SMFS Members Nominated for the 2023 Agatha Awards

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence. 

Malice Domestic #36 will take place April 26-28, 2024. Again this year, numerous SMFS list members are nominated in several categories. The full list of the 2023 Agatha Award nominees and more can be found here on Facebook. The categories and nominated SMFS list members that reported their nominations are:

 

Best Contemporary Mystery Novel

Gigi Pandian for The Raven Thief: A Secret Staircase Mystery (Minotaur Books).

 

Best First Mystery

Josh Pachter for Dutch Threat (Genius Book Publishing).

 

Best Short Story

Barb Goffman for the short story, Real Courage, in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #14.

Dru Ann Love and  Kristopher Zgorski for the short story, Ticket To Ride, in the anthology, Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Down & Out Books).

Richie Narvaez for the short story, Shamu, World's Greatest Detective, in the anthology, Killin' Time in San Diego: Bouchercon Anthology 2023 (Down and Out Books).

SMFS Members Nominated for the 2022 Agatha Award Nominees

 

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence.

Malice Domestic #35 will take place April 28-30, 2023. Again this year, numerous SMFS list members are nominated in several categories. The full list of the 2022 Agatha Award nominees and more can be found here. The categories and nominated SMFS list members are:

 

Children's/ YA Mystery 

Fleur Bradley for Daybreak on Raven Island (Viking Books for Young People).

 

Best Contemporary Novel 

Annette Dashofy for Fatal Reunion: A Zoe Chambers Mystery (Level Best Books).

 

Best First Novel 

M. A. (Mary) Monnin for Death in the Aegean: An Intrepid Traveler Mystery (Level Best Books). 

Nina Wachsman for The Gallery of Beauties: A Venice Beauties Mystery (Level Best Books).

  

Best Short Story 

Barb Goffman for the short story, Beauty and the Beyotch, in Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #29. 

Lisa Q. Mathews for the short story, Fly Me to the Morgue, in the anthology, Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Diabolical (Wildside Press). 

Richie Narvaez for the short story, The Minnesota Twins Meet Bigfoot, in the book, Land of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022 (Down & Out Books). Read for free at his website. 

Art Taylor for the short story, The Invisible Band, in the anthology, Edgar & Shamus Go Golden: Twelve Tales of Murder, Mystery, and Master Detection from the Golden Age of Mystery and Beyond (Down & Out Books). Read for free at his website. 

 

In addition, the recently published book, Promophobia: Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Crime Fiction, is nominated in the Best Non-Fiction category. Published by Sisters in Crime, it includes essays by numerous SMFS list members.

2020 Agatha Award Nominees

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence. This year, instead of the annual in person convention, MORE THAN MALICE will take place entirely online from July 14-17, 2021. There are twelve SMFS list members up for an Agatha Award in six different categories. The awards will be presented on July 17^th.

 

In the “Best Short Story” category there are four members that are nominated. Those members are:

Barb Goffman for "Dear Emily Etiquette" in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: September/October 2020. You can listen to the podcast for this story here.

Art Taylor for “The Boy Detective & The Summer of ‘74" in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: January/February 2021. You can read Art’s essay on how the story came together here.

Gabriel Valjan for “Elysian Fields” in the anthology, California Schemin’: The 2020 Bouchercon Anthology, published by Wildside Press.

James W. Ziskin for “The 25 Year Engagement” in the anthology, In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, published by Pegasus Crime. You can read James’ essay on how the story came together here.

 

Our members up for Agatha Awards for longer works are:

Donna Andrews is up for the Agatha Award in the “Best Contemporary Novel” category for Gift of the Magpie, published by Minotaur.

Tina deBellegarde is up for an Agatha Award in the “Best First Novel” category for Winter Witness, published by Level Best Books.

Mary Keliikoa is up for the Agatha Award in the “Best First Novel” category for Derailed, published by Epicenter Press, Inc.

Edith Maxwell is up for the Agatha Award in the “Best Historical Novel” category for Taken Too Soon: A Quaker Midwife Mystery, published by Beyond the Page Publishing.

Leslie Brody in the “Best Non-Fiction” Category for Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy, published by Seal Press.

Martin Edwards in the “Best Non-Fiction” Category for Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club, published by Collins Crime Club.

Fleur Bradley in the “Best Children’s/YA Mystery” Category for Midnight at the Barclay Hotel, published by Viking Books for Young Readers.

Richard Narvaez in the “Best Children’s/YA Mystery” Category for Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco, published by Piñata Books.

 

SMFS salutes our members on this honor and wishes them the best as they represent SMFS at Malice Domestic. The full list of nominees can be found at the Malice Domestic website.

2019 Agatha Award SMFS Winners

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence. With the cancellation of Malice Domestic this year due to the pandemic, the awards were presented last night virtually by way of zoom.

Two SMFS list members were honored with Agatha Awards last night. The members are:

Tara Laskowski won an Agatha Award for the “Best First Mystery Novel” category for her book, for One Night Gone (Graydon House).

Edith Maxwell won an Agatha Award in the “Best Historical Novel” category for Charity’s Burden: A Quaker Midwife Mystery (Midnight Ink).

SMFS salutes our list members on this honor.  The winners this year will be honored next year at the planned in person event. Those details and more can be found at the can be found at the Malice Domestic website.

SMFS Members Nominated for the 2019 Agatha Awards

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence. Malice Domestic 32 (May 1-3, 2020) sees seven SMFS list members up for an Agatha Award in three different categories.

