Mystery Fest Key West: June 16-18, 2017 & Whodunit Writing Contest

The 4th Annual Mystery Fest Key West - June 16-18, 2017

Join your favorite mystery writers, aspiring writers, and mystery fans in America’s southernmost city! From South Florida's favorite storytellers to writers of international renown, this is a meet-and-greet where authors can catch up with old friends and readers can chat with their favorite mystery writers, collect signed books -- and participate in workshops, panels, and presentations where bestselling authors explain how and why they do it.

The 2017 “Murder & Mayhem in Paradise” themed Mystery Fest Key West is to include multiple writers workshops, presentations, panel discussions and social events where attendees mingle with acclaimed mystery, suspense, crime fiction and true crime writers, including headliners John Hemingway, grandson of Ernest and author of “Strange Tribe,” Keynote Speaker Clifford Irving, and Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter past-President Randy Rawls; New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham; bestselling and award-winning author Nancy J. Cohen; award-winning crime and science fiction writer James O. Born; bestselling Buck Reilly adventure series author John H. Cunningham and many others. 

Register Here.

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Mystery Fest Key West has announced a call for entries for this year’s Whodunit Mystery Writing Competition. The winner will claim a book-publishing contract with Absolutely Amazing eBooks, free Mystery Fest Key West 2017 registration, airfare, hotel accommodations for two nights, meals and a Whodunit Award trophy to be presented at the 4th Annual Mystery Fest Key West, set for June 16-18 in Key West, Florida.

Sponsored by Absolutely Amazing eBooks and supported by the Marion Stevens Fund at the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, candidates wishing to compete for the 2017 Whodunit Writing Competition are invited to submit the first three pages (maximum 750 words) of a finished, but unpublished manuscript to whodunitaward@mysteryfestkeywest.com no later than April 15, 2017. There is no fee to enter, finalists will be notified by May 1, and will have until May 10 to submit full manuscripts.

“Why just the first three pages? That criterion is a nod to late author Jeremiah Healy, a world-class mystery writer and a great judge of mystery writing,” says Shirrel Rhoades, co-founder of Mystery Fest Key West. “Jerry's opinion was that a book either captures a reader in the first three pages…or it doesn’t. The competition judges all agreed with that assessment, and decided to use it as a yardstick for the competition.”

Complete Whodunit Writing Competition guidelines and submission details are available at mysteryfestkeywest.com.

Whodunit Award: 2016 Key West Fest

2016 Mystery Writers Key West Fest: WHODUNIT AWARD

Winner: Tequila Mockingbird by Lewis C. Haskell of Key West, FL

Nominees
Coronado’s Trail by Carl Bock of Loveland, CO
Murder with Kayaks in the Florida Keys by Elia Chepaitis of Grassy Key, FL
The Crayon Box by Paul Marion Geiger of Ocean City, MD

Candidates for the Award, which is supported by the Marion Stevens Fund at the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and sponsored by Absolutely Amazing eBooks, were required to submit the first three pages of a finished, but unpublished manuscript to a judging committee led by mystery author Sandra Balzo. Ted Hertel, an attorney, author, reviewer and past executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America; Gary Warren Niebuhr, library director, reviewer and author of numerous nonfiction works on the subject of crime fiction; and Shirrel Rhoades, an author, film critic, media consultant and publisher of Absolutely Amazing eBooks completed the judging team.

Mystery Writers Key West Fest: June 10-12, 2016

2016 Mystery Writers Key West Fest: June 10-12, 2016
Doubletree Resort by Hilton Grand Key

The 3rd Annual Mystery Writers Key West Fest
Robert K. Tanenbaum  is the keynote speaker along with a criminally stellar hit-list of award-winning and bestselling crime fiction authors and true-crime experts.

Schedule of Events: June 10-12 FRIDAY, JUNE 10 1:00 Workshop - Monroe County Sheriff’s SWAT Team and Key West Police Department Team Members (subject to change) 2:00 Workshop - James O. Born - “How to Write a Novel, Part 1" 3:00 Workshop - James O. Born - “How to Write a Novel, Part 2" 4:00 Workshop - Lisa Black - "Real Forensics and the Mystery Writer" 5:30-8:30 Reception at Smokin’ Tuna Saloon in Old Town Key West 6:00 - 6:30 Welcome - County and City Officials 6:30 Sit-down dinner at Smokin' Tuna Saloon (included in registration + $20 for each additional guest) 7:00 - 8:30 Mystery Roast – James O. Born, MC SATURDAY, JUNE 11 8:14 a.m. Welcome comments from Michael Haskins & Shirrel Rhoades 8:30 a.m. Panel Discussion: How I Write – Blank Screen to ‘The End’ 8:30 a.m. Moderator Siera London Robert Coburn Rick Ollerman Victoria Landis Sandra Balzo Bill Craig 9:45 a.m. Panel Discussion: Creating Suspense 9:45 a.m. Moderator Mike Dennis Heather Graham Lisa Black Anna Castle Don Bruns 11 a.m. The Whodunit Award Presented by Shirrel Rhoades and Sandra Balzo. Introduction of last year’s winner J.E. Irvin Presentation of the 2016 Mystery Writing Award 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Luncheon with Special Guest Author Robert K Tanenbaum (included in registration - + $30 for each additional guest) 1:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: Believable Dialogue. Moderator: Anna Castle Timothy Hallinan Siera London Mel Taylor Deborah Sharp 2:45 p.m. Panel Discussion: Noir Moderator: Shirrel Rhoades Mike Dennis Jake Hinkson Paul McGoran Lewis M. Weinstein 4 p.m. Panel Discussion: Local Law Enforcement Moderator: James O. Born FDLE - FLorida Department of Law Enforcement - Carol Frederick JIATF Joint Interagency Task Force - Jim Linder KWPD – Key West Police Department MCSO – Monroe County Sheriff’s Office JIATF – Joint Interagency Task Force

