Mystery Melange

Maxine Clarke was one of the first oneline reviewers of crime fiction and operated the blog Petrona for several years. Sadly, Clarke died last December after a long bout with cancer, and to honor her memory, The Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year will be handed out at this year's CrimeFest. The shortlist for this year's award is based on Maxine's reviews and ratings and includes Pierced by Thomas Enger, Black Skies by Arnaldur Indridason, Last Will by Liza Marklund and Another Time, Another Life by Leif GW Persson.

In addition, fellow blogger Margot Kinberg, a friend of Clarke's is putting together an anthology of stories themed around crime in the world of editing, publishing, writing and/or reviewing. She'll consider submissions from authors with a deadline of the first week of August, and proceeds from this project will be donated to the Princess Alice Hospice, which was so supportive of Maxine and her family during her last days and weeks. For more information on Clarke and her legacy, there are tribute and memorial sites.

Suspense Magazine is out with its March issue, which was a difficult one for the publication after more sad news, the sudden death of Executive Editor Terri Ann Armstrong. This month's offerings include Sara Foster, Carolyn Haines, Jonathan Maberry, Gregg Olsen, and Heather Graham talking about their latest books, and there are also interviews with debut authors Jenny Milchman and Richard Long. Also, the magazine announced that the newly-named  Terri Ann Armstrong Short Story Contest will begin accepting submissions on April and run through the end of this year.

The ezine Shotgun Honey is accepting submissions between 1500 and 4500 words for its second anthology and looking for premium crime fiction from hard luck to whodoneits. The editors prefer noir and the non-salvageable protagonist, but "a good story is a good story." What they don't want is graphic sex and violence. For more information on the submission guidelines check out the website.

The fiinalists for the Lambda Literary Awards have been selected from a record number of nominations by the Lambda Literary Foundation. This is the 25th anniversary of the awards, which celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writing. For a list of all nominees, including the mystery categories, check out the Lamba Literary Foundation's website.

Registration will open this Friday, March 15, for the Writers Police Academy, to be held in Jamestown, N.C.September 5-8. Many of the popular features of this hands-on conference fill up early, such as the FATS (Firearms Training Simulator) and Driving Simulator. New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner is the keynote speaker this year, with Special Guest Speaker, the world-renowned DNA expert Dr. Dan Krane.

The Q&A roundup this week includes a "Short, Sharp Interview with Declan Burke" on Paul D. Brazill's blog; John Lescroart stops by Hook'em and Book'em; and Denise Mina chats with the Msytery People.