2018 Derringer Award Finalists

As judged by Shortmystery member volunteer panels and announced on Shortmystery by Derringer Awards Coordinator Jay Hartman:

For Best Flash (Up to 1,000 words)

• "Cold Turkey" by Patricia Dusenbury, Flash Bang Mysteries ed. Brandon Bourg (Summer 2017)
• "Happy Birthday" by Alan Orloff, Shotgun Honey ed. Jen Conley, Angel Luis Colón, and Nick Kolakowski (June 15, 2017)
• "Final Testimony" by Travis Richardson, Flash Fiction Offensive ed, Hector Duarte Jr. and Rob Pierce (July 10, 2017)
• "Fishing for an Alibi" by Earl Staggs, Flash Bang Mysteries ed. Brandon Bourg (Fall 2017)
• "Flash Point" by Elizabeth Zelvin, A Twist of Noir ed. Christopher Grant (March 20, 2017)

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

• "The Kids Keep Coming" by David H. Hendrickson, Fiction River: Tavern Tales ed. Kerrie L. Hughes, WMG Publishing Inc. (January 2017)
• "The Cop Who Liked Gilbert and Sullivan" by Robert Lopresti, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #23, ed. Marvin Kaye, Wildside Press (October 2017)
• "The New Score" by Alison McMahan, Fish Out of Water: A Guppy Anthology ed. Ramona DeFelice Long, Wildside Press (March 2017)
• "The Bank Job" by Stephen D. Rogers, Trigger Warning Short Fiction with Pictures ed. Eric Lindbom and John Skewes (March 16, 2017)
• "Every Picture Tells a Story" by Cathi Stoler, Where Crime Never Sleeps: Murder New York Style 4 ed. Elizabeth Zelvin, Level Best Books (September 2017)

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

• "El Asesino" by Rusty Barnes, BULL ed. Ben Drevlow (May 22, 2017)
• "The #2 Pencil" by Matt Coyle, Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea ed. Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks, Down & Out Books (January 2017)
• "Death in the Serengeti" by David H. Hendrickson, Fiction River: Pulse Pounders: Andrenaline ed. Kevin J. Anderson, WMG Publishing, Inc. (July 2017)
• "Matricide and Ice Cream" by William Burton McCormick, The CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour ed. Martin Edwards, Orenda Books (November 2017)
• "The Drive-by" by Alison McMahan, Busted: Arresting Stories from the Beat ed. Verena Rose, Harriette Sackler, and Shawn Reilly Simmons, Level Best Books (April 2017)

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

• "Flowing Waters" by Brendan DuBois, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ed. Janet Hutchings, January/February 2017
• "Windward" by Paul D. Marks, Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea ed. Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks, Down & Out Books (January 2017)
• "King's Quarter" by Andrew McAleer, Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea ed. Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks, Down & Out Books (January 2017)
• "Kill My Wife, Please" by Robert J. Randisi, Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea ed. Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks, Down & Out Books (January 2017)
• "Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming" by Tina Whittle, Lowcountry Crime: Four Novellas ed. James M. Jackson and Jan Rubens, Wolf's Echo Press (February 2017)

Congratulations and good luck to the 2018 Derringer Award finalists.

An April 16–May 15 vote of all present Shortmystery members will determine the winners, and the official winners announcement will be published here on the SMFS Blog.

2018 Derringer Awards Judges Needed!

Originally posted to Shortmystery February 15, 8:09 p.m. PST by Jay Hartman:

Hi, everyone!

I'm a bit behind in getting submissions out for judging, as the process of getting all the ducks in a row turned out to be a bit more convoluted than I had expected.

I'm ready to start sending out titles to be judged, but I'm still short on judges. Here's what I currently need:

Flash Fiction: 1 judge needed
Short Story: This category is covered
Long Story: 1 judge needed
Novelette: 1 judge needed

Please respond to derringers2018@untreedreads.com as soon as possible if you are interested.

Thanks!

