Art Taylor's Blog, page 77

Short Story Month: Full List

Here’s the final list of stories I read in May to commemorate Short Story Month. You can find brief commentaries on these stories on my Facebook Author Page here, where I kept up daily posts.

All five stories nominated for this year’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story: “Steve’s Story” by Cathy Ace, “A Death at the Parsonage” by Susan Daly (which won!), and “Where There’s a Will” by Elizabeth Hosang, all from the anthology The Whole She-Bang 3; and “The Ascent” by Scott Mackay and “The Granite Kitchen” by David Morrell, both from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
“Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” by Barb Goffman from the new anthology 50 Shades of Cabernet. 
“Williamsburg Bridge” by John Edgar Wideman from Harper’s, republished in last year’s Best American Short Stories.
“Obsession,” “The Fever Dream,” “Jimmy and I,” and “Interrupted Story” by Clarice Lispector from the massive collection Complete Stories.
“The Jar” by my wife, Tara Laskowski, from JMWW and recently selected for the Wigleaf Top 50, honoring the best flash fiction stories of the previous year.
“Vanity Case” by John Floyd from the just-released Spring issue of Mysterical-E.
“Acknowledgements” by Martin Edwards, a stand-alone, limited edition publication for this year’s Malice Domestic by Crippen & Landru.
“Put Yourself in My Shoes” by Raymond Carver from his debut collection Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
“Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey” by Ann Cleeves from the anthology Motives for Murder: Stories by the Detection Club for Peter Lovesey, published by Crippen & Landru.
“No More Waiting” by Helen Nelson from the anthology The Whole She-Bang 3.
“Pulpo” by Leigh Camacho Rourks at SmokeLong.
“Hourglass” by Clare Beams from her collection We Show What We Have Learned.
“Night Class” by David Dean from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
“A Garden for Adonis” by Debra Goldstein from Texas Gardener’s Seeds.
“The Summer People” by Kelly Link from her collection Get in Trouble.
“The Seven” by Elaine Viets from the anthology Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Historical.
“Queen of the Dogs” by Holly West from the anthology 44 Caliber Funk: Tales of Crime, Soul, and Payback.
“Crime on Mars” by Arthur C. Clarke and “Goodbye, Pops” by Joe Gores, both from the volume The Sixties from the multi-volume anthology Masterpieces of Mystery, edited by Ellery Queen.
“The Way Up to Heaven” by Roald Dahl from The New Yorker—in 1954.
“Dead Yellow Women” by Dashiell Hammett from The Big Knockover—celebrating Hammett’s birthday!
“The Sweet Unsweet” by Jay Merrill from Matchbook.
“How to be Another Person in Five Days” by Rebecca Bernard and “After the Third Notice, the City Shuts Off Our Power” by Wynne Hungerford, both from SmokeLong Quarterly.
“Lady Tremaine’s Rebuttal” by Karen Pullen from Every Day Fiction.
“Breadcrumbs” by Victoria Weisfeld from Betty Fedora, winner of this year’s Derringer Award for Best Long Story.

Short Story Month Continues

…and here’s an update of the stories I’ve read so far in May—reposting/consolidating earlier lists and adding more!

All five stories nominated for this year’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story. The first three are from the same anthology, The Whole She-Bang 3, edited by Janet Costello and published by the Toronto Chapter of Sisters in Crime: “Steve’s Story” by Cathy Ace, “A Death at the Parsonage” by Susan Daly, and “Where There’s a Will” by Elizabeth Hosang. The final two were published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: “The Ascent” by Scott Mackay and “The Granite Kitchen” by David Morrell.
“Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” by Barb Goffman from the new anthology 50 Shades of Cabernet. 
“Williamsburg Bridge” by John Edgar Wideman from Harper’s, republished in last year’s Best American Short Stories.
“Obsession” by Clarice Lispector from the massive collection Complete Stories—and then more recently three more from the same collection: “The Fever Dream,” “Jimmy and I,” and “Interrupted Story.”
“The Jar” by my wife, Tara Laskowski, from JMWW and recently selected for the Wigleaf Top 50, honoring the best flash fiction stories of the previous year.
“Vanity Case” by John Floyd from the just-released Spring issue of Mysterical-E.
“Acknowledgements” by Martin Edwards, a stand-alone, limited edition publication for this year’s Malice Domestic by Crippen & Landru.
“Put Yourself in My Shoes” by Raymond Carver from his debut collection Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
“Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey” by Ann Cleeves from the anthology Motives for Murder: Stories by the Detection Club for Peter Lovesey, published by Crippen & Landru.
“No More Waiting” by Helen Nelson from the anthology The Whole She-Bang 3.
“Pulpo” by Leigh Camacho Rourks at SmokeLong.
“Hourglass” by Clare Beams from her collection We Show What We Have Learned.
“Night Class” by David Dean from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
“A Garden for Adonis” by Debra Goldstein from Texas Gardener’s Seeds.
“The Summer People” by Kelly Link from her collection Get in Trouble.
“The Seven” by Elaine Viets from the anthology Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Historical.
“Queen of the Dogs” by Holly West from the anthology 44 Caliber Funk: Tales of Crime, Soul, and Payback, recently named a finalist for the Anthony Award for Best Short Story. (I’m in good company!)

