Friday 28 May 2010

Early Statement from SMFS Presidential Candidate Sandra Seamans

The Derringers are an important part of this group but they're not everything. I'm happy that they're getting the recognition they deserve but not because they're an award but because it makes people sit up and take notice of short stories. What bothers me about the submission process is that there a great many editors who don't bother to submit stories because the Derringers lean toward the more cozy friendly stories. This isn't a bad thing but we've got a
whole group of writers and editors and zines that feel they're not good enough to be included in the process. I'd like to see that change. I'd like to see every short story writer feel welcome at the SMFS, no matter if they write cozy or dark. Only the strength of the story should count.

I'd also like to see if we could get editors to post more often on the list - get them to give us insights into their selection process or maybe just do a Q & A interview that we could post. Right now, Duotrope is posting this sort of interview on their site and I've run across several other blogs that do the same thing. No reason we couldn't do that here with mystery related magazines and zines. It might also be nice if we could have one day a week where everyone
could post their BSP's with links to their stories so we can find new markets to explore and stories to read. As for stories, I'd like the members to feel free to post links to shorts they find online that they think are great, not their own, but someone else's.

Shorts are starting to come into their own via the online markets, there are more and more people talking about them and I know of several sites that actually review individual stories and collections. As a short fiction society we should be a part of this.

Well, I know I'm not supposed to be posting this before I'm asked, but the membership deserves to know where I stand so they can nominate someone to run against me if they don't agree with what I believe the SMFS should be about. And I'd really prefer that this be an election not just a put her in office because nobody else wants the job situation.

Monday 24 May 2010

Candidacy Statement from Jim Doherty

I've been asked by several members off-line if I'm willing to run for either president or vice-president. ...[L]ike Gerald, I think it would be better for the organization if new blood were injected. If there are others willing to run for either position, I'd prefer to step back and let others take up the flag.

Also, as at least one other person has pointed out, as long as I'm an officer, I'm ineligible to compete for a Derringer myself.

If others are willing to take up the officer's positions, I am certainly more than willing (and I'm sure I speak for Gerald here, too) to make myself available to help and provide assistance to the incoming administration. Certainly I'm willing, if the new officers wish, to finish up any uncompleted tasks that are still hanging fire if and when the new officers assume their
positions.

For example, I'm in contact with folks at Bouchercon about making the Derringer presentations a part of the convention as it was in 2009. I'd be happy to follow through with that if it's still unresolved by the time my term of office ends.

I'm also more than willing to get the actual physical trophies made, as I did last year.

But as for actually serving, put me down as willing but not particularly enthusiastic.

Monday 17 May 2010

Candidacy Statement from Gerald So

With the opening of SMFS officer nominations this past Saturday, I'd like to inform the group of my own status. I've enjoyed my time as president. I believe we've clarified much of the Derringer Award process and raised the SMFS's profile as a whole. I also believe it's important to allow for new voices and leadership styles.

I remember that several of you initially wondered how I would moderate discussion here. I hope the vast majority of members has found the atmosphere open and informative, including feeling informed and heard during every policy decision the past two years.

I prefer to give others a chance to represent the SMFS for the next two, so I invite any member up to the task to step forward.

My preference does not speak for Vice President Jim Doherty, who may choose to run on his own.

Saturday 15 May 2010

POLL RESULTS: Should author's name and publication title appear on Derringer submissions sent to judges?

By a margin of 53 AGAINST, 31 FOR, the membership has voted that author's name and publication title should not appear on stories submitted to the Derringer judges.

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Upcoming SMFS Elections

Hello, all.

It was an honor to represent the SMFS personally sending the 2010 Derringer certificates to the winners. My public congratulations and thanks to all who were part of the process.

Presentations made, my two-year term as SMFS president is drawing to a close. As part of the transition to the new officers, I have outlined the duties of president, vice president, and Derringer Coordinator below, and call for nominations from the group.

May 15-30, nominations will be accepted for SMFS President and Vice President 2010-12 and for Derringer Coordinator 2011.

May 31-June 4, each nominee will be allowed to post a single message announcing him/herself to the group and supporting his/her candidacy.

June 5-15, SMFS members will vote to select the new officers.