Jay Hartman

2018 Derringer Awards Update - February 3

Originally posted to Shortmystery February 3, 2018, 8:45 p.m. PST, by Derringer Awards Coordinator Jay Hartman:

Hi, everyone. Here is the updated list of Derringer submissions as promised. Just a few more hours to go!

Incidentally, I’ve had a few people contact me off-list to question the eligibility of a few of the submissions. I wanted to assure everyone that I’ve done due diligence on every single title and have confirmed the eligibility of every title listed below.

Could we have actually made it through this Derringer without major drama? I realize it's still early but I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

Jay Hartman


FLASH (up to 1,000 words)

• 83
• A Garden for Adonis
• A Postcard from Iceland
• A Will and a Way
• Alleyway Alvin
• Altercation on Ballet Boulevard
• An Afternoon in Lake Park
• Cold Turkey
• Disappearing Act
• Dog Trap
• Father Knows Bets
• Final Testimony
• Fishing for an Alibi
• Flash Point
• Gary Deserves Reward
• Happy Birthday
• Hostage
• Mean Girl
• Meeting the Demand
• Slipping Into Darkness
• Stegmann's Basement
• The Forcier Brothers
• The Hitchhiker

SHORT STORY (1,001–4,000 words)

• A Death in Deep Ellum
• A Murder in Montreux
• A Pie to Die For
• A Respectable Lady
• A Valentine's Day to Remember
• A Watched Pot
• Abduction of Destiny
• Antiques
• Baby Killer
• Black Coffee in Bed
• Black Friday
• Blood Moon
• Blood on the Floor
• Borrowed Time
• Breath Test
• Bull's Eye
• Closurre
• Consequences
• Eb and Flo
• Every Picture Tells a Story
• Fish Out of Water
• Flight to the Flirty Flamingo
• Gem Collector
• Getting Away
• Her Father's Killer
• Homebodies
• It's All Litter to Me
• Jealous of the Daylight
• Judge Jillian
• Juju
• Justice Due
• Killing Time So I Can Dig Myself a Deeper Grave
• Let It Burn
• Live at Alcatraz
• Missing Person
• Missouri Waltz
• Montezuma's Revenge
• Most Evil
• Murder in the Summer Kitchen
• My Life in Killer Recipes
• Napa Hospitality
• Never Miss a Chick
• Not the Way It Looks
• Nut Job
• Of Roosters and Men
• On Like Donkey Kong
• Picture Perfect
• Shut Your Eyes and You'll Be Fine
• The Baker's Boy
• The Bank Job
• The Chair Thief
• The Cop Who Loved Gilbert and Sullivan
• The Find of the Century
• The Girl with the Mangled Breast
• The Hardest Part
• The Kids Keep Coming
• The Last Train Out
• The Lesson
• The New Score
• The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie's Place
• The Perfect Patsy
• The Queen-Size Bed
• The Ranchero's Daughter
• The Settlement
• The Things We Do for Love
• The Uninhabited
• The Writer
• Thicker Than Water
• To the Moon and Back
• True Love
• Twenty-Five Minutes to Go
• Uncle Charlie and the Passport
• Unrepentant Sinner
• Voices Carry
• You Should've Called Me

LONG STORY (4,001–8,000 words)

