The First Two Pages: “Moe’s Seafood House” by Ramona DeFelice Long

The First Two Pages:  “Moe’s Seafood House” by Ramona DeFelice Long

SMFS Members Published In Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: March/April 2019

Several SMFS list members have stories in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: March/April 2019 issue. They are:

Kevin Egan with “The Courthouse Paperboy.”

Terrence Faherty with “Margo and the Red Carnation.”

Robert Mangeot with “Star of Zoe.”

William Burton McCormick with “Murder in the Second Act.”

O’Neil De Noux with “The Peeschwet.”

Website Synopsis:

 March/April 2019

Courting Danger

Love and passion are often the beating heart of enthralling crime stories. Tales from the flip side of the Valentine’s Day card in our latest issue careen from crashing a wedding to crashing a funeral, from fleeing an abusive partner to ensuring that one’s love will never (completely) die. Herein are thirteen stories of love, loss, and legally questionable choices for those passionate about crime fiction and short stories.

A young banker’s life is upended when he is jailed for embezzlement, but he gets out just in time to wreak havoc as “The Wedding Crasher” in a new tale by Doug Allyn. A master thief, meanwhile, tries crashing the funeral of his beloved ex-wife in Robert Mangeot’s “Star of Zoe.” And O’Neil De Noux’s New Orleans P.I. Lucien Caye takes on the case of a hapless ex-con whose ex-wife won’t allow visitations with his son in “The Peeschwet.”

Amanda Witt’s tale of a young mother’s desperation to escape an abusive relationship is taut and tense in “Up in the Air.” Franz Margitza’s “Eulalia” is a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, with its dark theme of measures taken to hold on to one’s love. Eric Rutter’s “Mrs. Carter” recounts a wife’s heartbreak when Pinkerton detectives show up to arrest her husband.

In “Louisa and the Tunnel” by Marianne Wilski Strong, a Cape May resident’s love of Louisa May Alcott stories helps her understand why a wealthy woman won’t allow historians on her property to research the Underground Railroad. A cleaning lady working late at night at a courthouse hears the painful wail of a departed spirit (she thinks) in Cheryl Skupa’s “Ghost in the Nemaha County Courthouse.”

Radio producer Margo Banning is pressed into service to help catch a German spy in Terence Faherty’s WWII-era “Margo and the Red Carnation.” In William Burton McCormick’s “Murder in the Second Act,” two sisters solve a crime set around a traveling theater troupe. Kevin Egan’s savvy courthouse security officer, Foxx, aids a fellow worker and gets involved in a consumer credit case in “The Courthouse Paperboy.” And Mat Coward returns with a tale that begins with a menacing note sent to a practical joker in “What Invisible Means.” Finally, the buck stops with Mark Milstein’s fast-food restaurant manager when an electrical outage cascades into a series of unfortunate events in “A Curious Transaction.”

Joining us this issue is Laurel Flores Fantauzzo stepping in as our new book reviewer. Laurel is an assistant professor in the English Department at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and the author of the acclaimed nonfiction mystery The First Impulse.

Once again, we’re pleased to present a bouquet of thirteen tales featuring characters we think you’ll fall in love with.

Get your copy now!

FICTION

What Invisible Means

by Mat Coward

Tuesday was a great day. Wednesday less so, of course, because that was when he got the letter saying that someone was planning to murder him, but Tuesday went better than Des could have hoped. The whole business with the open-top bus had started as a throwaway gag, and ended as just about the funniest thing he’d ever been involved in. He woke up the next morning with ribs sore from all the laughing and a slightly acid stomach from all the champagne. He made his breakfast, had a shower, and then he opened the post. Apart from the thing saying he was going to be murdered, it was mostly junk.

“The good news,” said Detective Constable Vicki, “is that this is not a real Osman warning. It’s definitely a fake.”