June 16-30, Jim Doherty, Suzanne Rorhus, and I will coordinate with the Officers-Elect to ensure a smooth transition.

July 1, the new SMFS officers take office.


SMFS Officers' Duties

PRESIDENT (2-year term) - SMFS President moderates the group's discussion forum and membership roll at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shortmystery. They must ensure the free flow of ideas while maintaining a cordial atmosphere and quelling any flame wars that threaten to erupt.

The president must confer with the vice president regularly, so that, should the president be unavailable, the vice president can continue day-to-day operations.

As the SMFS's main representative with the public, the president must also maintain the SMFS blog at http://shortmystery.blogspot.com, where the public goes for information about the SMFS.

The president organizes the selection committee deciding who should receive the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement.

As for the regular Derringer process, the president and the Derringer Awards Coordinator may confer about the spirit of the rules, but the president may neither collect Derringer submissions, nor judge the regular Derringer Awards, nor win a Derringer Award while in office.


VICE PRESIDENT (2-year term) - SMFS Vice President is co-moderator of the discussion forum and consultant on any group business. The vice president assumes all of the president's duties, including representing the SMFS in person, when the president is unavailable (sickness, vacation, etc.).

The vice president serves with the president on the Edward D. Hoch Golden Derringer selection committee, and is subject to the same restrictions as the president regarding the regular Derringer process.


DERRINGER AWARDS COORDINATOR (1-year term) - The Coordinator runs the annual Derringer Award process, including collecting Derringer submissions, coordinating the judging, and announcing the winners.

The coordinator has the authority to resolve issues that arise throughout the submission, judging, and voting periods, conferring with the president to clarify the spirit of Derringer procedure.

The coordinator moderates the Derringers Voting Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Derringers), posting the Derringer finalist stories for the voters to read, and verifying members' voting eligibility as they join the group.

The coordinator serves with the president and vice president on the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer selection committee, and like them, may neither judge the regular Derringers nor win a Derringer Award while in office.

Monday 3 May 2010

Archival Post: 2008 SMFS Derringer Awards

(For Stories Published in 2007. Winners bolded.)

Some titles are linked to stories in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read these free stories.

BEST FLASH (UP TO 1,000 WORDS)

"My Hero" by Patricia Abbott (2007, D.Z. Allen’s Muzzle Flash)
"Saved" by Keri Clark (Fall 2007,Mysterical-E)
"Dreaming of a Spite Christmas" by B.V. Lawson (Winter 2007, Mouth Full of Bullets, )
"A Woman Scorned" by Jillian Berg (Autumn 2007, Mouth Full of Bullets)
"Your New Fan" by Keri Clark (Winter 2007, Mouth Full of Bullets)

BEST SHORT STORY (1,001-4,000 WORDS)

"In the Shadows of Wrigley Field" by John Weagly (November 2007, The Back Alley)
"Brimstone P.I." by Beverle Graves Myers (May 2007, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"We All Come from Splattertown" by Hugh Lessig (July 2007, ThugLit #17)
"Joyride" by Rick Noetzel (December 2007, Shred of Evidence)
"Handful of Stars" by Jack Hardway (Autumn 2007, Mouth Full of Bullets)
"The Promise" by Camille LaGuire (March-April 2007, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine)

BEST LONG STORY (4,001-8,000 WORDS)

"The Gospel According to Gordon Black" by Richard Helms (Fall 2007, The Thrilling Detective Web Site)
"A Trader’s Lot" by Twist Phelan (from Wall Street Noir)
"Devil’s Lake" by John Schroeder (January/February 2007, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine)
"A Private Hanging" by Herschel Cozine (Summer 2007, Mysterical-E)
"Mr. McGregor’s Garden" by Kate Flora (Still Waters)
"Growing Up Is for Losers" by Rosemary Harris (Still Waters)

BEST NOVELETTE (8,001-17,500 WORDS)

"Paper Walls/Glass Houses" by Eric Shane (June 2007, The Back Alley)
"The Bookworm’s Demise" by Beverle Graves Myers (December 2007, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"The Enlightenment of Magnus McKay" by John Burdett (Wall Street Noir)
"Wasting Assets" by Mike Wiecek (September 2007, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Forget Me Not" by Clifford Royal Johns (Fall 2007, Mysterical-E)

Archival Post: 2007 SMFS Derringer Awards

2007 DERRINGER AWARDS
(For Stories Published in 2006. Winners bolded.)

Some titles are linked to stories in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read these free stories.