• #2 Pencil
• A Woman's Place
• All That Glitters
• As Ye Sow
• Becky's File
• Breadfruit
• Breakage
• Burning Bright
• Burnt Orange
• Chasing the Moon
• Cleaning Up the Neighborhood
• Crazy Cat Lady
• Day's Work
• Death in the Serengeti
• Death and the Dancing Bears
• Death Will Help You Imagine
• Dixie Quickies
• Do Not Pass Go
• El Asesino
• Exposed for Murder
• Fairy Tales
• Fear in Black and White
• Featuring Martin and Lewis
• Fishtown Lockup
• Gossip
• Gun Work
• Happy Families
• Hatcheck
• Hidden
• Jerusalem Syndrome
• Last Call for Buffalo
• Long Story
• Matricide and Ice Cream
• Mrs. Featherpatch and the Case of the Skewered Ham
• Ominous Silence
• One at a Time
• Out of Business
• Press It Down
• Raising Bigfoot
• Saving the House
• Seth's Big Move
• Smoked
• Snakebit
• Strong Enough
• The Barter
• The Black Hand
• The Darkness and the Light
• The Dead
• The Dying Season
• The Farmer and His Wife
• The Front Man
• The Last Evil
• The Magnolia Murders
• The Mechanical Rat
• The Murderous Type
• The Papergirl
• The Ride of Your Life
• The Spy Who Read Too Much
• The Thirty-Fourth Man
• The Touch of Time
• The Tragic Death of Mrs. Edna Fogg
• The Widow Black
• This Ain’t No Time for a Vacation
• Too Good to be True
• Trail's End
• What Could Possibly Go Boing?
• Whose Wine Is It Anyway?
• Writer's Block

NOVELETTE (8,001–20,000 words)

• A Necessary Ingredient
• Along the Hudson
• Blaming the Arsonist
• Flowing Waters
• For Want of a Book
• I Know They're In There!
• Kill My Wife, Please
• King's Quarters
• London After Midnight
• Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma
• Night Class
• Snake Oil
• The Bootlegger's Goddaughter
• The Children of Espiritu Santo
• The Echoes
• The Last Heist
• The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn
• The Mechanical Detective
• Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming
• Windward

2018 Derringer Awards: Last Day for Submissions!

Originally posted to Shortmystery February 3, 2018, 8:45 a.m. PST by Derringer Coordinator Jay Hartman:

Hi, Everyone!

Just a reminder that today is the last day for Derringer submission consideration. All entries must be received at derringers2018@untreedreads.com no later than 11:59 p.m. PST. No extensions will be permitted and SMFS and the Derringer Coordinator are not responsible for late-delivered emails or emails that never arrive. At approximately 8:00 p.m. PST an updated list of entries will be posted to [Shortmystery]. That will allow an additional four hours for submitting in case you do not see your title listed.

I do still have a few receipt confirmations to send out, which will be happening this evening when I return home.

Thanks!

Jay Hartman

2018 Derringer Awards Update - January 28

Originally posted to Shortmystery January 28, 2018, 8:59 p.m. PST, by Derringer Awards Coordinator Jay Hartman:

Hi, everyone!

Below is the list of submissions that I've received and responded to. As previously written, if you have any issues or there are any mistakes, please contact me at derringers2018@untreedreads.com and do NOT post to [Shortmystery].

Thanks!

Jay Hartman


FLASH (up to 1,000 words)

• A Garden for Adonis
• A Will and a Way
• Alleyway Alvin
• Altercation on Ballet Boulevard
• An Afternoon in Lake Park
• Cold Turkey
• Disappearing Act
• Dog Trap
• Father Knows Bets
• Flash Point
• Gary Deserves Reward
• Happy Birthday
• Hostage
• Mean Girl
• Meeting the Demand
• Slipping Into Darkness
• Stegmann's Basement
• The Forcier Brothers
• The Hitchhiker

SHORT STORY (1,001–4,000 words)

• A Death in Deep Ellum
• A Murder in Montreux
• A Pie to Die For
• A Respectable Lady
• A Valentine's Day to Remember
• Abduction of Destiny
• Antiques
• Black Friday
• Blood Moon
• Breath Test
• Bull's Eye
• Consequences
• Eb and Flo
• Every Picture Tells a Story
• Flight to the Flirty Flamingo
• Gem Collector
• Her Father's Killer
• Homebodies
• It's All Litter to Me
• Judge Jillian
• Juju
• Justice Due
• Killing Time So I Can Dig Myself a Deeper Grave
• Let It Burn
• Live at Alcatraz
• Missing Person
• Missouri Waltz
• Most Evil
• Murder in the Summer Kitchen
• My Life in Killer Recipes
• Napa Hospitality
• Nut Job
• Of Roosters and Men
• On Like Donkey Kong
• Picture Perfect
• Shut Your Eyes and You'll Be Fine
• The Baker's Boy
• The Bank Job
• The Chair Thief
• The Cop Who Loved Gilbert and Sullivan
• The Girl with the Mangled Breast
• The Hardest Part
• The Last Train Out
• The Lesson
• The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie's Place
• The Perfect Patsy
• The Queen-Size Bed
• The Ranchero's Daughter
• The Settlement
• The Writer
• Thicker Than Water
• To the Moon and Back
• True Love
• Twenty-Five Minutes to Go
• Uncle Charlie and the Passport
• Voices Carry
• You Should've Called Me

