Society Members' News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Gail Farrelly, "The Ghost Who Came to Dinner", Kings River Life (November 23, 2015)
• "Tattletales", Yonkers Tribune (November 23, 2015)
• Terrie Farley Moran, "Inquiry and Assistance", Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (January-February 2016)
• Robert Petyo, "The Principal's Kids", Mystery Weekly Magazine (December 2015)
• Richard Posner writing as Miles Archer, Never Kill a Cat and Other Stories (Untreed Reads, November 17, 2015)
• Kathleen A. Ryan, "A Spontaneous Decision", Crooked Holster: Ritual ed. Jo Young and Sandra Kohls (December 13, 2015)
• John Weagly, "Knife Fight on Christmas Avenue", Shotgun Honey (December 21, 2015)
• "The Woman Who Waltzed with Ulysses S. Grant", Spelk (December 23, 2015)
• "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose", a play at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark, Chicago, IL (December 9, 2015 thru January 3, 2016)
• "Raccoon Pants", part of THE FIVE MINUTE MILE: THEATRE ON THE RUN, Cone Man Running Productions at Queensbury Theatre, 12777 Queensbury Lane, Houston, TX (December 9 thru December 19, 2015)
• "A Pigman Walks Among Us", part of POP UP THEATER 2015: FREAK SHOW, Panglossian Productions at the Williamsburg Library, 515 Scotland Street, Williamsburg, VA (December 11, 2015)
• "Syphilis Steve and the Christmas Miracle" and "Azzmetta Abbington's Mistletoe Meatballs" are both part of A VERY SPECIAL THEATREGASM CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Theatre ‘d Art at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO (December 11 thru December 13, 2015)
• "Azzmetta Abbington's Mistletoe Meatballs", part of HOBO ROBO 8: HOBOS WITH THEIR EYES ALL A-GLOW, Hobo Junction Productions at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Chicago, IL (December 14 thru December 16, 2015)

Email news for next month's post to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM.

Flash and Bang: A Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology

Cover ©2015 Untreed Reads Publishing
Cover design by Ginny Glass

OCTOBER 8, 2015 - Untreed Reads has published Flash and Bang, the first Short Mystery Fiction Society member anthology, in paperback (ISBN 9781611878295), large-print paperback (ISBN 9781611878998), and ebook.

Member and Untreed Reads editor-in-chief Jay Hartman called for unpublished mystery, suspense, or thriller stories containing either a "flash" or a "bang".

Limiting submissions to one flash (300–1,000 words) and one short (1,500–3,000 words) per member, Jay received more than 300.

His selection of 19 stories ranges from historical to contemporary, cozy to hardboiled, amateur and animal sleuth to police and private detective:

• "The Conflagration at the Nameless Cotton Gin" by Bobbi A. Chukran
• "The Perfect Crime" by Herschel Cozine
• "Don't Let the Cop into the House" by O'Neil De Noux
• "Fireworks" by P.A. De Voe
• "Rosie's Choice" by John M. Floyd
• "The Wrong Girl" by Barb Goffman
• "Murder on Elm Street" by Su Kopil
• "Silent Measures" by B.V. Lawson
• "Don't Be Cruel" by JoAnne Lucas
• "A Simple Job" by Andrew MacRae
• "Arthur" by Sandra Murphy
• "Thor's Breath" by Suzanne Berube Rorhus
• "Beautiful Killer" by Judy Penz Sheluk
• "A Day Like No Other" by Walter A.P. Soethoudt (translated by Willem Verhulst)
• "The Raymond Chandler Con" by Earl Staggs
• "The Bag Lady" by Laurie Stevens
• "Fractured Memories" by Julie Tollefson
• "The Fruit of Thy Loins" by Albert Tucher
• "Sierra Noir" by Tim Wohlforth

Individuals: If you purchase the paperback ($16.00) and ebook ($4.99) at the same time from the Untreed Reads Store, the ebook cost will be subtracted from your total.

Retailers and Libraries: All Untreed Reads print editions are available to be ordered through Ingram or printed through Espresso Book Machine. Ebook editions may be purchased at 200+ retailers and library distributors. If you are unable to obtain an ebook edition through your preferred retailer, please contact Jay Hartman (JHARTMAN at UNTREEDREADS dot COM).

To order directly from Untreed Reads:

• By purchase order: Complete the Winter 2015 catalog order form (Pages 49–51) and email to Jay Hartman or fax to (866) 946-5364. You will receive a complete quote before order is finalized.
• By credit card or PayPal: Email JHARTMAN at UNTREEDREADS dot COM or phone (510) 861-0663.

Reviewers: Email Jay Hartman for ebook review copies.

• Kevin R. Tipple's review on Kevin's Corner (September 28, 2015)
• Astilbe's review on Long and Short Reviews (December 11, 2015)
• Bill Crider's review on Mystery Scene Magazine's blog (as appeared in print issue No. 143, Winter 2016)

If you decide to review or carry copies of Flash and Bang at your bookstore or library, feel free to comment below. We're glad to steer readers your way.

