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Criminal Pursuits

Partners in Crime is the Boise Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Partners in Crime is open to both writers and readers of mysteries. According to the organization’s brochure “Partners in Crime seeks to educate, inspire, and provide fellowship for mystery readers and writers thereby promoting the field of mystery.”

As part of this of this mission, Partners in Crime holds monthly meetings consisting of a speaker, a business meeting, and a writers meeting.

Each month a different speaker focuses on a different subject, the presentation always relates to writing mysteries. Topics have included law enforcement, supernatural phenomena, using herbs, the writing process, and the publishing industry among many others. Past speakers have included authors, booksellers, detectives, Secret Service agents, psychologists, FBI agents, and forensics specialists.

The Partners in Crime Readers Group reads a different mystery each month and meets at a separate meeting to discuss the book.

In 2002, Partners in Crime developed Criminal Pursuits, a critiquing service for authors, to help writers write better books as well as to raise funds for the organization. The funds raised are used to arrange activities to enhance members writing and encourage the reading of mysteries. The service is particularly valuable to those who don’t have a critique group or who want an objective opinion from people who know mysteries but don’t necessarily know the writer.

Partners in Crime developed a process for Criminal Pursuits that seems to work quite well. A writer submits twenty-five manuscript pages and a synopsis along with a $25.00 check or money order. At the next Partners in Crime meeting, four members will volunteer to read the full submission and provide feedback. An evaluation form developed by members of Partners in Crime aids the submission evaluator in providing helpful feedback. The evaluators are not editors or agents, so the reaction you get is that of mystery lovers, a combination of writers and/or readers. In order to encourage evaluators to feel comfortable giving feedback, they have the option of not revealing their names. If the submitter provides a SASE large enough to return the full manuscript, evaluators will provide feedback directly on the manuscript and synopsis.

The synopsis is part of the evaluation because it is a necessary part of a submission to an agent or editor. Many writers struggle to write the perfect synopsis. By including the synopsis in the Criminal Pursuits evaluation, Partners in Crime seeks to help writers not only write better mysteries but to approach agents and editors with more confidence.

Some evaluators choose to read the pages before reading the synopsis. Others choose to read it the opposite way. This is a matter of personal choice. The important thing is to give the most helpful critique possible.

Generally, evaluators don’t discuss the submissions while critiquing them. It’s not prohibited; however, we want to provide four independent reactions, so it’s assumed discussion will be kept to a minimum. Seasoned evaluators are always willing to explain the evaluation form and answer questions to make sure new evaluators give the best critique possible to the writer’s submission.

A general discussion of people’s thoughts regarding the manuscripts is held at the next Partners in Crime meeting. This provides an opportunity to improve the process, answer questions for those new to critiquing, and to discuss what worked and didn’t work in the submission. Evaluators, especially those who are also writers, have expressed they often learn from seeing what worked and didn’t work and why. As they fill out the evaluation form, they realize things about their own works-in-progress.

Popular Fiction Association of Idaho, Inc. liked the Criminal Pursuits evaluation form so much they borrowed it when they needed to develop a judging form for the Murder in the Grove Mystery Contest.

Overall, Criminal Pursuits is another of Partners in Crime’s efforts to enhance the field of mystery by helping writers better their work and giving readers books they can truly enjoy.

Several of her poems have appeared in anthologies and a short story on an online magazine. She published her first novel, All She Ever Wanted, in 2002. Most recently her short story, Fortress, won second place in the Professional Division of the Idaho Magazine 2005 Fiction Writing Contest. She contributed material from her experience marketing her first book to Book Marketing A to Z. Her poems appeared in Standing, Poetry by Idaho Women (2004 & 2005 editions) an anthology which benefits the Women’s and Children’s Alliance in Boise, Idaho.