It's Word on the Street time of year!

This coming Saturday and Sunday, May 27-28, Word on the Street returns to Toronto. Author Caro Soles will be hosting her fellow Mesdames of Mayhem at her table. You can find us at Queen's Park Crescent, Booth 22A, not far from the Queen's Park subway station.

I'll be there on Sunday May 28 only--from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The schedule for the other participating Mesdames and Monsieur is listed on the poster above.

There will be outdoor authors' and publishers' book sale tables, and readings on stage. Check out the entire program at the WOTS website.

See you there!

The way we were: Our table in 2022, Rosemary on the left, Blair Keetch in the middle, Caro Soles on the right.

NOIR, an evening on the Dark Side

Delighted to announce that I will be reading at Noir at the Bar Toronto on Thursday April 27. Along with five fellow crime writers: Andrew Daley, Madeleine Harris-Callway, D.J. McIntosh, Howard Shrier and Katherine Walker.

The bar in question? The Duke of Kent Pub, 2315 Yonge Street. Show time is 7 p.m.

So what is noir all about? Well, in noir—or dark—fiction and film, the main characters want better things for themselves, but they keep making the wrong choices. Just like in real life, come to think of it.

I've only recently considered myself a noir writer. In my Pat Tierney mysteries, light generally triumphs over darkness, and good wins out…for most of the characters.

But then I came up with a story titled “In from the Cold,” which was included in Crime Writers of Canada’s 2022 Cold Canadian Crime collection. Its protagonist, Helen, doesn’t set out to be bad, but her lust for a better life drives her to make a few terrible choices.

And I now realize that I enjoy lurking on the Dark Side.

Rob Brunet began hosting Toronto N@B events about 10 years ago, and he now co-hosts with writer Hope Thompson. The April event will be their first of 2023.

See you in three weeks at the Duke of Kent!

Back to the Libraries!

After a three-year absence from public libraries due to the pandemic, the Madames of Mayhem are returning to Toronto Public Libraries this weekend. And we're really looking forward to it!

I'll be joining Blair Keetch, Lisa de Nikolits and Madeleine Harris-Callway at TPL's Alderwood Branch this coming Saturday, Feb. 25, from 2-4 p.m., to talk about crime writing, our novels and stories, and the craft of fiction writing. We'll be available to answer questions and to sign books.

We'd love to see you there! Alderwood Branch is at 2 Orianna Drive in Etobicoke, Toronto. Telephone is 416-394-5310.

Author photos, clockwise from top left: Blair Keetch, Lisa de Nikolits, Rosemary McCracken and Madeleine Harris-Callway.