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Member News September 2025

Meet Eileen Trauth

Image of Eileen TrauthI write in a variety of genres. I retired as a college professor in 2017. During my academic career I published ten nonfiction books and an award-winning play, iDream, based on my research. My poetry appears in Ordinary Time (Kelsay Books), as well as in print and online journals, and several anthologies.

My current prose writing projects include a historical murder mystery, and a family memoir. I find that my experience writing poetry has been very helpful in my fiction writing. My interest in writing a historical mystery novel grew out of my genealogy work. The characters I uncovered became the inspiration for my novel.

My mystery-writer sister, Suzanne Trauth, introduced me to Bouchercon, which I have attended with her since 2018. The conference panels and author interviews have been a source of valuable insights about mystery writing. It was at Bouchercon that I learned about Sisters in Crime. I have attended SinC workshops, both at Bouchercon and virtually. I have also taken several Jane Friedman courses on aspects of novel writing.

I am a member of the Greater Cincinnati Writers League, the Ohio Poetry Association, Fourth Friday International Poetry Group, Sisters in Crime, Derby Rotten Scoundrels and Queer Crime Writers. My wife, Kathy, and I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. www.eileentrauth.com.


Rhonda Lane

Rhonda announces that her first novel, Fatal Image, has been released and can be found on Amazon.

Rhonda has been a stringer news photographer, a reporter with a split beat covering “cops & courts” as well as feature stories, and a TV broadcast technician for live and recorded programming. In her TV days, her colleagues dubbed her “Chyronda” for her ability with a computer graphics generator during live news and sporting event coverage. In her print journalism days, she helped her small metro daily newspaper bring cameras into the courtroom for the first time.

As for her equestrian credentials, she grew up in rural Kentucky, but circumstances prevented her from being a lifelong horsewoman. In midlife, she entered the equestrian world as soon as she could after healing from a health scare.

For twelve years, she ran the horses-in-culture blog known as The Horsey Set Net.

She lives with her husband and their cats in an oak grove in New England.


Lynn Slaughter

book cover of Missing MomLynn’s most recent novel, MISSING MOM, has been long listed for the M&M Chanticleer Awards. Lynn said “even to get that far feels great!”

Lynn also wants to thank translator Lynn Taylor, MISSING MOM is now available in German!

 

 

 

 

 


Congratulations!

Trace Conger – Elements of Suspense Video

Trace Conger spoke to our chapter today on Writing the Thriller – Elements of Suspense. It was very informative! Watch below:

Trace Conger is an award-winning author in the crime, thriller, and suspense genres. He writes the Connor Harding (Thriller) series and the Mr. Finn (PI) series, among others. His Connor Harding series follows freelance Mirage Man Connor Harding as he solves problems for the world’s most dangerous criminals. The Mr. Finn series follows private investigator Finn Harding as he straddles the fine line between right and wrong. Conger won a Shamus Award for his debut novel, THE SHADOW BROKER. His novel, FIVE WILL DIE has been optioned for film and will go into production in 2026.

Member News – August 7, 2025

Lynn Slaughter

 

Lynn Slaughter is excited to share that MISSING MOM is the 2025 Readers Favorite Bronze Medal winner in the young Adult-Mystery genre.

 

 

See the results here:  Readers’ Favorite 2025 Award Contest Winners

 

 

 

 


Lynda Rees and Lorena Peter

Flyer for event Lynda Rees and Lorena Peter will be participating in the event described on this flyer.

 

 

 

 

 


Killer Nashville and Appalachian Writer’s Conference

Image of Pamela Hirschler, Susan Bell, and Lynn Slaughter

KILLER NASHVILLE

Four members of our chapter attended 2025 Killer Nashville: pictured (l to r): Pamela Hirschler, Susan Bell, and Lynn Slaughter. Also attending, but too sly to be captured on film: Gloria Casale!

Lynn did several panels, and Pam moderated two panels. We hope they will share their experience with us at the next opportunity.

 

 

APPALACHIAN WRITER’S CONFERENCE (BEREA)

Gloria Casale imageGloria Casale and Susan Bell attended this year’s Appalachian Writer’s Conference. It was great fun, especially watching one of our panelists, Gery L. Deer perform Flash Fiction ‘on the fly’ using his manual typewriter from around 1950. Very entertaining. And speaking of Flash Fiction, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my sister, Whitney Vale, won the 2025 Appy Award for Flash Fiction!

 

 

 

 


Congratulations!

Member News – August 10 2025

LYNN SLAUGHTER

Lynn did a guest post on Joy E. Held’s substack newsletter, Writer Wellness

Lynn’s guest post, EXPLORING THE STORY THAT CAME BEFORE THE STORY,  explores her interest in missing persons’ cases. From the article:

After I’d written MISSING MOM, I discovered that what I had done is called a “time slip novel,” in which interconnected stories from different time periods appear. Although time slip novels are not uncommon, this marked the first time I’d ever attempted one, and I found it exciting to try something that was new for me as a writer.

 

Congratulations!

DRS Speaker: Trace Conger – Elements of Suspense September 13

Trace Conger will speak to our chapter on:  Elements of Suspense

Trace Conger is an award-winning author in the crime, thriller, and suspense genres. He writes the Connor Harding (Thriller) series and the Mr. Finn (PI) series, among others. His Connor Harding series follows freelance Mirage Man Connor Harding as he solves problems for the world’s most dangerous criminals. The Mr. Finn series follows private investigator Finn Harding as he straddles the fine line between right and wrong. Conger won a Shamus Award for his debut novel, THE SHADOW BROKER. His novel, FIVE WILL DIE has been optioned for film and will go into production in 2026. 

See below for time and zoom information for our chapter meeting.

 

Chapter Meeting Details

  • DateSeptember 13, 2025
  • Time

Business Meeting: 11:30 am

Guest Speaker:  Noon

 

This meeting will be zoom only. Please use the following link to register. 

Zoom Registration Link