Mystery Melange

The 10th Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize, the world's biggest prize for younger writers, announced its 2018 shortlist. Two authors from the U.S. both made the cut with their thrillers, debut American novelist Emily Ruskovich for her thriller hit Idaho, which tells the story of a mother suddenly killing her six-year-old daughter, and Gabriel Tallent has for his debut novel My Absolute Darling, called "the year’s must-read novel" by The Times and "a masterpiece" by Stephen King.

Noir at the Bar Dallas is back Wednesday, April 18 from 7:30 - 10:30 PM CDT at The Wild Detectives with live crime noir fiction readings from local and international authors. Authors scheduled to participate include Michael Pool, Michael Bracken, Eryk Pruitt, Tim Bryant, Carlos Salas, Lyndee Walker, and Clay Reynolds. The organizers encourage you to "Come have some drinks and hear some stories of crime and debauchery read live."

Clay Stafford, founder and CEO Killer Nashville, has announced the launch of the independent publishing house Clay Stafford Books. Stafford said he sees the formation of the book unit as an extension of the Killer Nashville Claymore Award, which was founded in order to help to discover unpublished authors. Clay Stafford Books will release five books this year, including three novels, Paid in Spades by Richard Helms, The Damage Done by P.J. Parrish, and Bar None by Cathi Stoler. In addition to the novels, Clay Stafford Books will also release the first installment of its "Killer Nashville Presents…" series, a short story anthology featuring works from Jeffrey Deaver, Robert Dugoni, Steve James, Anne Perry, John Gilstrap, and more. There are also plans to release the inaugural edition of Broken Ribbon, a literary journal, which was created in order to give a platform for new and emerging voices in the writing community.

Happy 20th anniversary to The Thrilling Detective website! The brainchild of Kevin Burton Smith, the site promotes the world of private-eye fiction—past, present and future. (HT to the Rap Sheet)

Unfortunately, I also have a sad milestone to report: Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced it would be closing after 26 years in the business. Owners Robin and Jamie Agnew explained that "there are many culprits for our demise – we are getting older; constant street construction; Amazon; and fierce local competition. We hope you will keep local bookstores vital and alive by patronizing the many exciting stores that remain open." (HT to Mystery Fanfare)

It's been said before, but it's nice to see science continuing to back up the idea that reading books not only has various mental and physical benefits, you should make it a priority ... if you know what's good for you.

A new startup has a new way of reading all those good-for-you-books: combining three of the most popular methods of delivering stories into one hybrid form called the cine-book. It enables readers to read, listen to, or even watch a book within a single mobile app for iOS, Android, Amazon, browser, or share a book with others on a TV or other big screens via AirPlay and Chromecast. In April, Cine-books will launch a publishing platform to unite self-published authors, literary rights holders, readers, photo and film production studios, and media content investors in a B2B marketplace.

Each April, the Academy of American Poets' celebrates National Poetry Month, and the crime poetry weekly, The Five-Two, has a blog tour in honor of the event. Check out the full schedule here, including the latest Poem of the Week, "The Homeless Artist," by Nancy Scott.

In the Q&A roundup, the Library Journal quizzed Brad Parks, winner of the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, about his inspiration for his new book, Closer Than You Know, as well as his writing background; and Inside Hook chatted with with Jim Heimann about his new book Dark City: The Real Los Angeles Noir, which features photographs of the real-life locations that inspired writers, including those used by Raymond Chandler and those related to the Black Dahlia case (HT to Elizabeth Foxwell).