Looking Forward to Mystery Short Story Award Season

by Paula Gail Benson

The time is quickly approaching for recognizing short story excellence in the mystery field. The following authors have been nominated for Agathas for their short stories, an award presented at the Malice Domestic conference at the end of April:

Best Short Story

“Double Deck the Halls” by Gretchen Archer (Henery Press)
“Whose Wine is it Anyway” by Barb Goffman in 50 Shades of Cabernet (Koehler Books)
“The Night They Burned Miss Dixie’s Place” by Debra Goldstein in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (May/June 2017)
“The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn” by Gigi Pandian (Henery Press)
“A Necessary Ingredient” by Art Taylor in Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Seat (Down & Out Books)

Please notice that each of the nominated stories has a link that will allow you to read it. Let me assure you that you’ll enjoy each one. Next month, we’ll have an interview with the authors.

In 2013, I surveyed the awards given to mystery short stories in a post for Writers Who Kill. Here’s a link to that post: http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/2013/08/awards-for-writing-mystery-short-stories.html

For a comprehensive list of crime fiction awards given internationally, please click on this link.
http://awards.omnimystery.com/mystery-awards.html

Here’s an update of national awards given to mystery short stories:

Agatha

The Agatha Awards have been presented since 1988 by Malice Domestic at its annual conference. The awards recognize the traditional mystery written in the style of Agatha Christie, having no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence.

Nominees are selected by ballot from persons registered for the conference by December 31.

Nomination forms are tallied by the Agatha Committee. The top five choices in each category are placed on the ballot. Attendees vote by secret ballot at the conference and the awards are presented at the banquet. The awards are porcelain tea pots.

For more information, see: http://www.malicedomestic.org/agathaawards.html

Anthony

The Anthony awards, named for Anthony Boucher (writer, critic, and a founder of the Mystery Writers of America) have been presented since 1986 at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. The Anthonys feature a Best Anthology category as well as best short story. In Toronto, the Anthonys included a category for Best Novella for a work of 8,000-40,000 words. B.J. Stevens posthumously won the inaugural award for “The Last Blue Glass.”

Nominating ballots are emailed to the registered attendees. Awards are determined by the persons attending Bouchercon.

For more information, see: https://www.bouchercon2018.com/anthony-awards/

Black Orchid Novella

Entries of 15,000 to 20,000 words submitted by May 31 are eligible for the Black Orchid Novella Award. The winner is announced at the The Wolfe Pack’s (a society devoted to Nero Wolfe) Annual Banquet. The award winning story has often been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

For more information: http://www.nerowolfe.com/htm/literary_awards/black_orchid_award/Black_Orchid_award_proc.htm

Derringer

The Derringer Awards, named after the palm-sized handgun, have been presented since 1997 by the Short Mystery Fiction Society (SMFS). Presentations are made in March. Members and editors may submit stories for an initial blind consideration by volunteer judges who select five nominees in each category. To be eligible to vote for the awards, a person must join the SMFS by December 31.

The awards are presented by category: (1) best story of 1000 words or less; (2) best story of 1001 to 4000 words; (3) best story of 4001 to 8000 words; and (4) best story of 8001 to 17,500 words. 

Best Flash Story (Up to 1,000 words)
Best Short Story (1,001 to 4,000 words)
Best Long Story (4,001 to 8,000 words)
Best Novelette (8,001 to 20,000 words)

See the following web page for the complete selection procedure: https://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2008/08/smfs-derringer-awards-procedure.html 

Edgar 
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards have been presented annually since 1946 by the Mystery Writers of America. Authors who submit their stories for consideration must meet the requirements for active status in the MWA whether or not they are members of MWA. For more information, see:

http://theedgars.com/

Short stories are considered works up to 22,000 words from approved magazines, periodicals, anthologies, and websites. Submissions meeting the requirements may be made online at:

http://mysterywriters.org/edgars/entry-form-for-short-story/

The Robert L. Fish Memorial Award is presented for the best first published mystery short story by a previously unpublished author.


Macavity
Each year since 1987, members of the Mystery Readers International organization vote and present the Macavity awards in four categories. The Macavity award is named for T.S. Eliot’s  "mystery cat" in the Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. For more information, see: http://mysteryreaders.org/macavity-awards/

Shamus
Honoring publications since 1981, the Shamus awards, created by Robert J. Randisi, have been presented by the Private Eye Writers of America. PWA committee members select the nominees and winners in a manner similar to the Edgar selections. A “private eye” is considered the protagonist of a mystery who is a professional investigator, but not a police officer or government agent. For more information, see: http://www.privateeyewriters.com/shamus_awards.html


Silver Falchion
For the last two years, an award for the best anthology or collection has been presented at Killer Nashville, which honors recipients with the Silver Falchion. For more information, see: https://killernashville.com/awards/silver-falchion-award/

Thriller


Presented since 2006 by the International Thriller Writers, the Thrillers are announced at the annual Thrillerfest conference. Short stories of up to 35,000 words are considered so that novellas qualify for submission. An entry must be published in print or e-zine format during the previous year. For more information, see: http://thrillerwriters.org/programs/award-nominees-and-winners/

Why I Like the Word Send by Debra H. Goldstein

For a writer, “end” often is considered the most wonderful word. I prefer adding an “s” and changing “end” to “send.” Why? Because until a story is accepted and published, I don’t consider it to be a final piece. Rather, the story can be edited and improved.

Often, a writer thinks a story is ready for publication, but when it is rejected, the writer realizes there are ways to make it better. For example, I recently submitted a story, Day After Thanksgiving Soup, to an open anthology call. The story received fair consideration, but ultimately was rejected. After receiving notice of the rejection, I read the story again and several things jumped out at me. Even though I had thought the story was written and edited to perfection before I submitted it, I now saw several flaws. There was an instance of poor word choice and several places I could tighten the tale. I revised the piece and sent it to Mystery Weekly. A few days later, I received word Mystery Weekly wanted to purchase it. Last week, not only did Day After Thanksgiving Soup appear in the paperback version of Mystery Weekly, it was featured on the cover.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written a short story, submitted it, had it rejected, rewritten it and found a home for the “new and improved” version. In fact, in a few instances, the rejection step occurred multiple times, but the final published piece was always far better than the one I started with. The same has held true with my novels.

Whenever they were rejected or criticized by an agent, publisher, or beta reader, I carefully reviewed their comments and looked to see if there was a way to make the manuscript better. There almost always was.

Writing is an ongoing process. If one willingly revises and is flexible, one’s writing is going to improve. The consequence of improvement is more acceptances – even if it isn’t at the first point of submission.

How many times was your typed “end” really “send?”

Are Blogs Passe?

Are Blogs Passe? by Debra H. Goldstein

When my first book, Maze in Blue, a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus in the 1970’s was about to be published, I was advised to quickly create a website, social media presence, and a blog. The result was:

Website: www.DebraHGoldstein.com

Twitter: @DebraHGoldstein

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-h-goldstein-72473a11/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraHGoldsteinAuthor/

Personal blog, “It’s Not Always a Mystery” – www.DebraHGoldstein.com/blog

I was set, or so I thought. What I discovered during the time that elapsed between the original publication of my 2012 IPPY award winning Maze in Blue, its reissuance by Harlequin Worldwide Mystery as a May 2014 selection, and Five Star’s 2016 publication of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery, was that technology changed what was needed to attract readers. Websites had to be more interactive and mobile friendly, pictures and crafts demanded a presence on Instagram and Pinterest, and besides having a personal blog, it was beneficial for emotional support and reaching other readers to be part of a group blog, like The Stiletto Gang.

Of course, even though it meant redesigning my website, devoting more time to social media, and writing three blog posts a month (I write the Stiletto Gang blogs posted on the 2^nd and 4^th Fridays of the month and alternate having a guest post or one by me every other Monday for It’s Not Always a Mystery), I complied. In my free time, I enjoyed life, produced twenty short stories that have been published and a few still looking for a home, and wrote the first book for a new series that will soon be shopped by my agent.

In five years, both the world of publishing and suggested means of connecting with readers has

changed significantly. One of the most discussed things is the role of the blog. Some argue, there are simply too many, so none are being read. Others contend blogs are the only thing giving readers a consistent way of interacting with an author by providing an opportunity to read and comment on their thoughts and activities.

Personally, making blog deadlines is sometimes onerous, but I’m always glad when I complete one. I like sharing a bit of myself with you. I also enjoy reading blogs written by others. I always read everyone’s postings on The Stiletto Gang because we are all so different. Although I may not always write a comment on the blog itself or when it is reprinted on our Facebook page, I respect and value the different views we express.

But, what do you think about blogging? Do you think they have served their purpose? Do you look forward to them? Do you prefer ones written by individuals like It’s Not Always a Mystery or group blogs that appear more often, but are written by more authors like The Stiletto Gang?  

Where I Work

Where I Work by Debra H. Goldstein

When I wrote my first author bio, I noted my ideas and my writings are diverse. Consequently, I named my personal blog (www.DebraHGoldstein.com/blog) “It’s Not Always a Mystery.” That blog title still captures my personality and authored works perfectly, but recently, I noticed there is another area in which I vary what I do – where I write.

I’ve always kidded if I can see water, even if it is bathwater, I am my most productive. That holds true – rolling ocean or gulf waves, rippling lakes, or placid tub water all calm me enough to create or clarify thoughts. Unfortunately, I live in a landlocked area and since my November foot surgery, I’ve been limited to showers (that’s another story to be told --- think fat naked lady trying to decide if she needs to call 911). Consequently, I’ve had to find other places for stimulation.

As I write this and later today do a final edit on what I hope will be my next book, I’m sitting in my living room in a one-hundred plus year old chair (recovered a couple of times during that period) that originally belonged to my grandmother. This room, decorated in blue, gold and orange is my favorite in the house we downsized to twelve years ago. It is bright, but comforting. The colors are restful, but bold. Two chairs, an ornate couch, and four mahogany tables belonged to my grandmother, my aunt, and then to me. Two end chairs, with backs that make me think of a harp, perhaps because they are placed near the piano bought for me when I was six, were my mother’s pride and joy. There is a mirror and vases over the fireplace, inherited from my

mother-in-law, that match the two Capodimonte lamps that no one in the family treasured except my grandmother and me. Although I may play music on the piano or through an iPod, there is no television or other distractions. I work diligently in this room and I am at peace.

Working in the over-sized club chair in my bedroom is different. That chair, which was designed for my father, who like me had long legs, has an extra depth of two inches. Add those two inches to the ottoman that can be pulled to touch the chair, and perfect comfort can be achieved. It is a room for drafts – for starts and stops – for formulating ideas and letting them percolate while the television in front of me calls my name to turn it on and make short shrift of my work. Despite my willingness to be distracted in this room, I am proud of the work product produced there.

Ironically, my least productive writing room is my office even though I spend most of my time there. In our former house, my office was a 600-square foot sanctuary with a wall lined with bookcases. When we downsized, I adopted a 13x15 bedroom and placed my computer on a credenza between the two windows so I could write looking over the tops of the neighborhood’s houses. I hung an inspirational picture above the credenza. Turning my back to the credenza, brings me to my oversized desk which sits before a smart television. The sides of the room have free standing floor to ceiling bookcases – biography on one wall, mysteries overflowing on the other. Because of the limited space, I had to move novels and literature to the hallway, children’s books, plays, and non-fiction to another bedroom. Although I write some drafts in this room, most of the time, I use my stand-alone desktop to polish manuscripts, make sure spacing and formatting is correct, and to send the final copy from. Paperwork, social media, promotional activities, and all business-related chores are handled in my office. There is creativity present in the room, but it is tinged with reality.

Having had my step climbing limited the past six months, I moved key parts of my office into my dining room (computer, printer, paper, pens). That elegant room now looks like the Martians have landed and it wasn’t pretty. It is not restful or enjoyable to work there. My chair, wonderful for formal dinner parties, is stiff for creativity. The room, which is fun to laugh and spend an evening in with friends, is lonely when I’m alone. Working in there is a stop and go process interspersed with games of spider solitaire. I want my dining room back the way it was meant to be.

