Today’s travels bring us to…  Debra Goldstein!

by Paula Gail Benson

It’s that wonderful time of year again when writers and readers who love Agatha Christie style mysteries gather in Bethesda, Maryland, for Malice Domestic. Next weekend, the Agatha Awards will be presented. Please help us begin the celebration with some brief interviews with the Agatha-nominated authors in the categories for Best Debut Novel and Best Short Story.

Best First Novel

Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

Murder in the Crazy Mountains by K. L. Borges

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Player Elimination by Shelly Jones

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg

 

QUESTION: Why did you decide to be a writer?

Adrian: I don’t feel like I ever made a conscious decision to be a writer. I feel like I’ve always been writing in one way or another since I learned how to write. Music was my first passion, and I began writing original songs as early as elementary school. I dabbled in fiction and creative nonfiction throughout high school and college, but always saw myself as a songwriter first. It wasn’t until the pandemic in 2020 that I decided to give writing a novel a try. Without needing to commute to an office for my day job, I used the time I got back to develop a daily writing routine, and I’ve stayed pretty consistent ever since.

K.L.: Becoming a writer was a surprise, post-retirement development in my life. I came up with the plot for Murder in the Crazy Mountains while on an extended road trip during my first fall that I wasn’t busy in a high school classroom. I had begun working in animal rescue after retiring and saw an online post about a real-life dog who had been brought in with gunshot wounds. This dog became the inspiration for my story. By the end of the road trip, I was on fire to write a murder mystery woven around that dog.

Sandra: I’ve wanted to be a writer as far back as I remember, even in my pre-literate childhood. When I was three years old, Frank London Brown, a neighbor wrote Trumbull Park, a notable novel rooted in Chicago literature. He fictionalized five Black families, including mine, who desegregated an infamous Chicago housing project. I was so impressed that I went around scribbling in the flyleaves of books, convinced that I too was writing a novel.

Shelly: This might sound trite but I don’t think I had much choice. I’ve always loved reading and writing and I’ve been writing stories from a very young age. My bookcase was lined with Nancy Drew mysteries and I was absolutely the kid who read under the covers with a flashlight every night. Somewhere I still have a form rejection letter from Dell that they kindly sent eight-year-old me for some story I typed up (yes, on a typewriter back in ye olde times) and submitted. When I went to grad school, my creative writing took a backseat for a few years. But eventually stories bloomed again and I had to write them down.

Michael: The short answer is that I’m just a guy trying to impress a girl. Some backstory… I’ve been an attorney since 1981, so writing was/is part of “the life.” Of course, the expectation for an attorney is that, at least in your professional life, you’ll write non-fiction—the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Although some of my opponents and clients would likely tell you that I wrote a lot of nonsense/fiction in my briefs, motions, and memoranda. But that’s a story for another day.) My wife is the reader in our family—a trait she instilled in our kids as well. She puts me to shame with the number of books she reads, mostly fiction but a lot of non-fiction as well. Occasionally, I would look through some of the novels she was reading. A little over a decade ago, as I started thinking about retiring from my day job, I decided that maybe I could write a novel as well. What a great way to impress an avid reader, right? I mean, how hard could it be? After one published novel (it took quite a while) and a second about to be published, the jury’s still out on how much of an impression I’m making. I must be doing okay, though. We’ll mark our 47^th anniversary in May.

QUESTION: If your protagonist(s) or a character from your novel could attend the Agatha banquet, what shoes would she/he wear and why?

Adrian: This is such a fun question! If my protagonist Reece Parker were to attend the Agatha banquet, I think he’d dress in pretty standard professional men’s attire. I imagine he’d wear a light-blue button-up shirt tucked into Navy blue dress pants with brown wingtip dress shoes. He’d probably skip wearing a tie and jacket, opting for a more relaxed look. I’d bet he’d also roll up his sleeves to show off his literary-themed tattoo sleeve. Reece dresses for comfort and function more than for fashion, so I wouldn’t expect him to put too much thought into his outfit. He’d lean on the few simple staples he already has in his closet.

