Mystery Melange

Four independent publishers—Grove Atlantic, Akashic Books, Melville House, and Europa Editions—have joined forces to create what they're calling "International Crime Month." It's actually a little longer than a month, since events start in late May and continue through June. The initiative kicks off in New York with events at Bookcourt and Mysterious Bookshop during the final week of May and a panel discussion at Book Expo America on Friday May 31.

More award news to report: this time, it's nominations for the Anthony Awards, handed out each year at the Boucheron crime fiction festival, which were recently announced. They include nods for Best Novel to Dare Me by Megan Abbott; The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny; and The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan. For all the nominees, check out the Bouchercon 2013 website.

Speaking of Bouchercon, if you're an unpublished author, the conference has a great opportunity in the form of a short story contest. There are three categories including high school students, college
students and general attendees, with submissions capped at 200 per category. To submit, send along your mystery story of 8,000 words or less by June 15.

Noir at the Bar is returning to the Philadelphia area, Thursday, May 23 at John & Peter's at 96 South Main St. in New Hope, PA. Special guests are authors Wallace Stroby, Dennis Tafoya and a few more TBA.

Madison, Wisconsin's Booked for Murder indie bookstore, which was put up for sale in February, has found a new owner. Joanne Berg, a former vice-provost at the University of Wisconsin, Madison is moving the former store's inventory to Berg's new bookshop, Mystery to Me, scheduled to open on June 15.

Lukcy Issue #13 of Crime Factory is out, with a cover design by Eric Beetner, a interview with Dwayne Epstein, author of the new Lee Marvin biography, a chat with creators of the new anthology, Black Pulp, and more interviews and reviews. There is a Kindle version for only 99 cents, although there are print and free PDF versions also available.

There's a new market for short crime fiction, The Hard-Boiled Dimension, with a mission of being "a place for speculative fiction and gritty crime stories." They are seeking stories in either or both genres, with a word limit of 2,500. (Hat tip to Sandra Seamans via her blog.)