Guppy History

Guppy Tales: A Short History of Small Fish
By Leslie Budewitz

GUPPY HISTORY: AN UPDATE

The Guppies continue to swim and thrive in fictional waters of all kinds and sizes.

The Guppies became a formal Sisters in Crime chapter in 2005, following years as a Support and Information Group. We share the mission of our mother school, restated a few years ago:

BY THE NUMBERS:

The chapter continues to be blessed with wise and caring leadership. In June 2005, Terry Hoover became president, followed in 2007 by Michelle Martin, and in 2009 by Kim Striker. And in 2008, former Guppy Judy Clemens became president of Sisters in Crime. And in 2009, Sandy Parshall joined the SinC Board.

In January 2006, we celebrated the 10^th anniversary of First Draft with a new editor, Susan Evans, still at the helm turning out one of the best writers’ newsletters six times a year.

In a list poll in late 2005, we discovered members ranged in age from 24 to 76! In May 2006, we celebrated the 300^th Guppy. Membership ebbs and flows each year, and hit 433 at the end of 2009! In mid March 2010, we count 358 little fishies, with 72 new members so far this year, and will no doubt reach 400 soon.

THE AQUARIUM OF FAME:

In 2005, seven Guppies were finalists for Daphne Du Maurier awards offered by the Romance Writers of America Kiss of Death chapter, a noted award for unpublished genre fiction. Our members also include RWA Golden Heart finalists and winners and finalists in numerous other contests. Judy Clemens received the first Guppy Anthony nomination, for best first novel published in 2004.

In 2007, Guppies rule Malice! Sandy Parshall won the Agatha for Best First Novel. Chris Roerden won Best Nonfiction. And finally, after literally more than a dozen Guppy nominations in our history, the St. Martin’s Malice Domestic Contest winner was a Guppy, Meredith Cole.

In May 2008, two dozen Guppies attended Malice, cheering our nominees: Beth Groundwater and Hank Phillipi Ryan for Best First, and Liz Zelvin and Nan Higginson were nominated for Best Short Story. Hank took the teapot for Best First, and Liz won the prize for Most Creative Hat. Two dozen Guppies attended.

Again in 2009, two of the five nominees--Sheila Connolly and Krista Davis--for the Agatha for Best First Novel were Guppies, with a third, Joanna Campbell Slan, a former Guppy. And Guppies did well in other contests, with Su Kopil and Sharon Halasz nominated for RWA’s Daphne du Maurier award for unfinished manuscripts, and Suzanne Williams, writing as Suzanne Adair, named a finalist in the contest for published Mystery/Suspense novels, for her third historical novel, Camp Follower. Jeri Westerson received a Macavity nomination for the Sue Federer Memorial Historical Mystery, and a Shamus nomination for Best First PI novel, both for Veil of Lies. In November 2009: Guppy Lorraine Bartlett, writing as Lorna Barrett, mades the NY Times Bestseller list with her Booked for Murder series.

In 2010, at Left Coast Crime, Jeri Westerson’s Serpent in the Thorns was nominated for Best Historical. And Guppies will again be a huge presence at Malice, with several Agatha nominations: for Best Novel, Lorraine Bartlett writing as Lorna Barrett and Hank Phllipi Ryan; for Best First Novel: Lisa Bork and Meredith Cole; for Best Short Story, Hank Ryan, Kaye George, and Liz Zelvin.

SMALLER SCHOOLS:

Guppies continue to form small groups. In summer of 2005, we added two subgroups: Brainstorming and First Page. In 2006, our first face to face critique group formed, in NYC. In 2007, Leslie Budewitz started Goals for Guppies, a subgroup for members who help each other meet weekly writing goals; in September 2009, Elise Stone became head goalie.

LURING EACH OTHER FORWARD:

The Guppies have a knack for developing contests that help spur us to our goals. In April 2006, the Winter of Rejection Contest hit new highs, as Sheila Connolly and Kadi Easley garnered 24 rejections each in three months – that’s nearly two a week! No surprise, then, that both are now published! In April 2007, Dawn Hawkings Johnson won, and was crowned the Queen of Persistence. Our 2008 winner was Daryl Wood Gerber, followed in 2009 by our first King of Rejection, Jim Jackson. Special thanks to the agents and editors who made it all possible ...

