Our Members
Bev Baraka
Bev Baraka is a member of Sisters in Crime Toronto.
Stephanie Bedwell-Grime
Stephanie Bedwell-Grime credits her love of dark fiction and mystery to growing up in a house beside a graveyard. Although she never did meet a ghost there, it did get her thinking about things that go bump in the night. She is the author of more than thirty novels and novellas, as well as numerous shorter works. She has been nominated five times for the Aurora—Canada’s national award for speculative fiction. Her novelette Fireworks at Dusk won a Readers’ Choice Award from Evernight Publishing.
Website: feralmartian.com
Louise Behiel
L.B. Hill is a Calgary author of character-driven mysteries set in the American Southwest. Her work explores silence, truth, and the quiet choices people make when knowing too much carries a cost. Under her own name, Louise Behiel, she also writes historical and contemporary romance.
Claudia Blume
Monica Bodirsky
Monica Bodirsky is a published author and artist who spends most of her time walking between the natural and supernatural worlds. She has over thirteen oracle and tarot decks with guidebooks published and has short stories published in various chapbooks and magazines. A long-time resident of Toronto, she is currently finishing the second draft of an upmarket mystery with female protagonists and supernatural elements.
Website: monicabodirsky.com
Catherine Burr
Melodie Campbell
Called the “Queen of Comedy” by the Toronto Sun and “the Canadian heir to Donald Westlake” by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Melodie Campbell has won ten awards for fiction, including the Derringer and the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence. Her publications include over 100 comedy credits, 18 novels, and 60 short stories. The Silent Film Star Murders, second in The Merry Widow Murders series, was released March 22 from Cormorant Books.
Website: melodiecampbell.com
Whitney Collins-Wilson
Currently working on her debut novel, Whitney’s writing has appeared in 100 Foot Crow, 7 Stories Anthology 2026, and Whispered Words. She particularly loves a delicious twist that the reader doesn’t see coming. She is a member of Sisters in Crime-Toronto and Writers’ Community of Durham Region, donating time to supporting organizations where writers help writers flourish.
Instagram: whitneycwwrites
Loretta Colton
Susan Daly
Susan Daly writes short crime fiction as her way of crusading for social justice.
Her stories have appeared in a surprising number of anthologies, including from The Guppies, Malice Domestic and Toronto Sisters in Crime. Her tale about the murder of Mr. Collins, “A Death at the Parsonage,” won the Arthur Ellis Award for best short story from the Crime Writers of Canada. She lives in Toronto, where she is known to consort with criminal types like Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers of Canada. She can be tracked down at http://www.susandaly.com/
Website: susandaly.com
Vicky Earl
Vicky Earle is the author of the Meg Sheppard Mystery Series and a recipient of a Canada Book Award. The Meg Sheppard Mystery Series comprise fast-paced novels set in the world of thoroughbred horse racing and centred on country life. Vicky draws on her many years of experience as an owner and breeder (with her husband) of thoroughbred racehorses, as well as her life on a small horse farm in Uxbridge Township. She was the CEO of the Ontario SPCA for several years.
Website: vickyearle.com
Jan Field
Jan Field is the author of the Matt Brennan mystery series set in Northern Ontario. The first book, Yesterday’s Lies, was released in October 2025, and the second book, Silence of the Deep, is to be released in 2026. She was born in Sudbury, Ontario, attended Laurentian University and spent her working life involved in marketing tourism accommodation, both in northern and southern Ontario She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters-in-Crime, Toronto Chapter, and the Writers Community of Durham Region and currently lives in Durham Region.
Website: janicefield.com
Alice Fitzpatrick
Alice Fitzpatrick has contributed short stories to literary magazines and anthologies and is a fearless champion of singing, cats, all things Welsh, and the Oxford comma. Her summers spent with her Welsh family in Pembrokeshire inspired the setting of the Meredith Island Mystery series. She was a third of the way through the first draft of Secrets in the Water, the first book in the series, when she realized this story of lost family history was inspired by her own family. Alice lives in Toronto but dreams of a cottage on the Welsh coast.