“Okay,” said Des. “On the one hand, great, phew, you’ve put my mind at rest, et cetera. On the other hand, I don’t know what an Osmond Warning is.” READ MORE

The Courthouse Paperboy

by Kevin Egan

It was such a thin line, Foxx realized later, the difference between him being there and not. He might have banged in sick. He might have been assigned to a trial. The officer posted at the security desk might have been feeling well enough that she didn’t need to take a break. But Foxx came to the courthouse that day. The captain did not pull him from his usual duties of circulating throughout the building. And it was that time of the month.

The fifth floor security desk was one of several choke points around the courthouse. It stood at the head of a small lobby that was the only public access to the twelve judicial chambers strung out along the corridor that followed the building’s hexagonal outer wall. The desk was a potentially crucial security post that rarely lived up to its potential.  READ MORE

DEPARTMENTS

Booked & Printed

by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo

In the late 2000s, Linda Landrigan hired me as the Assistant Editor at AHMM, and my education in mystery and publishing began. Robert Hahn’s reviews brought me reflections about trends, foibles, and achievements in new books of the genre. I was always curious what insights and wisdoms his columns would bring.

I’m honored that, ten years later, after writing a debut true crime book of my own, I’m stepping into Mr. Hahn’s formidable space in the magazine. I hope that with my own reviews I can continue to honor the work he did here, and bring AHMM readers into the worlds of new books still to come. READ MORE

Mysterious Photograph

We give a prize of $25 to the person who invents the best mystery story (in 250 words or less, and be sure to include a crime) based on the photograph provided in each issue. The story will be printed in a future issue. READ THE MOST RECENT WINNING STORY.

Dying Words

Acrostic puzzle by Arlene Fisher

Solve the clues to reveal an interesting observation about an author and their work! Shh! The solution to the puzzle will appear in the next issue. CURRENT ISSUE'S PUZZLE

Mixed-Up Sidekicks

by Mark Lagasse

Unscramble the letters of each numbered entry to spell the name of a famous sleuth.  MOST RECENT PUZZLE

Little Big Crimes Review: Shall I Be Murder? by Mat Coward

Little Big Crimes: Shall I Be Murder?, by Mat Coward: "Shall I Be Murder?", by Mat Coward, in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2019. A lot of good stories in...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 41

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list….

Got time for a quick one? This week’s blog will treat you right: links to reviews, releases, free stories, and a short essay.

Plus, for the Research Folder: How real-world private eyes use science to spot liars.

A short walk down a dark street (#41): celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/short-walk-41/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Clifford Royal Johns

Each May SMFS celebrates, as we do each year, International Short Story Month. The May 2018 celebration led to the creation of the weekly short story segment--SMFS Short Story Saturdays. Each Saturday we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old and were not previously linked to during the May 2018 Short Story Month event.

Today for SMFS Short Story Saturdays, Clifford Royal Johns shares his short story, “Forget Me Not” archived at Mysterical-E. Per the author, the story was a Derringer finalist in 2008.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at yahoo groups, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at Yahoo Groups.

Criminal Minds: Take a Negative and Turn it into a Positive by Paul D, Marks

Criminal Minds: Take a Negative and Turn it into a Positive: What book did you not enjoy, but motivated you in your own writing? by Paul D. Marks I can’t think of a book that I didn’t enjoy that...

SMFS Member Publication News: Peter DiChellis

SMFS member Peter DiChellis’ short story, “See No Evil” now appears online at Retreats From Oblivion: The Journal Of Noircon. This is in addition to Mr. Dichelli’s funny guest post here on the blog earlier this week.

SleuthSayers: Baby You Can Drive My Car by Michael Bracken

SleuthSayers: Baby You Can Drive My Car: By Michael Bracken Until recently, Temple’s parents lived in Tyler, Texas, about a three-hour drive from our home near Waco. We visited he...

The First Two Pages: “Messin’ With The Kid” by Steve Liskow

The First Two Pages: “Messin’ With The Kid” by Steve Liskow

Guest Post: Day Job Blues by Peter DiChellis

Please welcome list member Peter DiChellis with a fun guest post today…..