Originally begun to help Guppies who participated in NaNoWriMo–National Writing Month–keep up their gills, the annual Chocolate Challenge in February urges writers to track words written and hours of editing, and congratulate the winner with a mailbox full of chocolate! In 2010, the winner is our current president, Kim Striker–using chocolate to brighten the short days of northern Maine! The Challenge has also sparked other month-long and week-long contests, light-hearted fun to help us push toward our goals: the Spring Fling, the June Jumpstart.

SHORT TALES:

Through Guppy-typical volunteerism and cooperation, we chose 22 stories for our own anthology, tentatively titled Fish Tales. Edited by Ramona Long with an introduction by Agatha-winning editor and writer, and beloved Guppy, Chris Roerden, the proposal began going to publishers in March 2010. Stay tuned!

The Guppies are now one of the strongest and most exciting chapters in SinC. The continued presence of published Guppies inspires new and not-so-new fiction writers who believe that by swimming together, we all become winners.
--------------

My apologies for the inevitable omissions; this update is based on a running list I’ve kept over the years, and no doubt I’ve missed things that should have been mentioned.

IN THE BEGINNING

In June 1995, members of the SinC Internet chapter, then on the Genie computer network, started a land-mail group for unpublished members and posted a notice in the SinC newsletter. Deciding to find out whether the unpublished really could help and "teach" each other, with no formal organization and no road map, members began sharing "round robins" packed with articles on writing craft and the publishing business, and letters about their own experiences. Early members included Diane Cooper Gottfryd of Chicago, Darlene Ryan of New Brunswick, Canada, and Leslie Budewitz in western Montana.

By 1996, membership had grown beyond the scope of the round robin letters. Diane Gottfryd organized the first critique groups, still a mainstay. Critique groups allow members to work with other mystery writers despite geography, time zones, and other obstacles. Diane also named the group the Great Unpublished, nicknamed the "Gups." We quickly became The Guppies. Occasional requests to change the name to "something more serious" have been considered but ultimately rejected by group vote, for lack of better suggestions and because The Guppies have now achieved considerable name recognition.

By February 2002, The Guppies had more than seventy-five members. In 2003, we topped 200, a level we have maintained through early 2005. While membership has always fluctuated as new members' interest levels wax and wane, The Guppies is now well-established with a solid core and reputation both within SinC and the larger mystery world.

WE FORM A SCHOOL, OF SORTS

In 1996, The Guppies sought official recognition from SinC National. At that time, formal chapter status required a specific geographic area (with the exception of the Internet Chapter, whose territory was cyberspace). So The Guppies became a "support and information" group, along with SIGs for writers of young adult and children's mysteries and authors of color. In 1997, we adopted formal membership policies requiring current SinC membership and a willingness to participate and exchange knowledge and experiences. In early 2005, SinC National asked the remaining SIGs to convert to chapter status. The Guppies adopted formal bylaws in March 2005, which must be approved by SinC National. Formal recognition of The Guppies as a SinC Chapter is expected sometime in 2005.

We are governed by SinC National's policies, and thus are unable to run mentoring programs or contests, or compile and distribute articles or lists critical of particular agents, editors, writers or booksellers.

The Guppies share the purpose of Sisters in Crime throughout the world, to:
"combat discrimination against women in the mystery field, educate publishers and the general public as to inequities in the treatment of female authors, and raise the level of awareness of their contribution to the field."

EVERY SCHOOL HAS ITS LEADERS

In 1997, Cristina Ryplansky became the first Guppy president. In early 1998, the first Guppy Steering Committee was established with Cristina as president, Leslie Budewitz as Treasurer, Denise Tiller as Membership Coordinator, Deborah Benoit as Newsletter Editor, and Virginia Cole, member at large. In 1999, Denise Tiller became president, followed in 2002 by Daryl Wood Gerber. In 2003, the position passed to Margaret (Peg) Loudon Cochran. In June 2007, we will elect a new president.

The 2005 Bylaws establish Steering Committee membership as all officers (President, Treasurer, Membership Chair, Web Liaison, Newsletter Editor, and Discussion List Mistress), and members at large (a minimum of one for each one hundred members). Following SinC tradition of recognizing the importance of continuity and the wisdom of experience, the Immediate Past President is a non-voting member of the Steering Committee.