Independent bookstores carrying copies:

• IndieBound
• The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 Warren St., New York, NY 10007
• Mystery Loves Company, 202 S. Morris Street, Oxford, MD 21654

Also available through these resellers:

• Amazon.com
• Apple iBooks
• Barnes & Noble
• DriveThruFiction.com
• Inktera
• Kobo
• Smashwords

Library vendors:

• Baker and Taylor Blio
• Baker and Taylor 360
• Freading

Subscription services:

• Oyster
• Scribd
• Storytel

You can help promote Flash and Bang by putting an image of the book cover in the sidebar of your site. Copy and paste the following HMTL code:

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a title="How to Order" href="https://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2015/06/update-on-flash-and-bang-smfs-anthology.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2sXMg2yqMM/VgQw1RS0y6I/AAAAAAAAC7o/QuaOaNNPHNQ/s1600/FaB_FinalMedium-250x375.png" width="136" height="204" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st SMFS-Member Anthology</td></tr> </tbody></table>

The image will link to this post, just like the image in the right sidebar of this blog.

Society Members' News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Peter DiChellis, "Soliciting Misery", Over My Dead Body! (October 2015)
• John M. Floyd, "Business Class", Saturday Evening Post (November-December 2015 print edition)
• "Three Strangers, Woman's World (November 26, 2015)
• Kaye George, "Heartbreak at Graceland", Memphis Noir (Akashic Books, November 2015)
• William Burton McCormick, "Deadly Signals", The Saturday Evening Post (October 30, 2015)
• A.J. Pompano, "The Bucket List", Best New England Crime Stories 2016: Red Dawn (November 2015)
• Jacqueline Seewald, Stacy's Song reprinted in ebook form (Clean Reads Press, November 2015)
• "Death Hereafter", Mystery Weekly Magazine (November 2015)
• "The Heir Hunt", Over My Dead Body! (October 2015)
• C.A. Verstraete, "The Nearly Ruined Thanksgiving", Mystery Weekly Magazine (November 26, 2015)
• "Puppy Love and Zombies", Young Adventurers: Heroes, Explorers, and Swashbucklers ed. Austin S. Camacho, Intrigue Press (December 1, 2015)

Email news for next month's post to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM.

The SMFS at Bouchercon 2015 (Raleigh, NC, Oct. 8-11)

Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, took place October 8–11, 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel and the Marriott City Center.

Here is everything Society-related at Bouchercon 2015:

• 2015 Derringer Presentation
• Friday Meetup Lunch
• Flash and Bang Anthology
• Also at Bouchercon 2015
• Murder Under the Oaks Bouchercon Anthology 2015
• Toni Kelner sponsoring hospitality suite
• Macavity Awards
• Noir at the Bar Bouchercon 2015
• Hospitality suite signings and giveways by Forge authors
• Shamus Awards
• S.J. Rozan's Basketball at Bouchercon
• Anthony Awards
• Panels Dedicated to Short Stories
• Other Panels with SMFS Members

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• M.H. Callway, "Glow Grass", Thirteen O'Clock, also featuring stories by members Melodie Campbell, Rosemary McCracken, and Joan O'Callaghan (Carrick Publishing, September 2015)
• Catherine Dilts, "Industrial Gray", Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (December 2015)
• James S. Dorr, "Lobster Boy and the Hand of Satan", How to Trick the Devil (Erebus Press, October 15, 2015)
• John M. Floyd, "Molly's Plan", The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 6, 2015)
• "Mill Street Blues", Woman's World (October 26, 2015)
• Mitzi Flyte, "Halloween Alibi", Kings River Life (October 24, 2015)
• J. Alan Hartman, Flash and Bang: A Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology (Untreed Reads, October 8, 2015)
• Toni L.P. Kelner, Crooked as a Dog's Hind Leg, a Laura Fleming story collection (September 2015)
• (as Leigh Perry), The Skeleton Haunts a House (Berkley Prime Crime, October 6, 2015)
• "The Real Santa Claus", Dead But Not Forgotten: Stories from the World of Sookie Stackhouse, Ace reprint (October 2015)
• "Direct Report", Sieze the Night ed. Christopher Golden (Gallery Books, October 6, 2015)
• B.V. Lawson, Dies Irae (Crimetime Press, October 13, 2015)
• Robert Lopresti, "On the Ramblas", Murder Under the Oaks Bouchercon Anthology 2015 ed. Art Taylor (Down & Out Books, October 2015)
• "Nakhshon", Jewish Noir (PM Press, November 2015)
• Edith Maxwell (as Maddie Day), Flipped for Murder (Kensington, October 27, 2015)
• Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran, Parchment and Old Lace (Berkley, October 6, 2015)
• Josh and Laurie Pachter, "Coffee Date", The Saturday Evening Post (October 9, 2015)
• B.K. Stevens, Fighting Chance (The Poisoned Pencil, October 6, 2015)
• Melissa Yi, "Blood Diamonds", Jewish Noir (PM Press, November 2015)
• Elizabeth Zelvin, Journey of Strangers selected for publication by Kindle Press

Email news for next month's post to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM.

James Powell accepts the 2015 Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer

James Powell sent the following remarks to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine editor Janet Hutchings, who accepted the Golden Derringer on his behalf at Bouchercon 2015 opening ceremonies yesterday in Raleigh, North Carolina:

I am very grateful to the Short Mystery Fiction Society for awarding me the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement, all the more so because Ed and I were friends. He was a frequent visitor to Canadian mystery events. I recall one Crime Writers of Canada awards dinner where he and I were chosen to present the Arthur Ellis for Best Novel and in my share of the remarks I wondered why it took two short story writers to do the job and I think he found that amusing.

We all know his tremendous output of stories. But he was also a prodigious reader. Here our paths crossed again. I had been reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s travel writing including The Amateur Immigrant and The Silverado Squatters where Stevenson described his trip to America for his health and the long train trip across the country to California. Not long after, reading one of Ed’s stories, I saw he had been reading about that trip, too, only he had found a mystery story on the way where I had not.