BEST FLASH STORY

"Vigilante" by Barry Ergang (Summer 2006, Mysterical-E)
"Matched Set" by Jan Christensen (Winter 2006, Long Story Short)
"Snowflake Therapy" by Michelle Mach (June 2006, Thereby Hangs a Tale)
"Flight School" by Jill Maser (August 28, 2006, Flashshots)
"Home Entertainment" by Sandra Seamans (July/August 2006, A Cruel World)

BEST SHORT-SHORT STORY (tie)

"Elena Speaks of the City, Under Siege" by Steven Torres (September/October 2006, Crimespree Magazine)
"Four For Dinner" by John M. Floyd (Seven by Seven)

"Even Steven" by Gail Farrelly (Winter 2006,Mouth Full of Bullets)
"Interview" by Justin Gustainis (October 2006, Cape Fear Crime Festival)
"The Worst Door" by Frank Zafiro (January 2006, Dispatch)

BEST MID-LENGTH SHORT STORY

"Cranked" by Bill Crider (Damn Near Dead: An Anthology of Geezer Noir)
"Eden's Bodyguard" by David Bareford (September 2006, Thuglit)
"Shadow People" by Rex Burns (June 2006,Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Uncle Blinky's Corner of the World" by Robert S. Levinson (March/April 2006, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Shanks on the Prowl" by Robert Lopresti (May 2006, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)

BEST LONGER SHORT STORY

"Strictly Business" by Julie Hyzy (These Guns for Hire)
"A Signature in Blood" by Annette Dashofy (Winter 2006, Mysterical-E)
"Daphne MacAndrews and the Smack-Head Junkies" by Stuart MacBride (Damn Near Dead: An Anthology of Geezer Noir)
"See Also Murder" by Larry Sweazy (December 11, 2006, Amazon Shorts)
"The Valley of Angustias" by Steven Torres (October 2006, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)

Archival Post: 2006 SMFS Derringer Awards

Winners bolded.

Some titles are linked to stories in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read these free stories.

BEST FLASH STORY

"Secondhand Shoe" by Patricia Harrington (2005, A Flasher’s Dozen)
"The Last Journey" by Mary Schenten (July 2005, Flashshot)
"Word Power" by Michelle Mach (March 2005, Flashshot)
"Hell Hath No Fury" by BJ Bourg (March 2005, Mysterical-E)
"No Athiests in Foxholes" by Stephen D. Rogers (May 2005, Kwickee)

BEST SHORT-SHORT STORY

"Zipped" by Stephen D. Rogers (2005, Windchill: Crime Stories by New England Writers, Level Best Books)
"Twilight of the Fireflies" by John Weagly (December 2005, Big Muddy: Journal of the Mississippi River Valley)
"Roses at His Feet" by Todd Robinson (writing as "Dana Frittersmash"; December 2005, Thuglit)
"The Day the Bad Men Came" by Andy Henion (January 2005, Thieves Jargon)
"Hangman's Tree" by Deanne Boast (December 2005, Crime and Suspense)

BEST MID-LENGTH SHORT STORY

"One Step Closer" by Iain Rowan for (2005, Hardluck Stories)
Best Wishes" by JR Chabot (September 2005, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine)
"The Spare" by Woody Hanstein (October 2005, Level Best Books)
"Johnny Cash is Dead" by Jordan Harper (October 2005, Thuglit)
"A Death in Ueno" by Mike Wiecek (March 2005, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)

BEST LONGER SHORT STORY

"The Safest Place on Earth" by Mark Best (Spring 2005, Thrilling Detective Web Site)
"Monday, Sweet Monday" by John F. Dobbyn (June 2005, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Good Shepherd" by Frank Zafiro (May 2005, Ascent Aspirations Magazine)
"Fish" by Stephen Johnston (Fall 2005, Web Mystery Magazine)
"The Cherries of Lucullus" by Steven Saylor (May 2005 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Archival Post: 2005 SMFS Derringer Awards

2005 DERRINGER AWARDS
(For Stories Published in 2004. Winners bolded.)

Some titles are linked to stories in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read these free stories.


