2010 Derringer Awards Coordinator

By acclamation, Suzanne Berube Rorhus has been elected Derringer Awards Coordinator for 2010. She will serve from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.

Poll Results: Privacy of Shortmystery Members Section

By a margin of 10 FOR, 47 AGAINST, SMFS members have rejected the motion to make Shortmystery's Members list visible only to moderators as a means of preventing e-mail address harvesting and spam. The Members list will remain visible to all members of Shortmystery.

2009 Derringer Award Results

The Short Mystery Fiction Society's 2009 Derringer Awards results were determined by a vote of the membership at large after member-volunteer judges narrowed the submissions to finalists. Winners bolded:

Best Flash (Up to 1,000 words)

• "No Flowers for Stacey" by Ruth McCarty (Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England Writers)
• "A Killing Season" by J.F. Benedetto (Woman's World)
• "Black Pearls" by James C. Clar (Crime and Suspense)
• "Rainy Day Fund" by J.K. Cummins (Woman's World)
• "Incident in Itawamba" by Gary Hoffman (Teacakes and Afternoon Tales)
• "No Place Like Home" by Dee Stuart (Mysterical-E)

Best Short Story (1,001–4,000 words)

• "The Cost of Doing Business" by Michael Penncavage (Thuglit)
• "Independence Day" by Allan Leverone (Crime and Suspense)
• "Regrets, I've Had a Few" by Allan Leverone (Trei Literary Magazine)
• "Taste For It" by Sophie Littlefield (Darkest Before the Dawn)
• "Stalkers" by Lew Stowe (Crime and Suspense)
• "Wishing on Whores" by John Weagly (Thieves Jargon)

Best Long Story (4,001–8,000 words)

• "The Quick Brown Fox" by Robert S. Levinson (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
• "The Bonnie and Clyde Caper" by O'Neil De Noux (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 2008)
• "The Big Score" by Chris F. Holm (The Back Alley)
• "The Art of Avarice" by Darrell James (Politics Noir)
• "Dead Even" by Frank Zafiro (Medium of Murder)

Best Novelette (8,001–17,500 words)

• "Too Wise" by O’Neil De Noux (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, November 2008)
• "Haven't Seen You Since the Funeral" by Ernest B. & Alice A. Brown (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
• "Jack Best and the Line in the Sand" by Steve Olley (Mysterical-E)
• "Panic On Portage Path" by Dick Stodghill (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

And with permission from Patricia Hoch, the SMFS has renamed its lifetime achievement award in honor of her late husband. Determined by a committee of the SMFS Officers, Awards Coordinator, and two members-at-large, the 2009 recipient of the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement:

• Clark Howard (Howard's acceptance remarks)

Recipients may obtain award certificates by emailing Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM). Recipients were publicly recognized at the opening ceremonies of Bouchercon, Thursday, October 15, 2009 in Indianapolis, IN.

The 2009 Derringer Awards

Winners bolded.

Some titles are linked to stories in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read these stories.


BEST FLASH STORY (Up to 1,000 Words):

Black Pearls by James C. Clar (CRIME AND SUSPENSE)
Incident in Itawamba by Gary Hoffman (TEACAKES AND AFTERNOON TALES)
No Flowers for Stacey by Ruth McCarty (DEADFALL: CRIME STORIES BY NEW ENGLAND WRITERS)
No Place Like Home by Dee Stuart (MYSTERICAL-E)
This Bird has Flown by BV Lawson (ARMCHAIRINTERVIEWS.COM)
A Killing Season by J.F. Benedetto (WOMAN'S WORLD)
Rainy Day Fund by J.K. Cummins (WOMAN'S WORLD)*

*Correcting an oversight discovered late, "A Killing Season" and "Rainy Day Fund", tied for sixth place in the judging, were added as finalists.

**To correct an oversight discovered after the group vote, two winners were declared for Best Flash Story.

BEST SHORT STORY (1,001 to 4,000 Words):

Independence Day by Allan Leverone (CRIME AND SUSPENSE)
Regrets, I’ve Had a Few by Allan Leverone (TREI LITERARY MAGAZINE)
Stalkers*** by Lew Stowe (CRIME AND SUSPENSE)
Taste for It by Sophie Littlefield (DARKEST BEFORE DAWN)
The Cost of Doing Business by Michael Penncavage (THUGLIT)
Wishing on Whores*** by John Weagly (THIEVES JARGON)

***tie score in the judging

BEST LONG STORY (4,001-8,000 Words)

Bonnie and Clyde Caper by O’Neil De Noux (EQMM)
Dead Even by Frank Zafiro (MEDIUM OF MURDER)
The Art of Avarice by Darrell James (POLITICS NOIR)
The Big Score by Chris Holm (BACK ALLEY)
The Quick Brown Fox by Robert S. Levinson (AHMM)

BEST NOVELETTE (8,001 to 17,500 Words):

Haven’t Seen You Since the Funeral by Ernest B & Alice A. Brown (AHMM)
Jack Best and the Line in the Sand by Steve Olley (MYSTERICAL-E)
Panic on Portage Path by Dick Stodghill (AHMM)
Too Wise by O’Neil De Noux (EQMM)

2009 Recipient of the EDWARD D. HOCH MEMORIAL GOLDEN DERRINGER AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:

Clark Howard (Howard's acceptance remarks)