LONG STORY (4,001–8,000 words)

• A Woman's Place
• As Ye Sow
• Becky's File
• Breadfruit
• Burning Bright
• Burnt Orange
• Chasing the Moon
• Cleaning Up the Neighborhood
• Crazy Cat Lady
• Death and the Dancing Bears
• Death Will Help You Imagine
• Dixie Quickies
• Do Not Pass Go
• Exposed for Murder
• Fairy Tales
• Fear in Black and White
• Featuring Martin and Lewis
• Gun Work
• Happy Families
• Hidden
• Matricide and Ice Cream
• Mrs. Featherpatch and the Case of the Skewered Ham
• Ominous Silence
• One at a Time
• Raising Bigfoot
• Smoked
• Snakebit
• Strong Enough
• The Barter
• The Darkness and the Light
• The Last Evil
• The Magnolia Murders
• The Mechanical Rat
• The Murderous Type
• The Papergirl
• The Spy Who Read Too Much
• The Thirty-Fourth Man
• The Touch of Time
• The Tragic Death of Mrs. Edna Fogg
• The Widow Black
• Too Good to be True
• Trail's End
• Whose Wine Is It Anyway?

NOVELETTE (8,001–20,000 words)

• A Necessary Ingredient
• Along the Hudson
• London After Midnight
• Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma
• Night Class
• Snake Oil
• The Bootlegger's Goddaughter
• The Children of Espiritu Santo
• The Last Heist
• The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn
• The Mechanical Detective
• Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming
• Windward

2018 Derringer Awards Update - January 20

Originally posted to Shortmystery January 20, 2018, 9:58 p.m. PST, by Derringer Awards Coordinator Jay Hartman:

Here's the complete list of Derringer submissions that I've received and acknowledged through 1/20. I apologize for those who submitted at the beginning of January but only received acknowledgments tonight. Technology is a beautiful thing... when it works.

Many thanks to those of you who made donations [to Cancer Research Institute] in Sandi [Tipple] and Bill [Crider]'s name!

If you don’t see your title below or spot an error, DO NOT EMAIL [Shortmystery]. Please send me an email at derringers2018@untreedreads.com

Thanks!

Jay Hartman


FLASH (up to 1,000 words)

• A Will and a Way
• Alleyway Alvin
• Altercation on Ballet Boulevard
• An Afternoon in Lake Park
• Disappearing Act
• Dog Trap
• Father Knows Bets
• Flash Point
• Hostage
• Meeting the Demand
• Slipping Into Darkness
• Stegmann's Basement
• The Forcier Brothers
• The Hitchhiker

SHORT STORY (1,001–4,000 words)

• A Death in Deep Ellum
• A Murder in Montreux
• A Respectable Lady
• Antiques
• Black Friday
• Blood Moon
• Bull's Eye
• Consequences
• Eb and Flo
• Every Picture Tells a Story
• Flight to the Flirty Flamingo
• Her Father's Killer
• Homebodies
• It's All Litter to Me
• Judge Jillian
• Justice Due
• Killing Time So I Can Dig Myself a Deeper Gravev
• Let It Burn
• Live at Alcatraz
• Missing Person
• Missouri Waltz
• Most Evil
• Murder in the Summer Kitchen
• My Life in Killer Recipes
• Napa Hospitality
• Nut Job
• On Like Donkey Kong
• Shut Your Eyes and You'll Be Fine
• The Baker's Boy
• The Bank Job
• The Chair Thief
• The Girl with the Mangled Breast
• The Hardest Part
• The Last Train Out
• The Perfect Patsy
• The Queen-Size Bed
• The Settlement
• The Writer
• To the Moon and Back
• True Love
• Voices Carry
• You Should've Called Me