BEST FLASH STORY

"The Big Guys" by JA Konrath (2004, Small Bites; edited by Garrett Peck and Keith Gouveia, Coscom Entertainment)
"Housesitter" by J. K. Cummins (Summer 2004, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine)
"Sand Scam" by Nick Andreychuk (Fall 2004, Crimestalker Casebook)
"Theda" by Beverly Brackett (November 2004, Flash Fantastic)
"Widow’s Peak" by S.A. Daynard (2004, Riptide: Crime Stories by New England Writers; edited by Skye Alexander, Kate Flora, Susan Oleksiw, Level Best Books)

SHORT-SHORT STORIES

"The Test" by Mike Wiecek (November 20, 2004, Woman’s World)
"Experience Required" by Michael Giorgio (March 2004, Lunatic Chameleon [Print Edition]) (M)
"Sweet Smell of Success" by Beverle Graves Myers (2004, Who Died in Here?; edited by Pat Dennis, Penury Press) (M)
"The Big Store" by Stephen D. Rogers (Spring 2004, Hardluck Stories)
"Up in Smoke" by Jan Christensen (January/February/March 2004, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine)

MID-LENGTH SHORT STORIES

"Viscery" by Sandy Balzo (December 2004, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)
"Brethren of The Sea" by Joan Druett (November 2004, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine)
"Freddie Swings In" by David Terrenoire (2004, Fedora III; edited by Michael Bracken, Betancourt & Company)
"Hilly Palmer’s Last Case" by Duane Swierczynski (September/October 2004, Plots With Guns)
"Phillie's Last Dance" by Ray Banks (March 2004, Shots Magazine)

LONGER SHORT STORIES

"Secondhand Heart" by Doug Allyn (January/February 2004, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
"God's Dice" by David White (Spring 2004, The Thrilling Detective Web Site)
"A Sunday in Ordinary Time" by Terence Faherty (August 2004, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)
"The Franklin Fiasco" by Beverle Graves Myers (September 2004, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
"The Girl in Apartment 2A" by G. Miki Hayden (2004, Dime; edited by Babs Lakey, Quiet Storm)

M = Photocopies of these stories available for loan by Michael Giorgio

Archival Post: 2004 SMFS Derringer Awards

Winners bolded:

BEST FLASH STORY (Up to 500 Words)

"All My Yesterdays" by Michael Bracken (2003, Suddenly V)
"Patience" by Nick Andreychuk (Fall 2003, Futures)
"Motive For Murder" by Guy Belleranti (Spring 2003, Futures)
"How to Become a Rodeo Queen" by Michelle Mach (October 2003, Mslexia)
"At Thirty Paces" by Graydon Miller (The Havana Brotherhood)

BEST SHORT SHORT (501 to 2000 Words)

"Nailbiter" by Rob Lopresti (September 2003, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Coyotes Find" by Gay T. Kinman (February 2003, Detective Mystery Stories)
"Waiter, There's a Clue in My Soup" by Camille LaGuire (Spring 2003, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine)
"Children Seen and Heard" by K. G. McAbee (July 2003, EWG Presents: Without a Clue)
"Packy Run" by Stephen D. Rogers (Spring 2003, Hardluck Stories)
"Silky's Getaway" by Earl Staggs (Summer 2003, Futures)

BEST MID-LENGTH SHORT STORY (2001 to 6000 Words)

"Notions of the Real World" by Dorothy Rellas (Summer 2003, Futures)
"A Mother Scorned" by Michele R. Bardsley (Writer's Digest)
"Big Winner" by Terry Black (November 2003, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Sara Morningsky" by Lee Driver (March 2003, A Mystery in Mind)
"Wanda Wilcox is Trapped" by Eddie Muller (September/October 2003, Plots With Guns)

BEST LONG SHORT STORY (6001 to 15000 Words)

"The Mask of Peter" by Clark Howard, April 2003, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Bombshell" by Loren D. Estleman (August 2003, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Windsor Ballet" by Deborah Morgan (Flesh and Blood: Guilty as Sin)
"Henry and the Idiots" by Robert J. Randisi (High Stakes)
"Amazing Grace" by Harriet Rzetelny (February 2003, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)

Archival Post: 2003 SMFS Derringer Awards

2003 DERRINGER AWARDS
(For Stories Published in 2002. Winners bolded.)

Some titles are linked to stories available in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read these free stories.


