The winner of the Petrona Award 2024, announced today, goes to Pascal Engman for Femicide tr. Michael Gallagher (Sweden). The Petrona Award was established to celebrate the work of Maxine Clarke, one of the first online crime fiction reviewers and bloggers, who died in December 2012. Maxine, whose online persona and blog was called Petrona, was passionate about translated crime fiction but in particular that from the Scandinavian countries. The award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia, and published in the UK in the previous calendar year. The other shortlisted authors and titles include Anne Mette Hancock – The Corpse Flower tr. Tara F Chace (Denmark); Håkan Nesser – The Axe Woman tr. Sarah Death (Sweden); Petra Rautiainen – Land of Snow and Ashes tr. David Hackston (Finland); Joachim B Schmidt – Kalmann tr. Jamie Lee Searle (Switzerland); Lilja Sigurðardóttir – Red as Blood tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland); and Gunnar Staalesen – Bitter Flowers tr. Don Bartlett (Norway).
The New England Clam Bake, one of the last mystery writer/fan conferences of the year, is headed to Boston November 10-12. The Guest of Honor this year is Deborah Crombie, with other featured authors to include EA Aymar, Kate Flora, Hallie Ephron, Doug Grad, Naomi Hirahara, Gabino Iglesias, BJ Magnani, Paula Munie, Cythina Pelayo, Barb Ross, and Hank Phillippi Ryan. The interviews and panels will include a mix of virtual online events and in-person events. For more information or to register, follow this link.
A few other one-day conferences of note in November: Men of Mystery returns to Long Beach, California on November 4, with special guests Matthew Quirk, Marc Cameron, Joe Ide, Leslie S. Klinger, and Matt Coyle; and the Midwest Mystery Conference (formerly Murder and Mayhem in Chicago) arrives in the Windy City on November 11. Plus Iceland Noir heads to Reykjavík November 15-18, with a special appearance by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (co-authors of State of Terror) on November 19.
CrimeFest, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, is offering a bursary for a crime fiction writer of color to attend its festival next May. The bursary will cover the cost of a full weekend pass to the convention, a night’s accommodation at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a guaranteed panel appearance. Eligible authors must have published at least one English language book in traditional print by a British commercial publisher. CrimeFest launched the bursary in 2021 with the first award going to Saima Mir to attend the 2022 convention, for her debut novel, The Khan, which was a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year.
James Patterson is once again supporting independent booksellers through his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program. This year the bestselling author has increased his contribution, pledging $300,000 to be distributed in $500 increments to 600 booksellers from ABA member bookstores. Nominations can be made through an online nomination form that asks the question: "In 250 words or less, why does this bookseller deserve a holiday bonus?" Booksellers can self-nominate to be considered for a bonus, or they can be nominated by bookstore customers, owners, employees, managers, fellow booksellers, publishing professionals, or authors. The deadline to nominate is November 15, with bonuses to be distributed in December.
In the Q&A roundup, Lisa Haselton interviewed thriller author Austin S. Camacho about his new Hannibal Jones Mystery, Subtle Felonies; and Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook spoke with Writers Who Kill's E.B. Davis about her Haunted Library mysteries.
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