Category Archives: Fiction

HISTORY AND MYSTERY

Historical fiction has always had a powerful appeal for me, and it’s probably partly because of my love of mysteries. Didn’t Voltaire say that history is “little else than a picture of human crimes and misfortunes”? Think of the poison … Continue reading

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“Is It Time for an Intervention? My Life With Mysteries” (by Joni Langevoort)

Joni Langevoort describes herself as a lifelong fan of books in general and of the mystery genre in particular. Her knowledge of the field is impressive, and she has come to be greatly appreciated by editors and others in the … Continue reading

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“Today’s Literary Mystery—It’s Not What Your Granny Used to Read” (by Scott Loring Sanders)

Scott Loring Sanders teaches creative writing at Virginia Tech. He’s also a novelist and an award-winning short-story writer. His topic for this post—pigeonholing by publishers and booksellers—is something he knows about from personal experience. His first novel, The Hanging Woods, … Continue reading

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“Just Send Me Back” (by Mary Jane Maffini)

There’s always at least a touch of humor in Mary Jane Maffini’s fiction—a spice that suits the traditional mystery. The Canadian author has won two major awards for stories in EQMM, and she’s also the author of three series of … Continue reading

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“A Familiar Face” (by Tim L. Williams)

Tim L. Williams is one of the best short-story writers to enter the mystery field over the past decade. His EQMM story “Half-Lives” won the International Thriller Award for best short story of 2011; he’s received two nominations for the … Continue reading

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“The Lee Strasberg Method School of Writing” (by Hilary Davidson)

Hilary Davidson was a travel journalist and the author of eighteen nonfiction books in that field before she turned to fiction writing. Two of her three mystery novels featuring travel-writer sleuth Lily Moore are set in foreign locations, as are … Continue reading

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“It’s the Heart that Counts” (by Evan Lewis)

Evan Lewis won the Robert L. Fish Award for best short story by a new American author for his February 2010 EQMM story “Skyler Hobbs and the Rabbit Man,” a humorous tale about a detective who believes himself to be … Continue reading

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“What’s in a Name?” (by Charles Ardai)

Charles Ardai has deep roots in nearly every area of the mystery field: He once worked in the subsidiary rights department for our fiction magazines (EQMM, AHMM, Analog, and Asimov’s), and in that capacity he edited and co-edited many short-story … Continue reading

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THE IMPORTANCE OF STORY

Last week in Albany, New York, 1,500 readers, writers, editors, agents, and booksellers gathered for the 44th Bouchercon World Mystery convention. Bouchercons provide opportunities for authors to enjoy the company of other authors, and for business connections to be made, … Continue reading

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“Brazilian Crime Fiction: Vibrant, Original, and Multifaceted” (by Clifford E. Landers)

Professor Clifford E. Landers’s July 10th post for this site left me wanting to know more about Brazilian crime fiction; he covers additional aspects of the subject here, with examples of how several different subgenres of the mystery have developed … Continue reading

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