Just an update that the 4th St. Just is on target to appear in October. The cover, along with a new title, will first be revealed in my newsletter. Please sign up if you haven't already.

Attending (via Zoom) the UK-based Bodies from the Library conference, I was reminded of all the books from the Detection Club I've yet to read.

[Please note--the next Bodies from the Library conference will be held in person in the British Library in June 2022.]

If you're not familiar, here is a description of the invite-only club, from Wikipedia: "The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard, Baroness Emma Orczy, R. Austin Freeman, G. D. H. Cole, Margaret Cole, E. C. Bentley, Henry Wade, Constance Lindsay Taylor and H. C. Bailey. Anthony Berkeley was instrumental in setting up the club, and the first president was G. K. Chesterton. There was a fanciful initiation ritual with an oath probably written by either Chesterton or Sayers, and the club held regular dinner meetings in London."

They are still very much in operation, headed by Martin Edwards.

Some recommended reads: The Floating Admiral (1931), Ask a Policeman (1934), The Anatomy of a Murder (1936); Six Against the Yard (1936); The Verdict of Thirteen (1979); The Man Who… (1992); The Detection Collection (2005); The Verdict of Us All (2006); The Sinking Admiral (2016); Motives for Murder (2017).

And here's the latest: Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club (2020; edited by Martin Edwards, published by Collins Crime Club).

My TBR pile grows ever higher.

And which cope best.

It's not the old introvert/extrovert debate, as we thought. The people who impose a structure on their days do better than others. I found this fascinating, since my background is in psychology. Thought you might enjoy it, too:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-05-08/am-i-an-introvert-the-personality-traits-that-make-lockdown-coping-easier

A nearby neighbor with a green thumb. In fact, my entire neighborhood is filled with people of talent like this who go out of their way to create beauty. On my daily walk, my spirits are lifted by these efforts. So this is a thank you to my neighbors. This is just one way you've helped me and my husband get through the pandemic.

See the full list of nominees at https://www.bouchercon2021.com/anthony-award-nominations

Best Short Story​

• "Dear Emily Etiquette" - Barb Goffman - EQMM - Dell Magazines
• "90 Miles" - Alex Segura - Both Sides: Stories From the Border - Agora Books
• "The Boy Detective & The Summer of '74" - Art Taylor - AHMM (Jan-Feb) - Dell Magazines
• "Elysian Fields" - Gabriel Valjan - California Schemin' - Wildside Press
• "The Twenty-Five Year Engagement" - James W. Ziskin - In League with Sherlock Holmes - Pegasus Crime
  

Congratulations to the nominees!

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
What You Don’t See, by Tracy Clark (Kensington)
Blacktop Wasteland, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier (Minotaur Books)
And Now She’s Gone, by Rachel Howzell Hall (Forge Books)
The First to Lie, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge Books)


BEST FIRST NOVEL
Derailed, by Mary Keliikoa (Camel Press)
Murder in Old Bombay, by Nev March (Minotaur Books)
Murder at the Mena House, by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Kensington)
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman Books)
Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco Press)


BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINALl/E-BOOK/AUDIOBOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
The Fate of a Flapper, by Susanna Calkins (Griffin)
When No One is Watching, by Alyssa Cole (William Morrow)
Unspeakable Things, by Jess Lourey (Thomas & Mercer)
The Lucky One, by Lori Rader-Day (William Morrow)
Dirty Old Town, by Gabriel Valjan (Level Best Books)


BEST SHORT STORY
“Dear Emily Etiquette,” by Barb Goffman, EQMM (Dell Magazines)
“90 Miles,” by Alex Segura, Both Sides: Stories From the Border (Agora Books)
“The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74,” by Art Taylor, AHMM (Jan-Feb) (Dell Magazines)
“Elysian Fields,” by Gabriel Valjan, California Schemin’ (Wildside Press)
“The Twenty-Five Year Engagement,” by James W. Ziskin, In League with Sherlock Holmes (Pegasus Crime)


BEST JUVENILE/YOUNG ADULT
Midnight at the Barclay Hotel, by Fleur Bradley (Viking Books for Young Readers)
Premeditated Myrtle, by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Algonquin Young Readers)
From the Desk of Zoe Washington, by Janae Marks (Katherine Tegen Books)
Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco, by Richie Narvaez (Piñata Books)
Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, by Alex Segura (Disney Lucasfilm Press)


BEST CRITICAL NON-FICTION WORK
Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy, by Leslie Brody (Seal Press)
Article continues after advertisementAmerican Sherlock: Murder, Forensics and the Birth of American CSI, by Kate Winkler Dawson (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club, edited by Martin Edwards (Collins Crime Club)
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia, by Emma Copley Eisenberg (Hachette Books)
Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman behind Hitchcock, by Christina Lane (Chicago Review Press)
Article continues after advertisementUnspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession, edited by Sarah Weinman (Ecco Press)


BEST ANTHOLOGY OR COLLECTION
Shattering Glass: A Nasty Woman Press Anthology, edited by Heather Graham (Nasty Woman Press)
Both Sides: Stories from the Border, edited by Gabino Iglesias (Agora Books)
Noiryorican, by Richie Narvaez (Down & Out Books)
The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell, edited by Josh Pachter (Untreed Reads Publishing)
California Schemin,‘ edited by Art Taylor (Wildside Press)
Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic, edited by Nick Kolakowski and Steve Weddle (Polis Books)