For those of you who have visited the Cozy Mystery site’s Mystery Book Awards page, you will know that the Nero Awards are given out each year by The Wolfe Pack. This is a group of people who are fans of all of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe works. They have their Black Orchid Banquet each December, which is when they announce the winner of the Nero Award.  In 2008 they started the giving out their Black Orchid Novella Awards, and the chair for that award is Jane K. Cleland!

2014 Nero Award Finalists:

Ask Not by Max Allan Collins

Three Can Keep a Secret by Archer Mayor

Murder as a Fine Art by Charles Morrell

A Study in Revenge by Kieran Sheilds

A Question of Honor by Charles Todd

Congratulations to ALL!

Also, the Ninth Annual Black Orchid Novella Award Contest is currently looking for great novellas to be submitted. Here is the information about the contest that I received:

The Wolfe Pack & Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (AHMM) proudly announce the Ninth Annual Black Orchid Novella Award Contest, to celebrate the novella format popularized by Rex Stout.

Each entry must be an original unpublished work of fiction that conforms to the tradition of the Nero Wolfe series, and:

Contains no overt sex or violence

Emphasizes the deductive skills of the sleuth

Does not include characters from the original series

First prize: $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine*

Contest Entries must be 15,000 to 20,000 words in length, and must be postmarked by May 31, 2015. The winner will be announced at The Wolfe Pack’s Annual Black Orchid Banquet in New York City, Saturday, December 5, 2015. To enter, please read the official rules and procedures to submit your novella:

Literary Awards: Black Orchid Award

Good luck to ALL who submit a novella!

OK, I have to say, I absolutely love it when established mystery authors write children’s mysteries. I love it! By “established” I mean that they are already known for mystery books that adults enjoy. Katherine Hall Page wrote the Christie & Company Mystery Series for 5th to 8th graders, James Patterson writes the Middle School Series (as well as three other series for teens), John Grisham writes the (for young adults) Theodore Boone Mystery Series, Harlan Coben writes the young adult Mickey Bolitar Mystery Series, Peter Abrahams (aka Spencer Quinn) writes the Echo Falls Mystery Series, Carl Hiaasen‘s funny children’s books all take place in Florida, Penny Warner writes the Code Busters Club Mystery Series, Chris Grabenstein has written several award winning mysteries for children 9-12, and just a few weeks ago I found out that Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series.

Who knew?!?

Whenever I post the winners/nominees for different mystery awards, I become aware of more and more “established” authors who are now writing mysteries for children and young adults. I think that’s terrific! So, here are two mystery series for children that are written by two of our Cozy Mystery authors. Both of them have been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Award for Best Children/Young Adult Novels:

writes the Code Busters Club Mystery Series. The Code Busters Club is made up by Cody, Luke, Quinn, and M.E. >>> all are children who enjoy using different types of codes like Morse Code, American Sign Language, and Consonant Code. These four have a private club with all sorts of passwords. They use different types of codes to help them solve mysteries.These books actually involve the reader, having him/her work out different codes throughout the mystery books. All three mystery books in the Code Busters Club Mystery Series have been nominated for the Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel for 2011, 2012, and 2013. (for ages 9-12)

 Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series. Andi (Andora) Boggs is a twelve year old girl with a passion for all-things-science. After the death of her parents, Andi and her teen sister move in with their aunt, who isn’t much older than they are (in her 20s). “Andi Unexpected” is the first novel in the Andi Boggs series, and it was nominated for the 2013 Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel. (for ages 9-12)

(I posted part of this entry a little while back on Facebook, and my husband asked me why I didn’t actually write an entire entry about this for the Cozy Mystery site, since he knows how much I love that these authors are writing mysteries for children. I then took it off of Facebook, and finished the entry, and finally posted it here.)

If you’d like to take a look at more children’s books that have been nominated/won the Agatha Award: Best Children/Young Adult Novel, click here.

I know the title of this entry may seem odd: 2013 Agatha Awards at the 2014 Malice Domestic Convention… What’s with the different years? But, when you think about it, it actually does make sense. >>> This year, they presented the Agatha Awards for the best mystery books from last year. (Incidentally, the Agatha Awards are actually tea pots.)

So, here are all of the nominees and the winners of the 2013 Agatha Awards:

2013 Agatha Award for Best Novel:

The Wrong Girl by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Winner)
Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Pagan Spring by G.M. Malliet
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
Clammed Up by Barbara Ross

2013 Agatha Award for Best First Novel:

Death al Dente by Leslie Budewitz (Winner)
You Can Cannoli Die Once by Shelley Costa
Board Stiff by Kendel Lynn
Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero
Front Page Fatality by LynDee Walker

2013 Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel:

A Question of Honor by Charles Todd (Winner)
Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
Death in the Time of Ice by Kaye George
A Friendly Game of Murder by J.J. Murphy
Murder on Chelsea by Victoria Thompson

2013 Agatha Award for Best Short Story:

The Care and Feeding of House Plants by Art Taylor (Winner)
Evil Little Girl by Barb Goffman
Nightmare by Barb Goffman
The Hindi Houdini by Gigi Pandian
Bread Baby by Barbara Ross

2013 Agatha Award for Best Children’s/Young Adult:

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein (Winner)
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery by Kathleen Ernst
Andi Unexpected by Amanda Flower
Code Busters Club: The Mystery of the Pirate’s Treasure by Penny Warner

2013 Agatha Award for Best Non-Fiction:

The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower (Winner)
Georgette Heyer by Jennifer Kloester
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova
Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea: An Interesting & Entertaining History of Malice Domestic’s First 25 Years by Verena Rose and Rita Owen, Editors

2013 Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement:

Dorothy Cannell, Joan Hess, & Margaret Maron

2013 Malice Domestic Poirot Award:

Tom Schantz

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE NOMINEES AND WINNERS! WHAT AN HONOR!!!