To Contact Mystery Writers Key West Fest To Contact: Mystery Writers Key West Fest Please write to: Mystery Writers Key West Fest, 926 Truman Avenue, Key West, Florida 33040 or Email Us Register Now Event registration includes all panels, presentations and four meals. It's a steal at just $175 We'll be holed up at the luxurious DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Grand Key Call 305-293-1818 to make your booking. Registrant rooms are specially priced at $199.00 per room, per night with Code Word MY3. This special will end May 15, 2016. Room coordinator Becky Swope is available to assist attendees in finding room-mates to share cost of room: beccaswets@gmail.com

Evening Events:
5:15 p.m. Depart hotel for sunset and dinner at the waterfront Turtle Kraals Restaurant and Tower Bar
6 – 7 p.m. Sunset cocktails (cash bar)
7 p.m. Dinner (included in registration + $35 each for additional guests)
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. Guest speaker Timothy Hallinan
9:00 p.m. Sloan’s Haunted Key West Ghost Tour:  Join New York Times and USA Today best selling author Heather Graham who will co-host this haunting Old Town walk-about. (included in registration - + $15 for each additional guest)

SUNDAY, JUNE 12

8 – 11 a.m. Brunch at Schooner Wharf Bar at the historic Key West waterfront. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America - Florida Chapter (included in registration + $15 for each additional guest).

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WHODUNIT AWARD

Four finalists have been announced in a nationwide competition to claim the 2016 Mystery Writers Whodunit Award, to be presented at the 3rd Annual Mystery Writers Key West Fest.

Coronado’s Trail by Carl Bock of Loveland, CO
Murder with Kayaks in the Florida Keys by Elia Chepaitis of Grassy Key, FL
The Crayon Box by Paul Marion Geiger of Ocean City, MD
Tequila Mockingbird by Lewis C. Haskell of Key West, FL

Candidates for the Award, which is supported by the Marion Stevens Fund at the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and sponsored by Absolutely Amazing eBooks, were required to submit the first three pages of a finished, but unpublished manuscript to a judging committee led by mystery author Sandra Balzo. Ted Hertel, an attorney, author, reviewer and past executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America; Gary Warren Niebuhr, library director, reviewer and author of numerous nonfiction works on the subject of crime fiction; and Shirrel Rhoades, an author, film critic, media consultant and publisher of Absolutely Amazing eBooks completed the judging team.

Christmas in Key West: Guest Post by Lucy Burdette

Today I welcome Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) with a holiday post. She is the author of 14 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West series, FATAL RESERVATIONS. KILLER TAKEOUT will be out in April 2016. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She's a past president of Sisters in Crime. Burdette's Death with All the Trimmings is on the Christmas Mystery List, Authors A-D.
facebook: www.facebook.com/lucyburdette 
twitter: www.twitter.com/lucyburdette 
pinterest: www.pinterest.com/robertaisleib 
website: www.lucyburdette.com blogs: www.mysteryloverskitchen.com

LUCY BURDETTE: 
Christmas in Key West

Like my character Hayley Snow in the Key West mysteries, I was born and raised in New Jersey. We had sledding parties, and ice skating parties, and a real Christmas tree cut from a neighborhood farm. We served hot chocolate and sugar cookies to Santa, and carrots to Rudolph and company. There was a candlelight service on Christmas Eve and piles of presents and many relatives and a roast turkey on Christmas day.

Hayley and I are getting adjusted to Christmas in our Key West paradise. Though we miss the snow and the snappy cold air and our friends and family most of all, there’s something pretty magical about lights on a palm tree.

I’ll let Hayley describe one of her favorite holiday displays from DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS (Berkley/NAL December 2014):

We stopped to admire the Christmas lights on Southard Street that had won second place in the town-wide competition. A school of blue fish flashed by, lighting up in sequence across two sides of the home. Above the faux water line—a string of blue lights—Frosty the Snowman manned a rowboat, dipping his oars into the sea over and over. And finally at the far right corner of the house, Santa reeled in one of the bright blue fish. Every inch of the property was decked out with lights, ending with a carpet of white bulbs on the sidewalk that led to the street. Snow! 

As you can see, the Key West folks are pretty good at decking out their island for the holiday season. We’ll show you just a couple:

Tropical decorations on a conch house seen in Old Town:

One of our favorite holiday events, the lighted boat parade.

And here’s me with Officer Joe at this year’s Hometown Holiday Parade:

And finally when the Christmas part is over, the fun doesn’t stop. Here’s Hayley describing the New Year’s Eve Dachshund parade, and a picture of Tonka and me hamming it up with the real Officer Torrence:

Then I moved on to roughing out a story on the New Year’s Eve day Dachshund Parade, which had to be the strangest parade in Key West. Which is saying a lot, as this is a town replete with strange parades. But two city blocks undulating with dachshunds, aka wiener dogs, dressed in costumes, and other dogs dressed as hot dogs to impersonate dachshunds had to take first place. Last year, a Chihuahua flash mob gathered together through Facebook joined the procession at the last minute.