath You Take, after purchasing both at a ridiculously low price that really discredits the quality of Rijks's prose and her plotting.

Happy New Year Everyone! Looking forward to the New Year with the publication of the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem’s 7th anthology, The Power of 13. And possibly a novella from me! Here&#8…

Happy New Year Everyone! Looking forward to the New Year with the publication of the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem's 7th anthology, The Power of 13. And possibly a novella from me! Here's to many more author events and adventures with fellow writers! Hope to meet many of you readers in the Real World in 2026.

Mary Patterson Mary Patterson, officially our oldest Madame of Mayhem, passed away last week after a long illness. She kept her wonderful sense of humour up to the last day of her life. Mary joined…

Wishing all my friends, fans and family a wonderful Holiday and the best of health and happiness in the New Year! Here’s a pic of a well-behaved cat in a Christmas tree.  And here’s a …

 Wishing all my friends, fans and family a wonderful Holiday and the best of health and happiness in the New Year! Here's a pic of a well-behaved cat in a Christmas tree.  And here's a fav video where they're NOT! Bing Videos Big hugs, M. H. Callway

I love both reading and writing noir crime fiction. When it comes to modern day noir authorts, it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Sean Cosby's work.  Cosby is a superb stylist, which makes his work a joy to read. More importantly, he give readers true insight into what it means to be African American in today's USA. He also shares some unusual knowledge because his wife is a funeral director.

Happy Holidays, Dear Readers! Winter has arrived, and the Holidays are just around the corner. Books make great gifts. What’s more wonderful than snuggling up to a book or story by the fabulo…

Our grandson adores "Dad jokes".  Here's one of his favs: How do you weigh a dragon? Depends on its scales. Recently I was having a one-on-one dinner with my daughter. Fixing me with a gaze steeped in the superiority of youth, she asked: "What do you think of the chicken joke?" Me: (thinking of grandson) You mean the old chestnut, …

Our grandson adores “Dad jokes”.  Here’s one of his favs: How do you weigh a dragon? Depends on its scales. Recently I was having a one-on-one dinner with my daughter. Fixing me w…

Our grandson adores "Dad jokes".  Here's one of his favs: How do you weigh a dragon? Depends on its scales. Recently I was having a one-on-one dinner with my daughter. Fixing me with a gaze steeped in the superiority of youth, she asked: "What do you think of the chicken joke?" Me: (thinking of grandson) You mean the old chestnut, …

New publications, book readings, presentations, CWC Award submissions and Bony Blithe is gearing up for May. December looks to be a busy and festive time for our Mesdames and Monsieurs. We hope you…

I DON’T WRITE HORROR…OR DO I?  The first inkling that I’d strayed from dark mystery into horror happened when the multi-genre conference, When Words Collide, put me on a horror fiction…

I DON’T WRITE HORROR…OR DO I?  The first inkling that I'd strayed from dark mystery into horror happened when the multi-genre conference, When Words Collide, put me on a horror fiction panel. Horror – moi? I never watch horror movies, they’re far too intense. I hardly ever read horror fiction. Well, I have read Clive Barker's masterpieces, but that’s about it!

When friend, Donna Carrick and I co-founded the Mesdames of Mayhem in 2013, little did we realize that our 13 member group would double in size and become a national organization. Nor did we foresee that we'd have a CBC documentary made about us and publish six anthologies, all with the brand of "13". After all, thirteen has been our lucky number!

The Toronto International Festival Authors salutes romance writing. On Saturday, November 22nd, 1 pm, Mme Lisa De Nikolits will be moderating the panel on YA Romance with authors, Jackie Khalilieh …

Terrific news! The Many Names of Robert Cree which Therese Greenwood wrote with her friend, Elder Robert Cree, is getting great recognition, including high praise from Publisher’s Weekly. On …

Dear Readers, We’ve got a title for our 7th anthology and more good news about another Merry Widow book and Burlington Litfest, a TIFA panel and Lisa de Nikolits’, Rosemary McCracken an…

Better to be busy than being a hermit and doom-scrolling! October has been a crazy busy month with the book launches of three friends: Jon Redfern and his dark thriller, The Ogre Club; Lisa De Niko…

Better to be busy than being a hermit and doom-scrolling! October has been a crazy busy month with the book launches of three friends: Jon Redfern and his dark thriller, The Ogre Club; Lisa De Nikolits and her noir novel, Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon; and Lorna Poplak and her latest true crime book, On the Lam, which I also blurbed.

Dear Readers, We’ve got plenty to offer in October, and it’s not just giving thanks to you for staying with us. We’ve got new books—novels, short stories and non-fiction, even som…

Summer is fading, dear Readers, but this fall offers new books, short stories and, of course, Word on the Street. CONGRATULATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS Mme Rosemary McCracken’s  Riversong, the newe…