K.L.: My protagonist would be all about shoes that have flair and a bit of sexiness to them, but that don’t require acrobatic skills to walk around in. A girl wants to look good, but not at the loss of comfort and ease of movement, right? She would wear some black, sling-back pumps, with no more than a two-inch heel, I think. No stilettos for my girl!

Sandra: The scandalous Shysteen Shackleford, one of the antagonists in Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes, wouldn’t hesitate to wear something skintight, skimpy, revealing, and totally inappropriate.

Shelly: Wren Winters, my main protagonist in my board game-themed, cozy mystery series, is very practical, so she’d probably wear sneakers. She also has Rheumatoid Arthritis and needs good, supportive shoes that will limit pain in her joints as much as possible. Besides, you never know what shady character she might see at the banquet and need to follow them…

Michael: As an introverted southern gentleman, Jonathan Gray, my protagonist, would wear cordovan loafers. Not penny loafers, mind you, but tasseled loafers—a much more refined look, but still comfortable and casual. The cordovan loafers would contrast with, and also complement, his navy-blue suit (with cuffs, of course), white button-down shirt, and Harvard necktie.

 

Best Short Story

Six-Armed Robbery by Ashley-Ruth Bernier, Malice Domestic Mystery Most Humorous

Baby Love by Barb Goffman, Double Crossing Van Dine

Lola’s Last Dance by Kerry Hammond, Celluloid Crimes

Boss Cat Rules by Nikki Knight, Malice Domestic Mystery Most Humorous

While the Iron is Hot by Edith Maxwell, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

[NOTICE THAT CLICKING ON THE LINKS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE SHORT STORIES!]

 

QUESTION: How do you select the crime for your short story and how does the crime influence your character development?

Ashley-Ruth:  I’m terrified of frogs and even more terrified of cockroaches, so when I was hit with an idea about robbers who used these as weapons instead of guns and knives, I knew I had to write the story. It took a few days of thinking through the idea before I realized that these robbers had to be kids. Who else would have the unconventional thinking to conceive of such an idea AND the boldness to actually give it a try? Writing from the POV of a 12-year-old was tricky at first, since I usually write for and about adults. My narrator never “told” me her name—she’s nameless throughout, like some of the narrators in books for young readers I loved growing up (think “The Witches” by Roald Dahl and “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss!). However, once I got a handle on her outsized personality and voice, the story unfolded easily!

Barb: I was asked to write a story for Double Crossing Van Dine, in which twenty authors take the twenty rules for detective stories by Golden Age author S.S. Van Dine and turn them on their head. Van Dine declared in rule number three that there must be no love interest in a story, because amour would keep a detective from focusing on the case. I decided that my PI would have a rich wife who kept trying to lure her husband into bed so she could get pregnant, but at every turn she is thwarted because all her seductive moves give her husband an idea of where to look next for clues. He is determined to solve his new case because—among other reasons—he wants to be able to support his wife and children to be and not rely on his wife’s family money.

This story is “Baby Love,” and given its humorous premise, I knew I wanted a “lighter” crime. So I chose to have a PI hired to find a missing (stolen?!) dog. There had to be high stakes, so I had the owner fear the dog was grabbed to be used as a bait dog in dogfighting. But I think the reader can tell from the story’s tone that the dog would be okay. (Yes, spoiler alert: No dogs were harmed in the writing of this story.) In the end, the PI finds the dog and learns why he was taken, and the reason affects him so much that he vows to not prioritize his pride (his desire to be able to support his family) over the importance of devoting time to that family, including its creation. I was happy with how that arc worked out.

