Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka's acclaimed novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, has won the 2022 Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the English language. The book is a whodunit and a satire set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's long-running civil war in the 1980s and '90s. The main character, Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet gay, has woken up dead in what seems to be a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. At a time when scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long. But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has "seven moons" to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka.
Time is running out to apply for the William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grants Program for Unpublished Writers, sponsored by the Malice Domestic Conference. The Grant program is designed to foster quality Malice Domestic literature (think "Agatha Christie") and to assist mystery authors on the road to publication. The Grant may be used to offset registration, travel, or other expenses related to attendance at a writers’ conference or workshop within a year of the date of the award. In the case of nonfiction, the grant may be used to offset research expenses. The grant includes a $2,500 award plus a comprehensive registration for the upcoming convention and two nights’ lodging at the convention hotel, but does not include travel to the convention or meals. For more information and submission guidelines, follow this link, but hurry because the deadline is November 1.
BBC Maestro announced its latest course, Writing Popular Fiction, from multi-million bestselling author Lee Child. The course will cover a rare look into how Lee created his iconic Jack Reacher series, his unique creative process, and how he put as much thought into planning his career as an author as he did into his prose. Spanning over 6 hours and presented in Lee’s inimitable style, the 35 bespoke course lessons include: Ditch the Airs and Graces, Research is a Dish Best Served Cold, Don’t Fall in Love with Your Hero, How Not to Make Your Reader Seasick, If You Want to be a Writer, You Have to be a Reader First, and The Back End of a Big Machine.
Noir at the Bar LA is headed back to the Mandrake Bar November 6th at 7pm. Authors currently scheduled to read from their work include Rachel Howzell Hall, Sascha Rothchild, Adam Frost, August Norman, Jennifer J. Chow, Ashley Erwin, J. August Williams, Lawrence Allan, and Eric Beetner. There's something for everyone this time around, from hardboiled to cozy to suspense to grit lit.
Writing for The World of Chinese, writer Jesse Young investigated China’s long quest to produce a great crime novel.
We have to say good-bye to another mystery bookshop, it seems. The independent store, Number 10, in East Lancashire in the UK, closed its doors this past weekend. Owner, Zoë Channing, said it was a difficult decision to make. "Having survived the pandemic, illness, bereavement and Covid, this latest blow to indie retail is impossible to overcome." The book shop, which specializes in crime fiction, opened in 2019.
Author Ian Rankin (the Inspector Rebus series) has been honored as Beath High School has named its English faculty after the writer. Rankin attended Beath High as a youngster and following his knighthood this summer, the school decided to mark the achievement of its former pupil. Steve Ross, Rector, noted, "We already have the 'Sir James Black Science Faculty' in the school - it was a cause for real celebration when Sir Ian agreed to the naming of English after him." Rankin recently delivered a speech at Beath High's Senior Awards ceremony, where a plaque marking the Sir Ian Rankin English Faculty was unveiled.
Janet Rudolph updated her annual list of Halloween crime fiction for her Mystery Fanfare blog. The list includes mysteries that take place on or around Halloween. She also has a separate Day of the Dead list.
Kings River Life has some free online Halloween mystery stories to chill and thrill you, including "When a Prank Goes Bad" by John R. Clark; "Forever Yours" by James Patrick Focarile; and "Just Desserts" by S. Phillip Lenski.
Authors at the Mystery Lovers Kitchen blog offered up some Halloween recipes to spice up your holiday, including Butternut Squash Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake from Lucy Burdette; Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices courtesy of Molly MacRae; and Mini Pumpkin Pies by way of Terry Ambrose.
This week's crime poem at the 5-2 weekly is "Aldebaran: Killer" by S.B. Watson.
In the Q&A roundup, this year's Noirwich 2022 featured Yelena Moskovich, an award-winning Soviet-Ukrainian American and French novelist of The Natashas, Virtuoso, and A Door Behind A Door, reflecting on the volatility and mutability of the written word and the world, and the question of what if crime wasn’t a story being told, but a language being spoken?; Author Interviews spoke with novelist, screenwriter, and TV creator, Jason Mosberg, about his new novel, Dirty California, in which a young man descends into the Los Angeles underworld to find his family’s killer—aided by a group of strangers with their own shadowy pasts; and E.B. Davis interviewed Carol J. Perry over at the Writers Who Kill blog about High Spirits, the second book in her Haunted Haven series.
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