2014 Derringer Finalists

The Short Mystery Fiction Society announces the finalists for its 2014 Derringer Awards as determined by SMFS member volunteer judges:

For Best Flash (Up to 1,000 words)

• "Final Statement" by Robert Bailey (The Flash Fiction Offensive, July 18, 2013)
• "Not My Day" by Stephen Buehler (Last Exit to Murder, Down & Out Books, June 2013)
• "The Needle and the Spoon" by Allan Leverone (Shotgun Honey, November 15, 2013)
• "Luck is What You Make" by Stephen D. Rogers (Crime Factory, May 2013)
• "Terry Tenderloin and the Pig Thief" by John Weagly (Shotgun Honey, June 21, 2013)

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

• "Pretty Little Things" by Chris F. Holm (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, July 2013)
• "The Present" by Robert Lopresti (The Strand Magazine, February-May 2013)
• "The Sweetheart Scamster" by Rosemary McCracken (Thirteen by the Mesdames of Mayhem, August 2013)
• "The Little Outlaw" by Mike Miner (Plan B Magazine, August 9, 2013)
• "The Cemetery Man" by Bill Pronzini (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, July 2013)

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

• "Myrna!" by John Bubar (Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold, Level Best Books, September 2013)
• "Bloody Signorina" by Joseph D'Agnese (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, September 2013)
• "GIVE ME A DOLLAR" by Ray Daniel (Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold, Level Best Books, September 2013)
• "Dance Man" by Andrew Jetarski (Last Exit to Murder, Down & Out Books, June 2013)
• "A Dangerous Life" by Adam Purple (Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold, Level Best Books, September 2013)

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

• "The Serpent Beneath the Flower" by Jack Bates (Mind Wings Audio, April 2013)
• "The Goddaughter's Revenge" by Melodie Campbell (Orca Rapid Reads, October 2013)
• "For Love's Sake" by O'Neil De Noux (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, July/August 2013)
• "The Antiquary's Wife" by William Burton McCormick (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March 2013)
• "Last Night in Cannes" by James L. Ross (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, November 2013)

Finalists may obtain certificates of achievement by emailing SMFS Vice President Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

SMFS members who joined by December 31, 2013 vote to determine the winner in each category March 1–30, 2014. The winners will be announced Monday, March 31, 2014.

The SMFS at Bouchercon 2013 in Albany, NY

President Tom Sweeney will announce the 2013 Derringer winners at the opening ceremonies of Bouchercon 2013, Thursday, September 19, 7:30–9:00 P.M. in Hart Theater at The Egg. Jim Doherty will send physical plaques to the winners when they are ready.

Bouchercon runs September 19–22. If you are attending or would like to announce a panel or event, please comment on this post. Hope to see you there.

Herschel Cozine is organizing an SMFS Members' Lunch at Bouchercon. He asks that everyone interested gather on Friday, 12:30 P.M. by the registration tables on the Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza.

Group Poll Results

• The June 10–17, 2013 group vote has decided members may run for consecutive terms Derringer Awards Coordinator beginning with the 2015 term.


• The June 10–17, 2013 group vote has decided the office of Derringer Awards Coordinator will retain that title.

2013 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.

Best Flash (Up to 1,000 words)

• "The Cable Job" by Randy DeWitt (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, September 2012)>
• "An Old-Fashioned Villain" by Nick Andreychuk (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, May 2012)
• "Dead Man" by A.J. Hayes (Off The Record 2: At The Movies, September 2012)
• "Daddy's Girl" by Nicola Kennington (The Flash Fiction Offensive, July 22, 2012)
• "Twas the Knife Before Christmas" by Allan Leverone (Shotgun Honey, December 24, 2012)

Best Short Story (1,001–4,000 words)

• "Getting Out of the Box" by Michael Bracken (Crime Square, Vantage Point, 2012)
• "A Special Kind of Hell" by Hilary Davidson (BEAT to a PULP: Round Two, May 2012)
• "Dead Weight" by Allan Leverone (Burning Bridges: A Renegade Fiction Anthology, April 2012)
• "Nain Rouge" by Barbara Nadel (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 2012)
• "Baby Boy" by Todd Robinson (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT, September 2012)

Best Long Story (4,001–8,000 words)

• "When Duty Calls" by Art Taylor (Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder, 2012)
• "The Pot Hunters" by David Hagerty (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, June 2012)
• "A Regular Story" by Peggy McFarland (Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon, Level Best Books, November 2012)
• "Peaches" by Todd Robinson (Grift #1, April 2012)
• "Double Wedding" by Mo Walsh (Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon, Level Best Books, November 2012)

Best Novelette (8,001–20,000 words)

• "Wood-Smoke Boys" by Doug Allyn (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012)
• "Iphigenia in Aulis" by Mike Carey (An Apple for the Creature, September 2012)
• "Mariel" by David Dean (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, December 2012)
• "Pirate Dave and the Captain's Ghost" by Toni L.P. Kelner (An Apple for the Creature, September 2012)
• "The Sunny South" by Chris Muessig (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012)

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:

• Loren D. Estleman

Recipients may obtain award certificates by emailing SMFS Vice President Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM). Recipients will be publicly recognized at the opening ceremonies of Bouchercon 2013, Thursday, September 19, in Albany, NY.