Kerry: I actually started my story with an opening line. It was something that a crime scene tech said and it stuck with me. My Rocky Mountain MWA group was lucky enough to attend a staged crime scene investigation at a local police station. They went all out and staged a scene that we could investigate. Our dead body (crash test dummy) looked like he may have shot himself, but someone commented that the gun wouldn’t still be in the person’s hand, it would have fallen. The crime scene tech paused and said, “I once went to a crime scene where a woman shot herself with a 45 and didn’t even drop her cigarette.” How do you forget a line like that? I created my entire story around the woman who did that ad why.

Nikki: My stories always start with the characters: the crime grows out of their world, and only they can solve it. For this “first-person feline” story, featuring Neptune, the Boss Cat of a small Vermont radio station, I had to find a natural way to get him involved. I’ve written Neptune before, and I know he likes to sit in the window and menace the birds, so I thought: what if he sees something on the street? Then, it was a question of what would motivate a rather self-absorbed cat, who still considers himself a standup guy. I came up with an attack on a vulnerable old man by someone Neptune doesn’t like. Finally, the big challenge: finding ways for Neptune to manipulate his Ma (radio station owner Jaye Jordan) and the police chief into catching the killer. To do that, I had to use everything I know about both Neptune and his people to come up with a believable solution.

Edith: Each story is different. “When the Iron is Hot” had its inspiration in someone on Twitter about five years ago writing that she was going to go iron her money. When I asked if she was serious, she said she was. My mystery writer’s brain cartwheeled into a COVID paranoia gone terribly wrong, and the crime came from there.

 

QUESTION: If a character from your short story could attend the Agatha banquet, what shoes would she/he wear and why?

Ashley-Ruth: I settled on age 12 for my narrator because it’s right there, that one year between being a kid and being a teenager. She’s old enough and tall enough to wear some more “grown-up” shoes, but she wouldn’t—instead, she’d pull on a well-loved pair of Chucks or comfortable flip-flops with a dress that might or might not have seen the business end of an iron. She’ll care more about looks and fashion next year, but this year is all about comfort and flexibility…which definitely helps in the event of needing to make a quick getaway.

Barb: My PI’s wife is forever trying to lure him into bed. So she would wear stilettos to the banquet, which would make her legs look even more shapely and alluring.

Kerry: Lola would have loved to attend the Agathas. She would wear a sequined number, most likely in red, with a pair of 5-inch heels to match.

Nikki: The Boss Cat doesn’t need any stinkin’ shoes – he’s happy with his fuzzy paws, thanks! But his Ma, Jaye Jordan, would wear what I’m going to wear: a pretty pair of silver ballet flats. She’s very tall like me, and being a sensible Vermont DJ, she doesn’t have the energy to fight with high heels.

Edith: Natasha, my narrator, is a brilliant scientist but one who has been frustrated in life. She would find a way to wear black Louboutin Fannylove heels – you know, with the red soles – to the banquet and then return them without paying the price.

 

BIOS: Nominated Debut Authors

Adrian Andover is the author of Whiskey Business, his Lefty Award-winning and Agatha Award-nominated debut novel and the first entry in the Mixology Lounge Mysteries series. In 2020, Andover was living alone in a 200-square-foot studio apartment at the height of the pandemic when he found a joyful respite in cozy mysteries. Not seeing many gay men represented in the genre, he set out to write his own. When he’s not reading, writing, revising, or publishing a story, he enjoys taking long walks, attending live music events, spending time with friends, and tasting craft cocktails around his chosen hometown of Asbury Park, NJ.

Born and raised in Idaho, K.L. Borges moved to Montana over thirty years ago. She and her husband raised their three children there, alongside a series of herding dogs. K.L. Borges was a math teacher at a private Billings high school (Go, Rams!) for a decade, following an earlier career as an environmental engineer. Borges is an active volunteer in the animal rescue community of south-central Montana, a member of the Billings Gem and Mineral Society and is a member of Sisters in Crime. She and her husband can often be found enjoying the Montana outdoors with their two blue heelers. Murder in the Crazy Mountains is her first book; it has been nominated for an Agatha Award.

Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of three award-winning novels. The River Where Blood is Born (American Library Association Black Caucus Award), Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him (Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction)and Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes (won the Malice Minotaur Award and is a finalist for the Edgar and Agatha Awards). Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils releases in July 2026. Her fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic works are widely published and produced. She coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her professional recognitions include the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, the Globe Soup Story Award, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, the Hearst Foundation James Baldwin Fellowship at MacDowell Arts.

 

Shelly Jones (they/them) is a professor at a small college in upstate New York, where they teach classes in transmedia storytelling, the mystery genre, and writing. A Pushcart nominee and Best Microfiction finalist, their creative works have been published in F&SF, Apex, and elsewhere. Their novel, Player Elimination, was nominated for the 2026 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. When they aren’t grading or writing, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on.

 

 

 

Michael Rigg, an attorney for more than four decades, writes mysteries and thrillers set in two very different locations: Virginia Beach (where he lives) and New Orleans (which he visits as often as possible “for research,” including participation in three Mardi Gras Krewes). He is a retired Navy Judge Advocate and a retired civilian government attorney, formerly working for the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel. He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and both the Sisters in Crime national organization and its Southeastern Virginia Chapter—Mystery by the Sea.

 

BIOS: Nominated Short Story Authors

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s work appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, and other esteemed anthologies. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley-Ruth writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. Ashley-Ruth is a 2022 winner of the North Carolina Writers Network’s Jacobs-Jones award, a 2023 Short Mystery Fiction Society Derringer finalist, a Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, a 2024 recipient of Mystery Writers of America’s Barbara Neely grant for Black mystery writers, and a 2026 Agatha and Derringer Award nominee. THE BUSH TEA MURDER is her first novel-length work. She currently lives with her family and teaches first grade in Apex, North Carolina.

Barb Goffman has been a finalist for major short story crime-fiction awards fifty times, forty-seven for writing and three for editing. She’s won the Agatha four times, the Macavity twice, and the Anthony and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Readers Award once each. She’s also won the Derringer for editing, and in 2024 the Short Mystery Fiction Society awarded her the Golden Derringer Award for Lifetime Achievement. Barb works as a freelance editor, often focusing on cozy and traditional mysteries. She also is an associate editor at Black Cat Weekly. She also is an associate editor at Black Cat Weekly.

Kerry Hammond decided to give up the practice of law to commit crimes—on the page. She is a two-time Agatha Award nominated author whose short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and Sisters in Crime. One of those stories was chosen for inclusion in The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year, edited by Amor Towles. Her love of travel means that her stories often take place in foreign locales she has (or wants to) visit, or while her characters are enroute to their next adventure. She’s a huge fan of the subtle surprise and is happiest when her readers don’t see the ending coming. She lives in Denver with her husband, who is her favorite travel companion. Kerry also writes downloadable Murder Mystery Party games at BlameTheButler.com

Nikki Knight (Kathleen Marple Kalb) is an author/anchor/mom…not in that order. The Agatha-nominated author of short stories and novels, she’s also a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award-winning anchor of New York City’s #1 weekend morning show on 1010 WINS Radio. Her work includes fourteen mysteries across four series, and short stories in top mystery magazines, anthologies, and online, with recognition in National Excellence in Storytelling, Black Orchid Novella, and Derringer competitions. Active in writers’ groups, she is a Marketing and Communications Liaison on the National Board of Sisters in Crime, and a past VP of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and NY/Tri-State SinC. She and her family live in a Connecticut house owned by a large calico cat.

Agatha-winning and Macavity-nominated author Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, as well as award-winning short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she authors the Country Store Mysteries, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries. She also wrote two Lauren Rousseau Mysteries. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau, their sweet cat Martin, and her organic garden; she blogs with the other Wicked Authors and at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen.