Celebrating the Third Virtual Mystery in the Midlands with a Matching Game

by Paula Gail Benson

Longing to attend a writing conference? Here’s one that costs only $8!

On Saturday, July 16, from 10:30 am to 3:15 pm ET, the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime, are proud to present their third virtual Mystery in the Midlands.

Our wonderful participants include keynote David Heska Wanbli Weiden, who will be interviewed by Hank Phillippi Ryan. In addition, three panels will be moderated by Dana Kaye. The panelists are Alan Orloff, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Joseph S. Walker, talking about short stories; Daryl Wood Gerber, Raquel V. Reyes, and Abby L. Vandiver, talking about cozies; and Hallie Ephron, John Hart, and Hank Phillippi Ryan, talking about settings and suspense.

We would love for you to join us. You can register through this link.

If you can't attend the broadcast, by registering, you can watch the recording.

At $8, it's a bargain!

Following is a little game to match our participants with fun facts about them. See how much you know about our distinguished authors and check your results with the answers at the end.

Hope to see you on Saturday, July 16! Don't forget to register:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mystery-in-the-midlands-3/register

AUTHORS

1. Hallie Ephron

2. Daryl Wood Gerber

3. John Hart

4. Alan Orloff

5. Raquel V. Reyes

6. Hank Phillippi Ryan

7. Shawn Reilly Simmons

 8. Abby L. Vandiver

 9. Joseph S. Walker

 10. David Heska Wanbli Weiden

 

FUN FACTS

A. Has been to baseball games in 21 different major league parks

B. Edited Midnight Hour anthology

C. Cheese-phobic

D. Considered being a professional violinist

E. Has 2 rescue Bichon Frise dogs

F. Grew up among writers, but only reluctantly became one after age 40

G. In addition to a writing passion, loves riding a tractor

H. Successfully sued the CIA for information on a sunken Russian submarine

I. Worked as a parrot wrangler at a pet store

J. Has made over 30 fairy gardens

ANSWERS

1. F

2. J

3. G

4. C

5. I

6. H

7. D

8. B

9. A

10. E

Celebrating the 2022 Agatha Nominated Authors for Best First Novel and Best Short Story

by Paula Gail Benson

 

Next weekend, after a two year absence, a group of devoted readers and writers will gather in Bethesda, Maryland, to celebrate the traditional mystery at Malice Domestic. Each year, it’s been a great privilege for me to interview the Agatha nominees for Best First Novel and Best Short Story. Through this message, please enjoy meeting or reacquainting yourself with these wonderful authors, and don’t forget to click on the links to read the nominated short stories!

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you for spending time with us at The Stiletto Gang!

 

Best First Novel
The Turncoat’s Widow by Mally Becker (Level Best Books)
A Dead Man’s Eyes by Lori Duffy Foster (Level Best Books)
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley)
Murder in the Master by Judy L. Murray (Level Best Books)
Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes (Crooked Lane Books)

 

What has been your most unexpected experience with the publication of your first novel?

 

Mally Becker

Mally:

The nomination of The Turncoat’s Widow for an Agatha Award in the “best debut” category is one of the most unexpected and humbling experiences of my life. I am honored beyond belief, and the nomination still doesn’t feel real.

Beyond that, I am gobsmacked by how much kindness has come my way in the wake of writing and publishing this book. There were historians and curators who gave their time gratis, authors (you know who you are) who shared their wisdom and support freely, and family, friends, librarians, and strangers who took the time to reach out and send good wishes.

Each act of kindness feels like a moment of grace, reminding me that, even in this time of discord, there is a tremendous amount of goodness in the world. That revelation has been the most unexpected, welcome surprise of all.

Lori:

Book promotion has been much more time-consuming than I had expected, but what has surprised me most is the level of support I have experienced from my local community. There are huge advantages to living in a rural area. We are spread-out, but we are also tight knit. Everybody really does know everybody even if they are separated by ten or fifteen miles. I expected some support, but not like this. Everywhere I go, people ask when the next novel is releasing. I feel like they are honestly happy for me. I am truly fortunate.

