by Paula Gail Benson Annually, the Short Mystery Fiction Society (SMFS) recognizes excellence by awarding the Derringers (four categories based on word count—flash, short short, long short, and novelette). This year, an award is being given for best anthology. In addition, the SMFS presents awards for a body of work. Art Taylor, who is well […]
by Paula Gail Benson Last week, I made a trip to Charleston, S.C., for an appointment scheduled early on Wednesday morning. I live about an hour and a half to two hours away, so I decided to go down the day before to be on time and not have to fight the traffic. Years ago, […]
by Paula Gail Benson It’s that time of year! Next weekend, the Agatha awards will be presented at Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland. To celebrate, we asked the Agatha-nominated authors in the categories of Best Contemporary Novel, Best Debut Novel, and Best Short Story to tell us: IF YOUR PROTAGONIST(S) COULD ATTEND THE AGATHA BANQUET, […]
by Paula Gail Benson It’s that time of year when nominations are announced. Mystery short stories have categories in the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgars (for best short story and the Robert L. Fish award for best first short story), the Agathas given at Malice Domestic, and the Thrillers presented at Thrillerfest. Following are the […]
by Paula Gail Benson This week, I received a report from a sinus CT. It contained the line: “The skull is unremarkable.” I had to think about that, rather like Hamlet contemplating Yorick’s skull in the graveyard scene in Shakespeare’s play. To put in context, in Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, Hamlet and Horatio come […]
by Paula Gail Benson On Valentine’s Day, I learned something. I was reading Cynthia Ruchti’s message in the Guideposts devotional book Mornings with Jesus 2025. Ruchti wrote about caring for her husband when he was debilitated during an illness. She found that some of the more difficult tasks required all her strength. At times, she […]
by Paula Gail Benson Happy new year to all! I hope your reading and writing is bringing you much joy. I’ve written before about belonging to the Lowcountry Romance Writers (LRWA, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America). I’ve continued to be a member, even though it is based in Charleston, S.C. and I […]
by Paula Gail Benson As I reach the end of this year, I take stock of the many changes that have taken place in my life. I’ve mourned the loss of family and friends. I thanked our Pastor for including an extra candle at our All Saints’ Day commemoration to recognize those who were not […]
by Paula Gail Benson For today’s short story post, I want to tell you about two new short story anthologies and an annual “Drabble” (100-word story) tradition that celebrates the “haunted” aspect of the holidays! Two new short story anthologies have been recently released. The Capitol Crimes chapter of Sisters in Crime featured fifteen authors […]
I met Raegan Teller through our local Sisters in Crime Palmetto Chapter. In fact, Raegan and I were two of the founding members of the chapter. Since that time, she has independently published seven Enid Blackwell mysteries, marketing them herself through personal appearances at unique festivals and events, most of which are not focused on […]