LONG STORY (4,001–8,000 words)

• A Woman's Place
• As Ye Sow
• Becky's File
• Breadfruit
• Burning Bright
• Burnt Orange
• Chasing the Moon
• Cleaning Up the Neighborhood
• Crazy Cat Lady
• Death and the Dancing Bears
• Death Will Help You Imagine
• Dixie Quickies
• Do Not Pass Go
• Exposed for Murder
• Fairy Tales
• Featuring Martin and Lewis
• Gun Work
• Happy Families
• Hidden
• Matricide and Ice Cream
• Ominous Silence
• Raising Bigfoot
• Smoked
• Snakebite
• The Barter
• The Darkness and the Light
• The Last Evil
• The Magnolia Murders
• The Mechanical Rat
• The Spy Who Read Too Much
• The Thirty-Fourth Man
• The Touch of Time
• The Tragic Death of Mrs. Edna Fogg
• The Widow Black
• Too Good to be True
• Trail's End
• Whose Wine Is It Anyway?

NOVELETTE (8,001–20,000 words)

• A Necessary Ingredient
• Along the Hudson
• London After Midnight
• Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma
• Night Class
• The Bootlegger's Goddaughter
• The Children of Espiritu Santo
• The Last Heist
• The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn
• The Mechanical Detective
• Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming
• Windward

2018 Derringer Awards: Lots of Entries So Far!

Originally posted to Shortmystery January 7, 9:14 p.m. PST by Derringer Awards Coordinator Jay Hartman:

Hi, everyone!

Just an update that I've been receiving lots of submissions for the Derringer and will be posting an update to [Shortmystery] of all the submitted stories (thus far) in the next few days.

Thanks!

--
Jay Hartman
DERRINGERS2018 at UNTREEDREADS dot COM

2018 Derringer Submissions are Now Open

On January 3, 2018, Derringer Awards Coordinator Jay Hartman posted to Shortmystery a suggestion that those submitting for the Derringer Awards also consider a donation to cancer research as a way the SMFS can give back to our communities. In the same Shortmystery post, Jay set boundaries for onlist discussion of the current Derringer process.

At Jay's request, I, a regular member and blog admin, am excerpting Jay's points here as a reminder. Any questions about these points or the Derringer process should be addressed to Jay himself at derringers2018@untreedreads.com:

...There is never a fee for entering the Derringers. However, I think that this year the Derringer Awards should have a giving-back element to them due to several crises that members have experienced. I would ask that if you are submitting an entry for consideration you make a donation to the Cancer Research Institute in the name of Sandi Tipple or Bill Crider. CRI is considered one of the top three cancer charities, where roughly 85% of all donations go directly to programs. Making or not making a donation will in no way affect your chances of receiving an award and is not a requirement for submission. This is about doing good. However, if you do submit proof of a donation with your entry, Untreed Reads will send you a coupon code for a free ebook of your choice from http://store.untreedreads.com as a thank-you for making the world a bit better and for honoring two people who mean/meant a lot to all of us. Total dollar amount raised will also be announced at the presentation of the Derringer Awards in September at Bouchercon.

...Long, protracted arguments and battles about the Derringers will not be engaged or entertained and there will be no tolerance of public mistreatment of individuals for differing opinions...I simply won’t allow either myself as Derringer Coordinator or authors to be attacked in any way. Personal and/or public attacks on others may result in disqualification. Keep it civil!

Looking forward to a great Derringer season with everyone!

Jay Hartman

SMFS 2018 Derringer Coordinator is Jay Hartman

The membership of the SMFS is pleased to announce that, by acclimation, Jay Hartman has been elected the 2018 Derringer Coordinator. Jay’s term of office begins on July 1, 2017.