 

Mia P. Manansala

Mia:

I wrote this book after the previous novel I’d written failed on submission–Arsenic and Adobo was meant to be a book for me and my mom, who’d introduced me to the world of cozy mysteries in the first place. So the fact that something I wrote for mostly personal reasons has managed to connect with so many people is amazing and completely unexpected.

Judy:

Gaining an Agatha Award nomination for Best First Novel is an absolute, unpredicted thrill. I’m so, so honored to be a part of this legacy of talented writers. I discovered an amazing community of people open to helping each other grow. I need to do the same in return.

I recently held a two-hour book talk and the joy and fun of discovering how much Murder in the Master readers were totally engaged in my characters’ lives was fantastic. They laughed and questioned and probed.

Raquel V. Reyes

I’d add that for Murder in the Master, launching the storyline with a murder in the first paragraph was a big leap. Pure instinct. Thank goodness so many readers love that opening! I also deliberated, with a whole lot of angst, about the concept of creating my squad of favorite, famous sleuths to help my protagonist investigate the crime. Readers love it. They enjoy seeing these favorites bring their crime solving talents and uniqueness into a current day mystery. They’ve also told me Helen’s personality has struck a chord. She’s quick-witted and likes to verbally spar, especially with her possible love interest, and readers are cheering her along. Overall, I’d like to encourage other writers to get their creativity down on paper. Don’t allow, like I did, life’s practicalities to delay their writing.

Raquel:

In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined that Mango, Mambo, and Murder would get a NYT Book Review.

 

Best Short Story
“A Family Matter” by Barb Goffman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Jan/Feb 2021)
“A Tale of Two Sisters” by Barb Goffman in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)
“Doc’s at Midnight” by Richie Narvaez in Midnight Hour (Crooked Lane Books)
“The Locked Room Library” by Gigi Pandian (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine July/Aug 2021)
“Bay of Reckoning” by Shawn Reilly Simmons in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)

 

How do you create realistic antagonists in short stories?

 

Barb Goffman

Barb:

The process for creating a realistic antagonist is the same as the process for creating a realistic protagonist and other characters. Think about their feelings, their motivations, and their emotional needs, because it’s these things that prompt each character’s actions.

One good way to do this is to put yourself in the characters’ shoes, which will allow you to see the situation in question from their perspectives. With this insight, you should be able to have each character act and react as real people would and also act differently from one another.

In “A Tale of Two Sisters,” Robin is strong while her sister, the bride, is anxious. Robin is determined to ensure the night goes well for Emma. It’s that motivation that prompts her actions throughout the story. If Robin were anxious too, the story would have unfolded quite differently.

Similarly, in “A Family Matter,” Doris reacts negatively to the family that moves in next door, not because she’s a mean person but because she believes it’s vital that this family not bring the neighborhood down. If Doris were more low-key, like another neighbor, Audrey, she would have reacted differently to things the new neighbors did. As a result, she wouldn’t have discovered a certain secret, and the story would have had a very different ending.

So, given that characters could act differently in any situation, it’s imperative for the author to understand who each character is, what motivates him or her, and think about how those motivations come into play with every action. This applies whether the character is the protagonist, antagonist, or even a sidekick.

 

Richie:

The same as you would a protagonist: Make them as tangible as possible. Does he have a favorite flavor of ice cream, a certain way of speaking, a pet cockatoo? Little details help the reader see them as more than just cartoony two-dimensional people. And we should know their motivations. Most of us are happy to pay rent and vacation once in a while, but what makes this person want to kidnap, murder, lie, steal, take over the world?

 

“Doc’s at Midnight” is fairly short, so we don’t get to hang out with the antagonists for very long, but when we do we get their motivation, and we see how it is anchored in a decades-old pain that echoes the struggle that the two main characters are going through, attempting to review and recover from the past.

 

Gigi Pandian

Gigi:

Such an interesting question! For me, in a short story it’s the puzzle itself that’s the antagonist, more than any particular person. The motive of the person behind the crime needs to be realistic, but I’m far more interested in creating a satisfying locked-room puzzle that makes the reader smile at the end of the story because the solution is both surprising and believable.

