Michael F. Shaughnessy
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales, New Mexico
1) Marco, I have heard that your book, Matthew Livingston and the Politics of Death has just won the Silver Falchion Award for best crime fiction novel of 2011! First of all, congratulations and how did this make you feel?
It is my first literary award and I see the result of the hard work I invested in writing the Politics of Death. I remember obsessing over so much and making myself quite nutty when I wrote it. I feel great!
2) Now for our readers, who might read other genres, what is the Silver Falchion Award and who gives it?
The Silver Falchion is an award presented by Killer Nashville. Killer Nashville is probably the biggest Crime Writer’s conference next to Bouchercon. The Silver Falchion Award is bestowed upon the author of the best book published in the current or previous year. What made this interesting was that the voting wasn’t divided into categories. Matthew Livingston and the Politics of Death is a Young Adult novel and competed against books in the mainstream and adult crime genre.
3) This award is certainly some recognition- like a Hugo Award in Science Fiction (which I have never won, but coveted). Where were you when you heard about this and was there some recognition award or assembly?
I was (seriously) in the bathroom. Oh yeah there was a banquet where the award and other recognitions were presented in Nashville TN, but my timing was off and I was in the bathroom when they announced it. Now when I returned to the banquet room they just did a redo for my benefit. Everyone acted as if they didn’t know who the winner was.
4) For our readers- could you just briefly tell about Matthew Livingston and perhaps leave them wanting more about this book?
The Matthew Livingston series is a realistic and fun read that has teenagers solving crimes. It isn’t dumbed down; instead it presents clever criminalities in a mystery format and lays it out for young readers to grasp. The stories, while enjoyed in any order, are very much connected to one another. The enjoyment is for the reader to think along with Matthew Livingston and his partners and try to figure out the underlying mystery.
5) Marco, why does it seem that “crime sells”? Why the interest in the criminal mind, if you will”?
That is an intense question I hope I can shed a bit of light on. On the surface people enjoy an enigma. It is challenging, yet fun to try and figure out whodunit before you get to the late chapters of a book. Crime gets packaged many ways, Police Procedural, Cozies, Noir, Hard Boiled, and in the case of Matthew Livingston, Young Adult. So, variety is on hand in the crime genre. Suspense plays a big part also. Readers are intrigued by macabre settings.
6) I am interested in this category of crime fiction- is there a crime nonfiction award?
Suprisingly, there are a lot of literary awards but for Crime-Non Fiction I would refer to the Mystery Writers of America who present the Edgar Awards (Edgar Allen Poe considered to be the father of the traditional mystery). In fact, in 2009 the Edgar Award for best Crime-Non Fiction was won by E.J. Wagner who is quoted on the back cover of Matthew Livingston and the Politics of Death as saying, “A modern successor to the Baker Street Irregulars, the youthful sidekicks of Sherlock Holmes”.
E.J.’s book is the Science of Sherlock Holmes.
7) What are you currently working on? Is there a follow up?
There will be a fourth Matthew Livingston book soon as book three ended with a few question marks. Remember, the criminal always adapts so the three teenage investigators need to be in top form to unravel something really evil. I am also writing my first adult novel in the crime fiction genre.
9) Do you have a web site or a way for readers to get a copy of your book?
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