Still more stories ahead. Stay up to date with the series at my Facebook author page here.

“Parallel Play” Named Anthony Award Finalist

It’s a tremendous honor to learn that my story “Parallel Play” from the anthology Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning has been named a finalist for this year’s Anthony Award for Best Short Story, alongside stories by Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Johnny Shaw, and Holly West. Hooray for all!

Thanks to all the readers and to my fellow writers for helping to vote my story to this distinguished slate of finalists; to Storm Warning‘s editors Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, and Marcia Talley and to everyone in the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime; and to our publisher, Wildside Press!

“Parallel Play” won this year’s Agatha Award at Malice Domestic in late April and is also a finalist for the Thriller Award, the winner of which will be named at ThrillerFest in mid-July. The Anthony Awards will be presented at a brunch on Sunday, October 15, the final day of this year’s Bouchercon.

The full list of Anthony Award finalists is below. Congratulations to all—and see you in Toronto!

ANTHONY AWARD NOMINATIONS for 2017

Best Novel

You Will Know Me – Megan Abbott [Little, Brown]
Where It Hurts – Reed Farrel Coleman [G.P. Putnam’s Sons]
Red Right Hand – Chris Holm [Mulholland]
Wilde Lake – Laura Lippman [William Morrow]
A Great Reckoning – Louise Penny [Minotaur]

Best First Novel

Dodgers – Bill Beverly [Crown]
IQ – Joe Ide [Mulholland]
Decanting a Murder – Nadine Nettmann [Midnight Ink]
Design for Dying – Renee Patrick [Forge]
The Drifter – Nicholas Petrie [G.P. Putnam’s Sons]

Best Paperback Original

Shot in Detroit – Patricia Abbott [Polis]
Leadfoot – Eric Beetner [280 Steps]
Salem’s Cipher – Jess Lourey [Midnight Ink]
Rain Dogs – Adrian McKinty [Seventh Street]
How to Kill Friends and Implicate People – Jay Stringer [Thomas & Mercer]
Heart of Stone – James W. Ziskin [Seventh Street] 

Best Short Story

“Oxford Girl” – Megan Abbott, Mississippi Noir [Akashic]
“Autumn at the Automat” – Lawrence Block, In Sunlight or in Shadow [Pegasus]
“Gary’s Got A Boner” – Johnny Shaw, Waiting to Be Forgotten [Gutter]
“Parallel Play” – Art Taylor, Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning [Wildside]
“Queen of the Dogs” – Holly West, 44 Caliber Funk: Tales of Crime, Soul and Payback [Moonstone] 

Best Critical Nonfiction Work

Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life – Peter Ackroyd [Nan A. Talese]
Letters from a Serial Killer – Kristi Belcamino & Stephanie Kahalekulu [CreateSpace]
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life – Ruth Franklin [Liveright]
Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker – David J. Skal [Liveright]
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer – Kate Summerscale [Bloomsbury/Penguin] 

Best Children’s/YA Novel

Snowed – Maria Alexander [Raw Dog Screaming]
The Girl I Used to Be – April Henry [Henry Holt]
Tag, You’re Dead – J.C. Lane [Poisoned Pen]
My Sister Rosa – Justine Larbalestier [Soho Teen]
The Fixes – Owen Matthews [HarperTeen] 

