No better way to spark a fire storm than change. There is a proposal to sanitize works of long-dead authors. Whether the cause of anti-censorship, history preservation or the fever dreams of conspiracy addicts, people have protested against editing out racism and xenophobia (among other unpleasant actions and ideas) from literature. HarperCollins was one of the first to see the reactions when Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming were “cleansed.” Passages that referred to weight, gender, race, violence, mental health and more were altered, with some being removed altogether. The publisher thought it was worth it – writers not so much.
Passages from these novels have been “reworked or removed” to elide references to ethnicity or simply to omit physical descriptions altogether. Without having reviewed these texts cited above, it’s hard to tell where changes were needed and where the publishers may have applied an over-abundance of caution. Regardless, many readers have argued that to strip a text of its worst qualities is to dismantle important historical context.
Be that as it may, Agatha Christie’s work got that makeover. There are a number of instances in her books that are blatantly offensive, particularly by modern standards. Christie was notable for stereotypical depictions of Asian people. Also descriptions referencing characters as Nubian, “gypsy,” and “a Jew” have been removed from of her novels.
Like Dahl and Fleming, Christie saw some of her most flagrantly poor word choices changed in her lifetime. The bestseller, “And Then There Were None”, was infamously published in the U.K. based on a British minstrel song repeated in the novel. Even in 1940, the title was too objectionable for publication in the U.S. and the slur was largely removed from the text. As such, there’s a degree of precedent for these new edits.
All things considered, I thought we might take a look at Dame Agatha characters. I chose Miss Marple because of the amazing number of actresses (14) who took on the role. I have whittled it down to the top five who perennially swap positions now and then – with only one surviving all others to be the perfect Marple. Watch for fun and maybe a little something you didn’t know.
Francelia Belton’s “Siren Song” appeared on April 1, 2023 in Stone’s Throw, A Rock and Hard Place Publication. Congratulations Francelia!
This short piece is a terrific read. Here’s the opening from “Siren Song”:
I think most men considered me a challenge: reel in the sea loving mariner, tame her, and make her your wife sort of thing. Only that’s not how it works. You can’t ‘domesticate’ a seafarer. They love the salty wind in their hair, the cool water against their skin, the sound of the waves crashing against the hull of their ship.
Stone’s Throw is a monthly companion to the Rock and a Hard Place Magazine. In addition to their regular issues, Rock and a Hard Place Press deliver shorter, sharper content that feature all the same grit and hard decisions as their usual fare. Each month, writers are given a submission prompt, and the best of the best, by their estimation, will be posted to the site the following month. Then at the end of year, all twelve of the 2023 Stone Throw’s stories will be collected and published into a Stone’s Throw Anthology.
Psst! Wanna tip about where to find your next great read? Spend some time with 2022’s Macavity Award winners and nominees. You’ll find favorites, I’m sure. More importantly – who are the new kids on the block you’ll want to sample?
Why should I care about nominees? Mystery Readers International is one of largest organization of mystery readers in the world. Its members include fans, critics, writers, publishers, and editors. Past winners include Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, and Tana French. The award is given in five categories—best novel, best first novel, best nonfiction, and best short story and the Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery.
Sisters in Crime-CO member Helen Starbuck’s new book A Cold Case of Conscience launches this month. It’s Book Four in the Annie Collins Mysteries. Join her for a Zoom launch party on March 8th at 6:30 pm MST. RVSP by DM on Facebook: Helensstarbuckor Instagram: Helenstarbuck_author or email her at helens.pashley@gmail.com.
In A Cold Case of Conscience, Annie Collins wants to unofficially review cold cases for Denver Homicide Detective Alex Frost. But solving them isn’t easy, like the arson death of a man known for his predatory behavior toward women. There are no suspects, no witnesses, and no one who is sorry that he’s gone.
Annie can’t resist the pull of a recent murder that may be connected to an old cold case. Annie and Frost aren’t sure if the two cases are connected, and the person who knows the answer isn’t talking.
