Updated to include the Short Story category.
Ed note: Just wanted to add a quick note about why the SMFS site doesn’t have tthe nominees but we do. The nominees were announced on the SMFS message board, which is where this list is from. I don’t know why the SMFS site hasn’t updated but I’m sure it will soon.
The Short Mystery Fiction Society has announced it’s nominees for the 2011 Derringer Awards.
The Derringer Award was created in 1997 by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to honor excellence in the creative artform of short mystery and crime stories. The name “Derringer,” after the palm-sized handgun, was chosen as a metaphor for a mystery or crime short story — small, but dangerous. The award is in the form of a certificate suitable for framing.
After the jump check out all of the nominees…
Flash Story (less then 1001 words)
“Blues in the Night,” by Carol Kilgore, *Dark Valentine*, May 2010
“Homeless,” by Patricia Morin, *MYSTERY MONTAGE*, 2010
“Stick a Needle in My Eye,” by Julia Madeleine, *Powder Burn Flash* No. 302, May 5, 2010
“The Book Signing,” by Kathy Kencharik, *THIN ICE: CRIME STORIES BY NEW ENGLAND WRITERS*, 2010
“The Unknown Substance,” by Jane Hammons, *A Twist of Noir*, Dec. 27, 2010
Short Story (1001 – 4000 words)
Short Story:
“My Asshole Brother” by Eric Beetner, *A Twist of Noir,* May 7, 2010
“Seventy-hours of Less” by Michael J. Solender, *A Twist of Noir,* April 23, 2010
“Broken Down on the Bonneville Flats” by Jack Bates, *Beat to a Pulp,* October 17, 2010
“Angel of Mercy” by David Price, *Beat to a Pulp,* Jan. 31, 2010
“Pewter Badge” by Michael J. Solender, *Yellow Mama,” August, 2010.
Long Story (4001 – 8000 words)
“A Tour of the Tower,” by Christine Poulson, *Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine*, March/April 2010
“Care of the Circumcised Penis,” by Sean Doolittle, *THUGLIT PRESENTS: BLOOD, GUTS, AND WHISKEY*, 2010
“Interpretation of Murder,” by B. K. Stevens, *Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine*, December 2010
“Silicon Kings,” by Richard Helms, *The Back Alley Webzine*, April 2010
“The Little Nogai Boy,” by R. T. Lawton, *Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine*, September 2010
Novelette (8001 – 17,500 words)
“Deserters,” by Chris Muessig, *Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine*, March 2010
“Rearview Mirror,” by Art Taylor, *Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine*, March 2010
“The Gods for Vengeance Cry,” by Richard Helms, *Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine*, November 2010
“The Man With One Eye,” by Stephen Ross, *Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine*, December 2010
“The Scent of Lilacs,” by Doug Allyn, *Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine*, September/October 201
I’ve never paid much attention to the Derringer eligibility policy. I guess (seeing one of the Long Story nominees) they’re fine with self published short stories being nominated.
What do people think? Should self published short stories be eligible?
I don’t think they should. The stories should first hold up to some form of editorial scrutiny and earn a spot in a magazine other than the writer’s own magazine to be considered for eligibility.