2012 Spinetingler Award: Best Novella

Congratulations to Raymond Embrack, Ray Banks, Fingers Murphy, Tom Piccirilli, Jack Tunney, Kio Stark, Nik Korpon, Gerard Brennan, Chuck Wendig and Nigel Bird

California can be bought here
Everything I Tell You is a Lie can be bought here
Every Shallow Cut can be bought here
Felony Fists can be bought here
Follow Me Down can be bought here
Old Ghosts can be bought here
The Point can be bought here
Shotgun Gravy can be bought here
Smoke can be bought here

In considering the award I read every mystery/crime novella that I could find that was released in 2011. I wound up reading 40+ novellas. I’m willing to make the full list of novellas that were considered available upon request. Send me an email or leave a comment here and I’ll send it to you.

Brian Lindenmuth

Brian is the non-fiction editor of Spinetingler magazine and one of the fiction editors of Snubnose Press. In addition to Spinetingler his work has appeared in Crimespree magazine and at BSC Review, Galleycat and the Mulholland Books website. He also heads the Spinetingler Award committee.

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• Joe Edd Morris says:

  January 16, 2012 at 9:47 am

  Hats of to Nigel Bird for his fine work Smoke.
• Steve Weddle says:

  January 16, 2012 at 12:55 pm

  lovely list
• nigel bird says:

  January 16, 2012 at 3:24 pm

  I’m honoured to be in this list. It’s been such a great time for the novella and I think this makes a perfect addition for the Spinetingler list. Many thanks and long live the slightly shorter form.
• Nik Korpon says:

  January 16, 2012 at 7:23 pm

  Very flattered to be included with such great writers. Adding on to Nigel, I think e-publishing has allowed a rebirth for the novella, and it’s about damn time.
• Anonymous-9 says:

  January 18, 2012 at 10:44 am

  Can somebody define the standard word count of a novella for me?
• Gerard Brennan says:

  January 18, 2012 at 3:51 pm

  So happy to have been nominated. Thanks a million. And whatever way this works out, I plan to read every novella on this short-list. I’ve already downloaded the Embrack.

  Anonymous-9, as I undertand it, a novella falls within the range of 17,500 to 40,000 words.

  Cheers

  gb
• Nik Korpon says:

  January 18, 2012 at 8:15 pm

  I’d look at the scope of the narrative, too. If it feels unfinished, too crowded, too vignette-y, then it’s probably a novel that’s underdeveloped, or conversely, a bloated short story. But there as many definitions as there are novellas, so.
• Paul Bishop says:

  January 18, 2012 at 8:16 pm

  Great to be nominated for Felony Fists(writing as Jack Tunney). I’m in great company with the others on the list. Thanks also for honoring the novella category — e-publishing has finally made a new home for the 25,000 – 35,000 word novella and given us a way to reach a niche audience …
• Raymond Embrack says:

  January 20, 2012 at 11:33 pm

  Much thanks for a nomination and on this cool a list. (And thanks for the download G.B.)
• A Campbell says:

  January 31, 2012 at 6:55 am

  a great addition to NI noir