BEST SHORT SHORT STORY

"A Cut Above" by Del Tinsley (Fall 2002, Hardluck Stories)
"Sending Out an S.O.S." by Nick Andreychuk (Apr/May/June 2002, Futures)
"Jumping the Fence" by Stephen Rogers (Fall 2002, Hardluck Stories)
"What A Day" by Seymour Shubin (January 2002, Futures)
"Shark Infested Pudding" by John Weagly (November 2002, Judas Ezine)

BEST SHORT MYSTERY STORY

"Closure" by Dave White (Fall 2002, The Thrilling Detective Web Site)
"Top of the World" by Bill Crider (Flesh and Blood: Dark Desires)
"Just Looking" by Bill Pronzini (Flesh and Blood: Dark Desires)
"Mexican Gatsby" by Raymond Steiber (March 2002, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"More Than a Scam" by Dave Zeltserman (Mysterical-E)

BEST LONG SHORT STORY

"The Murder Ballads" by Doug Allyn (March 2002, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Medicine Water" by David Edgerly Gates (September 2002, AHMM)
"To Live and Die in Midland, Texas" by Clark Howard (September-October 2002, EQMM)
"Painter of the Seven-Eyed Beast" by Catherine Mambretti (November 2002, AHMM)
"Henry's Power" by Bob Stevens (March 2002, HandHeldCrime)

Archival Post: 2002 SMFS Derringer Awards

2002 DERRINGER AWARD
(For Stories Published in 2001. Winners bolded.)

BEST SHORT MYSTERY

"All The Fine Actors" by Earl Staggs (April 2001, EWG Presents Without A Clue)
"The Last Letter" by Mike Wiecek (January 2002, AHMM)
"Smoky Didn't Send Me" by Charles Cutter (December 2001, AHMM)
"Tunnel of Malice" by Margaret DiCanio (October 2001, Futures)
"Cuts Like A Knife" by Michael Bracken (Fedora)

BEST SHORT-SHORT MYSTERY

"In the Heat of the Moment" by Nick Andreychuk (February 2001, Futures)
"Greenhouse Pest" by Tim Myers (November 2001, Futures)
"A Matter of Interest" by Stephen D. Rogers (September 2001, HandHeldCrime)
"Lucrezia and The Thief" by Henry Slesar (April 2001, EQMM)

FOR THE BEST LONGER MYSTERY

"Early Morning Rain" by Jean McCord (Futures #4)
"Lesser-Included Offense" by Jeffery Deaver (May 2001, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Mondo Whammy" by David Handler (September/October 2001, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Avenging Miriam" by Peter Sellers (December 2001, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Harry's Lament" by Bentley Dadmun (June 2001, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

THE SILVER DERRINGER FOR EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE

Cathleen Jordan (posthumous)
For 20 benchmark years at the helm of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

Archival Post: 2001 SMFS Derringer Awards

2001 DERRINGER AWARD
(For Stories Published in 2000. Winners bolded.)

BEST SHORT MYSTERY STORY

"Erie's Last Day" by Steve Hockensmith (May 2000, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
"The Disappearance of Miss Sarah Oswald" by Jennifer Ashley (Spring 2000, Over My Dead body)
"Amish Butter" by Jacqueline Fiedler (Unholy Orders)
"The Dark Tower" by Gwen Moffat, (Malice Domestic)
"Tom Wasp and Anybody's Child" by Amy Myers (Scenes of Crime)

BEST MYSTERY NOVELLA

"Lilacs and Lace" by Lynda Douglas (June 2000, Futures)
"The Death Row Pet Show" by Doug Allyn (April 2000, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Attitude Thing" by William J. Carroll, Jr., (May 2000, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
"Blood Paths" by Clark Howard (June 2000, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Sedgemoor Strangler" by Peter Lovesey (2000, Criminal Records)

BEST FLASH MYSTERY (tie)

"Polls Don't Lie" by Earl McGill (Blue Murder)
"The New Lawyer" by Mike Wiecek (Spring 2000, Crimestalker Casebook)

