Audio drama may not be the biggest venue for writers, but it’s one more source of good stories.

Imagination Theater’s Fourth  Annual Audio Drama Script Writing Contest again has drawn a good number of writers with stories to tell.

Naturally, several of the winners submitted mysteries.

Here are the winners of the annual radio drama contest.

1st Prize: The Phil Harper Award:  “Holy Relics” (Supernatural Mystery) by L. Alan Gutierrez.

2nd Prize: “The Mutts” (Mystery) by John S. Fitzpatrick

3rd Prize: “Junior” (Humor) Evan C. Purcell

Honorable Mention goes to:
“The Mendenhall Treasure” (Mystery) by John S. Fitzpatrick
“A Heavenly Price” (Science Fiction) by Mike Murphy
“12:30″ (Horror) by Mike Murphy

Prizes include production of the first and second prize winners, subscriptions to Mystery Scene Magazine, Script Magazine, AudioFile Magazine and books and CDs.

For more information on radio drama, visit these sites: Harry Nile, Sherlock Holmes on the radio, and radio mysteries.

Could Agatha Christie be the hottest new author to be discovered by readers?

It kind of seems so.

And Mystery Scene magazine is in the thick of this new look at Christie.

Through July 26, PBS is airing Six by Agatha, a half-dozen whodunits by the famed British author, left. (Check your local TV listings for the times and date)

Starting the week of July 5, Mystery Scene Editor in Chief and co-publisher Kate Stine will be answering questions at the Barnes and Noble Agatha Christie TV discussion.

Kate’s knowledge of Agatha Christie reaches beyond her role at Mystery Scene. For about five years she was the director of the Agatha Christie Society.

Kate will be answering questions during the week of July 5 as part of the teaming up of PBS Masterpiece MYSTERY! And BN.com to give the viewers and readers access to experts connected to each of their programs.

If you sign up for the Masterpiece e-newsletter for program  alerts, you can be entered to win a set of  Six by Agatha books. Kate should offer some thoughtful and entertaining background on Agatha Christie.

If you want more info about Six by Agatha, visit PBS’ Christie site.

It’s chock with extras such as an interview with David Suchet who plays Hercule Poirot as well as interviews on “The Female Detective” with authors Sue Grafton, Faye Kellerman, and Tess Gerritsen. 

There also are bits of trivia such as the fact that David Suchet (last seen as Van Helsing in the 2007 MASTERPIECE production of  Dracula has appeared in his signature role as the suave Belgian detective Poirot in a staggering 61 episodes over the last 20 years.

For those who are counting, that means there are just 10 more adaptations to go before Suchet completes the canon.

 And let’s not forget Miss Marple. Julia McKenzie, who takes over the iconic role of supersleuth Miss Marple, may look familiar to Masterpiece viewers. She played Mrs. Forrester (the widow unusually devoted to her beloved cow Bessie) in last year’s production of Cranford.

Here’s what the upcoming episodes of Six by Agatha will include. Generally, these will air at 9 p.m. but, again, check your local PBS station, as times and dates sometimes will vary.

Hercule Poirot:
“Mrs. McGinty’s Dead”— Sunday, June 28,

Miss Marple, Series IV:
“A Pocket Full of Rye”— Sunday, July 5,
 “Murder is Easy”— Sunday, July 12,
“They Do it With Mirrors”— Sunday, July 19,
“Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?”— Sunday, July 26

Photo:  David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver in Mrs. McGinty’s Dead. Photo courtesy PBS

“It’s my understanding that Judge Sotomayor’s interest in the law was sparked as a young girl by reading the Nancy Drew series.”

– President Barack Obama

Today’s part 2 of my film picks, such as they are. 

The other film I am looking forward to is Shutter Island, based on Dennis Lehane’s novel. It’s due in national theaters Oct. 2, just in time for lots of discussions at Bouchercon.

Again, the previews look wonderful. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and the film is directed by Martin Scorsese. Need I say more?

Set in the 1950s, Shutter Island is about two U.S. marshals who are called to investigate the disappearance of an inmate from a hospital for the criminally-insane on a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts.

Shutter Island was totally unlike any of Lehane’s previous fiction and, if I remember correctly, readers were very mixed on it – either loving it or hating it.

  I loved it and named it the top mystery of 2003 for the annual list I compile for the Sun-Sentinel.