Most of my reading now is history and biography. Someone once wrote that the time of your father's childhood is a golden age for readers. Perhaps it is for writers, too. That would be the beginning of the Twentieth Century for me. But my principle creation, the Ambrose Ganelon family, takes me farther back into the Nineteenth. I enjoy reading about these times. But it also helps me to perform that great hat trick, the greatest fiction of all, to convince the readers you know what you’re talking about.

For example, another Holmes (not Sherlock but Oliver Wendell) describes in Our Hundred Days in Europe in 1887 taking with him two new devices he thought the residents might be interested in, the safety razor and the luminous matchbox. This last handy object allowed you, waking up in the dark, to find a match to light the wall gas fixture. I had previously read, by the way, that Pierre and Marie Curie used to amuse their dinner guests by turning out the lights and passing a lump of radium from hand to hand around the table! I used the illuminated matchbox in an upcoming story in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

I have mentioned elsewhere that my first professional published story forty-eight years ago was based on an incident I heard about that took place in Monaco on the Riviera. But I had only spent an afternoon there and was afraid of being caught in some matter of fact, so I invented my own principality with its own history and people and streets and buildings. To date I have written some thirty or so stories about San Sebastiano, as I named it. It is said that even Homer nodded. (And I have probably nodded as many times as all the Simpsons put together.) But in case some nitpicker discovers a street that doesn't run the way in one of these stories as it does in another, I have also provided the principality with a geological fault. Thus I can said, “Oh, that was before the earthquake.” Or something equally face-saving.

In the end all our stories must be too short. May yours be as happy as mine have been. Thank you again.

Bouchercon 2015 in Raleigh: SMFS Meetup Lunch

The Bouchercon 2015 SMFS Meetup Lunch is planned for Friday, October 9, during the 11:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M. break between panels.

Those joining us from the Sheraton, aim to meet Judy Penz Sheluk in the Sheraton lobby at 11:15 A.M.

Those joining us from the Marriott, aim to meet Kathleen A. Ryan in the Marriott lobby at 11:15 A.M.

Both groups will combine with any other members at The Plaza Cafe (411 Fayetteville Street, Suite 109) by 11:30 A.M.

Group Reservation: 41 - Finalized September 25, 2015, Actual Headcount: 37

• Meeting in the Sheraton lobby 11:15 A.M.: Judy Penz Sheluk, Paula Gail Benson plus 1 (Riley Miller), Catherine Dilts plus 1 (friend Patricia), John M. Floyd plus 1 (wife Carolyn), Barb Goffman, Josh Pachter, Travis Richardson plus 2 (wife and baby).

• Meeting in the Marriott lobby 11:15 A.M.: Kathleen A. Ryan, Kait Carson, Ray Daniel, Susan Furlong, Debra H. Goldstein, Toni Goodyear, Deborah Lacy, Robert Mangeot, Edith Maxwell, Terrie Farley Moran, James O'Keefe, Gigi Pandian, Harriette Sackler, Karen E. Salyer, Mary Stojak, Rebecca Swope, Art Taylor, Mark Troy plus 1 (wife).

• Meeting at the The Plaza Cafe 11:30 A.M.: Pam De Voe, Toni L.P. Kelner, Alan Orloff, KM Rockwood, B.K. Stevens plus 1 (husband).

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Nikki Dolson, "Our Man Julian”, Thuglit 19 (August 31, 2015)
• "Joe Park's Little Girl", Mystery Weekly (September 7, 2015)

• James Dorr, "Victorians" reprinted in Chilling Ghost Short Stories (Flame Tree Publishing, September 2015)
• Gail Farrelly, "Revenge of the Cellphone", Yonkers Tribune (August 27, 2015)

• John M. Floyd, "A Friend in Need", Woman's World (September 14, 2015)
• "Dentonville", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (November 2015)

• Debra H. Goldstein, "This is Where I Buried My Wives", Bethlehem Writers Roundtable (September/October 2015)
• Paul D. Marks, Vortex (Timeless Skies Publishing, September 1, 2015)
• Terrie Farley Moran, "A Killing at the Beausoleil", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (November 2015)
• William Burton McCormick, "Hagiophobia", Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (November 2015)
• Steve Shrott, "Lucky Man", Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #18 (Wildside Press, September 15, 2015)

Email news for next month's post to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM.

Art Taylor in The Big Thrill, September 2015

In the latest issue of the International Thriller Writers' online publication, The Big Thrill, the SMFS's Art Taylor describes editing Murder Under the Oaks, the Bouchercon 2015 anthology, which can be pre-ordered from Down & Out Books to ship directly to you or for pick-up at the con.

Also in this issue, J.H. Bográn interviews Art about his novel in stories, On the Road with Del & Louise, due out September 15 and available for pre-order now.

Serita Stevens: Writing a Book Vs. a Screenplay...or Both?

Member Serita Stevens is conducting a seminar on the topic:

Sunday, August 23, 2015
2:00–4:30 P.M. (check-in at 1:30 P.M.).

Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC)
5455 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1615
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Full details and promotional discount

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Jack Bates, "The Hard Screw”, Near to the Knuckle (August 6, 2015)
• Jack's novel All Hocked Up was a finalist for the inaugural Jeremiah Healy Mystery Writing Award (2nd Annual Mystery Writers Key West Fest)

• Nancy Brewka-Clark's story, "Just for a LARP" was accepted to Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional, which will be published in time for Malice Domestic 28, April 29-May 1, 2015.
• Nina Mansfield, Swimming Alone (Fire & Ice YA, August 27, 2015)

• Josh Pachter, The Tree of Life (Wildside Press, August 2015)
• Josh translated two stories from Dutch for magazines on sale in August:
  
  "Joyride" by René Appel in the September 2015 Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
  
  "The Last Run" by Michael Berg in the September/October Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

• Jacqueline Seewald, The Devil and Danna Webster (Clean Reads Press, August 2015 print edition)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

Introducing Short Mystery Fiction Socials

SMFS Officers Jan Christensen and John R. Lindermuth today announced their approval for any members to plan local mystery & crime short fiction readings promoting the Society.

Each reading is to be promoted as a "Short Mystery Fiction Social", with that title and the Society logo featuring prominently on physical flyers and/or Web graphics. Socials may also be promoted with the hashtag #SMFSocials. The invited readers need not be SMFS members.

Beyond that, all logistics (booking a venue, inviting readers, promoting, and hosting) are up to the individual members who volunteer. Once a Social's details are set, email blog admin Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM) and the details will be posted here. Gerald can also provide the logo image in any size and resolution needed.

If you're inspired to join the SMFS to host or read at Socials, we'd be glad to have you.

Thank you and good luck.

At Queens NYC Lit Fest: Terrie Farley Moran reads from "The Sneaker Tree"

Last Saturday, at the first annual Queens NYC Lit Fest from LIC Bar, SMFS's Terrie Farley Moran, known for her Florida cozies Well Read, Then Dead and Caught Read-Handed, read from her Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices short story "The Sneaker Tree".

Today on Women of Mystery, Terrie blogged a recap of the event, including video:

EQMM's Fiction Podcast Ep. 72: "The Night of Power" by Josh Pachter

On Episode 72 of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine's Fiction Podcast, the SMFS's Josh Pachter reads his September 1986 story, "The Night of Power":



Wildside Press republished "The Night of Power" in the July 2015 print collection The Tree of Life and in the ebook The Mahboob Chaudri Mystery Megapack.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Jack Bates, "Keys to Success", Shotgun Honey (July 30, 2015)
• Peter DiChellis, "Mysterious Private Investigations", Plan B Magazine (July 3, 2015)

• John Floyd, "Saving Grace”, The Saturday Evening Post (July/August 2015)
• “Ball and Chain”, Woman's World, July 27, 2015

• Susan Furlong, Peaches and Scream (Berkley Prime Crime, July 7, 2015)
• Debra H. Goldstein, "Exotic", Kings River Life (July 4, 2015)
• Jane Hammons, "A Park in California", Akashic Books Mondays are Murder (July 20, 2015)

• Robert Lopresti, "Street of the Dead House", nEvermore! (EDGE Press, July 15, 2015)
• Greenfellas (Dark Oak Mysteries, July 17, 2015)

• Andrew McRae ed., Stories from the World of Tomorrow (Darkhouse Books, July 2015) including stories by members:
• Bobbi Chukran, "Perfect Progeny"
• Wenda Morrone, "The King's Quest"
• Terrie Farley Moran, Caught Read-Handed (Berkley Prime Crime, July 7, 2015)
• Jacqueline Seewald, Dark Moon Rising (Luminosity Publishing, July 24, 2015)
• Judy Penz Sheluk, The Hanged Man’s Noose: A Glass Dolphin Mystery (Barking Rain Press, July 2015)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

Earl Staggs, 2012 Derringer Winner

Earl, our 2012 Best Novelette winner for "Where Billy Died", wears his recently-arrived medal.

Macavity-Nominated SMFS Members

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends and supporters of MRI. Awards will be presented at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, in Raleigh, NC at the opening ceremonies October 8.

The nominees for Best Short Story are all SMFS members:

• “Honeymoon Sweet” by Craig Faustus Buck, in Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014, edited by Dana Cameron (Down & Out)
• “The Shadow Knows” by Barb Goffman, in Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, and Marcia Talley (Wildside)
• "Howling at the Moon" by Paul D. Marks, in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Nov. 2014
• "The Proxy" by Travis Richardson, in Thuglit #13, Sept./Oct. 2014.
• "The Odds Are Against Us" by Art Taylor, in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Nov. 2014

In addition, member Lori Rader-Day is nominated for Best First Novel (The Black Hour), and member Hank Phillippi Ryan for Best Mystery Related Nonfiction (Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey).

Congratulations and good luck to all.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• V.R. Barkowski, A Twist of Hate (Five Star/Congage, June 2015)
• Robert Lopresti, "Shooting at Firemen", Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (July/August 2015)
• Gigi Pandian, "Tempest in a Teapot", Ladies' Night: Sisters in Crime Los Angeles Anthology (Down & Out Books, June 2015)
• Jacqueline Seewald, "Glitter", Hypnos (Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring Anthology 2015)
• First Place, Readers' Digest 2015 Poetry Contest (June 2015)
• Dark Moon Rising (Luminosity Publishing, July 2015) (Pre-order from Amazon)

• J.E. Seymour, "Moving On", Spinetingler Magazine (May 28, 2015)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

Shamus-Nominated SMFS Members

The Private Eye Writers of America have announced the 2015 nominees for their Shamus Awards, including SMFS members Richard Helms for Best P.I. Short Story ("Busting Red Heads") and B.V. Lawson for Best Indie P.I. Novel (Played to Death). Congratulations and good luck to all.

Bill Pronzini, 2012 Golden Derringer Recipient

The prolific Pronzini, honored with the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in 2012, wears his newly-arrived gold medal, made possible by the SMFS Award Plans group.

