Elizabeth Sims
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Sims is an American writer.
Author of two series of crime novels, she is also a contributing editor at Writer's Digest magazine.
Sims is best known for her Rita Farmer Mysteries, a suspense series published by St. Martin's Press
Minotaur.
In June, 2008, she launched this series with The Actress. The main character, Rita Farmer, is a single mother and struggling Hollywood actress who is recruited to secretly coach the unsympathetic defendant in a high-profile murder trial.
"Sims crafts a page-turner from stem to stern!" -- Kirkus Reviews
The Extra, second in the Rita Farmer Mystery series was published by St. Martin's Press
Minotaur in June, 2009. Rita, dressed in a police uniform as an extra on a movie shoot is pulled into a real crime scene. When Rita and boyfriend, George Rowe, try to help Amaryllis B. Cubitt, the director of an urban mission, they move deeper into mystery and danger.
"brisk prose and facile storytelling" -- Booklist
Sims moves the action from Los Angeles to Washington's Olympic Peninsula
in On Location, published by Minotaur in August 2010. Rita's sister Gina, working as a film location scout in the forests of the Pacific Northwest
, goes missing, and Rita has no choice but to follow. Foul weather meets foul play as Rita and her stalwart friends risk their lives for the sake of truth--and love.
"Sims orchestrates the action--and occasional comic relief--for maximum impact" -- Publishers Weekly
The popular Lillian Byrd Crime Stories is a four-novel series now available in Amazon Kindle editions, originally published by Alyson Books (New York), beginning with Holy Hell in 2002. The second book in the series, Damn Straight, won a 2003 Lambda Literary Award
. Lucky Stiff and Easy Street followed in 2004 and 2005. The main character, Lillian Byrd, is a reporter turned sleuth whose quest for true love takes her into dangerous places. The series, set mostly in the Detroit, Michigan
, area, is noted for its off-kilter characters and wry humor.
Sims began writing features for Writer's Digest
Magazine in 2006 and became a contributing editor in 2009, specializing in the art and craft of fiction.
She became a correspondent for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
in 2011.
Sims has degrees in English from Michigan State University
and Wayne State University
. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America
, Sisters in Crime
, and
American Mensa.
Novels
On Location: A Rita Farmer Mystery (2010, St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Extra: A Rita Farmer Mystery (2009, St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Actress: A Rita Farmer Mystery (2008, St. Martin's Minotaur)
Easy Street: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story (2005, Alyson Books)
Lucky Stiff: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story ( 2004, Alyson Books)
Damn Straight: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story (2003, Alyson Books)
Holy Hell: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story (2002, Alyson Books)
Short Fiction and Poetry
"I am Calico Jones," short story in Romance for Life, ed. by Lori L. Lake and Tara Young, Intaglio Publications, 2006.
"Play Money," short story in Best Lesbian Love Stories 2004, ed. by Angela Brown, Alyson Books, 2004.
"For Faye," short story in A Woman’s Touch, ed. by Valerie Reed, Alyson Books, 2003.
The Smudge, a populist-style literary journal based in Detroit (now defunct). Poems in Spring 1978, Summer 1978, Winter 1978-79.
Moving Out, a feminist literary annual (now defunct):
- Short story "Beautiful" vol. 13, 1987.
- Short story "Cleva" vol. 14, 1989. Co-winner, prose contest.
- Served on editorial board, 1992-93.
Nonfiction
Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra: Seventy-Five Years of Music on the Strait, with Ned Thomas, published by the symphony, 2007.
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing Writer's Digest Books 2010, Elizabeth Sims, contributor.
Articles
"Spin Subplots Like a Master Weaver " in Writer's Digest
, November/December 2011
"Fan Out!" in Writer's Digest
, October 2011
"10 Things for Every Writer's Bucket List" in Writer's Digest
, September 2011
"How to Gain Perspective on Your Work" in Writer's Digest
, July/August 2011
"The Long and Short of It" feature in Writer's Digest
, March/April 2011
"It's All Relative" feature in Writer's Digest
, February 2011
"8 Ways to Write a 5-Star Chapter One" feature in Writer's Digest
, January 2011
"On the Loose in LA" feature in Crimespree Magazine, #38 Sept/Oct 2010
"10-Minute Fixes to 10 Common Plot Problems" feature in Writer's Digest
, the BIG 10 issue, September 2010
"Write This, Not That," feature in Writer's Digest
, May/June 2010.
"Handsell Your Book: 10 Simple Steps," feature in Writer's Digest
, March/April 2010.
"How to Make Your Novel a Page Turner," feature in Writer's Digest
, January 2010.
"How Even a Bad Conference Can Make You a Better Writer," feature in Writer's Digest
, October 2009.
"A Notebook, a PT Cruiser, and a Week In L.A." feature in Mystery Readers Journal : Los Angeles Mysteries I, Summer 2009
"What Not to Expect When You're Expecting," feature in Writer's Digest
, July, 2009.
"Rough It Up," feature in Writer's Digest
, February, 2009.
"Face-to-Face with an Agent," feature in Writer's Digest
, August, 2008.
"A Hollywood Hunt for Deep Background," feature in Writer's Digest
, December, 2007.
"Start Me Up!" feature in Writer's Digest
, December, 2006.