Quoting myself, I stated that “Lehane takes still a different route in his seventh novel, Shutter Island, an unconventional psychological suspense tale with elements of an espionage thriller, a noir novel and even the locked-room mystery. It shares strong roots with the best of psychological cinema such as The Manchurian Candidate, The Wicker Man, Gaslight and The Game.”

Again, these previews look terrific. Take a look for yourself.

A few years ago my husband I stopped going to the movies. It wasn’t that we disliked movies.

Just the opposite, in fact.

We both love movies and often quote some of the finest films in certain situations. Films like Animal House, Sunset Boulevard, any James Bond flick, What’s Up, Doc, and myriad other classics.

It’s just that live theater took a priority in our lives. The last film we saw was Every Little Step, which was about the casting of A Chorus Line. Now we go for special films, or to join one of our godchildren.

 But two upcoming films have gotten my attention and I am really looking forward to venturing to the local movieplex.

  I’m going to break this blog into two parts.

  First up will be Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and set to open July 1 across the country. Directed by Michael Mann, the previews to Public Enemies look terrific.

Here, see for yourself.

  Briefly, Public Enemies shows how the FBI hunted notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

It also stars Christian Bale as FBI agent Melvin Purvis, Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson and Channing Tatum as Pretty Boy Floyd. Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover is certainly an interesting choice.

  From the previews I’ve seen, Depp should carry this film.

Ever since 21 Jump Street, Depp has proven himself to be a real actor who immerses himself into each role. Watch him in Ed Wood as he becomes this mediocre filmmaker who’s naïve, totally unaware of his own limitations and yet so in love with the movies. He embodies everyone who truly is passionate about something yet lacks talent.

Or take Sweeney Todd, a totally different approach from the Stephen Sondheim theatrical musical. Yet on screen, Sweeney Todd works because Depp understands the source material.

  Stay tuned for my second movie pick. 

Some people plan their vacations around school, holidays or special occasions.

My husband and I plan ours around Bouchercon and the American Theatre Critics Association’s annual conference.

We’ve had some of our best vacations wrapped around Bouchercon. Monterrey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Toronto and other places have been the sites of some great memories.

I’ve also had some great Bouchercon trips with one of my closest friends, Toni, who lives in Chicago.

A trip to Sante Fe that ended up in Austin (great town but frankly the only Bouchercon that disappointed) was a birthday celebration. Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison were great trips and terrific Bouchercons.

So this year, we are looking forward to Indianapolis and another Bouchercon that will be Oct. 15-18.

I was in Indianapolis a few years ago and was impressed with its energy, its lively arts and theater scene and some good restaurants.

I am not a sports fan but I understand it has quite a few good sporting events, too!

There’s not a mystery fan who would not find something to like at Bouchercon – from the panels to the chance to meet and talk with your favorite authors in the hall, the book room or the bar.

 For most of the country, Indianapolis is within driving distance.By the way, if you need more of an incentive, Michael Connelly, top, will be the guest of honor and S.J. Rozan, left, the toastmaster.

Consider this a personal testimony on why mystery readers should flock to Indianapolis during October for Bouchercon. 

I knew that I would miss some authors’ group blogs. With so many authors ganging together to blog, several were sure to slip through the cracks.

But how could I have forgotten about The Outfit?

And many thanks to Carl Brookins for pointing out this omission.

It’s not just that this group has some of the best authors (as do the other blogs I’ve mentioned).

And it’s not just that The Outfit contains Chicago authors who blog about one of my favorite cities. (A shout out to my friend Toni.)

But for Pete’s sake, I have done profiles on two of the authors – Sean Chercover and Marcus Sakey – for Mystery Scene magazine. Not only that, but I also regularly visit this blog.

The authors here include Laura Caldwell, Sean Chercover, David Ellis, Barbara D’Amato, Michael Allen Dymmoch, Kevin Guilfoile, David Heinzmann, Libby Hellmann, Sara Paretsky, and Marcus Sakey.

Like other group blogs, the authors talk about writing as well as issues of the day.

 During our interview, Marcus Sakey told me that The Outfit got its biggest readership boost last year when Guilfoile, fed up with what he cited as shoddy reporting, began to post about the murder of a Chicago dermatologist and his suspected killer, a former patient who fled to France.

Guilfoile’s posts were eventually picked up by the Chicago newspapers and television stations.

Now that’s the power of writers.

