Best First Novel Nominees

Edith/Maddie writing from a finally spring-like north of Boston.

With spring comes the annual Malice Domestic convention, which celebrates the traditional mystery, a genre all the Wickeds write in. I was honored this year to be invited to moderate the Best First Novel panel on Saturday at 11 AM. The late, great Margaret Maron used to hold this position every year, presenting the best of the newest crime fiction authors to the world. Many of the Wicked Authors were finalists in the category when they were starting out.

I thought I’d introduce this year’s nominees to you all early!

Remember, if you are at Malice this weekend, you’ll have the chance to vote for the winner. The books are all so different from each other, and all are terrific reads. In alphabetical order we have:

• Danielle Arceneaux, Glory Be
• Kristin Kisska, The Hint of Light
• Josh Pachter, Dutch Threat
• Daphne Silver, Crime and Parchment
• Nina Simon, Mother-Daughter Murder Night

I asked my authors a few questions. Their answers, in the order in which I received them, follow.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night: Nothing brings family together like a murder next door. Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a big-hearted mystery about three women–a grandma, single mom, and teenage girl–who must work together to solve the murder of a naturalist who washes up dead in the coastal California marine preserve they call home.

Nina, how long did it take you from when you first started writing this book until you got a contract for it?

I wrote the first draft in six months. I revised with beta readers for two months. It took another two months to sign with an agent, and eight more months to edit the manuscript to be strong enough to sell. We signed the contract with William Morrow in summer of 2022, roughly 18 months after I started writing.

Other than getting the call about your Agatha nomination, what has surprised you about being a debut mystery author?

I didn’t write Mother-Daughter Murder Night intending for it to be published. I wrote the first draft as a love letter to my mom, who was struggling through stage 4 cancer treatment. Creating this story was a positive escape for both of us during that hard time. I wrote the main character to be an outrageous, superhero version of my mom–an older woman with cancer, leaping out of bed to solve a crime. It wasn’t until the first draft was done–and my mom was feeling stronger–that I considered trying to share this novel with the world. Every step of publication has been a surprise and a delight, from getting the contract, to learning it was a Reese’s Book Club pick, to reaching the New York Times bestseller list. And every time, I call my mom and share the good news. This book has given us both so much joy and healing through a tough time, and I’m honored that it is now bringing joy to other readers, too.

What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring first-timers?

Write. Involve others (friends, family, editors, pets) who will encourage you to write, and ignore those who discourage you or make you question yourself. Writing is a vulnerable, audacious act, and you need as much courage as possible to keep going. Remember–the only person who can stop you from finishing your story is you. 

Dutch Threat: When Jack Farmer, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, is sent to Amsterdam to do historical research in the Begijnhof, a residential community for elderly women living alone, romance and murder are the last things on his mind. But then he meets Jet Schilders, the young nurse who cares for several of the Begijnhof’s residents. And then one of Jet’s charges is brutally murdered, and Jet becomes the police’s prime suspect….

Josh, how long did it take you from when you first started writing this book until you got a contract for it?

I must be the slowest novelist in the history of novelisting. I lived and worked in Amsterdam during the early 1980s and often ate lunch in a beautiful, peaceful spot called the Begijnhof, a residential community for women (mostly elderly women) living alone. I came up with a plot for a murder story to be set in the Begijnhof, but I was terrified by the prospect of trying to write a novel, so I put the idea on hold. I occasionally made half-hearted attempts to write the book, but it wasn’t until Genius Book Publishing approached me last year (on wonderful author David Dean’s recommendation) and asked me if I had a novel that I finally buckled down and wrote Dutch Threat. So, from the time I first started working on it until I got a contract for it took, ahem, roughly forty years!

Other than getting the call about your Agatha nomination, what has surprised you about being a debut mystery author?

I feel a little guilty about the nomination. EQMM published my first short story way back in 1968, so I’ve been a professional crime writer now for fifty-six years. In fact, though, Dutch Threat actually is my first novel, which means that I am eligible for the Agatha.

What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring first-timers?

I don’t think anyone’s ever come up with better advice than the first two and last two of late science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein’s “Five Rules for Writers.”

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you start.
3. You must put it on the market.
4. You must keep it on the market until sold.

I disagree with Heinlein’s third rule, which is: “You must refrain from rewriting (except to editorial demand).” I’m not so arrogant as to think that my first drafts are perfect, and I wouldn’t recommend that aspiring first-timers be that arrogant, either.

The Hint of Light. In the wake of her son’s death, Margaret Dobrescu struggles to keep it together, overwhelmed by her grief…and her guilt. But soon after, her husband admits that Kyle once confessed to having a daughter. Clinging to the hope that some part of her son is still out there, Margaret searches for her rumored granddaughter. As she digs deeper and deeper into her son’s life, she discovers that her own secrets can’t stay buried forever.

Kristen, how long did it take you from when you first started writing this book until you got a contract for it?

From story idea to publishing contract took almost four years. I started drafting this novel as my 2018 NaNoWriMo project. To break my path to publication down even further, the novel took me one year to write, two years to edit (with the help of my critique partners, beta-readers, and literary agent), and one year on submission before I received the offer I accepted. Though The Hint of Light was my debut novel, I’ve written four other novels.

Other than getting the call about your Agatha nomination, what has surprised you about being a debut mystery author?

I’ve long since understood that during the drafting stage, authors tell the story to themselves, and the editing phase is when the authors adapt the story to appeal to readers. What I didn’t appreciate until I was working with a publisher was that the goal of the developmental editing phase is to engineer the readers’ experience as they progress through the book. While I thought my novel was already in strong shape when it sold, under the expert guidance of my publisher’s developmental editor, I took my novel to the next level.