Best Anthology

Unloaded: Crime Writers Writing Without Guns – Eric Beetner, ed. [Down & Out]
In Sunlight or in Shadow – Lawrence Block, ed. [Pegasus]
Cannibals: Stories from the Edge of the Pine Barrens – Jen Conley [Down & Out]
Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016 – Greg Herren, ed. [Down & Out]
Waiting To Be Forgotten: Stories of Crime and Heartbreak, Inspired by the Replacements – Jay Stringer, ed. [Gutter] 

Best Novella (8,000-40,000 words)

Cleaning Up Finn – Sarah M. Chen [CreateSpace]
No Happy Endings – Angel Luis Colón [Down & Out]
Crosswise – S.W. Lauden [Down & Out]
Beware the Shill – John Shepphird [Down & Out]
The Last Blue Glass – B.K. Stevens, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, April 2016 [Dell]

 

Tuesday, May 23: Mystery Writers Program, Alexandria, VA

The Martha Washington Library in Alexandria, VA, welcomes several members of my long-time writing group on Tuesday evening, May 23, for both a discussion of our individual works and a glimpse at how we work together.

Donna Andrews, Ellen Crosby, Alan Orloff, and I—along with John Gilstrap (not part of the event)—have met monthly for many years now to share selections of our works-in-progress, seeking fresh perspectives, constructive critique, and hopefully a bit of encouragement as well. Along the way, we’ve also celebrated one another’s accomplishments, shared insights into a swiftly changing publishing landscape, and in the process become fine friends.

The May 23 event will offer more glimpses into those monthly workshops as well as insights into our novels and stories, our writing lives generally, and the wider world of mystery fiction.

The Martha Washington Library is located at 6614 Fort Hunt Road in Alexandria, VA, and the library is hosting an event sign-up here; there’s also a Facebook event page at my own FB author page. Hooray for Books! in Alexandria will be co-sponsoring the event and selling books by all the participating authors.

 

May is Short Story Month

I look forward to seeing folks at the Tuesday, May 23, event, but meanwhile, I’m continuing to celebrate May as Short Story month by reading a short story each day and posting about it on my FB author page. Over the last week, I’ve added the following stories to the list:

The two final finalists for this year’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story: “The Ascent” by Scott Mackay and “The Granite Kitchen” by David Morrell
“Acknowledgements” by Martin Edwards, a stand-alone, limited edition publication for this year’s Malice Domestic by Crippen & Landru
“Put Yourself in My Shoes” by Raymond Carver
“Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey” by Ann Cleeves from the anthology Motives for Murder: Stories by the Detection Club for Peter Lovesey, published by Crippen & Landru
“No More Waiting” by Helen Nelson from the anthology The Whole She-Bang 3

More stories are ahead. Stay up to date with the series here.

SleuthSayers’ Family Fortnight

The SleuthSayers group blog is in the final days of its Family Fortnight series, leading up to International Day of Families on May 15. For my contribution, I interviewed my wife, Tara Laskowski, about the joys and challenges we experience as part of two-writer household—and with our son having quickly become part of our writing lives and various writing communities.

Check out our chat here.

May Is Short Story Month

May is Short Story Month, and I set myself a goal (as I’ve done in some years past) of reading one short story a day this month—making short posts about each of them on my Facebook author page here.

Nearly a quarter of the way through the month, and so far I’m on track. Here’s what’s made the list so far:

Three of the five stories nominated for this year’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story—with plans to read all five, of course. The first three so far have all been from the same anthology, The Whole She-Bang 3, edited by Janet Costello and published by the Toronto Chapter of Sisters in Crime: “Steve’s Story” by Cathy Ace, “A Death at the Parsonage” by Susan Daly, and “Where There’s a Will” by Elizabeth Hosang.
“Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” by Barb Goffman from the new anthology 50 Shades of Cabernet. Many friends and fellow Virginia writers contributed to this book, so more to read ahead.
“Williamsburg Bridge” by John Edgar Wideman from Harper’s, republished in last year’s Best American Short Stories. This was the final text on the syllabus for the “Recent American Fiction” course I taught—and gave us plenty to talk about.
“Obsession” by Clarice Lispector from the massive collection Complete Stories. This book kept popping up in several places so often that I began to believe it was calling to me; I answered that call and have finally begun digging into these stories—simply fascinating.
“The Jar” by my wife, Tara Laskowski, from JMWW and recently selected for the Wigleaf Top 50, honoring the best flash fiction stories of the previous year. When she told me it had earned a spot on that list, I told her I didn’t remember having read the story at all! Glad to have remedied that oversight now.
“Vanity Case” by John Floyd from the just-released Spring issue of Mysterical-E. John is a fine puzzle master and one of the most prolific short story writers I know.

