LI Mystery Writers Come to Port Jeff Library Bearing Gifts

It is no mystery where some of the best crime writers on Long Island spent their Saturday afternoon.

They were right here in the village at the Port Jefferson Library to talk about their sorority of authors dedicated to mystery writing called Sister in Crime and to tell audience members about their latest tales. According to the American Library Association, the organization’s mission is to “promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry.”

Read a Port Jefferson library blog interview with mystery author and president of the Long Island Chapter of Sisters in Crime Charlene Knadle.

Although it’s called the “sisters” in crime, according to Kathleen Ryan, vice president of the Long Island chapter, there are male members of the group. She called them “misters in crime” or “brothers in crime.” Librarian Monica Williams organized the event for the library to celebrate National Library Week. The range of themes from these authors runs from children’s books to murder mysteries.

Read Port Jefferson Library blog interview with mystery author Marilyn Levinson.

All the authors are all from Long Island with some living as close as the Three Village area. One author, Toby Speed, set her novel in the village of Port Jefferson. Speed introduced her book, Death Over Easy, at the event and described a bit of the research that went into writing the story, including a ride in an acrobatic airplane with air show pilot Michael Mancuso. She went from white-knuckle flyer to getting her pilot’s license after the experience. Her book – available this September from Five Star Publishing – is about the murder of a pretty, young diner cook who winds up face first in a bowl of blueberry pancake mix.

Click here to read Port Jefferson Library blog interview with author Toby Speed.

The writers also came to bestow a $1,000 award on the library as a part of their national organization’s “We Love Libraries” competition through the American Library Association’s “Library Champions” program. The money, according to Williams who took note of the competition last August and filled out the application for the library, can be used to buy new books. Williams said she thinks that the Port Jefferson Library is the first library in New York State to win the award.

You can check out the Long Island chapter of Sisters in Crime on the web by following them on Twitter at @LI_SinC, or on Facebook. They also have a blog.