Website: alicefitzpatrick.com
Cheryl Freedman
Cheryl Freedman is a long-time freelance editor who edits anything she finds interesting, including crime fiction, academic papers, Jewish mysticism books and articles, memoirs, and more. She was the executive director of Crime Writers of Canada for 10 years as well as the sometime-chair of the Bloody Words Mystery Conference and the current chair of its successor, the annual Bony Blithe Mystery Mini-Con. Cheryl produced the program books for Bloody Words for many years, for the World Science Fiction Convention (Torcon) in 2003, and for the SFContario conventions. She also produced Fingerprints Online (the CWC online newsletter) as well as their annual book catalogues and event handouts.
Cheryl is currently working on two crime series, parlaying (1) her interest in ferrets, fairy tales, and folklore into a fairy tale mystery series featuring a half-ogre/half-human PI and a bipedal talking, fedora-wearing ferret, and (2) her interest in demons, dybbuks, and Jewish and contemporary folklore into an urban fantasy mystery series. She’s had a number of short stories published in various Mesdames of Mayhem anthologies.
Gina X. Grant
Website: ginaxgrant.com
Holly B. Gutwillinger
Madeleine Harris-Callway
Madeleine is an award-winning author of primarily short crime fiction. Her novel Windigo Fire was a finalist for the CWC’s Best First Novel Award. In 2013, she and Donna Carrick co-founded the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem, who have released six anthologies—each with “13” in the title—most recently The 13th Letter.
Website: mhcallway.com
Laurie Kirk
Liisa Kovala
Liisa Kovala is an award-winning Finnish-Canadian author, book coach, and podcaster. She is the author of Like Water for Weary Souls (House of Karhu 2025), Sisu’s Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022), and Surviving Stutthof (Latitude 46, 2017). She writes the Hygge House Nordic Cozy Mystery series under the pen name A. L. Jensen. Liisa is the current president of Toronto Sisters in Crime, past president of Sudbury Writers’ Guild, and is a board member for Wordstock Literary Festival. Liisa is also a member of Crime Writers of Canada, The Writers’ Union of Canada, Canadian Authors Association, and Book Coaches Canada. She is a newly certified Asahi Nordic instructor.
Website: liisakovalabookcoach.com
Laura Kuhlman
Laura Kuhlmann is a Romanian scientist, glob-trotter and emerging fiction writer now living in Maryland, USA. Her short stories and flash fiction have been published online and in print by Reflex Fiction, the Carrick Publishing anthology “A Grave Diagnosis,” Pulp Literature magazine and Bethesda Magazine. Laura is currently editing her first novel, a forensic mystery with police procedural elements.
Stefanie London
Stefanie London is a multi-award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of romantic comedies, cozy mysteries and pulse-pounding thrillers. Stefanie’s books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and “elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have won multiple industry awards, including the HOLT Medallion and OKRWA National Reader’s Choice Award, and she has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA award. One of her books has been turned into a movie! Originally from Australia, Stefanie now lives in Toronto.
Website: stefanielondon.com
Glori-Ann Lumsden
Glori-Ann Lumsden is a member of Sisters in Crime Toronto.
Terry Martens
Terry Martens is an aspiring writer of crime fiction and true crime. She is a member of Sisters in Crime Toronto and the Hamilton Mountain Writers’ Guild. Her stories have been include in The Hamilton Mountain Writers’ Guild Anthologies V and VI. Terry lives in Hamilton, ON where she is currently researching and working on her first “True Crime” novel.
A. J. McCarthy
The award-winning author of crime fiction, A.J. McCarthy is always on the lookout for new ideas. Her friends and family are cautious, concerned they may become a victim in her next novel. Those who are more adventurous offer up ideas and are willing to sacrifice certain family members for the cause. A.J. bides her time, waiting for the right moment and the perfect victim. She hides behind a quiet façade, and few know what she’s really thinking.
A.J. grew up reading Agatha Christie, Sidney Sheldon, and many other masters of mystery and suspense. A lifelong love of the genre evolved.
Website: ajackmccarthy.com
Rob McCartney
Rob’s interest in crime fiction stems from his days as police beat reporter at The Sun Times daily newspaper in Owen Sound, Ontario. Rob has studied novel, screenplay, TV, and comedy at George Brown College, Raindance Canada, and The Second City. His published short stories include The Red Cord (A Grave Diagnosis, Carrick Publishing), The Missing Case of Beer (Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Traditional, Wildside Press), and Tent City (The Mystery Patrons Present Mystery Most International, Level Best Books). Rob lives in Toronto and is working on his first novel.
Rosemary McCrakcen
Rosemary McCracken is the author of the Pat Tierney Mystery Series. Her short crime fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Rosemary lives and writes in Toronto.