"Accident" by Guy Belleranti (About.com Mysteries)
"Sunken Dreams" by Tim Myers, (December 2000, Futures)
"Lucky Man" by Ali Seay (About.com Mysteries)

BEST PUZZLE STORY

"The Cabin Killer" by Henry Slesar (July 2000, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Happy Acres Homicide" by Richard Ciciarelli (Solve-It #227, MysteryNet.com)
"Killing the Old Survivors" by Gary Sensening (Solve-It #215, MysteryNet.com)

THE GOLDEN DERRINGER FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

John Lutz

THE READERS SUPPORT AWARD

Babs Lakey

Archival Post: 2000 SMFS Derringer Awards

2000 DERRINGER AWARDS
(For Stories Published in 1999. Winners bolded.)

BEST SHORT STORY

"The Way to a Man's Heart" by Elizabeth Dearl (February 10, 1999, The Case.Com Twist)
"The Bread of Affliction" by Michael Kahn (September/October 1999, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" by Chris Huntington (Blue Murder Magazine #9)
"Taking Care of Frank" by Anthony Mann (Crimewave #2)
"One More Kill" by Matt Hughes (December 1999, Blue Murder)

BEST SHORT SHORT (tie)

"When in Rome" by Dorothy Francis (December/January 2000, Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine)
"Just a Man on the Sidewalk" by Carol Kilgore (March 12-18, 1999, TheCase.Com)
"Absent-Minded" by L. C. Mohr (June/July 1999, Futures)
"Blind Justice" by Lynda Douglas (August 15, 1999, Novel Advice)
"The Armored Car" by Tim Myers (August 4, 1999, MysteryNet Twist)

BEST NOVELLA

"Saint Bobby" by Doug Allyn (April 1999, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Annie's Dream" by Bentley Dadmun (December 1999, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"Death in the Dales" by C. M. Chan (January 1999, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)

HONORARY BEST FIRST SHORT STORY

"Death in Full Bloom" by Ray Wonderly (August 1999, Futures)

GOLDEN DERRINGER AWARD
For Lifetime Achievement of Short Mystery Fiction

Henry Slesar
For his extensive and outstanding body of short mystery fiction.

DERRINGER AWARD FOR READER SUPPORT

Robert Foster
The long-time editor of The Short Order, the online newsletter serving the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Jiro Kimura
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Historian, and Producer/Author of The Gumshoe Site.

Archival Post: 1999 SMFS Derringer Awards

1999 DERRINGER AWARDS
(For Stories Published in 1998. Winners bolded.)

SHORT STORY CATEGORY

"Capital Justice" by Kris Neri (1998, Blue Murder #1)
"The Murder of Ernest Trapnell" by Erik Arneson (Fall 1998, Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine)
A Loss of Income" by Seymour Shubin (Spring 1998, Murderous Intent)
Drop Dead Zone" by M.E. Troy (April 1998, Mystery Buff Magazine)
"Just Like in the Movies" by Kate Thornton (Blue Murder)
"To the Farm" by Dina Leacock (writing as Dianne Arrelle) (1998, Blue Murder # 2)
"Gator Bayou" by Joyce Holland (Spring 1998, Fogfire Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 2)
"The Deadly Diamonds" by Robert Iles (1998, Blue Murder #5)
"Two Tickets to Paradise" by Barbara White-Rayczek (Death Knell III)

FLASH CATEGORY

"Pretty Kitty" by Joyce Holland (Winter 1998, Vol. 4. No. 4, Murderous Intent)
"Daddy's Pet" by Fay Thompson (January 14, 1898, TheCase.com [Twist 98])
"Rough Times" by Paul Harrison (March 6, 1998, TheCase.com [Flash 51])
"The Used Car" by Sheryl Snell-Massie (May 1, 1998, TheCase.com [Flash 55])
"Pocket Picked" by Jesse Knight (March 18, 1998, TheCase.com [Twist 69])
"Key to Success" by Richard Ciciarelli (November 4, 1998, TheCase.com [Twist 98])
"The Christmas Guest" by Dorothy Francis (December 16, 1998 [Twist 103])
"The Other Woman" by Kate Thornton (October 21, 1998, TheCase.com [Twist 96])
"Checkmate!" by Dale B. Hall (October 2, 1998, TheCase.com [Flash 65])
"Exchange of Information" by Kimberly Brown (February 6, 1998 [Flash 49])
"Anything for the Chief" by Linda K. Wright (as, Geri Myerson) (October 14, 1998, TheCase.com [Twist 95])