Robert S. Levinson, 2009 Derringer Winner

Bob Levinson was first to send in a photo wearing his 2009 Best Long Story Derringer medal for "The Quick Brown Fox", made possible by the SMFS Award Plans group.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Nancy Brewka-Clark, "Sparrow's Flight", Mysterical-E (April 2015)

• Margi Desmond, "I'm Right! You're Wrong!", Section 8 Magazine (April 29, 2015)
• "The App", Over My Dead Body! (April 29, 2015)

• James Dorr, "Marcie and Her Sisters", Reel Dark: Twisted Reflections on the Flickering Page (Blackwyrm, May 2015)
• John M. Floyd, “Package Deal", Woman's World (May 18, 2015)

• Su Kopil, "Crossroad", Fish or Cut Bait: A Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press, April 2015)
• "The Surprise", Over My Dead Body! (May 2015)
• B.V. Lawson, Requiem for Innocence (Crimetime Press, April 2015)
• William Burton McCormick, Lenin's Harem (Endeavour Press, May 2015)
• Travis Richardson, "Maybelle's Last Stand", Shotgun Honey Presents: Locked and Loaded (Both Barrels Volume 3)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

2015 Agatha Awards laud SMFS members

The Agatha Awards, presented at the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland, honor "traditional mysteries", containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence.

Via Mystery Scene Magazine, this year's results feature several SMFS members, including Best Short Story winner Art Taylor, Best First Novel winner Terrie Farley Moran, and Best Novel and Best Nonfiction winner Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Congratulations to all.

Subgroup to maintain Bouchercon Derringer presentations

Since their inception in 1998, the SMFS's annual Derringer Awards have been certified by personal email following the public announcement. Between 2009 and 2012, former VP Jim Doherty paid for materials and constructed gift plaques that he presented to Derringer winners at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, raising the SMFS's profile and short fiction's profile at the con.

At Bouchercon 2009 (Indianapolis, IN), L to R: Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer recipient Clark Howard, Best Flash Derringer winner Ruth McCarty, AHMM's Linda Landrigan, EQMM's Janet Hutchings, SMFS VP Jim Doherty (Photo courtesy of Ruth McCarty)

On January 19, 2015, the SMFS established the Award Plans subgroup to maintain our Bouchercon presence and decide on a new physical form for the Derringers without mandatory cost to main group members, but overseen by a team instead of one person.

For the new Derringers, at the suggestion of 2014 winner Melodie Campbell, the Award Plans group decided on medals featuring the SMFS logo. In accordance with main group structure, the medals are to be ordered by our public representatives, the Officers. The funds for the purchase are to be fully reimbursed by voluntary donations that can be publicly acknowledged or remain anonymous.

President Jan Christensen ordered samples of a Golden Derringer medal and a regular Derringer medal from Hodges Badge Company (Portsmouth, RI) on February 18, and they arrived March 11. Jan photographed the samples for the subgroup and mailed them to member Melodie Campbell, simulating sending medals to Derringer winners unable to attend Bouchercon.

Approving the Hodges medals as the new physical Derringers, the Award Plans group aimed to order enough for the 2015 Derringer winners as well as any who did not receive plaques 2009–14.

In all, subgroup and main group members have donated $400, reimbursing Jan $32.15 for the two samples, $9.55 shipping the samples to Melodie, and $119.50 for the twenty-eight 2009–15 medals. Some of the remaining $238.80 will reimburse the cost of Jan's shipping the medals to Bouchercon 2015 presenter Art Taylor and winners unable to attend. The rest will go toward the 2016 medal order.

Derringer honors remain conferred by the Derringer Awards Coordinator's March 31 public announcement. The physical Derringer medals as perks of those honors, as were Jim's plaques before them.

Winners and finalists 1998–present can also request official personalized Web graphics based on the approved medals.

Photo: M. Campbell

You are welcome to join the subgroup as discussion continues. If you are involved in planning a Bouchercon, you can help ensure our presentation is included.

Official Derringer Winner and Finalist Web Graphics

For current and past Derringer winners and finalists who'd like to display these accomplishments on their websites, the Award Plans subgroup has approved 250-square pixel web banners, pictured at right. Click to see full size.

Winners and finalists, email Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM) to receive your personalized banners and for assistance placing them on your sites.

Do Some Damage: Hilary Davidson Always Tells

Capping an interview with Hilary Davidson, Steve Weddle asked:

You recently won a Derringer Award for your short fiction. What’s it like to be a winner? (asking for a friend)

[Hilary Davidson]: Winning the Derringer meant so much — in no small part because writing short fiction is my true love. Novels break my brain and cause me no end of angst. They're satisfying when they're done, but until that moment, late in the game, they're actually kind of hellish. Stories are different. Writing short stories is more like a game of "What if?" I have the opening scenario in mind when I start writing, and then I follow it wherever it goes. The genesis for "A Hopeless Case," the story that won the Derringer, is awful: when I was in high school in Toronto, I walked down to a subway platform just as a woman jumped in front of an incoming train. But writing about a person in that scenario makes me process it differently. Instead of being horrified by what happened, I'm creeping under the person's skin, trying to understand them. Even when the subject matter is dark, it humanizes it.

Congratulations again, Hilary.