Follow along at my author page for more updates ahead!

 

“Parallel Play” Wins Agatha Award

It was a great honor to have my story “Parallel Play” win the Agatha Award for Best Short Story at this weekend’s Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland—and such a thrill to celebrate the winners in all of the other categories. Here’s the complete list:

Best Contemporary Novel: A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
Best Historical Novel: The Reek of Red Herrings, by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur)
Best First Novel: The Semester of Our Discontent, by Cynthia Kuhn (Henery Press)
Best Non-fiction: Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories that Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats, by Jane K. Cleland (Writer’s Digest)
Best Short Story: “Parallel Play,” by Art Taylor (from Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, and Marcia Talley; Wildside Press)
Best Children’s/Young Adult: The Secret of the Puzzle Box: The Code Busters Club, by Penny Warner (Darby Creek)

Each bit of recognition my work receives always seems a little surreal—could they really be talking about me? about something I wrote?—but I have to admit, this photo seems to approach even higher levels of unbelievability.

While bringing home the teapot is surely a great pleasure, the weekend had several other great highlights—both on the official program (from Malice-Go-Round to Dame Agatha’s Tea) and off.

Chief among the official events: The conversation on our short story panel with fellow Agatha finalists Gretchen Archer, Barb Goffman, Edith Maxwell, and B.K. Stevens. Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, offered some terrific questions on crafting short stories—tone, length, structure, and more. I found myself taking notes on points that the other panelists made, and several people stopped me later to say they found the talk insightful as well. Such a great group of writers, with such a diverse array of stories, and I was proud to be counted among them, grateful to learn from them.

I was also honored to have a seat at the long table of contributors to the anthology Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most Historical—which was part of my post at SleuthSayers on the opening day of the convention. Great to have the final printed copy in hand—and signed!

As for unofficial aspects of the weekend…. For the first time, our son Dash attended Malice—mainly because my wife, Tara Laskowski, was part of a short story panel at the Books Alive conference in the same area, and we split up the day taking care of Dash, each of us in charge while the other was on stage. Shawn Reilly Simmons at Malice prepared a special VIP registration package for Dash, complete with an activity book, a Lego figurine, a Batman car, and a badge that identified him as Malice VIP. As Dorothy Cannell told Dash, she’s never gotten a VIP badge—and I doubt that anyone can boast of the kind of goodies Dash enjoyed either. (Where’s my Lego set, huh?)

Dash had a tremendous time—on perfect behavior during our short story panel and then making the rounds of the signing room, meeting other authors, collecting bookmarks, and making tons of friends. I couldn’t have been prouder when folks stopped me later to talk about how much they enjoyed meeting him.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Malice feels like family, and the highlight always is getting together with old friends and making new ones. There were so many people I only see once or twice a year—too many to list everyone—but I cherished the opportunities to see you all this weekend. Thanks particularly to Dana Cameron, Charlaine Harris, Toni Kelner, and Paula Woldan for great conversation at lunch Friday (and for their patience with crazy scheduling issues), and to Janet Hutchings for hosting lunch on Saturday with Ann Cleeves, G.M. Malliet, Martin and Helena Edwards, and Josh and Laurie Pachter (and for their patience with crazy scheduling issues too and with a little boy who was ready to go). Thanks too to all the folks who joined Friday night’s dinner, which was crazy only in how it kept growing and growing and growing: Micki Browning (my Malice Mentor Match-up!), Bruce Robert Coffin, Karen Cantwell, Matt Iden, Cynthia Kuhn, Liz Mugavero, Nadine Nettman, Alan Orloff, Tony Perona, Lori Rader-Day—oh, I feel like I’m forgetting someone!—and then my co-host for the evening, LynDee Walker. And then thanks to the folks who joined us at Saturday’s banquet table: Paula Benson, Leone Ciporin, Carla Coupe, Christina Hogrebe, Janet Hutchings, Liz Milliron, Alan Orloff, and Valerie Patterson. Hope y’all had even half as much fun as I did!

Special thanks to three of those folks above who are always quick to show friendship and support at the times it’s needed most: Carla Coupe, Alan Orloff, and LynDee Walker. It means more than you know.