GOLDEN DERRINGER AWARD
For Lifetime Achievement of Short Mystery Fiction

Edward D. Hoch

DERRINGER READER AWARD
For Supporting Short Mystery Fiction

Kate Derie

Archival Post: 1998 SMFS Derringer Award Winners

BEST FLASH

"Curiosity Kills" by Michael Mallory (Fall 1997, Murderous Intent)


BEST SHORT-SHORT STORY

"Guavaberry Christmas" by Kate Grilley (Fall 1997, Murderous Intent)


BEST SHORT STORY (TIE)

"The Adventurers" by Barbara White-Rayczek (Winter 1997, Murderous Intent)
"L.A. Justice" by Kris Neri (Murder by 13)


BEST FIRST SHORT STORY

"Back Stairs" by Eileen Brosnan (Fall 1997, Murderous Intent)


BEST NOVELLA

"Image of Conspiracy" by Margo Power (1997, Image of Conspiracy: A Mystery Adventure)

Saturday 1 May 2010

2010 SMFS Derringer Award Winners

For stories first published in 2009. The winners as voted by the Short Mystery Fiction Society membership at large are in bold.

Some titles are linked to stories available in online magazine archives. The SMFS encourages you to read or listen to these free stories.


BEST FLASH STORY (Up to 1,000 Words)

"And Here's To You, Mrs. Edwardson" by Hamilton Waymire
Published in the webzine Big Pulp, November 23, 2009


"Awake" by David Dean
Published in EQMM, July 2009

"Gutterball" by Stephen D. Rogers
Published in Woman's World Magazine, September 7, 2009

"The Right Track" by R.T. Lawton
Published in Woman's World Magazine, October 26, 2009

"Unplanned" by Libby Cudmore
Published in Thrillers, Killers 'n' Chillers, August 2009


BEST SHORT STORY (1,001 - 4,000 Words)

"Identity Theft" by Robert Weibezahl

Published in Beat to a Pulp, March 14, 2009

"The Biography of Stoop the Thief" by Steven Torres
Published in Uncage Me!, July 2009

"The Hard Sell" by Jay Stringer
Published in Beat to a Pulp, May 3, 2009

"The Right to Remain Silent" by Debbi Mack
Published in The Back Alley, August 2009

(Debbi also read this story on Seth Harwood's CrimeWAV podcast. Download her episode here, or listen with the player below.)



"Twas the Night" by Anita Page
Published in The Gift of Murder, October 2009


("'Twas the Night" was also accepted to be read by Alan Vogel on Lit103.3. Listen with the player below.)




BEST LONG STORY (4,001 - 8,000 Words)

"A Stab in the Heart" by Twist Phelan
Published in EQMM, February 2009

(Twist also read this story on Seth Harwood's CrimeWAV podcast. Download her episode here, or listen with the player below.)



"Famous Last Words" by Doug Allyn
Published in EQMM, November 2009


"Regarding Certain Occurrences in a Cottage at the Garden of Allah" by Robert S. Levinson
Published in AHMM, November 2009

"Snow on Bloedkoppie" by Berhard Jaumann (translated from the German by Mary Tannert)
Published in EQMM, August 2009

"The Shipbreaker" by Mike Wiecek
Published in EQMM, March/April 2009


BEST NOVELETTE (8,001 - 17,500 Words)

"Adjuncts Anonymous" by B.K. Stevens
Published in AHMM, June 2009

"Julius Katz" by Dave Zeltserman
Published in EQMM, September/October 2009

"The Last Drop" by R.W. Kerrigan
Published in EQMM, February 2009

"The Pirate's Debt" by Toni L.P. Kelner
Published in EQMM, August 2009

"Uncle Brick and Jimmy Kills" by Allan Leverone
Published in Mysterical-E, Summer 2009


2010 RECIPIENT OF THE EDWARD D. HOCH MEMORIAL GOLDEN DERRINGER FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Lawrence Block