Spring is in the air and that means the annual Agatha Awards are just around the corner. Poetic Justice is eligible for nomination under the Best First Mystery category and ballots were recently sent out to those planning to attend the awards ceremony held by Malice Domestic, July 14-17, 2021. I would encourage anyone who has received a submission form for this year’s awards to nominate my book for its unique heroine, a court stenographer turned amateur sleuth, and the underlying message it conveys about being underestimated by your gender or race.
Even if you are not eligible to vote, consider attending the event! As previously mentioned, the honors are hosted by Malice Domestic, a fan convention established in 1989 to celebrate the traditional and cozy mysteries best mirroring the works of Agatha Christie.* Hence, the name of the award, and the prestige bestowed upon any novel who receives the distinction.
Eligible books must have a murder-based whodunit at its core with no explicit sex, gore, or violence. The other awards given during the ceremony include Best Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best Short Story, Best Non-Fiction, and Best Children’s/Young Adult Mystery. Visit this great blog post by Gabriel Valjan to see all of the books eligible for nomination.
Remember, the event is open to anyone who wants to attend, and registration can be found HERE. I hope to see you there!
*Agatha Christie was an English writer who amassed sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections in her lifetime. She is best known for creating fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, but she also wrote the world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap (1952 to 2020). Guinness World Records names Christie the best-selling fiction writer of all time since her novels have sold over two billion copies.
