I'm proud to be included with the other Derringer Award finalists.  http://shortmystery.blogspot.com

The Australian Crime Writers Association is 20 years old this year and so are the Ned Kelly Awards.

We are planning a year of anniversary celebrations with special events, competitions, retrospectives and a party for the Ned Kelly Awards – honouring the very best in local crime writing.

Entries are also now open for the 2015 Ned Kelly Awards for best Fiction, First Fiction and True Crime. And we’ll have exciting news in the next few weeks about the Sandra Harvey Short Story…

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Good News--My PI novel, "The Combat Zone," about a PI who hangs his hat in 1970's Harvard Square and spends time in the Combat Zone, Boston's red-light district, made the final cut (5 novels) in the Minotaur/Private Eye Writers of America "Best First Private Eye Novel" competition.

Bad New--it did not win.

I guess I am still looking for an agent/publisher for this novel, which will hopefully be the first in a series. Working on second book now. 

Announced last night - winners to be announced in September at the Brisbane Writers Festival:

2014 BEST CRIME NOVEL

Garry Disher, BITTER WASH ROAD

Kathryn Fox, FATAL IMPACT

Adrian McKinty, IN THE MORNING I’LL BE GONE

PM Newton, BEAMS FALLING

Stephen Orr, ONE BOY MISSING

Angela Savage, THE DYING BEACH

2014 BEST FIRST CRIME NOVEL

Peter Cotton, DEAD CAT BOUNCE

Candice Fox, HADES

Alex Hammond, BLOOD…

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Mystery Fanfare, a fantastic blog by long-time crime fiction expert Janet Rudolph announced the nominees yesterday. The award will be presented at the annual Bouchercon mystery fan convention later this year. Macavity is named for T. S. Eliot’s cat in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Here’s the link and list–check it out:…

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There's a popular book blog called Red Adept Reviews (the name is in honor of author Piers Anthony) that focuses on self-published or "indie" books (though not exclusively). It started up in late 2009 and this year for the first time the site owner gave out annual awards in various book categories. I'm proud to report that my novel, Crack-Up, won first place in the mystery category from over 200 reviewed books in that category. Here's the link to the site's homepage:

 …

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This object is a Ned Kelly Award - memorably described by Shane Maloney as looking like "a sawn-off anthracite dildo" - now one of my most prized possessions since Ghostlines won the award for best first novel last night at the Ned Kelly Awards - the annual awards for Australian crime writing. On the underside it has the letters "C.W.A.A" which stand not for Country Women's Association but Crime Writers Association of Australia.



This wasn't… Continue

At a fantastic night out and ceremony last night the Sisters in Crime 2009 Davitt Award winners were announced, wined, dined, feted and photographed.



The nights festivities were highlighted by a chat between Sue Turnbull and Justice Elizabeth King of the Supreme Court of Victoria, some fabulous food and 130+ Sisters in Crime and Brothers in Law turning out on a cold Melbourne night to celebrate some absolutely fantastic authors and books.



But without further ado - the… Continue

http://www.nedkellyawards.com/2009.html



BEST FIRST FICTION

Ghostlines, Nick Gadd *

Crooked, Camilla Nelson *

The Build Up, Phillip Gwynee *



BEST FICTION

Bright Air Barry Maitland *

Deep Water Peter Corris *

Smoke & Mirrors Kel Robertson *



BEST TRUE CRIME

The Killing of Caroline Byrne, Robert Wainwrights

The Tall Man, Chloe Hooper

A Question of Power, Michelle Schwarz



THE SD HARVEY SHORT… Continue

(Also posted on One Bite at a Time.)



The Beloved Spousal Equivalent and I finally got around to watching Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino last weekend. I wish I could remember what the hell was so important that it kept me from seeing it in the theater. This is a wonderful film.



Truly a character-driven thriller, the story is about a bigoted, retired autoworker named Walt Kowalski, played by Eastwood.… Continue

Thanks to Judy Bobalik's posting on DorothyL, I have this year's Anthony Award Nominees. The Anthonys will be presented at Bouchercon in Baltimore in October.



The 2008 Anthony Award Nominees



BEST NOVEL



James Lee Burke-Tin Roof Blowdown (Simon and Schuster)

Lee Child – Bad Luck and Trouble (Delacorte Press)

Robert Crais- The Watchman (Simon and Schuster)

William Kent Krueger-Thunder Bay (Atria)

Laura Lippman – What the Dead Know (William… Continue