Short stories turned into novels

[Naomi Hirahara]

I'm doing research on my next mystery and am in need of different models of turning a short story into a novel. I'll be picking up Megan Abbott's QUEENPIN and comparing it to her DAMN NEAR DEAD story. (I viewed the Michael Connelly interview on Ali's site about how he altered his NY Times serial into his novel--a little different situation, yet of interest.) Any other examples, specifically in the mystery genre?

[Patricia Abbott]

I am trying to do this now. It took me a long time to let go of the original structure. That's been the hardest part. Hope I'm successful or it will just looked stretched.

[Simon Wood]

Agatha Christie did this with several of stories. Chandler bolted aspects of several of his shorts in novels. Off the top of my head, I think, Red Wind and Mazarin Jade became Farewell My Lovely.

I turned my short story Fender Bender (3,000 words) into The Fall Guy (50,000) for my Working Stiffs collection. It was a tough and satsifying experience. Tough because I struggled with the idea of turning a short in a novel length thing, but once I had that cracked, it was fun taking the story in different directions...

[Joy Calderwood]

A splendid example is in the way Orson Scott Card adapted his brilliant short story "Ender's Game" into a novel. IIRC it had already won a major award, and then (it appeared) he allowed it to grow organically into the novel that won both of science fiction's highest awards. The growth was in the characterization and the scenes to support it, with some high-level intriguing added in.