PHOTOS: Libby Hellmann, Marcus Sakey, Sean Chercover

Here’s the second part of my look at authors who blog together. (See the first part below.)

I am sure I have missed some wonderful sites. So please leave a comment about those group blogs I have missed.

The Femmes Fatales: Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Marlys Milhiser, Mary Saums, Donna Andrews, Dana Cameron, Julie Wray Herman, Kris Neri, Elaine Viets. First, I love the name. Second, is this a set of powerhouse authors or what? This is a newsletter group that has been together for many years. While some members retired and the group suffered one death – the late Elizabeth Daniels Squire – the group continues.

Jungle Red Writers: Hallie Ephron, Rosemary Harris, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rhys Bowen, Jan Brogan, Roberta Isleib. I also love the name of this blog. It makes me think of a great scene in the classic movie The Women (the first one, not the remakes). This group calls itself a salon of six mystery writers. Here, it’s all about writing. And not writing. And our search for motive in life, love, fiction and reality.

Poe’s Deadly Daughters: Lonnie Cruse, Sharon Wildwind, Elizabeth Zelvin, Sandra Parshall, Darlene Ryan, Julia Buckley. The post about Charlie Brown suffering existential torment is just too cool for school.

PHOTOS: Elizabeth Zelvin, left, Rhys Bowen, Hank Phillippi Ryan and Charlaine Harris

There is power in a group. At least writing power.

  Authors who blog together not only seem to attract fans together but it means less work for each of those authors.

  After all, I would rather an author be working on a novel than spending time writing a blog. As one who writes two blogs, this one for Mystery Scene, and also Off the Page for the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, I know how much time these can take.

Blogs are also a great procrastinator….which is pretty much a hobby for every writer I know.

  While I am not convinced that authors who blog by themselves really draw in the fans, I think that those who do it as a group do.

No, this is not based on any scientific research, or even any feeble research, or any research at all.

  Instead it is just a gut feeling that comes from attending myriad mystery writers conferences since 1995. I’ve seen first-hand the community of mystery writers; how when a fan approaches one that writer will beam and express their thanks but also point out a fellow writer or two that the fan may also like.

That always seemed to me to be a win win situation – by the time the fan had read the other authors the first author’s new book would be out.

Another appeal of group blogs is that these are not just discussions of writing. Sometimes the posts are about dive bars, or reality shows or Susan Boyle or traveling. Just about all of them also feature guest blogs.

 Here’s some group blogs that I regularly check out.

Once I started writing this blog, it seemed better to break into parts.

The second part will be up on Thursday.

 No, it is not a list of all the group blogs. I don’t mean to leave anyone out.

So feel free to add your own blog to the comments section, or tell me what you think of these group blogs.

Naked Authors: Ridley Pearson, Jacqueline Winspear, Paul Levine, James O. Born, Patricia Smiley, Cornelia Reed. So much to like here. Among the blogs, check out the one that James O. Born wrote about Susan Boyle, when she was first on Britain’s Got Talent. You just don’t expect this tough Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent to be so taken with Boyle’s singing.

The Kill Zone: Michelle Gagnon, Joe Moore, John Gilstrap, John Ramsey Miller, Kathryn Lilley, Clare Langley-Hawthorne. OK, I admit, I have a self-serving interest in this blog. I was a guest blogger a few weeks ago, as a question and answer session. Here’s that link. The site often has guest bloggers, most of them authors.

The Lipstick Chronicles: Nancy Martin, Sarah Strohmeyer, Elaine Viets, Michele Martinez, Harley Jane Kozak, left. This site never fails to make me smile – how could it not when it’s billed as “Where the Book Tarts talk love, laughter, laundry and the mysteries of life.” But there are some serious subjects thoughtfully tackled.

PHOTOS: Michelle Gagnon, Ridley Pearson, Cornelia Reed, Paul Levine,

A friendly reminder to fans of Burn Notice.The comedy-drama, spy-detective series starts its third season at 9 p.m. (eastern standard time) on Thursday June 4 on the USA Channel.For those not familiar with this series….what are you waiting for?

Jeffery Donvan stars as Michael Westen, a former spy who was burned, or fired, during the middle of an overseas operation.Now in Miami, he makes a kind of living as a kind of private detective.Miami looks great.Jeffery Donovan looks great.Gabrielle Anwar looks great.Sharon Gless looks great.