Day Job Blues by Peter DiChellis

I always enjoy writers’ bios that list unusual “day jobs” they’ve worked. You know the bios I mean: The author has worked as a ranch hand, an award-winning microbiologist, a carnival barker, and a network television executive.

I recently decided to find a new “day job” that would allow me to conduct research for my crime fiction and make some quick money too. I settled on robbing liquor stores, which seemed like a perfect choice, but after learning more about the work requirements I doubt I’ll stick with it long enough to justify a bio entry. Here’s a list of the problems I discovered so far:

1.      It’s mostly night work. What kind of “day job” is that?

2.      No union.

3.      No health plan.

4.      Sometimes you have to travel to rough neighborhoods.

5.      If you always steal a bottle of whiskey along with the money, soon enough you’ll develop a drinking problem.

6.      You get a lot of one-dollar bills and they’re wrinkled and clammy and smell like wino puke.

7.      Some of the clerks don’t speak English very well. So you need to learn to say “Hands up!” and “Gimme the money!” in four different languages.

8.      No pension.

9.      No paid vacation.

10.  Sometimes the clerks scream in your face and shoot at you. With real guns.

11.  Everybody who buys liquor with a credit card or debit card cuts into your paycheck.

12.  If you get caught, you’re out of work for a three-to-five year stretch, minimum.

Bottom line: I might ditch the whole idea of robbing liquor stores and rob graves at cemeteries instead. From what I’ve heard that’s not a perfect job either, but at least cemeteries are peaceful.

(This post filches a few spoofs from my 2016 guest post “Character Rebellion,” archived at MotiveMeansOpportunity.)

Peter DiChellis ©2019

Peter DiChellis concocts sinister and sometimes comedic tales for anthologies, ezines, and magazines. He’s worked as a fast talker, a desk sitter, a hallway humper, and a puzzle buster. His mystery story “Ten-Spot Robber” appears in the anthology Hardboiled. The story’s title refers to an oddball stick-up man who steals nothing but ten-dollar bills. For more, visit Peter’s Amazon author page or his blog about short mystery and crime fiction, A short walk down a dark street.

SMFS Members Published in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue 4

SMFS members were published in the recently released Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue 4. The read is available in print and eBook from Amazon, the publisher, and elsewhere. The two members in the issue are:

Robert Jeschonek with “Bigger Than the Monkey.”

O’Neil De Noux with “Why.”

Synopsis:

The Cutting Edge of Modern Short Fiction

A three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up eighteen fantastic stories by some of the best writers working in modern short fiction. No genre limitations, no topic limitations, just great stories. Attitude, feel, and high quality fiction equals Pulphouse.

 “This is definitely a strong start. All the stories have a lot of life to them, and are worthwhile reading.”
—Tangent Online on Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #1

Table of Contents

“Bigger Than the Monkey” by Robert Jeschonek

“The Coyote Equation” by J. Steven York

“The Wereyam” by Kent Patterson

“The Apple Tart of Eden” by M. L. Buchman

“The Dead on Somerset Hill” by Chuck Heintzelman

“Home” by Michael Kowal

“Peace and Quiet” by Jerry Oltion

“Word From on High: A Lucifer Jones Story” by Mike Resnick

“For the Love of Killer” by Mary Jo Rabe

“Earth Day” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

“Why” by O’Neil De Noux

“Ornamental Animals” by Ray Vukcevich

“Crossing Over the River” by Sabrina Chase

“Graymatters” by David Stier

“The Chicken Time Machine” by Valerie Brook

“People Person” by Stephanie Writt

“The Old Guy” by Annie Reed

“Wishful Thinking: A Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. Adventure” by Kevin J. Anderson

“Minions at Work 2.0: Invasive Species” by J. Steven York

SMFS Member Publishing News: Josh Pachter

Edited by SMFS member Josh Pachter and Rene Appel, Amsterdam Noir is the latest in the long running anthology series from Akashic Books. The read is available in print and digital formats from Amazon, the publisher, and other vendors. In addition to translating many of the works in the book from Dutch, Mr. Pachter’s short story, “Starry, Starry Night” co-written with Rene Appel appears in the book.