The interesting thing to me is how different the places I write or do author related things are. As diverse as they are, they represent the diversity that is part of being an author and what makes me who I am as a person. Where do you write and how does it impact you?

The Merits of Spider Solitaire and Writing

The Merits of Spider Solitaire and Writing by Debra H. Goldstein

When my writing isn’t going well or I’m simply bored, I play Spider Solitaire.  In the old days, before I bought my latest computers, my game of choice was Solitaire.  Occasionally, even now, I’ll play a hand of Solitaire, but usually I devote my energies to Spider Solitaire. I find it more of a challenge, plus it wastes more time.

Let me be a bit more specific. The merits of the game are simple – it is a challenge (I’m still at the mid-level of play), it’s fun, and more important it distracts me from the project at hand for 3-5 minutes.  If I play enough games of Spider Solitaire, an hour can easily fly by.  That’s something that doesn’t always happen with my writing.  When I’m drawing a blank or the words coming out can best be defined as trash, time moves slowly.  In fact, it crawls at a pace that the fastest thing I can do is hit delete and realize the dead feeling I have is despair.

That’s not the case when I play Spider Solitaire.  The hand may not work out, but a message flashes that lets me know I played a good game.  I smile and begin another game.  There is no gap thinking I’ll never find my way.  A click and I’m there.  Not bad, but not good, either.  Because instinctively, I know that if I click away all the hours, in the end I’ll feel worse for not having tried to find a way to communicate my thoughts. 

I write to express myself. I play Spider Solitaire as a means of avoidance.  Both have a complimentary place – the key is to find a balance between the two.  Those who do, write.  Those who don’t, mourn what could have been.

The Year of the Short Story

by Paula Gail Benson

From right, Art Taylor, Debra Goldstein, Cathy Pickens and husband Bob, and me.

Like Debra Goldstein, I’m a writing conference junkie. I completely understand the attraction that compels so many sci fi and graphic novel enthusiasts to flock to cons. First, you’re surrounded by people who have as great a love of the subject as you do, and second, you draw inspiration from proximity to the practitioners.

I’ll never forget my first visit to Malice Domestic about fifteen years ago. Everything about it seemed to spell impossible expectation. The time of year. The distance to travel. Getting leave from work. Arranging for my mother to travel with me. Yet, Mary Higgins Clark would be there, and I was obsessed with her books. When I imagined my future, it was writing novels like Mary Higgins Clark’s.

Somehow, all the pieces came together. Impossibility became reality. I went. Standing in line to get my picture with Mary Higgins Clark, I met Dana Cameron, who has become a wonderful, supportive friend. The photo with Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark has become a talisman for me, a symbol of what I can achieve. When one of my relatives asked who those people were (not recognizing me), I convinced myself I looked enough like an author to be mistaken for one. I’ve continued that happy delusion ever since.

I dub this year’s Malice “a celebration of the short story.” Malice revived its tradition of publishing anthologies with Malice Domestic’s Murder Most Conventional, with twenty two original stories and one reprint all set at conventions. (Another anthology is planned for next year featuring historicals.)

While I missed lunch with the Guppies, I had a wonderful time with Debra Goldstein, Barb Goffman, and others. Barb won her first Agatha this year for “A Year Without Santa Claus,” her first publication in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

At the SinC Breakfast, the announcement of a new initiative, “We Love Short Stories,” organized by Debra Goldstein, was met with applause and great expectations.

I thoroughly enjoyed being on a short story panel with James Lincoln Warren (a first class moderator who brought his panelists California wine), Teresa Inge, K.B. Inglee, and Jayne Ormerod. We missed being with Eleanor Cawood Jones, a contributor to the new Malice anthology, who had became ill. During our discussion time, we explored the diverse themes, characters, and settings for mystery short stories. Jim kindly read selections from each panelist's stories to the audience.  

At the banquet, so many attending had backgrounds as both short story writers and novelists. Terrie Farley Moran, who won an Agatha for best first novel last year, was nominated in the short story category this year. B.K. Stevens, who broke her arm and sadly could not be there, had a table full of supporters, cheering her nominations for short story and young adult novel. (Notice in the photo below that B.K.'s daughter Rachel and publisher Carla Coupe are holding up Her Infinite Variety, a new collection of B.K.'s short stories.) I had the pleasure of celebrating with Art Taylor when his novel in short stories, On the Road with Del and Louise, received the teapot as best first novel.



Hurray for another wonderful Malice and double hurray for the recognition of the importance of the mystery short story. It's going to be a wonderful year for reading! 



Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect by Debra H. Goldstein

Cause and effect. I find the philosophy of causality, that B immediately results from event A interesting conceptually; but as a mystery writer, I don’t believe things happen in a perfectly linear way. My vision is skewed. For me, rather than the main path being A to B, there always seems to be a few A++ along the way.

For example, my “A” this week was the receipt of editorial comments on a first draft. “B” should have been my rewrite. It hasn’t happened yet. Oh, I’ve been thinking about the changes I need to make, but the pluses I referred to have kept B from becoming anything more than a thought in my head. I wonder if your cause and effect ever runs like this:

A – Receipt of Editorial comments
A+ - Read the comments and scratch head to understand them
A++-Go to gym to clear head
A+++-Stop in gym cafeteria for a smoothie and think about how much I hate exercise
A++++-Go home and look at manuscript and manuscript comments. Play solitaire
A+++++-Glance at printer next to computer and remember the paper tray is broken
A++++++-Check e-mail. Notice, conveniently, Best Buy has new printer on sale
A+++++++-Run to Best Buy and purchase printer during twenty-four hour sale
A++++++++-Get it up to my office but notice the office is dusty and cluttered
A+++++++++-Begin two day cleaning-purge four boxes and a bag. Play solitaire
A++++++++++-Set up new printer but have to figure out how to do wireless set-up
A+++++++++++-Shower. Rush not to be late for Mah jongg game
A++++++++++++-Throw concepts around with editor. Play solitaire. Gym
A++++++++++++++-Research and draft remarks for Temple Selichot program
A+++++++++++++++-Review notes, deliver speech and participate in panel. Exhausted
A++++++++++++++++-Write Stiletto blogs and set up It’s Not a Mystery blog
A+++++++++++++++++-Take a nap. Worn out, but mind keeps working overtime
B – Adopt Scarlett O’Hara’s philosophy: “I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

Mystery writing compares to my A to B. Red herrings, turns and twists, and unforeseen character demands prevent the story from merely being simple cause and effect. I’m glad. Think how boring going only from A to B would be.

Writing Camp or Writing Work in Iowa

Writing Camp or Writing Work in Iowa by Debra H. Goldstein

Fun – Freedom – Frolic are all things children experience when they attend summer camp.  I recently had these same experiences plus a constant writing high when I spent ten days as a student at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Everyday responsibilities and obligations faded and were forgotten while I took classes in setting, conflict, and characterization in genre.

The courses combined limited lectures, writing assignments, and critical workshopping. What was probably the most surprising thing is that as much as I learned from my three excellent teachers, I can’t even begin to explain how much I benefited from hearing my work and that of my fellow students evaluated by my teachers and classmates. Their critiques were kind, but nothing was sugarcoated.

Considering how writers often are often upset by bad Amazon or Goodreads reviews, one would think constant writing exercises and critiques would be demoralizing, but they weren’t.  Rather, they were invigorating.  The combination of learning, translating new knowledge into writing, and being given the tools to improve our work product was exciting.

During the ten days I was in Iowa (which really is flat), I was thrilled Kings River Life published my short story, Exotic, ( http://kingsriverlife.com/07/04/exotic-a-mystery-story/ ), Bethlehem Writers Roundtable informed me that its September/October 2015 issues will contain my short story, That’s Where I Buried My Wives, and Five Star sent me the first jpeg cover of my new book, Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery (coming February 2016).  By the time I finished my three workshops, I realized that the goal of learning was accomplished but better yet, I came up with new pieces - a few of which I bet will find homes in the next year.  Not a bad result from going to camp.