January 12th marks the forty-seventh anniversary of the passing of Agatha Christie. She was 86 years old. Only the Bible and the Bard outsell her books. No wonder she is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all times) in the mystery writers’ realm.
Christie created two of the most enduring sleuths: Hercule Poirot, he of the little gray cells, and Miss Jane Marple, she of the knitting needles and quiet observations. To say that Christie’s books, especially the Poirot or Marple books, have provided film makers with a plethora of stories is quite the understatement. The number of adaptations for both the silver screen and the little box is amazing, and providing work for so many actors portraying the two sleuths.
The American public met Christie in 1920 with the publication of THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. Monsieur Poirot, meet your adoring public.
Her last book, SLEEPING MURDER, was published in 1976, but written in the 1940’s. This was Jane Marple’s last case.
Overall, Christie wrote seventy-four novels, plus many short story collections. She penned sixteen plays. The most famous, THE MOUSETRAP, opened in London in 1952, and ran continuously until the pandemic of 2020 closed all the theatres. There is a report that the production is finally coming to Broadway in 2023, though no specific details are available.
Not only did she pen mysteries, but her life also provided one: the missing eleven days in 1926. Books and movies have taken over the speculation of this ‘hidden time’ in her life.
A fairly recent publication, THE SCIENCE OF MURDER, The forensics of Agatha Christie, by Carla Valentine, examines how the Dame and her thinking/methods predate the modern science of forensics. The chapters cover the various aspects of the science as we know it today, from fingerprints to toxicology. If you are an aficionado of Christie, this book is a nice addition to your library.
I leave you with some quotations, either from her works or in her own words:
“Every murderer is probably someone’s best friend.”
“I specialize in murders of quiet, domestic interest.”
“The best time to plan a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”
And finally, worthy of contemplation,
“Very few of us are what we seem.”
Remembering Debi Huff
It has been a year since we lost our dear friend, Debi Huff. She continues to be missed. Let’s take a minute and remember her smile and her wit.
Happy New Year 
One of my favorite annual events is our chapter’s holiday luncheon. 
Carol Preflatish reports that she enjoyed a very successful year of selling books, having attended eight events in 2022. 
Lynda Rees’ books, HEART OF THE MATTER and MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS, Reggie Chronicles 2 and 3, launched this month in audiobooks and are available at audiobook retailers.
In this season of Thanks and Giving, I am so thankful for our wonderful Sisters in Crime chapter which has given all of us encouragement, support, and an empowering community on our writing journeys!
Catherine clarified that a developmental editor offers deep and substantive feedback on a novel as a whole, working with story development, plot aspects, dialogue, and world building. A good developmental editor will work to help make the writer’s voice “the most powerful it can be” and point out places where an author is telling rather than showing, as well as over-explaining and not fully trusting “the readers’ creativity to fill in the blanks.”
Whether an author plans to seek traditional publication or self-publish, she strongly advises enlisting the services of an editor. Even something as basic as spelling or formatting errors can be extremely distracting and torpedo a writer’s chances of publishing success. Catherine admits she herself finds it hard to focus on content when she encounters spelling errors. From a behavioral science perspective, Miki points out that writers have only a split second to make a positive impression.
Then, at 4 PM, we’ll have our annual holiday luncheon at Olive Garden on Hurstbourne in Louisville, where we’ll vote on nominees for the board and present the Volunteer of the Year Award to Elaine Munsch. If you do not plan to attend the holiday luncheon, please submit your votes for board positions to Lynn Slaughter, 
Carol Preflatish attended three conferences or festivals in the last month, Prime Crime in Indianapolis, Purrs in the City in Jeffersonville, and the Writer’s Block Festival in Sellersburg. She was joined at Prime Crime by Elaine Munsch and Lynda Rees.
Carol reports finding both Prime Crime and the Writer’s Block Festival “very educational and informative.” And at Purrs in the City, she sold the most books at one event since 2018! She was also interviewed for a magazine article about drinking tea to help with weight loss. The article in which she’s identified as a mystery writer will appear in the print issue of Woman’s World Magazine and will be on sale on or about December 8.
Lynn Slaughter participated in the Louisville Book Festival and the Kentucky Book Festival at the end of October and this month, presented a workshop on “Writing Young Adult Fiction 101” at the Louisville Literary Arts’ Block Festival, where she also did a reading from her latest YA novel, DEADLY SETUP. This month, she’s excited to begin teaching a creative writing class at the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts.
All for now. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we hope to see you on December 3rd!