2013 Derringer Finalist Certificates Available

As maker of the 2013 Derringer certificates, I will gladly e-mail them as printable files to any finalists who want them.

The certificates feature the signatures of President Tom Sweeney and myself. If you would like a certificate, e-mail G_SO at YAHOO dot COM. In addition to a file suitable for printing, you may request an file suitable for web display.

The Derringer winners will be entitled to additional, winners' certificates.

Finally, as you may know, former SMFS VP Jim Doherty has kindly constructed and presented winners' plaques in the past. I'd like to suggest an optional donation toward the making of the plaques if Jim is willing to divulge his expenses.


Gerald So, SMFS Vice President 2012-14

2013 Derringer Finalists

As determined by volunteer SMFS-member judges and announced by Awards Coordinator Anthony Rudzki:

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

• "An Old-Fashioned Villain" by Nick Andreychuk (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, May 2012)
• "The Cable Job" by Randy DeWitt (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, September 2012)
• "Dead Man" by A.J. Hayes (Off The Record 2: At The Movies, September 2012)
• "Daddy's Girl" by Nicola Kennington (The Flash Fiction Offensive, July 22, 2012)
• "Twas the Knife Before Christmas" by Allan Leverone (Shotgun Honey, December 24, 2012)

BEST SHORT STORY (1,001 - 4,000 words):

• "Getting Out of the Box" by Michael Bracken (Crime Square, Vantage Point, 2012)
• "A Special Kind of Hell" by Hilary Davidson (BEAT to a PULP: Round Two, May 2012)
• "Dead Weight" by Allan Leverone (Burning Bridges: A Renegade Fiction Anthology, April 2012)
• "Nain Rouge" by Barbara Nadel (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 2012)
• "Baby Boy" by Todd Robinson (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT, September 2012)

BEST LONG STORY (4,001 - 8,000 words):

• "The Pot Hunters" by David Hagerty (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, June 2012)
• "A Regular Story" by Peggy McFarland (Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon, Level Best Books, November 2012)
• "Peaches" by Todd Robinson (Grift #1, April 2012)
• "When Duty Calls" by Art Taylor (Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder, 2012)
• "Double Wedding" Mo Walsh (Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon, Level Best Books, November 2012)

BEST NOVELETTE (8,001 - 20,000 words):

• "Wood-Smoke Boys" by Doug Allyn (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012)
• "Iphigenia in Aulis" by Mike Carey (An Apple for the Creature, September 2012)
• "Mariel" by David Dean (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, December 2012)
• "Pirate Dave and the Captain's Ghost" by Toni L.P. Kelner (An Apple for the Creature, September 2012)
• "The Sunny South" by Chris Muessig (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012)

The 2013 Derringer winners will be determined by a March 1–30 poll of eligible SMFS members and will be announced March 31.

More to Do with the Derringers

Originally posted to Shortmystery by Gerald So, Vice President, February 4, 2013:

My thanks to everyone who submitted stories, and to Awards Coordinator Tony Rudzki and the judges. While the judging goes on, it's a good time to sign up for the Derringers Voting Group, where Tony will upload the finalist stories and set up the polls for the March group vote.

If you've signed up previously, just check that you are still a member of the voting group. Log in to http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups/ with your Yahoo! ID and confirm that "Derringers" is in your list of groups.

We also need to fill out the Golden Derringer committee with one volunteer chosen at random from the membership at large.

This is the committee that choose this year's recipient of the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement. If you'd like to put your name in the hopper, email me offlist by Friday, February 8. I will forward the names to Tom Sweeney, SMFS President and committee chairman. The membership can also participate in the Golden Derringer process by submitting candidates to receive the Award. Tom will announce when we begin accepting candidates.

The same committee will attempt to choose up to two inductees into the Short Mystery Fiction Hall of Fame. The key difference between the Golden Derringer and the Hall is the latter is for writers deceased at least ten years before induction consideration.