 

Shawn:

To me finding conflict between characters is one of the easier parts of writing. We’re all wired differently, all based on how we were raised and our life experiences since. The potential for conflict to arise is, unfortunately, all around us on a daily basis. My process is to think about how that character feels about a certain situation, and why they may have an issue, based on their beliefs or a perceived slight or outright injustice they feel has happened to them. It’s fun for me to think how a character might think, and have them react in a way that might be surprising in the face of conflict. 

 

Now, a question for all the nominees:

What shoes would your protagonist (or another character in your book or story) wear to the Agatha Banquet?

 

Mally:

Becca will wear the kitten-heeled satin slippers that Martha Washington gave her just the other day. The shoes are cobalt blue, shot through with shimmering metallic threads and topped with silver buckles. Lady Washington, as she was known, loves shoes and occasionally gifts them to special friends. After all the unpleasantness last winter–the less said about that, the better–Becca certainly qualifies as one of those special friends.

 

Lori Duffy Foster

Lori:

Boots, of course! Lisa would want to look good, but she would also want to be super comfortable. To settle her nerves, you know? So she would choose a pair of leather cowboy boots, probably light brown with a simple design, with about a one-inch heel. It be a pair she has worn often enough to break in, but not so often that they are scuffed or worn-looking. Lisa loves boots. She lives in them.

 

Mia:

This is tough because my protagonist is way, WAY more fashionable than me. She favors dark color palettes and stacked heels, so I’m picturing glittery or velvety black wedges that lace up and have fun, sexy cut-outs. Her mom taught her about couture and famous designers when she was younger, but she cares less about brand names and more about the style and vibe of a design.

 

Judy:

No question, Helen would wear four-inch heels, maybe red. She’d be taking her fashion direction from Nora Charles and Agatha Raisin, who both know how to sashay across a room. Unfortunately, for me personally, those heels have been shoved to the back of my closet. Too many years of heels for work have turned my feet into pretzels. I can hear Jane Marple tsk- tsking in my ears.

 

Judy L. Murray

Raquel:

My protagonist, Miriam Quiñones, a Cuban-American food anthropologist turned cooking show star, is on the practical side—so, probably a simple, classic pump. But if her BFF, Alma, had anything to do with it, Miriam would wear a stylish and strappy shoe with some tasteful bling to it. 

 

Barb:

Robin in “A Tale of Two Sisters” would wear flats. At her last fancy affair, she had to wear heels and they made her evening even more difficult. It’s hard to chase a dog when you’re in heels. So, she wouldn’t make that mistake again. After all, who knows if a dog will crash the Agatha banquet too?

Doris from “A Family Matter” would wear shoes with a narrow, pointy toe and a tall heel. They were the stylish choice for women in the spring of 1962, and Doris is all about projecting the right image, which means she must wear the right thing.

Richie:

Great question! Well, the protagonist of “Doc’s at Midnight,” is actually a character from the 1961 movie West Side Story, Chino, but he’s older now and not flush with cash. So I think he would wear something that harkens back to his past, but not expensive—so, Capezio lace-up dance shoes in faux leather featuring one-inch heels with suede-covered bottoms for shock absorption. In black. Used, but buffed to a shine.

Richie Narvaez

Gigi:

Sanjay would be wearing his signature tuxedo and bowler hat, which he wears when he performs on stage as The Hindi Houdini.

 

Shawn:

Sabrina Westfall, the protagonist in my story, is a former beauty queen, so she would wear heels, but she’s also very sensible and practical, so they would be modest and elegant, much like her. She’d also have an updo and be wearing a lovely gown, chin up and toe turned out for photos (she’s media trained!). 

 

Shawn Reilly Simmons

BIOS:

Mally Becker combines her love of history and crime fiction in mysteries that feature strong, independent heroines. In addition to being nominated for a 2022 Agatha Award, The Turncoat’s Widow has also been named a Mystery & Mayhem finalist in the Chanticleer International Book Awards. The next book in her series will be published in June 2022 by Level Best Books.

https://www.mallybecker.com/

 

Lori Duffy Foster

Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter who writes fiction and nonfiction from the hills of Northern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and four children. She was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, where a part of her heart remains.

https://loriduffyfoster.com/

 

​Mia P. Manansala is a writer and book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.

https://www.miapmanansala.com/

Judy L. Murray is a real estate broker with a not-so-secret passion for deals, divas, and danger. Her passion for mysteries began with smart girls like Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, grew deeper with not-to-be-ignored women like Miss Marple and Nora Charles, and finally evolved into her own gutsy heroine - Helen Morrisey. https://www.judymurraymysteries.com/

Raquel V. Reyes writes stories with Latina characters. Her Cuban-American heritage, Miami, and the Caribbean feature prominently in her work. Raquel is a co-chair for SleuthFest. https://rvreyes.com/

Barb Goffman, a short story author and a freelance crime-fiction editor, has won the Agatha Award twice and has also taken home the Macavity, Silver Falchion, and 2020 Readers Award given by Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. She’s been a finalist for major crime-writing awards thirty-five times for her stories, including sixteen Agatha Award nominations (a category record), and multiple nominations for the Anthony, Macavity, and Derringer awards. www.barbgoffman.com.

Richie Narvaez is the award-winning author of the collection Roachkiller and Other Stories, the gentrification thriller Hipster Death Rattle, and the historical YA mystery Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco. His latest book is the collection Noiryorican. https://www.richienarvaez.com/

Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and locked-room mystery enthusiast. Gigi is a co-founder of Crime Writers of Color, and she writes the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and Secret Staircase Mysteries, beginning with Under Lock & Skeleton Key—which came out in March 2022. https://www.gigipandian.com/

​Shawn Reilly Simmons is the author of seven novels in the Red Carpet Catering mystery series featuring Penelope Sutherland, chef-owner of a movie set catering company. She’s also written short stories which have been published in various anthologies. Shawn serves on the Board of Malice Domestic and is co-owner/publisher/editor at Level Best Books.  https://www.shawnreillysimmons.com/ 

Partners in Crime: Operation Anthology (#giveaway!)

UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS DONNELL BELL! CONGRATULATIONS!

Partners in Crime: you’ve heard of Thelma and Louise, Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Today, we’d like to introduce a new type of criminal duo, Cathy Wiley and Karen Cantwell. Working together, they're publishing the soon-to-be-released cozy short story anthology MURDER ON THE BEACH. Welcome to Stiletto Gang, Karen and Cathy!

We'd like to share with you the pros and cons of working with a writing and publishing partner.

First a little history: we originally met in an online forum sometime in 2010. Later, we were surprised to learn we were both members of the same chapter of Sisters in Crime, and therefore neighbors (well, Virginia and Maryland), after having stories accepted in the chapter anthology.  From there, we became fans of each other’s work, as well as good friends. In 2020, Karen had the bright idea of publishing a themed anthology of short stories, and Cathy was one of the first people she approached. After brainstorming ideas, we thought this would be an easier task if we worked as partners.

 

So, let’s get to those pros and cons…

 

We’re not going to state the obvious, like “you can share the workload.” Unless your partner is that slacker kid from your tenth-grade group project, that should be the case.

We soon learned there are other pros beyond shared workload. 

 

Pros: 

You have someone to bounce ideas off of. This might sound like another duh moment, but it’s amazing how creativity flourishes when two people share ideas. Even the theme and title, MURDER ON THE BEACH, as well as the concept of making it a series came from bouncing ideas back and forth.  

 

Working together is more fun than working alone; we meet at least once a week (virtually) and our meetings are often filled with laughter.

 

Cons: 

Money is involved for cover design, ads, etc. When it’s your own money, it’s your own risk. When you are working with someone else, (not just the two of us, but all eight authors in the anthology who will be sharing profits), it feels harder to take risks.

Finding the time to meet or discuss: Cathy is a night owl and Karen is an early bird. That sometimes made it hard to communicate, since Cathy would have a brainstorm at night, then have to wait until the next morning when she'd read Karen's reply. Likewise, Karen would write an email early morning, then have to wait hours before Cathy would wake up (and get her coffee).

 

Things to watch out for if you are thinking of partnering with someone, whether it be for an anthology or co-authoring a novel:

 

It really helps to like the other person. You’re going to spend A LOT of time with each other, and like some couples found out during this pandemic, it helps if you enjoy that time together.

 

Whether you like them or not, you have to be able to be honest with each other and communicate well. This isn’t the time for white lies—like saying you enjoyed the ending of that first draft of the blog post when you really meant you were just happy that the blog post had ended.

 

You also have to trust the other person and know their vision, especially if other people are involved, like with this anthology. If one of the other authors asked a question, it would take forever if we had to consult with each other before answering. 

 

Finally, don’t take it too seriously. Is it a lot of work? Sure. Everything is. But ultimately, while working your buns off, have fun with the process, talk often, laugh more. You know—like life, it’s all what you put into it.

 

MURDER ON THE BEACH is the first in the new Destination Murders anthology series, coming out on May 28, 2021. It's now available for a special pre-order price of 99 cents. 

 

In addition to stories by Karen and Cathy, there are also short stories from Ritter Ames, Lucy Carol, Barb Goffman, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Shari Randall, and Shawn Reilly Simmons.

 

Karen Cantwell grew up on heavy doses of I Love Lucy and The Carol Burnett Show. She loves to laugh as much as she loves bringing laughter to the world. A USA Today bestselling author, Karen writes the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery series, the Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance books, and currently has a new humorous series under construction. When she isn’t writing, Karen can be found wandering aimlessly, wondering why she isn’t writing. To learn more, visit KarenCantwell.com and If you are on Facebook, join her @KarenCantwellAuthor.

 

Cathy Wiley lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland, with one spoiled cat and an equally spoiled husband. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She’s written two mystery novels set in Baltimore, Maryland, and has had several short stories included in anthologies, one of which was a 2015 finalist for a Derringer Award.

She is currently working on a series featuring Jackie Norwood, a former celebrity chef trying to reboot her career. The first novel, CLAWS OF DEATH, will be published in the fall of this year. For more information about this series and her other books, and to sign up for her newsletter, visit www.cathywiley.com. You can also visit her author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CathyWileyAuthor

 

Ready for MURDER ON THE BEACH? One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of this fun cozy mystery anthology. Just tell us, what's your favorite kind of book to read on the beach?

 

 

 

 

An Interview with the Authors of the 2020 Agatha Short Story Nominees!

by Paula Gail Benson

Each year, it is such a delight for me to welcome the authors whose short stories have been nominated for the Agatha award, presented at Malice Domestic. This year, the event may have been postponed, but that's no reason not to celebrate the authors and their nominated stories! These authors are not only expert at the craft of short story writing, but also dear friends. Their nominated stories offer the depth and emotion that fine storytelling always evokes. Please take time to read each of the stories at the following links:

"Grist for the Mill" by Kaye George in A Murder of Crows (Darkhouse Books)

"Alex’s Choice" by Barb Goffman in Crime Travel (Wildside Press)

"The Blue Ribbon" by Cynthia Kuhn in Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible (Wildside Press)

"The Last Word" by Shawn Reilly Simmons, Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible (Wildside Press)
"Better Days" by Art Taylor in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Welcome Kaye, Barb, Cynthia, Shawn, and Art to the Stiletto Gang!

How do you decide the point of view or who will tell your short story?

Kaye George

Kaye George:

The theme of the anthology was animal group names. You know, those odd ones, like a Murder of Crows (not coincidentally, the name of the anthology)? I looked up a bunch and discovered a Grist of Bees. I got the go-ahead to use that group and so my MC had to be a beekeeper.

Barb Goffman:

This is usually an organic issue for me. I don’t come up with a plot and then think about who would be the best person to tell the story. My stories are character driven, so once I know a character’s story—his/her situation that I want to tell—the point of view to use has already been decided. This was true of my Agatha-nominated story “Alex’s Choice.” That said, sometimes for a story to work, I need to tell it from multiple perspectives, so I do so. (You may be thinking, stories with multiple POV from Barb? I don’t recall those stories. That’s true. They haven’t been published—yet!)

Cynthia Kuhn

Cynthia Kuhn:

Seems to depend on the story—some require access to the protagonist’s perspective and some require more distance.

Shawn Reilly Simmons:

For me every story is different, but I do tend to focus on one POV of a character with a strong motivation to move the story forward. For this particular story, the character driving the story has a strong motivation to take inventory of his friendship with one of his oldest acquaintances.

Art Taylor:

I’ve used a variety of points of view across my stories—both in terms of prose point-of-view (I, you, he, she) and in terms of character (a detective’s perspective, a criminal’s, whoever’s). The narrator of “Better Days” is a journalist who was downsized from a major newspaper and has picked up a job at a small coastal North Carolina newspaper—in the same town where his father now lives, father and son both trying to build better relations in the years since the narrator’s mother died. That father-son relationship is core to the story, and it was important for me to show that relationship through the eyes of the son—both some of the frustrations about the relationship and also some redemption too. While the narrator sets out to investigate the crime here, the dad is the one who steps forward as the detective solving the case—not quite a Watson-Sherlock relationship, but certainly echoes of that, and there are many reasons that Watson is the narrator of the Sherlock stories, of course.

Each of your stories take place in a unique “universe” that becomes an important part of the plot. Which came first, your characters or the setting, or, if they were somehow melded, how?

Kaye George:

My characters were first, and the setting is just their homes and yards in Anywhere USA. I think people have backyard gardens and keep bees in a lot of places, so I didn’t specify where it is, exactly. I’d love for the reader to imagine this is their town.

Barb Goffman

Barb Goffman:

Combo for me. Sometime in the year before I wrote my story, I read a newspaper article about a tragedy involving a California family. They had been on the beach, and after their dog went into the ocean and didn’t come out, the father went in to save him. When he didn’t come out, another family member went in after him, and it went on and on until they all were gone—only the dog survived, eventually crawling out from the water. It was a horrendous occurrence, and I wished I could change things for those poor people. And then my beloved dog Scout died, and I wanted to bring him back. Both of these terrible events were the springboard for my story “Alex’s Choice,” which involves a couple who die in the ocean after their dog is swept away. Thanks to time travel, their child has the chance to go back and change what happened but is unexpectedly forced to make a choice that no one—let alone a child—should have to make.

Cynthia Kuhn:

For “The Blue Ribbon,” the setting came first—in fact, the moment that I read the description of the anthology project, the bakery and competition popped into my head. It doesn’t usually happen that vividly; typically I only get a wisp of an idea that has to be coaxed out of hiding.

Shawn Reilly Simmons

Shawn Reilly Simmons:

It was both in my case—for “The Last Word” I wanted the setting to be a high end restaurant in New York City, a location I can picture very well from my own experiences of living and working there, and a chef who is seasoned enough to have been through the ups and downs of a culinary career—praise, wealth, hunger, professional jealousy, failure. Maybe it’s because I wrote this story very quickly, but the setting and characters came to me simultaneously, I think!

Art Taylor

Art Taylor:

“Better Days” is the sequel to an earlier story that was also set on the North Carolina coast: “A Drowning at Snow’s Cut.” To that end, characters and setting both were already in place for the new story. But I will say that setting helped to determine to a great degree what happens here: a coastal town, a newcomer on a big yacht, the cocktail bar where this newcomer begins to move in on one of the local women, and then the narrator interested in the same woman—relatively new to the area himself and still trying to make peace with his life after having been laid off at the big-city newspaper. Character, plot, and place come together here in key ways.

If you had a spirit animal, what would it be?

Kaye George:

Some kind of beautiful bird. I’m afraid of heights and would love to be able to soar like they do. Maybe a hawk or an eagle.

Barb Goffman:

I had to look up what a spirit animal is. I’ll go with the badger, whose attributes apparently include focus on the task at hand, self-reliance, persistence, and strategy.

Cynthia Kuhn:

One psychic told me that my spirit animal was a butterfly; another said it was a giraffe. Still confused.

Shawn Reilly Simmons:

I had no idea so I just took an online quiz! The result: I’m a Turtle: The turtle totem wisdom teaches us about walking our path in peace and sticking to it with determination and serenity. Yeah, that sounds about right. While I do have a lot on my plate, I do keep a Zen attitude about it, and am always seeking balance in all things….I’ll take Turtle any day.

