Born on January 19, 1809, Edgar Allen Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. He’s often credited with inventing the detective fiction genre and was a major contributor to the horror genre. Some of his best-known works include, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Purloined Letter, The Murder in the Rue Morgue, and his poem entitled, The Raven. If you haven’t read them, you should. But, be warned, Edgar Allen Poe did NOT write cozies.
Mystery Writers of America, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to crime writers (and lovers of crime fiction) which is based in New York City. Founded in 1945, the organization provides scholarships for aspiring writers, hosts conferences, symposiums, and seminars to educate and support existing crime writers, and works to advance an appreciation of the crime fiction genre throughout the world. Mystery Writers of America (MWA) also hosts an annual event to recognize and celebrate works of crime fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced during the previous year. Submissions are judged by committees of published authors who volunteer to read works submitted for consideration. The committees select their top finalists and an overall winner in the following categories: Best Paperback/E-Book Original, Best Fact Crime, Best Short Story, Best Juvenile Mystery, Best Young Adult Mystery, Best Television Series Episode Teleplay, The Penguin Random House – G.P. Putnam’s Son’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and the The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award. The winner in each category gets an award. Guess what it’s called? If you guessed, the Edgar Allen Poe Award, or EDGAR, you’d be right.
On Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, Wednesday, January 19, 2022, MWA announced the nominations for the 2022 EDGAR award. I was scanning the list to see if I recognized any of the nominees. I was pleased to see some familiar names (S.A. Cosby, Tracy Clark, Gigi Pandian, Naomi Hirahara, and Vera Kurian) mentioned and was preparing my congratulations email. Imagine my surprise when I got to the nominees for Best Short Story and saw, “The Vermeer Conspiracy.” WHAT? The Vermeer Conspiracy was the name of the short story I’d written for Midnight Hour: A Chilling Anthology of Crime Fiction by 20 Authors of Color. But it couldn’t be my story. The Edgars is a very serious organization, and I don’t write serious. Yes, I write crime fiction, but I write cozies. Surely, two people didn’t come up with the same title. I scanned the list for the author’s name and saw, V. M. Burns. My first thought was, “That’s me. I’m V. M. Burns.” Still, I couldn’t believe my eyes. That’s when the congratulatory emails/Facebook posts started to roll in.
BEST SHORT STORY
“Blindsided,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by Michael Bracken & James A. Hearn (Dell Magazines)
“The Vermeer Conspiracy,” Midnight Hour by V.M. Burns (Crooked Lane Books)
“Lucky Thirteen,” Midnight Hour by Tracy Clark (Crooked Lane Books)
“The Road to Hana,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by R.T. Lawton (Dell Magazines)
“The Locked Room Library,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Gigi Pandian (Dell Magazines)
“The Dark Oblivion,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Cornell Woolrich (Dell Magazines)
To be honest, I’m still dazed. But it’s there in black and white. Check out the full list of nominations for yourself. MWA 2022 Edgar Award Nominations.
Getting nominated for an award is great, but writing is subjective. There are a lot of great writers and stories that weren’t nominated. Of the thousands of crime novels published in 2021, only a few can be listed as finalist. Maybe the judge didn’t connect with the story/characters/style. Or maybe the publisher wasn’t on the MWA list of approved publishers. Whatever the reason (and there are probably a million), there are a lot of great authors and stories that never get the recognition they deserve. So, congratulations to all the authors who, in the middle of a global pandemic, put pen to paper (or hands on the keyboard) and wrote stories of crime fiction in 2021. That alone is a feat worthy of recognition. I NEVER dreamed I’d see my name on that list, but I have to say thanks to MWA and all the judges who committed their time, effort, and energy to the selection process. I’m extremely honored to find my name listed alongside some of the most amazing crime writers in the country and will remember this honor for the rest of my life. Regardless of who walks away with the actual statue of Edgar Allen Poe, I say if you survived 2021 AND published a book, then you’re a winner. Congratulations!