The Edgar Nominees for 2011



Next week the winner of the 2012 Edgar award will be announced so now is the time -- beforehand -- to add my two cents as to which book, in my humble opinion, should win the prestigious award.

It didn't take long to read them all. This is my reading order, if that means anything: Field Gray, The Devotion of Suspect X, 1222, Gone and The Ranger. They are all great books but in my mind the winner is obvious.

To begin with, after reading Field Gray by Philip Kerr, it was my opinion that this would win. It is a great book. The setting, spanning a couple decades after World War Two, in which a German police officer is caught up in the intrigues and chaos after the war, is my cup of tea. The film noir feel to it and the funny imagery, metaphors and similes were original. There are plenty of twists and turns to leave the reader wondering over several things before they all weave into a satisfying conclusion. Definitely looking forward to more from this series.

However, nothing could prepare me for The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. As a mystery story, it is unusual, in that we know at the beginning who committed the crime and why. The reader begins by observing the police investigate and yet the closer they come to solving the crime, the more confused the reader gets, being left to puzzle over suspect X's methods and motivation for covering up the crime.

1222 is by Anne Holt, a Norwegian writer. Scandinavian mysteries have a special place in my heart. It probably has something to do with the setting. And this one does not disappoint. The murderer, suspects, victims and detective are isolated in a hotel in the mountains, snowed in with no way to escape during a storm. There is an element of the locked room mystery, however, strictly as a locked room puzzle it disappoints, if you were expecting something not unlike John Dickson Carr. The weird thing about this one is that it is part of a series but this, which is not the first book, is the only one currently available in English. Nevertheless the main character of Hanne Wilhelmsen captivates.

Gone by Mo Hayder reads like a thriller. It is fast paced, as the detectives race against the clock to find a kidnapped girl before she is murdered. It is an intense read, paced well and hard to put down and it wouldn't be surprising if this book won. Having a little girl abducted right in the first chapter is a hook most readers can't resist and you find yourself rooting for her as if she's someone you know.

The Ranger by Ace Atkins establishes a sense of place and character, quickly and effectively. Maybe that has something to do with the fact this is a series as are all the books nominated except for The Devotion of Suspect X. The ranger from which the title comes, is filled with all the usual angst and troubled past that makes for lots of conflict. Atkins's style is crisp and to the point, which makes for a fast paced mystery.

In the end, my vote goes to The Devotion of Suspect X. It is a fast paced story, with mystery and emotion, and with an ending that will leave you stunned and spellbound.

Here is a shorter version of Old Muds that was entered into a contest at Shortbread last month for Valentin's Day. In order to qualify the story had to be cut down to 500 words or less, which was a fun exercise in brevity and didn't take long; only one or two tough decisions needed to be made in regards to what could stay and what had to go. It came fourth out of about 25 stories, which is respectable.

It is now possible to read Metal, Bark and Whispers Soup at Bewildering Stories. This story was originally published at the Rose and Thorn and was nominated for the Pushcart prize that year (2003).

Mrs. Mud’s brush with Death by Troy Morash is now available at Cabinet des Fées. This story continues the adventures of Mrs. Mud and her husband. The character first appeared in the story The Old Muds in Fables back in Spring 2002. The second story: Mrs. Mud and her Basket of Apples can be read in The Summerset Review and was published in winter 2003.

Mrs. Mud’s brush with Death was first titled Mrs. Mud's First Death. The reason being that there are other times that she dies and has experiences of the afterlife. The character is the epitome of exaggeration not unlike Lewis Carrol's Queen of Hearts. Mrs. Mud lives in an extreme state and experiences extreme emotions which are not to her advantage.

The Two Cats and a River was written a few years ago. It has now been posted at Hazard Cat. This story is dedicated to Sabrina: 2001-2008, one weird and cool cat.

The Peasant who annoyed Death















Another story of mine has been published at Moon Drenched Fables called The Peasant who annoyed Death. This is a slightly humorous fable in which Death is kind of like the good guy.

Daily Flash 2011
Cover Price $24.99
Published by Daily Flash Publications, an Imprint of Pill Hill Press
ISBN-13: 978-1617060106

DAILY FLASH 2011: 365 DAYS OF FLASH FICTION is a 2011 flash fiction calendar anthology, with a 500 word or less short story featured for every day of the calendar year. Filled with 365 short stories, this is a fun and practical anthology designed for busy readers.

One of my story's has been published in this neat anthology. It is called "The Danger of Not being Oneself"

Exitism

This is an art cafe that opened (with my help) in Odessa, Ukraine around the time of the Orange Revolution. The club is called Exit or Vikhod in Russian. The idea was to formulate a new mental direction or attitude in regards to art. One of the things we were planning were some unusual exhibitions, that never happened. My notebook is full of ideas, some of them, probably quite impossible to realize, like wind sculptures. Their purpose was to illustrate the philosophy that the group of artists, myself included, were aiming for. This new "art movement" consisted of "laws" that governed how a piece of art was created by governing the artist's internal state when creating it.

In addition to the "laws" there was also a history that needed to be created. It is my wish to someday post some of it here.

For now, here are some laws:

29. A state that precedes an object or act; is independent of the object or act and yet defines the object or act.

41. To be aware of that part of oneself which does not react to the world around us.

42. Any aspect of reality that one could just as easily dream but not an aspect of a dream that could just as well be reality.

49. A piece of art that is independent of thought and emotion, that is thoughtless and emotionless yet triggers thoughts and emotions which lead the viewer to an exit from thinking and feeling.

50. The understanding that one cannot understand what one sees or hears or thinks from what one sees or hears or thinks. (What is considered real is actually the most unreal part of the real thing.)

51. Understanding that one does not understand what one thought one had understood.

52. To become aware of what is unnecessary to be aware of for the daily necessity of living but not to become unaware of what is necessary to be aware of for the daily necessity of living.

54. A piece of art that is independent from the source (that is independent of the artist who created the piece and whatever influenced the artist) yet clearly shows, reveals and admits the source from which it sprang.

56. (v.) To finish before one comes to the end. This refers to the rare two-death existence of mankind.

From here on the rest refer to what is not Exitism...

105. The act of not understanding something (whether consciously or unconsciously) when one thinks that one is actually trying to understand something by either trying to attach words to the thought or not.

107. The misguided belief that one’s self is the source of all that one is.

108. A piece of art that is dependent on its subject matter to transmit to the receiver an impression that does not actually represent the subject matter as it is interpreted by the receiver.

143. A piece of art that is admired only because of the instruments that were used in creating it.

144. The act of doing something in order to no longer be what one was before one started to do something.

etc, etc...

UPDATE: The cafe is closing...

Chechen Fairy Tale

After translating Three Brothers - (Qo Vaša) it is now available together with the original Chechen language version. The site has a wealth of information about Chechen culture.

In case anyone is interested another translation of mine for the story Timor is available in this book: The Shamanic Themes in Chechen Folktales.

Interesting as well, there is what looks like a Spanish translation of Timor here that was taken from one of my stories that was once published at Fables.

The Juggler and the Bet

The Juggler and the Bet is now available at Anthology Builder. The story originally appeared at Sun Oasis in 2003 and was written in the mid 1990's.

Teaser:

When a poor young man suddenly becomes successful juggling, it goes to his head in the worst possible way. He begins treating those that love him horribly until his wife makes a bet with him, one that he would be crazy to accept and crazy to refuse, for if he wins the bet he will become the most powerful man on earth.