Angel Cisneros, Annie’s husband, is struggling to recover after their brush with death, and his ability to tolerate the repercussions of her involvement with Frost is at an end. Annie may be forced to choose between helping Frost or concealing what she’s doing from Angel—something she’s never done.
Colorado native and former OR nurse, Helen Starbuck is an award-winning author of The Annie Collins Mystery Series.
While she lays no claim to the coffee empires, she does fondly foster two crabby cats and a 22-year-old pampered pasture-pet horse.
When she’s not writing, you can find her dressing up like a princess and ballroom dancing with her friends or reading books about strong women and interesting men who find themselves in suspense-filled situations.
Sisters in Crime – CO member, Margaret Mizushima has announced the upcoming release of STANDING DEAD, her eighth Timber Creek K-9 Mystery. The Timber Creek K-9 books are police procedurals. Each adventure contains a combination of K-9 cops, veterinary work, and family relationships as well as a murder case to investigate and solve.
In this episode, the case for Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo becomes personal when Mattie’s mother vanishes without a trace. After a dead man is found tied to a standing dead pine in the beetle-killed forest near Timber Creek, Mattie is forced to play cat and mouse with a killer.
In a last-ditch gambit, she goes undercover into the killer’s lair to try to save her mother—or die trying. STANDING DEAD can be found wherever books are sold and is available for preorder now. The book releases March 7th.
Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. Active within the writing community, Margaret serves as past president for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, was elected the 2019 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is also a member of Northern Colorado Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Women Writing the West.
The Lefty Awards Are Back! This year’s Left Coast Crime Convention’s annual banquet and awards presentation takes place on Saturday, March 18, at the El Conquistador Resort in the Oro Valley of Tucson, Arizona.
Left Coast Crime is an annual mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, including readers as well as authors. This LCC celebration takes place first quarter of the year in Western North America. Conventions have been held from Anchorage to El Paso, from Denver to Hawaii.
The convention honors writers in these categories:
Best Humorous Mystery Novel
Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bruce Alexander Memorial)
Best Mystery Novel
Best Debut Mystery Novel
These are the nominees for 2022 awards:
Lefty Nominees for Best Humorous Mystery Novel
Ellen Byron, Bayou Book Thief (Berkley Prime Crime)
Jennifer J. Chow, Death by Bubble Tea (Berkley Prime Crime)
A.J. Devlin, Five Moves of Doom (NeWest Press)
T.G. Herren, A Streetcar Named Murder (Crooked Lane Books)
Catriona McPherson, Scot in a Trap (Severn House)
Lefty Nominees for Best Historical Mystery Novel (The Bill Gottfried Memorial) for books set before 1970)
Dianne Freeman, A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (Kensington Books)
Catriona McPherson, In Place of Fear (Severn House)
Wanda M. Morris, Anywhere You Run (William Morrow)
Karen Odden, Under a Veiled Moon (Crooked Lane Books)
Ann Parker, The Secret in the Wall (Poisoned Pen Press)
Iona Whishaw, Framed in Fire (Touchwood)
Lefty Nominees for Best Debut Mystery Novel
Erin E. Adams, Jackal (Bantam Books)
Eli Cranor, Don’t Know Tough (Soho Crime)
Ramona Emerson, Shutter (Soho Crime)
Meredith Hambrock, Other People’s Secrets (Crooked Lane Books)
Harini Nagendra, The Bangalore Detectives Club (Pegasus Crime)
Rob Osler, Devil’s Chew Toy (Crooked Lane Books)
Jane Pek, The Verifiers (Vintage Books)
Lefty Nominees for Best Mystery Novel
Kellye Garrett, Like a Sister (Mulholland Books)
Laurie R. King, Back to the Garden (Bantam Books)
James L’Etoile, Dead Drop (Level Best Books)
Gigi Pandian, Under Lock & Skeleton Key (Minotaur Books)
Louise Penny, A World of Curiosities (Minotaur Books)
Valerie Webster and Driven: A Rita Mars Thriller in the spotlight via Author of the Day interview.
Make your next book club event an author event with a writer who’s lived the cases, developed the crime fighting technologies. Contact Valerie Webster today.