Website: rosemarymccracken
Maggie Morris
Maggie Morris is an aspiring comedic mystery and romcom writer who is currently querying MY TRUE CRIME GOOD TIME. You can find her landing page at www.MaggieFindlay.com. Maggie’s day job is as a freelance fiction editor.
Website: MaggieFindlay.com
Lynne Murphy
Lynne Murphy is the author of Potluck and Other Stories and numerous short stories. Her work is usually humorous, though murder and mayhem often creep in. She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada, the Mesdames of Mayhem, and Sisters in Crime.
Carol Newhouse
Carol shares her home with a black cat named Ophelia. When she’s not facilitating yoga in her senior’s building or giving the neighbour dog their daily walk, she writes. Carol produced a debut novel, Hidden Colorado Danger, published by Harlequin in April 2025, and is currently working on her second book. She also writes two columns for The First Draft, a newsletter published every three months by the Guppy chapter of the Sister’s in Crime, mentors for SINC National, and judges books for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense through the Kiss of Death.
Nanci M. Pattenden
Nanci M. Pattenden is an author of historical crime fiction and light urban fantasy. She currently has three series: The Detective Hodgins Victorian Mysteries, Generation Witch trilogy, and D.E.M.ON. Tales. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and the Writers’ Community of York Region. Nanci has completed the Creative Writing programs at both the University of Toronto and the University of Calgary.
Website: nancipattenden.com
W.E. Pearson
W.E. Pearson is a fiction writer working on her third novel. The first book she ever wrote is a Coming of Age, YA/ Middle-Grade novel about resilience for kids facing adversity. It was a dry run into writing to see if she could write a novel. She has a third novel, a Romance Thriller in progress at 48,000-word count, but she has set it aside to work on her Mystery/Crime novel. She is in 5th draft rewrites with her second novel which is a Mystery/Crime novel, as Mystery/ Crime novels and Thriller novels are her passion and forte. She plans to publish the Mystery/Crime novel first, sometime this year (2026). One of her Fantasy short stories placed and won in a Wordhaus Online Writing Contest. She writes in several different genres (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Mystery/Crime, Children, Horror and Literary fiction) to grow her writing craft. She has short stories published in three Anthologies on Amazon (Glimmer, Discovery of Writers and Trembling with Fear – The Horror Tree). Several of her Short Stories are published on the Short Fiction Break website.
Ed Piwowarczyk
Ed Piwowarczyk is a member of Sisters in Crime Toronto.
Lorna Poplak
Lorna Poplak is a Toronto-based writer, editor, and researcher with a fascination for the dark side of history. She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and Mesdames of Mayhem. Her three true crime books are Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada, The Don: The Story of Toronto’s Infamous Jail, and On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison. The Don was shortlisted for both the Crime Writers of Canada Excellence Award and the Heritage Toronto Book Award.
Website: lornapoplak.com
Silva Redigonda
Silva was born in Italy and raised in Toronto. She served 20 years as a Military Policewoman in Europe, the Middle East, and Canada. Silva currently works as a Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Marriage and Family Therapist. She has been writing since childhood.
Website: silvaredigonda.myshopify.com
June Lorraine Roberts
June Lorraine Roberts is a writer of crime Flash Fiction and has been featured by Mysterious Ink Press (UK), Punk Noir Magazine, and Akashic Books. She founded MurderInCommon.com 10-years ago spotlighting debut and mid-list authors worldwide. Murder in Common is a Top 20 FeedSpot crime fiction website. A graduate of the London School of Journalism, June Lorraine is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Short Fiction Mystery Society, and has served as a Crime Writers of Canada Juror and Derringer Judge.
Website: murderincommon.com
Renate Simon
Renate Simon is a reader, though there lurk vague writing ambitions deep in her subconscious. She does, however, have an editing background. Years ago, Renate was assistant editor for our Crime Scene newsletter, and worked on all three of our “The Whole She-Bang” anthologies. Before that, she worked as an editor of maps and scientific reports for the Ontario Geological Survey. Her education consists of studying Geology at the University of Toronto, and Information Processing at Seneca College. Renate made her living as a computer technician before retiring. She’s dabbled in designing websites for fun, and wastes a lot of time doom scrolling on Facebook, see facebook.com/renate.simon.7. She loves reading and has collected books for many years, so many, that now she is downsizing a locker full of them. Her favourites are mysteries, fantasy and science fiction, and any manner of cross-overs between them, especially the cozy and humorous ones. Even better if they feature cats, dogs and horses. Good thing then that mysteries seem to have the most sub-genres of any fiction.
