Mystery Melange

Bestselling author Lawrence Block is offering select items for sale on eBay, including stories, the copyedited manuscript of A Drop of the Hard Stuff, complete with corrections ("and my occasionally vehement responses thereto"), the revised draft of a script for a TV movie, for which Block adapted an Edgar-winning Matthew Scudder story, and more. The auctions close May 13. 

Noir At The Bar returns to the Mandrake Bar in Culver City, California on May 20, with author Lisa Brackmann (Rock, Paper, Tiger), Eric Stone (Shanghaied), Brett Battles (No Return), Fingers Murphy (The Flaming Motel) and Mystery Dawg, the editor of Powder Burn Flash. Mysterious Galaxy will also be on hand to sell books.

It's Macavity Award nomination time again for members of Mystery Readers International, in the categories of best novel, first novel, bio/critical, short story, and the Sue Feder Memorial historical mystery. All works must have been published in 2011, and the deadline for nominations is June 1st. For more info, contact Janet Rudolph.

Australia's Monash University is holding a "Body in the Library" exhibition of mystery history, through June 8. Highlights include covers of lurid works by Sax Rohmer, Detection Club projects, detective magazines, the Dick Donovan series that was a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes, and the many Australian and New Zealand crime fiction authors and books. (Hat tip to Elizabeth Foxwell.)

Crimeculture is sponsoring a no-fee Sherlock Holmes Flash Fiction contest. Entrants have to write a 400-word story featuring Holmes in another time and place or in a different genre.  The deadline is June 15, and top ten winners will be published on the Crimeculture website.  (With thanks to Sandra Seamans.)

The latest Suspense Magazine has interviews with Nick Santora, M. William Phelps, Eric Jerome Dickey, and many more. You'll also find reviews of and news about e-books from LJ Sellers, Scott Nicholson and Vincent Zandri.


Congrats to the winners of the "Flashbang" fiction test sponsored by the 2012 Crimefest in the UK. The winners, who were tasked with writing a crime story in 150 words or less, were chosen by author Zoë Sharp.

Mystery Writers of America have added Denver to the list of upcoming MWA University writer workshops. The focus of these events is on the craft of writing, with college-level courses taught by published writers and experienced teachers. Waukesha, Wisconsin, is the next stop on June 16th, followed by Denver on August 11th. For more information, check out the MWA University info page.