Also check out Steve's debut novel-in-stories, Country Hardball.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Erik Arneson, "It Bothers Me", Thuglit (March/April 2015)
• Lida Bushloper, "Wait, What?", Mysterical-E (April 2015)

• Peter DiChellis, "A Tragic Accident", wordhaus (March 18, 2015)
• "Murderous Lies", Section 8 Magazine (March 30, 2015)

• Gail Farrelly, "The Eyes Have It", Yonkers Tribune (March 27, 2015)

• John M. Floyd, “Leaky Alibis", Woman's World (March 30, 2015)
• "Driver", The Strand Magazine, (February-May 2015)
• Toni Goodyear, "Sleeping In", Fish or Cut Bait: A Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press, April 2015)
• Alan Orloff, "Down the Rickety Stairs", Shotgun Honey Presents: Locked and Loaded (Both Barrels, Volume 3) (One Eye Press, April 2015)
• B.K. Stevens, Interpretation of Murder (Black Opal Books, April 2015)
• "Silent Witness" (Amazon Kindle, April 2015)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

2015 Derringer Award Results

The Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Awards, honoring outstanding published stories and people who've contributed greatly to the genre, are determined by a January 1–March 30 process that considers the previous year.

The Awards Coordinator first posts the results to Shortmystery. Then the public announcement appears here.

For each category below, we show the winner first, then the alphabetized finalists:

Best Flash Story (Up to 1,000 words)

• Joseph D'Agnese, "How Lil' Jimmie Beat the Big C" (Shotgun Honey, May 12, 2014)
• Rob Hart, "Foodies" (Shotgun Honey, May 2, 2014)
• Jed Power, "Sweet Smells" (Shotgun Honey, July 28, 2014)
• Eryk Pruitt, "Knockout" (Out of the Gutter Online, August 31, 2014)
• Melissa Yi, "Because" (Fiction River: Crime, March 2014)

Best Short Story (1,001–4,000 words)

• Cathi Stoler, "The Kaluki Kings of Queens" (Murder New York Style: Family Matters, August 2014)
• B.V. Lawson, "The Least of These" (Plan B Magazine, June 6, 2014)
• William Burton McCormick, "Killing Sam Clemens" (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #13, July 2014)
• Britni Patterson, "The Bad Son" (Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Lust, Love, and Longing, March 2014)
• Mary E. Stibal, "A Friend in Brown" (Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave, November 2014)

Best Long Story (4,001–8,000 words)

• Hilary Davidson, "A Hopeless Case" (All Due Respect #4, September 2014)
• M.H. Callway, "The Ultimate Mystery" (World Enough and Crime, October 2014)
• Angel Luis Colón, "Separation Anxiety" (All Due Respect #3, May 2014)
• James T. Shannon, "The Missing Money" (Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave, November 2014)
• Cathy Wiley, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" (Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays, October 2014)

Best Novelette (8,001–20,000 words)

• Doug Allyn, "The Snow Angel" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, January 2014)
• Doug Allyn, "Hitler's Dogs" (Fiction River: Crime, March 2014)
• Vicki Delany, "Juba Good" (Orca Books Rapid Reads, April 2014)
• Trey Dowell, "Infernal" (Untreed Reads, June 2014)
• Richard Helms, "Busting Red Heads" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2014)

And a committee of the SMFS Officers, Awards Coordinator, and two members-at-large awarded the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer (Lifetime Achievement) to:

• James Powell

Winners can obtain certificates for Web display and printout and submit acceptance videos by emailing Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

Winners were also presented with Derringer medals at Bouchercon 2015 opening ceremonies or by mail if they were not in attendance.

Guidelines for Flash and Bang: An SMFS Anthology

Shortmystery members who joined by September 24, 2014 may submit to Untreed Reads' upcoming SMFS anthology.

To read editor Jay Hartman's guidelines in MS Word .doc or plain .txt format, log into Shortmystery and click on the "Files" tab. The submission deadline is January 31, 2015.

Questions? Email JHARTMAN at UNTREEDREADS dot COM.

UPDATE (June 30, 2015): Jay continues working through the more than two hundred submissions he received, a move to Nevada and a friend's health crisis having delayed his response time.

Level Best Books Seeks New Editorial Team

The current editors of New England-based Level Best Books, publisher of several Derringer-honored anthologies, have announced the 2016 volume (on sale November 2015) will be their last.

If you are interested in carrying on Level Best Books, email LEVELBESTBOOKS at YAHOO dot COM.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Michael Bracken, "Quarryville, Texas", The Private Eye Writers of America Presents: 50 Shades of Grey Fedora, ed. Robert J. Randisi (Riverdale Avenue Books, March 2015)
• "Beneath Still Waters", And All Our Yesterdays, ed. Andrew MacRae (Darkhouse Books, March 2015)

• Jan Christensen, "After Hours Blues", Mysterical-E (January 2015)
• "Who's Who?", Over My Dead Body! (March 2015)

• Nancy Brewka-Clark, "Boston Banshee", Kings River Life (March 14, 2015)

• John M. Floyd, "Dreamland", Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (May 2015)
• "Catch Me If You Can", Woman's World (March 2, 2015)
• B.V. Lawson, "With Sweet Lavender", Over My Dead Body! (March 2015)
• Andrew MacRae ed. And All Our Yesterdays, featuring stories by Jack Bates, Debra Borchert, Michael Bracken, Lillian Csernica, K.B. Inglee, Kevin Lauderdale, R.T. Lawton, Michael Allan Mallory, Susan Cummins Miller, Joe L. Murr, Lorraine Norwood, Timothy O'Leary, Dennis Palumbo, Caryn Sutorus, Anne-Marie Sutton, and Albert Tucher (Darkhouse Books, March 2015)
• Robert Mangeot, "Two Bad Hamiltons and a Hirsute Jackson", Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (May 2015)
• William Burton McCormick, "On Record", The Saturday Evening Post (March 13, 2015)
• Alan Orloff, Running from the Past (Kindle Press, March 2015)
• Alan also contributed a recipe to the Mystery Writers of America Cookbook ed. Kate White (Quirk Books, March 2015)
• Percy Spurlark Parker, "The St. Patrick's Day Murder", Over My Dead Body (March 2015)
• Jacqueline Seewald, "Parts", Blight Digest (Winter 2015)
• Serita Stevens and Jo Schaffer, Against Her Will (True North Publishing, March 2015)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

