Merry Christmas!

Last night the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery Writers of America held its annual Mystery and Mistletoe party. It was a great time, and I’m proud to share that I fared very well in the annual Six Word Mystery Contest!

The contest called for mystery stories using six words, no more, no less, in five different categories: Cozy, Hard Boiled/Noir, Police Procedural, Thriller, and Romance/Lust.

I entered in all five categories, and a few weeks ago I was extremely jazzed to learn that three of my entries made the final ballot. (If we hadn’t been asked to keep that news a secret, I would already have been bragging for weeks.)

My entries in the finals were:

• Cozy:

Auntie’s needles were not for knitting.

• Police procedural:

Autopsy couldn’t reveal his true heart.

• Thriller:

She took his name. For starters.

Final voting was held at last night’s party, and I was absolutely bowled over when all three of my final entries won their categories. And then my Thriller entry won the overall prize! There were so many amazing entries, and so many great writers voting. The contest was tremendous fun, and the results were an honor.

Thanks to everyone at RMMWA for hosting the party, and so many other terrific events throughout the year. And thanks to the team who worked hard to make the Six Word Mystery contest happen. See you all in the new year!