"Store Wars," lead article in LOGOS: Journal of the World Book Community, vol. 13, issue 2,
(2002).
Book reviews for The Detroit Free Press:, 1991-92.
Official Elizabeth Sims Author Website
Author of two series of crime novels, she is also a contributing editor at Writer's Digest magazine.
Sims is best known for her Rita Farmer Mysteries, a suspense series published by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
Minotaur.
In June, 2008, she launched this series with The Actress. The main character, Rita Farmer, is a single mother and struggling Hollywood actress who is recruited to secretly coach the unsympathetic defendant in a high-profile murder trial.
"Sims crafts a page-turner from stem to stern!" -- Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
The Extra, second in the Rita Farmer Mystery series was published by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
Minotaur in June, 2009. Rita, dressed in a police uniform as an extra on a movie shoot is pulled into a real crime scene. When Rita and boyfriend, George Rowe, try to help Amaryllis B. Cubitt, the director of an urban mission, they move deeper into mystery and danger.
"brisk prose and facile storytelling" -- Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
Sims moves the action from Los Angeles to Washington's Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
in On Location, published by Minotaur in August 2010. Rita's sister Gina, working as a film location scout in the forests of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, goes missing, and Rita has no choice but to follow. Foul weather meets foul play as Rita and her stalwart friends risk their lives for the sake of truth--and love.
"Sims orchestrates the action--and occasional comic relief--for maximum impact" -- Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
The popular Lillian Byrd Crime Stories is a four-novel series now available in Amazon Kindle editions, originally published by Alyson Books (New York), beginning with Holy Hell in 2002. The second book in the series, Damn Straight, won a 2003 Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
. Lucky Stiff and Easy Street followed in 2004 and 2005. The main character, Lillian Byrd, is a reporter turned sleuth whose quest for true love takes her into dangerous places. The series, set mostly in the Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, area, is noted for its off-kilter characters and wry humor.
Sims began writing features for Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
Magazine in 2006 and became a contributing editor in 2009, specializing in the art and craft of fiction.
She became a correspondent for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
in 2011.
Sims has degrees in English from Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
and Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
, Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime is an organization that has 3,600 members in 48 chapters world-wide, offering networking, advice and support to mystery authors. Members are authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by their affection for the mystery genre and their support of women...
, and
American Mensa.
Novels
On Location: A Rita Farmer Mystery (2010, St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Extra: A Rita Farmer Mystery (2009, St. Martin's Minotaur)
The Actress: A Rita Farmer Mystery (2008, St. Martin's Minotaur)
Easy Street: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story (2005, Alyson Books)
Lucky Stiff: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story ( 2004, Alyson Books)
Damn Straight: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story (2003, Alyson Books)
Holy Hell: A Lillian Byrd Crime Story (2002, Alyson Books)
Short Fiction and Poetry
"I am Calico Jones," short story in Romance for Life, ed. by Lori L. Lake and Tara Young, Intaglio Publications, 2006.
"Play Money," short story in Best Lesbian Love Stories 2004, ed. by Angela Brown, Alyson Books, 2004.
"For Faye," short story in A Woman’s Touch, ed. by Valerie Reed, Alyson Books, 2003.
The Smudge, a populist-style literary journal based in Detroit (now defunct). Poems in Spring 1978, Summer 1978, Winter 1978-79.
Moving Out, a feminist literary annual (now defunct):
- Short story "Beautiful" vol. 13, 1987.
- Short story "Cleva" vol. 14, 1989. Co-winner, prose contest.
- Served on editorial board, 1992-93.
Nonfiction
Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra: Seventy-Five Years of Music on the Strait, with Ned Thomas, published by the symphony, 2007.
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing Writer's Digest Books 2010, Elizabeth Sims, contributor.
Articles
"Spin Subplots Like a Master Weaver " in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, November/December 2011
"Fan Out!" in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, October 2011
"10 Things for Every Writer's Bucket List" in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, September 2011
"How to Gain Perspective on Your Work" in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, July/August 2011
"The Long and Short of It" feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, March/April 2011
"It's All Relative" feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, February 2011
"8 Ways to Write a 5-Star Chapter One" feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, January 2011
"On the Loose in LA" feature in Crimespree Magazine, #38 Sept/Oct 2010
"10-Minute Fixes to 10 Common Plot Problems" feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, the BIG 10 issue, September 2010
"Write This, Not That," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, May/June 2010.
"Handsell Your Book: 10 Simple Steps," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, March/April 2010.
"How to Make Your Novel a Page Turner," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, January 2010.
"How Even a Bad Conference Can Make You a Better Writer," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, October 2009.
"A Notebook, a PT Cruiser, and a Week In L.A." feature in Mystery Readers Journal : Los Angeles Mysteries I, Summer 2009
"What Not to Expect When You're Expecting," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, July, 2009.
"Rough It Up," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, February, 2009.
"Face-to-Face with an Agent," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, August, 2008.
"A Hollywood Hunt for Deep Background," feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, December, 2007.
"Start Me Up!" feature in Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
, December, 2006.
"Store Wars," lead article in LOGOS: Journal of the World Book Community, vol. 13, issue 2,
(2002).
Book reviews for The Detroit Free Press:, 1991-92.
Official Elizabeth Sims Author Website