Madona Skaff
Website: madonaskaff.com
Julie Stante
Coleen Steele
Wendy Tippin
Carolyne Topdjian
Carolyne Topdjian is the author of the critically acclaimed gothic novels The Black Moth and The Hitman’s Daughter—the latter which received a starred review from Library Journal. Shortlisted for the Ghost Prize by Fractured Literary, her work has appeared in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine, Firewords Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is a grant recipient from the Canada Council for the Arts, holds an interdisciplinary PhD, and is a professor of fine arts at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. Fittingly, she’s lived in a 100-year-old haunted house for over a decade.
Website: carolynetopdjian.com
Angela van Breemen
Angela van Breemen is an award-winning Canadian author, poet, and soprano soloist. Her paranormal crime thriller series, the David Harris and Emma Jackson Mysteries, includes Past Life’s Revenge (2024) and Revenge Is Not Enough (2025), both recognized by the Global Book Awards and the BookFest Awards. The third novel, Revenge Not Taken Lightly, will be released in May 2026. She is also the author of the poetry collection Whispers in the Dancing Wind (2025) and the album In the Breeze (2024), featuring original songs based on her poetry. She lives in Ontario and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and the Writers’ Union of Canada.
Website: angelavanbreeman.com
Sylvia Warsh
Sylvia was born in Germany to Holocaust survivors and came to Canada as a child. She is the author of the Dr. Rebecca Temple novels, one of which won an Edgar Award, while the other two were nominated for major prizes. Her historical novel The Queen of Unforgetting was chosen by Project Bookmark Canada for a plaque installation. Several of her short stories have been shortlisted for Derringers and Crime Writers of Canada awards. Her new novel, The Orphan, is a historical mystery with speculative elements. She teaches writing to seniors.
Website: sylviawarsh.com
Maaja Wentz
Maaja Wentz concocts tales of magic and mystery. Her first novel, Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer, won a Watty Award. Her locked-door mystery, “Inside of a Dog,” appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, which called it “very original.”
Christine Whitlock
Christine J. Whitlock has written/directed/produced (4) indie horror feature films. Her novella Vampire Dentist was published in 2023. She self-published 10 Flash Fiction Horror Fantasy Crime, Book 1 in E-book and paperback in 2024. She writes in numerous genre. A Hamilton, ON, Canada writer, she has a Magazine Journalism Cert. from Ryerson U, and Creative Writing and Novel Writing Certs from George Brown College, Toronto. www.cjcpinc.com
Website: CJ Creative Productions
Darrow Wood
For decades Darrow Woods wrestled professionally with some of life’s greatest Mysteries, as a pastor and spiritual director. In retirement he has turned to wrangling mysteries on a (slightly) more manageable scale. He is the author of the Rev. Thomas Book Mysteries, which follow the amateur detecting of a forty-something widowed minister who repeatedly gets pulled into solving murders at the churches where he serves. The Book of Answers, the first in the series was a finalist for a Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence. Darrow is involved with two very encouraging writer’s groups in Essex County, Ontario. When he isn’t tapping away at a keyboard, Darrow can often be found riding in police cars in his role as a chaplain with one of North America’s largest law enforcement agencies.
Substack: darrowwoods.substack.com
Kelly Young
Kelly Young has lived all over the great province of Ontario, and travelled throughout the province extensively. A graduate of the English literature program at the University of Waterloo, she moved to a small town on the shores of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario with her husband, and together they raised two sons and a clowder of cats. She has since moved to a small city in further south southwestern Ontario, where she is trying out retired life. Kelly worked as a freelance reporter for many years, switching to full time reporting for the local paper briefly before taking herself to a much quieter bookstore. After coaching two competitive swim teams, she worked at the municipal pool teaching people of all ages how to swim until her early retirement at age 55. Kelly is an avid swimmer who tries to swim at least two times a week. She currently rules over an empty nest with her husband and two ‘Covid cats’ who hide whenever anyone sets foot on even the furthest corner of the property. When searching for her on Amazon or Goodreads, be aware that she is not the erotica writer Kelly Young. The two authors are often bunched together as one, and the best way to find this Kelly’s work is to search using the book title.
Website: kellyyoung
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