WE TALK AMONGST OURSELVES
As membership grew, a newsletter was established in 1996 to share information and opportunities, interviews, reviews of useful resources, and member news and expertise. Darlene Ryan, the first editor, named it First Draft. Later editors were Kathy Thirtyacre Person, Barbara Lakey, Deborah Benoit, and Lorraine Bartlett. When Kat Cormie became editor in early 2004, newsletter distribution went electronic. First Draft also includes regular columns on forensics, law, and grammar. As The Guppies has grown, First Draft has become an important tool for sharing information and letting writers new to mystery know what we're up to.

As Internet use spread, members gradually began exchanging ideas and manuscripts on line. Cristina Ryplansky started the email list in 1999 and served as the first webmistress. The most popular Guppy attraction, the private list is a terrific way to share both support and information. In 1999, a series of Guppy Chats were held featuring outside guests, but participation was low and the project ended. Critique groups now operate online or by mail. Other lists have also been established to help Guppies improve our craft and break into the business, including Agent Quest, Mystery Analysis, Piranhas (for writers with teeth), and Cozy Gups.

In 2002, Lorraine Bartlett set up the Guppy Web site. Public pages include FAQs about the Guppies, news and Guppy publications, a calendar of mystery conferences and conventions, writer resources, and a sampling of articles. The private pages include a member directory, procedures and bylaws, articles from past newsletters on querying agents, forensics, motivation, craft, and other topics. Starting with 2004, newsletters are available to members only in PDF form for downloading.

Regular updates in InSinC, the national newsletter, keep other SinC members abreast of Guppy doings.

WE TAKE THE BAIT

The Guppies celebrate creative initiatives to expand our activities and spur ourselves to better things. In that spirit, the Winter of Rejection Contest (begun in 2004 by Leslie Budewitz), urges members to submit their work to agents and editors, risking both rejection and acceptance. The winner receives organic dark chocolate – the traditional Guppy method of both consolation and celebration (along with cyber boas, kicklines, and champagne).

In February 2005, we kicked off GunMoll, the GUppy Novelists' Month of Literary Labor, conceived and named by Darlene Ryan. Thirty-one Guppies lit up the dark month by writing more than 700,000 words. Kathy Wendorff won the title of GunMoll Queen, with Susan Palmquist the runnerup, ready to assume the Queen's duties in a heartbeat, should something go awry.

In March 2005, the Guppy Brochure debuted, produced by Darlene Ryan and Kat Cormie. The brochure lists all books published by Guppies. Members are asked to distribute three copies to local bookstores and libraries. In the SinC spirit, call it Blatant Guppy Promotion.

Guppies also participate in SinC National projects. In 2002, Leslie Budewitz served on SinC's Goals Committee and Denise Tiller served on a committee on electronic publishing. Numerous Guppies tally reviews for SinC's Review Project, which tracks by gender the number of mystery and crime novel reviews given by newspapers and other publications. Patricia Gulley edits The Docket, InSinC's list of member publications. Several Guppies serve as officers and presidents of local SinC chapters.

SWIMMING WITH THE BIG FISH

Members too numerous to name have published their first fiction as Guppies, while others have published non-mystery work. Several Guppies have been nominated for St. Martin's Malice Domestic Best First Contest for unpublished mysteries or received Malice Grants. In 2005, an amazing FIVE Guppies received Malice nominations.

As the Guppies break into print in a big way, members have also been nominated for major mystery awards:

- Denise Swanson: Murder of a Small Town Honey, nominated for the 2000 Agatha for Best First; Murder of A Sweet Old Lady, nominated for the 2002 Mary Higgins Clark Award given by MWA;

- Irene Marcuse: Death of an Amiable Child, nominated for the 2000 Agatha for Best First;

- S.W. Hubbard (Susan Werlinich): Take the Bait, nominated for the 2003 Agatha for Best First; and

- Judy Clemens: Till the Cows Come Home, nominated for the 2004 Agatha for Best First.

In the ten years since our founding, the Guppies have proven that the Great Unpublished have much to share: support, information, critique, writing partnership, satisfaction, success, and friendship.





Leslie Budewitz © 2002
This article originally appeared in First Draft, Volume 7, #2, March 2002; updated March 2005.