What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring first-timers?

No matter how many books you’ve written, whether or not you are represented by an agent, and how well your published work is received, you will suffer from imposter syndrome. All authors do. It may recede for a bit, but it’s always ready to hijack your psyche with the next phase of writer’s block, query rejection, or bad review.

To help combat this, I suggest keeping a Wall of Fame. In my case, it’s a Word document in which I record every writerly milestone and compliment I’ve ever received. Even in the middle of a query rejection, you might find some gem to cling to. Whenever my impostor syndrome ramps up, I scroll through my Wall of Fame to boost my morale and remind myself that writing is subjective, and yes, I can weather this, too.

Crime and Parchment. Rare books librarian Juniper Blume learns of an ancient Celtic manuscript in her Chesapeake Bay hometown. A book that shouldn’t exist. She’s held off on returning home since her grandmother died, but as a librarian, her curiosity is greater than her grief. Instead of unearthing the book, she discovers a body. Driven for answers and to reconnect with her estranged sister, can Juniper solve the mystery and mend family ties?

Daphne, how long did it take you from when you first started writing this book until you got a contract for it?

There are two answers: about ten years or six months. Ten years because I first started writing about Juniper and Azalea around a decade ago. I was intrigued by the concept of a rare books librarian as well as a historic bed and breakfast. It was in 2013 that my husband and I visited Ireland and saw the Book of Kells at Trinity College in person. That’s when I learned that this gorgeous book had lost its bejeweled covers a millennium ago.

Six months because, after several starts and stops, I put the book aside. I wrote a history book, changed jobs, and had a baby. It wasn’t until my kiddo was entering kindergarten that I had enough brain space to attempt writing again. This time, the book flowed. Like a deluge. Finishing the first draft took about six weeks, give or take. Then I pitched it on a Twitter (which I also hadn’t used in a decade!) during #PitMad (the hashtag was short for pitch madness) and soon ended up with my agent Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary. By the spring, I had a deal with Level Best Books for the electronic and print versions of the book and Blackstone for the audio.

Other than getting the call about your Agatha nomination, what has surprised you about being a debut mystery author?

It still feels unreal. That others would care about the idea bouncing around my head is quite surreal. I’ve written non-fiction history books before, so I knew what it was like to go through the publishing experience, but it’s still different from creating a new world entirely from your imagination. In my history books, I felt like I was sharing other people’s stories. I was a curator of their tales. I loved that, but it’s worlds apart from sharing your own.

What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring first-timers?

Don’t give up. Like many writers, I’ve been writing my whole life. I even minored in creative writing in college. Back then, I never considered writing mysteries, as I was interested in literary fiction. I didn’t start exploring mysteries as a genre until my early twenties. It took a lot of time to unlearn what had been drilled into me during my creative fiction classes in undergrad. There wasn’t much interest in genre fiction, and it was all about avoiding tropes. So many of my initial stories lacked a plot, and the characters weren’t particularly memorable.

What helped me were a few things. First, I took classes with Noreen Wald (Nora Charles) at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, near Malice Domestic. Mystery author (and Agatha winner) Alan Orloff was in my classes, just getting his start. However, it would take almost twenty years from when I started those classes to publishing my book. There is no set timeline. 

I also joined Sisters in Crime, including both my local Chesapeake chapter and the Guppies (Great UnPublished) chapters. I cannot stress how incredible of an organization Sisters in Crime is, and I’ve been involved with several associations during my career. Everyone is so caring, and the organizations provide incredible resources for its members. Learn more at www.sistersincrime.org. 

Third, I read extensively in my genre of cozy mystery. I read not just for enjoyment but also to study how established authors developed their plots, created their characters, and placed their clues. It’s not like I took notes, but I paid attention to the structure.

Glory Be. It’s a hot and sticky Sunday in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Glory Boussard has settled into her usual after-church routine, meeting gamblers at the local coffee shop, where she works as a small-time bookie. Sitting at her corner table, Glory hears that her best friend—a nun beloved by the community—has been found dead.

When the police declare the mysterious death a suicide, Glory is convinced that there must be more to the story and, with her reluctant daughter in tow, launches a shadow investigation in a town of oil tycoons, church gossips, and a rumored voodoo priestess.

Danielle, how long did it take you from when you first started writing this book until you got a contract for it?

That’s such a hard question, because I started writing this at the beginning of the pandemic, a moment when time felt artificial and unreal. I suppose it took roughly two years from the start of the book until I had a contract in hand, and then it was published ten months after signing the contract, which I’ve learned is pretty fast in the publishing world. 

Other than getting the call about your Agatha nomination, what has surprised you about being a debut mystery author?

I’ve been surprised at how carefully people have read the book. As I’ve done other panels, readings and a few Zoom book club meetings, people bring up very specific details. For example, my protagonist Glory Broussard loves Patti LaBelle.  It has come up in reviews, and a virtual book club even played her greatest hits before the meeting started for everyone in the waiting room!

What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring first-timers?

Get to work and take yourself seriously. The publishing business is flat out hard – no one avoids rejection and discouragement. Getting an agent and landing a deal may feel impossible, and yet there are new debut authors every year. Why not you?

Readers: What debut novels have you loved? Have you read any of these five mysteries? Questions for our authors? If you’ll be at the convention next weekend, be sure to stop any of of us and say hello!