Guppy History

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

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In June 1995, members of the SinC Internet chapter, then on the Genie computer network, started a land-mail group for unpublished members and posted a notice in the SinC newsletter. Deciding to find out whether the unpublished really could help and "teach" each other, with no formal organization and no road map, members began sharing "round robins" packed with articles on writing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 Diane also named the group the Great Unpublished, nicknamed the "Gups."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.