2015 Derringer Finalists

As posted to Shortmystery by Awards Coordinator Tony Rudzki, the finalists for our 2015 Derringer Awards:

For Best Flash (Up to 1,000 words)

• Joseph D'Agnese, "How Lil' Jimmie Beat the Big C" (Shotgun Honey, May 12, 2014)
• Rob Hart, "Foodies" (Shotgun Honey, May 2, 2014)
• Jed Power, "Sweet Smells" (Shotgun Honey, July 28, 2014)
• Eryk Pruitt, "Knockout" (Out of the Gutter Online, August 31, 2014)
• Melissa Yi, "Because" (Fiction River: Crime, March 2014)

For Best Short Story (1,001–4,000 words)

• B.V. Lawson, "The Least of These" (Plan B Magazine, June 6, 2014)
• William Burton McCormick, "Killing Sam Clemens" (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #13, July 2014)
• Britni Patterson, "The Bad Son" (Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Lust, Love, and Longing, March 2014)
• Mary E. Stibal, "A Friend in Brown" (Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave, November 2014)
• Cathi Stoler, "The Kaluki King of Queens" (Murder New York Style: Family Matters, August 2014)

For Best Long Story (4,001–8,000 words)

• M.H. Callway, "The Ultimate Mystery" (World Enough and Crime, October 2014)
• Angel Luis Colón, "Separation Anxiety" (All Due Respect #3, May 2014)
• Hilary Davidson, "A Hopeless Case" (All Due Respect #4, September 2014)
• James T. Shannon, "The Missing Money" (Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave, November 2014)
• Cathy Wiley, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" (Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays, October 2014)

For Best Novelette (8,001–20,000 words)

• Doug Allyn, "The Snow Angel" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, January 2014)
• Doug Allyn, "Hitler's Dogs" (Fiction River: Crime, March 2014)
• Vicki Delany, "Juba Good" (Orca Books Rapid Reads, April 2014)
• Trey Dowell, "Infernal" (Untreed Reads, June 2014)
• Richard Helms, "Busting Red Heads" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2014)

Finalists may obtain certificates for web display and printout by emailing Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

The group vote to determine the winners takes place March 1–30. Winners will be announced March 31.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Peter DiChellis, "More to Huff", Shotgun Honey (February 11, 2015)
• Susan Furlong, writing as Lucy Arlington, Played by the Book, Berkley Prime Crime (February, 2015)
• James S. Dorr, "The Labyrinth", Insidious Assassins ed. Weldon Burge (Smart Rhino Publications, January 17, 2015)
• Debra H. Goldstein, "Power Play", The Birmingham Arts Journal (February 2015)
• "Grandma's Garden" reprinted in the Texas Gardener SEEDS (January 21, 2015)
• William Burton McCormick, "Pompo's Disguise", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (March/April 2015)
• Madeline McEwen, "Heart-Shaped", Speculative Valentine Drabbles 2015 ed. Roy C. Booth and Jorge Salgado-Reyes (Indie Authors Press, February 4, 2015)
• Terrie Farley Moran, "On Target" (online excerpt), Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (April 2015)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

2015 Derringer Submissions Update

From Awards Coordinator Anthony Rudzki, the following stories have been received for Derringer consideration as of the January 31 submission deadline.

Stories are listed from shortest to longest. If your submission is not listed, email TONY dot RUDZKI at GMAIL dot COM.

FLASH (Up to 1,000 words):

Faces
Exit Plan
They Die in Eight Minutes
Because
Final Thoughts
Torch Song for Two Voices
Romantivores
Tomato Soup
Sweet Smells
There Is No We
In Your Easter Bonnet
Two for Tea
HOW LIL JIMMIE BEAT THE BIG C
Foodies
My Blues-Eyed Girl
Agoraphobic Alibi
Johns Spot
Knockout
Six bullets
Chain of Custody
Living the Dream
Because
Shanks Holds The Line
Mansion on the Hill
Front Deck


SHORT (1,001–4,000 words):

A Jobs A Job
A Thousand Kinds of Fur
Didja Think of That?
Jasmine
Hook Line and Sinker
Home for the Holidays
Premonition
Automat
Ted Williams Dreams
Death or Taxes
Tourist Town
Stroke of Genius
Snatched Potatoes
Legacy
Payback
The Fifth Digit
Just Desserts for Johnny
Plan D
Busted!
Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief!
Wishing For Ignorance
Murder and Money
The Man Who Sold Nothing
The End of the World
The Blessing Witch
Its a Wonderful Rat Race
Moving On
A Bad Day For Bargain Hunters
No Honour Among Thieves
Wish I May Wish I Might
Gods Country
Tote the Note
The Lady in the Lake
Pickled
The Accessory
Thanksgiving on the Throgs Neck Bridge
Murder in a Family
The Kaluki Kings of Queens
Elk Island
Antonia
There Goes the Neighbourhood
Dust to Dust
Live Free or Die
The Least of These
An Inexpensive Piece
Jumping the Bags
Everything in Its Place
Wehrkraftzersetzung
Sawbill Checkpoint
So Long Farewell
The Odds Are Against Us
Bad Memory
Union Man
Killing Sam Clemens
Thanksgiving in Moderation
Baptized at the Casino
The Black Cat
Here Kitty Kitty
SMUDGE
DESPERATION
A Friend in Brown
Missing Person
The Dead of Winter
Pea Soup
Male Leary Comes Home
Forever Mine
Remember Me?
Contents Known
Special Delivery
Christmas in Paradise
Worry a Line
Witch Hunt
Monster Party
The Game
Christmas Concerto
You Always Hurt the One You Love
Francetta Repays Her Debt to Society
A Cold Place to Die
Eyes on My Cards
Compromised Circumstances
Friends
Reckoning
Murder (Redux) in Paradise
The Fourth Girl
Heart Surgery
The Bad Son
Death Will Fire Your Therapist
Their Little Secret
Um Peixe Grande
Do I Know You?