And finally, thanks to everyone at Malice. I mentioned Shawn earlier, but I’m in awe of everyone who makes the weekend work: Verena Rose, Tonya Spratt-Williams, Janet Powell, Anne Murphy, Caroline Craig, Harriette Sackler, Janet Blizard, Angel Trapp, Joni Langevoort, Marian Lesko, and Rita Owen. My hat’s off to you all for a wonderful weekend .

Much more I could still say about Malice, of course—but for now just these great memories and great thanks, always, and already looking forward to next year!

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SleuthSayers: Contributors to Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most Historical

In honor of Malice Domestic this weekend, I invited a handful of contributors to the new anthology Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most Historical to offer brief introductions of their stories for a post at SleuthSayers—a preview not only of the anthology but also of the launch event Friday night at Malice itself, part of the evening’s welcome reception for those attending.

It was a real thrill to play a role in this anthology—not as a contributor myself but as part of the editorial committee ranking and selecting stories from more than 100 blind submissions. Seeing so many fine writers, so many friends, among the contributors when the names were revealed—what fun for all of us!

Read more about the anthology here at SleuthSayers, with introductory notes from Susanna Calkins, Carla Coupe, P.A. De Voe, Liz Milliron, Valerie O. Patterson, Keenan Powell, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Mark Thielman, Victoria Thompson, and Elaine Viets. Thanks to all of them for taking part!

The First Two Pages

B.K. Stevens’ blog “The First Two Pages” has proven a terrific resource for craft essays—focused, as the title make clear, on writers’ artistic choices and preference for the openings of their stories and books.

I’m pleased to have a short essay on my story “Parallel Play” at “The First Two Pages” today. “Slow Beginnings and Lines of Action” analyzes the entire opening scene of the “Parallel Play” and in the process draws on some lessons from Patricia Highsmith’s Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction to counter advice from Chekhov and Vonnegut about starting stories in the middle of the action or near the end of the narrative arc.

Check out the essay here.

Malice Domestic!

This weekend’s Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland marks one of my favorite times of the year, both a chance to revisit and reconnect with old friends in the mystery community and to make many new ones, and in the process to celebrate some of world’s best crime fiction—and nonfiction too!

As mentioned here before (many time!), I’m particularly honored that one of my own stories—“Parallel Play” from Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning—is among the finalists for this year’s Agatha Award for Best Short Story, and I’m thrilled to have been part of another cornerstone of the weekend, serving as part of the editorial selection committee for this year’s Malice Domestic anthology, Mystery Most Historical. My own spots on the schedule all stem from those two opportunities:

Opening Ceremonies • Friday, April 28, 5 p.m.
Welcome Reception & Anthology Signing for Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most Historical (as part of editorial selection committee) • Friday, April 28, 9 p.m.
Panel: “Make It Snappy: Agatha Best Short Story Nominees,” with Gretchen Archer, Barb Goffman, Edith Maxwell, and B.K. Stevens, moderated by Linda Landrigan • Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m.
Agatha Awards Banquet • Saturday, April 29, 7 p.m.

But beyond official roles, I’m looking forward to so much more: the annual Malice-Go-Round, with writers sharing news about recent publications; a happy hour with members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society; breakfast with Sisters in Crime and an informal lunch with members of SinC’s Guppies Chapter; and the New Author Breakfast on Sunday morning, celebrating authors who’ve made their debut over the last year. Plus, of course, Dame Agatha’s Tea—always a brilliant finish to the weekend!

Oh, and speaking of tea, the picture at the top of this post features the goodie bags for the table I’m heading at Saturday’s Agatha Awards banquet! The selection is from David’s Teas, my wife’s favorite, and here’s the small tie-in to “Parallel Play”—quoted on the the bit of blue paper inserted in the back of the bags:

Special this year: I’m also taking part in the Guppies match-up program spear-headed by Hank Phillippi Ryan, helping to serve as a mentor of sorts to a writer coming to Malice for the first time. I’m grateful to have been paired up with Micki Browning, author of Adrift. Not sure what words of wisdom I’ll be able to share with her, but glad to do what I can—and to pick up a copy of her debut novel too!

And one final bonus at this year’s Malice: Because my wife Tara is appearing just around the corner at the Washington Independent Review of Books‘ Books Alive conference, she’ll be in town too—along with our son Dash, who’s been promised a special VIP registration at Malice. Can’t wait to see him with his name badge and to introduce him to friends in the mystery world who’ve heard so much about him over the years.

See you all on Friday!

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