Mystery Melange (and That's No Joke)

Here are some of the latest tidbits in the world of crime fiction...

MAGAZINES

Good news, bad news for online short fiction:  The spring issue of Mysterical-E is now available online, with their usual fun lineup of stories, columns, and interviews.  Unfortunately, Lunch Hour Stories is closing up shop. For the past four years, it's offered a subscription print publication to help writers, especially new and emerging writers, showcase their stories, but it's become yet another victim of the economy.

AWARDS

'Tis the season for awards, and here are some of the latest nominations:

• 2009 British Book Industry Awards announced the titles in several categories, including Crime Thriller of the Year, with nods to Martina Cole, Tom Rob Smith, Stieg Larsson, Linwood Barclay, C.J. Sansom, and Kate Atkinson. Shots Magazine has a contest to win tickets to the red carpet gala.

• Spinetingler Magazine posted its nominations for New Voice, Rising Star, Legend, Graphic Novel, Editor, Reviewer, Publisher, Special Services, Book Cover, and Best Short Story on the Web (with links to the stories).

• Thriller Writers International has nominees for Best Thriller, Best First Novel, and Best Short Story, and has will also his year be giving the Thrillermaster Award to David Morrell, honoring his influential body of work, and the Silver Bullet Award to Brad Meltzer for his outstanding charitable contributions.

• The Irish Book Awards for the first time is awarding the AIM Crime Fiction Award. Nominees this year include  Brian McGilloway, Tana French, Arlene Hunt, and Alex Barclay.
• The Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Award finalists were announced yesterday.

• In case you missed it, the Lovey Awards, given at the annual Love is Murder Conference, can be found via the following link.

CONFERENCES

• Conferences are also back in full swing. A couple to add to the listing include UK's Lincoln Book Festival, May 13-17, where Michael Connelly will be a featured guest.

• Another is the Give Me a Clue Conference on April 25th, sponsored by the Central Jersey chapter of Sisters in Crime. Author/Agents participants include Shobhan Bantwal, Jeff Cohen, Peggy Ehrhart, Jack Getze, Chris Grabenstein, Shirley Hailstock, Carlotta Holton, Martha Jewett, Evan Marshall, Lily Tang, Ann Waldron, and Eileen Watkins

BOOKSTORES

• Things are finally looking up for the Chapters Literary Store in D.C., which may have found a new location to help keep it in business. One of the popular features at the old location before they had to vacate was the Mystery Monday Lunchtime Series. Fans of the shop can send along contributions to the address listed on the site link.

• More intriguing bookstore news:  Encinitas Book Tales (California) is launching "The Literary Walking Companions," a daily book club for walkers. Owner Patti McFarland said  "I'm 65. I need to walk. . . . It's about trying to be a little more healthy. Everybody is outside doing things because the weather is good. Why not start something like this?"

BLOG FUN

• The Guardian asks the question, Iranians love Sherlock Holmes, Poirot and Maigret. But why don't they have their own fictional detectives?

• Dave Rosenthal, Sunday editor of  the Baltimore Sun, posted a quiz on the paper's blog asking readers "to imagine Raymond Chandler writing today by completing descriptions like these: 1. as ____ as a Dick Cheney sneer. 2. as ____  as an A.I.G. exec asking for a bonus."