2022 ELEANOR TAYLOR BLAND EMERGING CRIME FICTION WRITER OF COLOR AWARD

The winner of the 2022 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award was announced by Sisters in Crime on June 9.

• Shizuka Otake

Her submission, Murder in Tokyo, is a story of a Japanese American teen’s life which is shattered when her boyfriend is arrested as the prime suspect in a classmate’s murder. “I lived in Tokyo as an adult and found it painful to be viewed as different,” said Otake. “I expected to fit in and wondered how much harder that experience would have been if I was a vulnerable teen.” 

Sisters in Crime has also awarded five runners-up:

• Danielle Arceneaux
• Amber Boothe
• Jennifer K. Morita
• Valerie Kemp
• Kathy A. Norris

The winner receives a $2,000 grant intended to support the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. The grant may be used for activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work. Otake said, “With this generous grant, I plan to either visit Japan to do more research for my manuscript or attend a mystery writing class at Moniack Mhor in Scotland.”

MCILVANNEY PRIZE LONGLIST 

The McIlvanney Prize recognizes excellence in Scottish crime writing, and includes a prize of £1,000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones. Here is the McIlvanney Prize 2022 longlist which was announced June 8:

• May God Forgive by Alan Parks (Canongate)
• The Second Cut by Louise Welsh (Canongate)
• A Rattle of Bones by Douglas Skelton (Polygon)
• From the Ashes by Deborah Masson (Transworld)
• A Matter of Time by Claire Askew (Hodder)
• A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
• The Heretic by Liam McIlvanney (Harpercollins)
• Rizzio by Denise Mina (Polygon)
• The Sound of Sirens by Ewan Gault (Leamington Books)
• The Blood Tide by Neil Lancaster (Harpercollins)

Finalists for the McIlvanney Prize will be revealed at the beginning of September. The winner will be announced on September 15.

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for these stories.]