Art Taylor:

I took two quizzes to try to figure this one out. The first determined that my spirit animal was a whale, because I listen to inner voices and embrace my emotions. The second said that it should be a snake, because I’m “powerfully connected to life force and primal energy.” Also, my sign is Pisces, and my Myers-Briggs is INFJ. Somewhere in all that, that’s where you’ll find me.

What shoes will you (or if you prefer, would a character from your nominated short story) wear to the Agatha Banquet?

Kaye George:

Hmm, Kevin isn’t much for dressing up. He’ll probably wear leather tie shoes and slacks, though, after I stress to him that we are being honored there. If Vivian, the protagonist, shows up, she’ll wear low heels and a dress, I’m sure. These are not young, stylish people, see.

Barb Goffman:

I wear the same shoes every year. They are black. They are flat. They are comfortable.

Cynthia Kuhn:

Are flip flops allowed? If so, that would be my first choice.

Shawn Reilly Simmons:

Most likely something way more fancy with a higher heel than I normally wear, which is no shoes at all when I’m writing or doing yoga, or trainers when I’m running or lifting weights at the gym….yeah, I’ll have to acquire something more appropriate for an elegant event!

Art Taylor:

I’ve leaned toward more formal or more flashy in previous years—black wingtips, white bucks, this pair of hand-crafted blue-and-tan suede shoes from Portugal (no lie). But I’ve got a new pair of brown Clark’s—which my wife Tara says looks like every other shoe I wear on regular basis—and I think I’ll wear those. My character would appreciate too: down-to-earth, nothing flashy, just who he is.  

Thank you all for taking the time to be with us and answer questions. And, many thanks for all the wonderful stories you have written! During this time of social distancing, it’s grand to have terrific reading material!

AUTHOR BIOS:

Kaye George:

Kaye George is a national-bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of pre-history, traditional, and cozy mysteries (latest is Revenge Is Sweet from Lyrical Press). Her short stories have appeared online, in anthologies, magazines, her own collection, her own anthology, DAY OF THE DARK, and in A MURDER OF CROWS. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Smoking Guns chapter, Guppies chapter, Authors Guild of TN, Knoxville Writers Group, Austin Mystery Writers, and lives in Knoxville, TN.

Barb Goffman:

Barb Goffman edits mysteries by day and writes them by night. She’s won the Agatha, Macavity, and Silver Falchion awards for her short stories, and she’s been a finalist for national crime-writing awards twenty-eight times, including thirteen times for the Agatha (a category record). Her work has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and the 2019 anthology Crime Travel, which Barb also edited. To support her writing habit, Barb runs a freelance editing service, specializing in crime fiction. She lives with her dog in Virginia.

Cynthia Kuhn:

Cynthia Kuhn writes the Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries: The Semester of Our Discontent, The Art of Vanishing, The Spirit in Question, The Subject of Malice, and The Study of Secrets. Her work has also appeared in Mystery Most Edible, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Literary Mama, Copper Nickel, Prick of the Spindle, Mama PhD, and other publications. Honors include an Agatha Award (best first novel), William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant, and Lefty Award nominations (best humorous mystery). Originally from upstate New York, she lives in Colorado with her family. For more information, please visit cynthiakuhn.net.

Shawn Reilly Simmons:

Shawn Reilly Simmons is the author of The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries featuring Penelope Sutherland, an on-set movie caterer, and of several short stories appearing in a variety of anthologies including the Malice Domestic, Best New England Crime Stories, Bouchercon, and Crime Writers' Association series.

Shawn was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and began her professional career in New York City as a sales executive after graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA in English. Since then she has worked as a book store manager, fiction editor, mystery convention organizer, wine rep, and caterer. She serves on the Board of Malice Domestic and is co-editor at Level Best Books.

Shawn is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and the Crime Writers’ Association in the U.K.

Art Taylor:

Art Taylor is the author of the story collection The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74 and Other Tales of Suspense and of the novel in stories On the Road with Del & Louise, winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. He won the 2019 Edgar Award for Best Short Story for "English 398: Fiction Workshop," originally published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and his other awards have included the Agatha, the Anthony, the Derringer, and the Macavity.  He is an associate professor of English at George Mason University.