LONG (4,001–8,000 words):

Gibet de Montfaucon
A Hopeless Case
The Poet Moon
More Good Times
Annual Marriage Test
Burned
Separation Anxiety
The Ultimate Mystery
Runaway
Hammered
Easter Aches
On Pacific Beach
The Missing Money
Lamplighter by the Sea
The Great Houdini Murder Case
200 Feet
The Shadow Knows
Last Rites
When Stars Collide
An Open-and-Shut Case
Aix to Grind
Devil Chased The Wolf Away
We Take Care of Our Own
The Angels Wait
Who Murdered Maura Thompson
Dead Dames Dont Wear Diamonds
The Curious Case of the Ha Penny Detective
The Jewel Box
Mrs. Featherpatch Cooks Up a Murder
Its a Trap!
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Howling at the Moon
Kity Cop
Disco Donna
Twice Widowed
A Visit with the One-Eyed Man
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Hunters
Precision
Honeymoon Sweet
The Roseville Way
Impressions
The Monitor
A Haven of Learning...and Death
HARM AND HAMMER
My Sweet Angel of Death
Family to the Bone
Habitat for Inhumanity
Red Beans and Ricin
Purse Strings
Blank Slate
The Real Santa Claus
Jaguar
Gorilla of the Gasbags
Wildcraft
Not Sure Which Way Im Headin
AFTER DADDY DIED
Calculated Risk
The Photograph
Playing for Keeps
IFHC
Yuletide
The Hoard


NOVELETTE (8,001–20,000 words):

The Stonewall Rat
The Bank Robber
MY MOM THE MOVIES AND ME
Bell Book and Candlepin
Neighbor
Hitlers Dogs
Infernal
For Dot
BUSTING RED HEADS
The Assumption Of Seamus Tyrrell
SECOND SIGHT UNSEEN
The Monster in Our Midst
Murder Town
The Snow Angel
Gone Fishing
True Enough: Bolts Last Case
Juba Good
The Artful Goddaughter

Private Eye Writers of America 2015 Shamus Awards Submission Guidelines

Forwarded to the SMFS by Gay Toltl Kinman, following are the categories for the Private Eye Writers of America 2015 Shamus Awards for private eye novels and short stories first published in the United States in 2014. The awards will be presented during Bouchercon 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

DEADLINE: For publishers submissions must be postmarked by March 31, 2015. No extensions can be given.

Shamus Committees will forward their final list to the Shamus Awards Chair by May 31, 2015.

ELIGIBILITY: Eligible works must feature as a main character a person PAID for investigative work but NOT employed for that work by a unit of government. These include traditionally licensed private investigators; lawyers and reporters who do their own investigations; and others who function as hired private agents. These do NOT include law enforcement officers, other government employees or amateur, uncompensated sleuths.

SUBMISSIONS: Please send one copy of each eligible work to ALL members of the appropriate committee, and send a copy to the Shamus Awards Chair, Gay Toltl Kinman. Do NOT submit a book to more than one committee.

There is no application fee and no submission form, as a simple cover letter will suffice. Email Gay Toltl Kinman (GAYKINMAN at GAYKINMAN dot COM) for the Chair and committee members' mailing addresses or if you have any questions.

BEST HARDCOVER PI NOVEL: A book-length work of fiction published in hardcover in 2014 that is NOT the author’s first published P.I. novel.

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL: A book-length work of fiction, in hardcover or paperback, first published in 2014 that is the author’s first published novel featuring a private investigator as a main character.

BEST ORIGINAL PAPERBACK PI NOVEL: A book-length work of fiction first published as a paperback original in 2014 that is NOT the author’s first P.I. novel; and paperback reprints of previously published novels are NOT eligible.

BEST PI SHORT STORY: A work of fiction of 20,000 words or fewer. Stories first published in an earlier year and reprinted in a magazine, anthology or collection in 2014, are NOT eligible.

BEST INDIE PI NOVEL: A book-length work of fiction, in hardcover, paperback or e-book, first published in 2014 featuring a private investigator as a main character and published independently by the author.

Members' Publication News

The following members sent in publication news this month:

• Peter DiChellis, "The Owl Clock Murder", Over My Dead Body! (December 20, 2014)
• Michael Haynes, "Lakeside Memories", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (February 2015)
• Robert Lopresti started a new blog, Today in Mystery History
• Edith Maxwell, "A Questionable Death", History and Mystery, Oh My! (January 2015, Mystery and Horror, LLC)
• Melissa Yuan-Innes, "Om", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (January 2015)

Email news for next month's post to Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).