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2019 Derringer Finalist Janice Law

I'm a member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, an informal association of writers, publishers, and fans that has kept mystery & crime short stories in the public eye since 1996. On April 4, the Society announced the finalists for its 2019 Derringer Awards. A vote of the membership will determine the winners, to be announced in May.

In the meantime, I'm inviting the finalists for interviews. If you'd like to participate, email me your answers to the same following questions.

Janice Law
Janice Law is a finalist for the Best Short Story Derringer (stories ranging from 1,001 to 4,000 words) with her January/February 2018 Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine story "The Crucial Game".

Describe your story in up to 20 words.

A man finds a way to return to his past but finds a traumatic event is not so easy to avoid.

What were the most difficult and most enjoyable parts of writing the story?

Getting the right ending for a story is always the hardest part for me. Beginnings are easy because one doesn't start without what seems to be a good idea.

Do you have a (juicy) story about how your story came to be published?

No, although I resisted sending it out for a while because it didn't really fit the classic mystery formats. Fortunately, the genre has grown increasingly flexible and complex.

How does it feel to be a Derringer finalist?

Terrific.

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