Mystery Melange

The Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance announced the winners of the annual Maine Literary Awards last week. The 2026 top spot in the Crime Fiction category went to Sara Sligar for Vantage Point. The other finalists included Claire Ackroyd for Body in the Blueberry Barrens; Robert T. Kelley for Raven; and Kathryn Lasky for A Slant of Light.

Sisters in Crime announced that the winner of the 2026 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Writer of Color Award is Jackie Yap, from Gadigal Country (Sydney), Australia. Her winning submission, Isabelle Gomez is Innocent, She Swears!,  is a YA cozy murder mystery set in Manila. The story is part-murder mystery, part-fish-out-of-water, part coming-of-age—with universal themes of humor, heart, and belonging. The judges--Delia C. Pitts, Victor Manibo, and last year's ETB winner Tina Ehsanipour--said that their "panel reviewed an abundance of compelling crime fiction from emerging writers of diverse backgrounds, and Ms. Yap's novel excerpt is an excellent representation of the caliber of this year's entries. With a distinctly refreshing voice, Isabelle Gomez is Innocent, She Swears! stood out for its humor, heart, and assured writing. It also introduced us to characters and locales not often seen in crime writing, which made us even more excited for the future of this novel and of our field as a whole." Five runners-up were also chosen: Uju Asika of London, United Kingdom; Billie Hanson-Dupree of Oakland, CA; Nina Michiko Tam of Houston, Texas; D. S. Mori of Orange County, California; and DeAnna Yvette of Chicago, IL.


Speaking of Sisters in Crime, if you or a writing friend has been thinking about joining, now is a good time since membership dues for the rest of 2026 have been discounted 50% to $30. Membership grants you access to webinars and other online events including member online write-ins and discounts for crime fiction magazines and resources. Sisters in Crime emerged in the mid-1980s, with its primary goals to establish camaraderie and support and address imbalances in reviews while getting the organization going. From the beginning, membership was not restricted to published writers and has included unpublished authors as well as readers, librarians, booksellers, and women in publishing, who have all taken an active role in building the organization through the years. For more information about membership, follow this link.


There are a couple of great conferences coming up this week, including the MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. The three-day event, from June 5-7, will feature more than 55 events, author talks, and immersive workshops. Special guests include Shari Lapena, Olivier Norek, Nicholas Shakespeare, and Clare Mackintosh. One-day and three-day passes are still available for the event. For more information, follow this link. Also this weekend, ShortCon is taking place in Alexandria, Virginia on Saturday. ShortCon is a one-day conference emphasizing crime fiction short stories—how to write them, how to get them published, and how to sustain a long-term career as a short-story writer.Although this event is currently sold out, you can add your name to the wait list or make plans to attend next year's conference.


Noir at the Bar: Dead of Summer heads to Glasgow, Scotland at Daydreams Bookshop in Milngavie on 10 June, hosted by authors Daniel Sellers and Emma Christie. There will be live readings, a Q&A and a book signing, with participating authors including Louise Welsh, Denise Mina, DV Bishop, RD McLean, Heather Critchlow, Douglas Skelton, Caro Ramsay, Andrew Raymond, and Eva Macrae/Lynne McEwan. For ticket information, follow this link.


Art Taylor's "The First Two Pages" blog featured Andrew Welsh-Huggins to talk about his story, “Jack and the Beanstalk,” included in the the anthology Wish Upon a Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Fairy Tales, edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson and published by Level Best Books.


This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "Carny" by Peter M. Gordon.


In the Q&A roundup, Lizzie Sirett interviewed Hannah Dennison, author of the Honeychurch Hall Mysteries and the Vicky Hill Mysteries; and Deborah Kalb spoke with Lee Goldberg about his new novel Murder by Design, and also with Christine Carbo, author of the lacier Mystery Series, about her new thriller, The Confession Artist.