Synopsis:

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Brand-new stories by: Michael Berg, Anneloes Timmerije, Murat Isik, René Appel & Josh Pachter, Simon de Waal, Hanna Bervoets, Karin Amatmoekrim, Christine Otten, Mensje van Keulen, Max van Olden, Theo Capel, Loes den Hollander, Herman Koch, Abdelkader Benali, and Walter van den Berg.

From the introduction by René Appel and Josh Pachter:

Amsterdam has the amenities and, to a certain extent, the feel of a major world city, but one of its most attractive features is its relatively small size. It's easy to navigate on feet, by bike, and via its excellent public transportation network, especially with the semicircular perimeter of its famous Grachtengordel, or ring of concentric canals.

Like any other metropolis, though, Amsterdam also has its dark side, its shadowy corners--in other words, there is also an Amsterdam noir. No matter how beautiful, vital, and cheery a city might be, pure human emotions such as greed, jealousy, and the thirst for revenge will rear their ugly heads...with all their negative consequences. Amsterdam is a multidimensional city, populated by a wide assortment of social groups, and not all of those groups agree on what constitutes normal social values and mores. This results in a lively mix...and, as you will see, in problems.

Little Big Crimes Review: The Stranger Inside Me by Loes den Hollander

Little Big Crimes: The Stranger Inside Me, by Loes den Hollander: "The Stranger Inside Me," by Loes den Hollander, in Amsterdam Noir, edited by Rene Appel and Josh Pachter, Akashic Press, 2019...

Victoria Weisfeld: ****Amsterdam Noir

Victoria Weisfeld: ****Amsterdam Noir

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 40

As posted by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis today….

Ready to chase the storm?

This week’s blog includes links to a deluge of reviews, releases, and free stories.

Plus: in a 30-minute video Elmore Leonard riffs about the fun of writing, how outlining can stifle ideas, and his famous ten rules—including the one about the weather.

A short walk down a dark street (#40): celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/02/17/short-walk-40/

Best wishes,

Peter

Travels With Kaye: Short Story Sunday

Travels With Kaye: Short Story Sunday

SMFS Members Published in Switchblade: Issue 8

SMFS has several members published in Switchblade: Issue 8. Published by Caledonia Press, it is available from Amazon in both digital and print formats.  The members in this issue are:

Jack Bates with “Quivers.”

Michael Guillebeau with “Saint Monster’s.”

Chris McGinley with “A Queen’s Burial.”

Stephen D. Rogers with “And Other Assorted Duties.”

Synopsis:

It’s never just about taking a shot...This is the eighth issue in the Switchblade Outlaw Fiction anthology. Featuring Seven Switchblade Veterans, as well as some brand new players you ought to know. Featuring the poetry of Doug Knott, and fourteen no-luck tales from the dark corners of some of the most cutting edge criminal minds. Noir from the fringe—each of the stories in this volume offer one thing for sure: it doesn’t matter how strong your game is, or whether you run the table. Sooner or later, you’re going to end up behind the eight ball.

SleuthSayers: Pop the Clutch: Back to the Fifties

SleuthSayers: Pop the Clutch: Back to the Fifties: by John M. Floyd Like many of you, I occasionally have a story published in an anthology. Sometimes I see a "call for submissions&q...

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Each May SMFS celebrates, as we do each year, International Short Story Month. The May 2018 celebration led to the creation of the weekly short story segment--SMFS Short Story Saturdays. Each Saturday we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old and were not previously linked to during the May 2018 Short Story Month event.

