It was October 2017 at Bouchercon Toronto when I sat down for coffee with Debra Goldstein. She invited me to join The Stiletto Gang and I was truly grateful to be asked. It had been a bit of a tough year for me, with one of my two  publishers releasing its authors one by one (I was last in, first out) and my Mystery Writers of America-approved publisher showing clear signs of closing shop (they did just that in July 2018). Faced with uncertainty—what would I do, where would my books go—Debra and the rest of the Gang’s warm welcome felt like a giant hug of acceptance. I’ve lived by the mantra “Authors Helping Authors” ever since, and while I did have to step away from the group for a few years, I was once again grateful when, in January 2025, Lois Winston extended another invite on behalf of the gang.

2024 Best Nonfiction for Finding YOUR Path to Publication

Over the coming months (first Mondays if you’re interested) I’ll share more about my writing journey, including the decision to start my own publishing imprint, Superior Shores Press, in February 2018. Under that imprint, I’ve funded, edited, and published four (soon to be five) multi-author anthologies of mystery and suspense, added (and wrote new books) in two series, and wrote and published two books on publishing: the award-winning Finding YOUR Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide and Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie.

Here’s a recap of my mystery series:

The Glass Dolphin Mysteries (3 books): A small town named after a nineteenth-century traitor. A feisty antiques shop owner with a passion for authenticity. A freelance journalist with a penchant for the truth. Join amateur sleuths Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland in the not-so-sleepy village of Lount’s Landing, where secrets, subterfuge, and real estate wranglings sometimes lead to murder.

The Marketville Mysteries (4 books): Calamity (Callie) Barnstable never dreamed that one day she’d be solving cold cases in the small town of Marketville, but that’s exactly where life has led her. Turns out, she’s got a flair for digging up the truth—even when the truth wants to remain firmly in the past.

And this just in as of February 1, 2025: Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense has been  shortlisted for a 2025 Derringer Award for Best Anthology. Larceny is the fourth book in the Super Shores Anthology series.

That’s a wrap for this time, though I’m happy to respond to any questions you might have and always encourage feedback.

Judy

My official bio: A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries, both of which have been published in multiple languages. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited.

With a passion for understanding the ins and outs of all aspects of publishing, Judy is the founder and owner of Superior Shores Press, which she established in February 2018.

Judy has also written two how-to guides to publishing. Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide was the Winner of the 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Nonfiction. The follow-up to that book, Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie, provides an insider’s insight into the world of self-publishing.

Judy is a member of International Thriller Writers, Inc., the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors, most recently as Chair.

She splits her time between Goulais River and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Find out more at www.judypenzsheluk.com.