HILLERMAN COUNTRY

A change of topic and continent but news that brings back fond memories of the scenic drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, and then on to Taos Pueblo.

I also remember Chinle, where we stayed in a motel so spotlessly clean it put our UK hotels to shame, and Canyon De Chelly a magical place in the heart of Navajo territory.

Thanks to Sarah Weinman at Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind for the news:

The Tony Hillerman Prize for First Mysteries

Have a mystery set in the Southwest? Looking to get it published? Then this contest might be the one for you:
WORDHARVEST Writers workshops and Thomas Dunne Books will present a new annual award for mystery fiction, The Tony Hillerman Prize, in 2007.
The first winner will be announced in November, 2007 at the fourth annual Tony Hillerman Writers Conference: Focus on Mystery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The award will go to a first mystery novel set in the Southwest written by a previously unpublished mystery author. The winning novel will be published by Thomas Dunne Books.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Thomas Dunne Books, a publisher long known for its passion for mysteries, to honor an unpublished author who uses the Southwest as his or her setting,” Anne Hillerman said. “We look forward to joining forces with Thomas Dunne Books and recognizing a new award winner at our banquet for years to come.”