Mystery Melange

As the tributes to the late Tom Clancy pour in following his death last week, The Guardian lists their choice for the top five Clancy novels, and Salon reposted Tom Clancy's "5 big rules for writing and life."

One other sad note:  Mystery author Patricia Harrington has passed away. She penned a traditional mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Bridget O'Hern, a consultant to nonprofit and governmental agencies.

Howard Owen's Oregon Hill is this year's winner of the Hammett Prize, given by the International Association of Crime Writers. The other finalists were William Landay, Defending Jacob; Jim Lynch, Truth Like the Sun; Kurt Palka, Patient Number 7; and G. Willow Wilson, Alif the Unseen.

Mike Ripley released his most recent "Getting Away With Murder" column for Shots eZine last Wednesday, just a little too late to include in that day's Mystery Melange. But the info is still just as fresh.

Suspense Magazine's new September/October 2013 issue includes interviews with L.L. Soares,
John Rector, Steven Gore, and Linda Fairstein. There are also sneak peeks inside three books by Tasha Alexander, Paul Parsons, and Wendy Corsi Staub; Lisa Gardner continues her writer's toolbox; and debut author Barry Lancet talks about his book Japantown.

The new issue of Noir Nation is out, with an India theme. In addition to 30 bew short stories, essays on noir-related poetry, music, and the visual arts by Atar Hadari, Vicki Gundrum, and Robert Brunet and two works of classic noir: "The Turkish Brothel" by the late Cortright McMeel and "The Perfect
Courtesan" by Kshemendra.

The Noir at the Bar series that has been popping up around the U.S., is adding a stop in Indianapolis on November 16th. CJ Edwards will host readings by Jed Ayres, Les Edgerton, David James Keaton, James Ward Kirk, Daniel O'Shea, and Scott Phillips.

The next MWA University will be held in Dallas on  Saturday, December 14. Expert authors Jess Lourey, Hallie Ephron, Reed Farrel Coleman, Charlaine Harris, Daniel Stashower, and Hank Phillippi Ryan will discuss their strategies for all facets of writing and publishing.

This week's Q&A roundup includes mystery author Sheila Webster Boneham, who visits Beth Groundwater's blog to talk about her latest novel featuring photographer Janet MacPhail; Randall Reneau, a professional geologist and author of the mining-themed mystery Deadly Lode, joins BC Blogcritics; Marilyn Meredith chats with Terry Ambrose about Meredith's 13th installment, Spirit Shapes, of her Native American series; and Ben Winters visited Alternative Magazine Online to discuss his Last Policement trilogy.