In the “Best Short Story” category this year there are four members that are nominated. Those members are:

Kaye George for “Grist for the Mill” in A Murder of Crows (Darkhouse Books).

Barb Goffman for “Alex’s Choice” in Crime Travel (Wildside Press)

Cynthia Kuhn for “The Blue Ribbon” in Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible (Wildside Press)

Art Taylor for “Better Days” in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: May/June 2019.

We also have members up for Agatha Awards for longer works. Those members are:

Tara Laskowski is up for the Agatha Award in the “Best First Mystery Novel” for One Night Gone.

Ang Pompano is up for the Agatha Award in the “Best First Mystery Novel” for When It’s Time For Leaving.

Edith Maxwell is up for the Agatha Award in the “Best Historical Novel” category for Charity’s Burden: A Quaker Midwife Mystery (Midnight Ink).

SMFS salutes our members on this honor and wishes them the best as they represent SMFS at Malice Domestic.  The full list of nominees can be found at the Malice Domestic website.

2018 Agatha Award Winners

Malice Domestic™ handed out their 2018 Agatha Awards last night at the annual convention. As previously announced, there were Six SMFS list members nominated in three categories

In the Best Short Story category this year there was a tie for two SMFS list members. The two winning members are:

Leslie Budewitz  for “All God’s Sparrows” in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: May/June 2018.

Tara Laskowski for “The Case of the Vanishing Professor” in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: May/June 2018.

SMFS salutes and congratulates our members on this honor.

As the full list of nominees and winners is not currently up at Malice Domestic, head over to The Rap Sheet for more information. 

SMFS Agatha Award Nominees 2018

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence. Malice Domestic 31 (May 3-5, 2019) sees six SMFS members up for an Agatha Award in three different categories.

In the Best Short Story category this year there are four members that are nominated. Those members are:

Leslie Budewitz  for “All God’s Sparrows” in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: May/June 2018.

Barb Goffman for “Bug Appetit” in  Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November/December 2018.

Tara Laskowski for “The Case of the Vanishing Professor” in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: May/June 2018.

Art Taylor for “English 398: Fiction Workshop” in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: July/August 2018.

We also have members up for Agatha Awards for longer works. Those members are:

Bruce Robert Coffin is up for the Agatha Award in the Best Contemporary Novel category for Beyond the Truth.

Edith Maxwell is up for the Agatha Award in the Best Historical Novel category for Turning the Tide.

SMFS salutes our members on this honor and wishes them all the best as they represent SMFS at Malice Domestic.

SMFS Member Gigi Pandian WINS an Agatha!

SMFS member Gigi Pandian, nominated in Best Short Story category for the Agatha Award this year for “The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn” (Henery Press) won last night at Malice Domestic.  The picture on this post was supplied by SMFS member Art Taylor on Facebook.

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence.

Congratulations GIGI!!!!

SleuthSayers: Agatha Award Finalists: Best Short Story

SleuthSayers: Agatha Award Finalists: Best Short Story: By Art Taylor The annual Malice Domestic convention is right around the corner—April 27-29 in Bethesda, Maryland—and two of us SleuthSaye...

SMFS Agatha Award Nominees

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence.

Malice Domestic 30 (April 27- 29, 2018) sees four SMFS members up for the Agatha Award for Best Short Story. Those members are:

Barb Goffman for “Whose Wine is it Anyway” in the anthology, 50 Shades of Cabernet (Koehler Books).

Debra Goldstein for “The Night They Burned Miss Dixie’s Place” in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (May/June 2017).

Gigi Pandian for “The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn” (Henery Press).

Art Taylor for “A Necessary Ingredient” in the anthology Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea (Down &Out Books).

Please note that each short story is linked to where you can read the work for free thanks to the efforts of Janet Rudolph and her Mystery Fanfare blog.

Additionally, Edith Maxwell is a nominee in the Best Historical Novel category for her mystery, Called To Justice. 


Also nominated in the Best First Novel category is Micky Browning for Adrift: A Mer Cavallo Mystery.

SMFS salutes our six members on this honor and wishes them all the best as they represent SMFS at Malice Domestic. 

SleuthSayers: The 2017 Agatha Short Story Nominees

SleuthSayers: The 2017 Agatha Short Story Nominees: by B.K. Stevens All of this year's nominees for the Best Short Story Agatha have female protagonists, but that's about the only ...

The SMFS at Malice Domestic 29 (April 28-30, 2017)

Established in 1989, Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area that celebrates the traditional mystery, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie, containing no explicit sex, excessive gore, or violence.

Malice Domestic 29 (April 28- 30) sees four SMFS members up for the Agatha Award for Best Short Story. Those member nominees are:

“The Best-Laid Plans” by Barb Goffman in Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional (Wildside Press)

“The Mayor and the Midwife” by Edith Maxwell in Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016 (Down & Out Books)

“The Last Blue Glass” by B.K. Stevens in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

“Parallel Play” by Art Taylor in Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning (Wildside Press)

Additionally, member Pam De Voe's book, Trapped: A Mei-hua Adventure is a finalist in the Best Children/Young Adult category.

Member Jay Hartman, editor of our 2015 first SMFS-member anthology, Flash and Bang, has confirmed that bookseller Mystery Loves Company will have copies for sale at the convention. Members with stories in the anthology are strongly encouraged to go by and sign the sale copies as well as spread the word that the anthology is present for sale.

Member Terrie Farley Moran also has set up a get together during the convention for SMFS attendees and family/friends. The location this year is the Bar of the Daily Grill (a restaurant in the hotel) at 5:30 on Friday, April 28, 2017.