Well, Now I Can Officially Say…

 … that I am an award-winning author!

I mean, technically, I won a pair of poetry awards back in 1987 for my poem “La Vida,” but since I write crime fiction, using that long-ago award for an unrelated genre felt almost like cheating. I know that some authors use the term “award-winning” rather loosely but I’ve resisted that particular temptation.

Now, it’s no longer an issue, because on July 17th, at the conclusion of the 2022 conference, the Public Safety Writers Association gave out its awards for 2022. 

I had submitted three stories for consideration. To my surprise and delight, all three won an award!

“The Last Cop” won honorable mention.

This story was originally published in the A.B. Patterson-edited anthology, To Serve, Protect, and Write: Cops Writing Crime Fiction, Volume 1.

Officer Ramirez is one of the last of a dying breed.

He is a cop.

Over the many decades of his long career, Ramirez has seen a great change in how the country handles crime and what it wants from its police. New approaches have replaced the old but the strength of police unions assured that he would be grandfathered in to the “old” way.

He still wears his old badge.

He still carries a sidearm.

He is still a police officer.

But he is one of the last.

This story is one that had been simmering in my mind since the mid-2000s. When this anthology opportunity came along, it finally provided the right home for the story, so I went ahead and wrote it.

“Hallmarks of the Job” won second place.

This long story is actually closer to novella size, and was originally published as part of a double shot anthology from P.I. Tales, along with Michael Bracken’s “Aloha Boys.”

“Hallmarks of the Job” features meticulous private investigator, Stanley Melvin.

Stanley Melvin likes to keep his work grounded in reality, not at all like the classic detective novels he has read incessantly since childhood. But his best friend and annoying neighbor Rudy quickly points out that his routine “cheater” case is rapidly taking on all of the features that Stanley steadfastly insists are mere fictional tropes of the genre.

Part mystery, part humor, this novella should keep the reader guessing and chuckling.

“Hallmarks of the Job” will get a Code 4 Press re-issue in the summer of 2022, with two more installments to follow later in the year.

Also, it is interesting to note that Stanley Melvin P.I. stories take place within the SpoCompton universe.

“One Fine Day” won first place.

“One Fine Day” closes out the Code 4 Press anthology The Tattered Blue Line: Short Stories of Contemporary Policing, which I edited and published in addition to contributing a story.

Policing today is challenging and different from any other time in our history.

Men and women who have worn the badge have a unique perspective on those challenges.

This collection features a diverse roster of former law enforcement officers turned crime fiction authors… diverse in every sense of the word — age, gender, race, nationality, geography, type of agency, size of department, role within law enforcement, and political beliefs.

The one thing they all have in common is a desire to share a single slice of the contemporary policing experience with you, and to join the ongoing, larger conversation in the best way they know how — by telling a compelling crime story.

“One Fine Day” examines fictional events (inspired by some real-life events) in the aftermath of the police custody death of George Floyd. In a way, it is the short story counterpart to my novel, The Ride-Along, which also examines contemporary policing issues in a way that is as close to balanced as a flawed human being with bias can get.

I’m beyond thrilled to have this award and the previous two. An award from a prestigious organization like the Public Safety Writers Association makes it officially okay to use that phrase–“award-winning author.”

I think part of the thrill is that it is the first time my crime fiction work has been recognized with an award. I have been a finalist in other instances but have never won. Likewise, I’ve never been a nominee for a “major” award (Edgar, Anthony, and the like). So not only was this the first time, but it came with a wallop — all three stories winning. This award has blind judging, which is another cool element. While you can never remove subjectivity from judging art (and why would you want to), blind judging does create a more honest subjective view, and I’ve long been in favor of it.

So, thank you to the Public Safety Writers Association for these awards!

Source: All The Madness In My Soul