Killer Nashville Awards Update

Well, I didn’t win a Silver Falchion for Larceny & Last Chances, but it truly  was an honor to be nominated. The winner in the best Anthology/Collection category was DAY by Patrick Kitson. Congrats Patrick! Here’s a list of all winners/finalists. And I do have that very cool Finalist medal.

More Scams Directed at Authors

They just keep coming. Last month, I told you about two scams. One that offered higher SEO (search) rankings and another that promised a “free” visibility snapshot. I’ve decided to use this platform (my voice) to share one of these scams each month. Hopefully it will warn the unsuspecting newbie or naive author. This month’s is about getting reviews (the Dear Esteemed Author is the first tip-off, but it really is surprising how well written these are now).

Dear Esteemed Author,

I lead a community of over 800 highly engaged readers across the USA, UK, Europe, and Africa avid bibliophiles who don’t just read books; they experience them.

These are not casual skimmers. They are the kind of readers who seek out meaningful work, engage deeply with it, and leave thoughtful, honest feedback particularly on platforms like Goodreads and Amazon.

We’ve built a system that connects impactful books with the right readers, those who take the time to reflect, discuss, and share the core message an author intended. Many of our members also host book circles, write long-form reviews, and share their reading experience across platforms like Medium, Reddit, and Twitter.

We’re currently curating a new selection of titles, and your book stood out. I believe it could resonate powerfully within our network.

If you’re open to having your work placed into the hands of thoughtful, genre-aligned readers, we’d be thrilled to introduce it to the group. There’s no obligation, just real engagement and genuine feedback from readers who care about the craft.

If this speaks to you, reply with “Interested” and I’ll share what next steps look like.

Warm regards,

Petrisia

AI Theft & Lawsuit

You may (or may not be) aware that thousands of novels and story collections were stolen for use in AI training (that’s right, authors were not paid for their work nor were we asked if we approved the use of their work for AI training). Several well-known authors filed a lawsuit. You can read about bestselling author David Baldacci’s testimony here.

A law firm in the U.S. is now working towards a class action lawsuit. Initially, this was only going to be for U.S. authors, but now they’ve clarified that they will welcome authors outside of the U.S. I’ve added my name and list of books to be considered as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. I’ll find out later this year if my application is accepted. I expect it will be, as I was able to provide the book titles and ISBNs with my application.I

Here is the database to see whether they have used your published writing (hint, you don’t need to set up an account, just click out of that popup):

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/search-libgen-data-set/682094/

Here is the now-revised online form to sign up as part of the class in the class action suit:

https://www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-author-contact/

Copyright

Theoretically, a creator’s work is copyright-protected the minute it’s created but filing for Copyright in the country you reside offers additional protection/proof, which might be required in court (see AI lawsuit above). The wonderful Writer Beware website has a great post on this.

I’ve also covered Copyright in some detail in both my books on publishing (bit of shameless self promotion here). Available separately or in box set of two in e-book, print, and on Audible and iTunes.

PS: I also do online and in-person presentations. 

Crime Writers of Canada Newsletters (Ontario/GTA Regions)

I’ve been asked to contribute to the Ontario/GTA CWC newsletter and have done so since April. So, too, have several CWC members. If you’re interested, you can now find these on author/CWC Board Member Lorne Tepperman’s website. My personal favorite contributions are from short story author Susan Daly (you might recognize her name from all five of my Superior Shores Anthologies). Susan is brilliant at creating miniature scenes.

Works in Progress

Enzo Update