Today for SMFS Short Story Saturdays, Andrew Welsh-Huggins shares his 2017 short story, “A Valentine’s Day To Remember: A Valentine’s Day Mystery Short Story" archived at Kings River Life Magazine.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at yahoo groups, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at Yahoo Groups.

SMFS Members Published in the BOULD Awards 2018 Short Story Anthology (*Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring)

Edited and Published by Jake Devlin aka R. J. Hezzlewood, the BOULD Awards 2018 Short Story Anthology (*Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring) is available in print and digital formats at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members in the anthology are:

Marjorie Brody with “By Royal Decree.”

Chris Chan with “The Screw You House.”

Patricia Dusenbury with “Cold Turkey.”

John Furutani with ‘Marketing for the Future” and “Living With Max.”

Kaye George with “Dream Girl.”

Teel James Glenn with  “Blindspot” and “Hands of Glory.”

Stephen D. Rogers with “The Bank Job.”

Walter Soethoudt with “Hotel Centraal.”

Earl Staggs with “Fishing For An Alibi.”

Elizabeth Zelvin with “Flash Point.”

Synopsis:

Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring

Are you an adventurous, daring reader? Like to explore new frontiers? If so, this one's for you.

In this first annual edition, you'll find more than 20 of the weirdest, most outrageous, wackiest, scariest, puzzlingest (is that really a word?) short stories submitted for this anthology in 2018.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be shocked, scared, and maybe even perflutzed by some of the stories you'll find, in many different genres and styles. But with nearly every story, we know you'll be surprised.

These stories have all been anonymously selected by a panel of independent judges.

We expect the 2019 edition to be BOULDer (no relation to the city in Colorado), and that'll raise the bar even higher for the 2020 edition. We might wind up changing “Limitless” to “Loopy” if writers can really let their inhibitions go and let their haywire creativity loose.

But now it's time for you to quit reading these promo bits, brace yourself and dig in. Have fun!

SMFS Member Publication News: John M. Floyd

SMFS list member John M. Floyd has another tale appearing in the Woman’s World Magazine. His latest mystery short story, “The Coldest Case” is in the current issue (February 25, 2019) of  Woman’s World Magazine. The publication is available on some newsstands and by subscription.

Members are reminded that Mr. Floyd shared in his piece at SleuthSayers Blog how he goes about writing short stories for this market. Well worth reading, especially if you are looking to break into this market.

SMFS Member Publication News: Jeff Esterholm

SMFS  list member Jeff Esterholm’s short story, “Payday Friday” is now online at Shotgun Honey. You can read the story here.

SMFS Member Publication News: John M. Floyd

SMFS list member John M. Floyd’s short story, “Speed Dial” appears in Serial Magazine: Issue Two. The issue is available in print and digital formats from the publisher.

Little Big Crimes Review: My Christmas Story by Steve Hockensmith

Little Big Crimes: My Christmas Story, by Steve Hockensmith: "My Christmas Story," by Steve Hockensmith, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2019. This is the third app...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 39

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list…

Wanna little fun?

This week’s blog includes links to free stories from Brendan Dubois and Bill Pronzini (archived at The Strand Magazine). Plus, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine editor Marvin Kay discusses the nuts and bolts of writing a classic whodunit.

A short walk down a dark street (#39): celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/02/10/short-walk-39/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Member Publication News: Bruce Harris

SMFS list member Bruce Harris’s short story, “Coppers” appears online at the website Crimson Streets. You can read the story here.

Links to Agatha Award Finalists for Best Short Story

Our own Art Taylor has sent the news of the links to all of the short stories that are nominated for an Agatha this year. Big time thanks to Art Taylor for putting this together.

"All God's Sparrows" by Leslie Budewitz (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)

"A Postcard for the Dead" by Susanna Calkins in Florida Happens (Three Rooms Press)

"Bug Appetit" by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

"The Case of the Vanishing Professor" by Tara Laskowski (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)

"English 398: Fiction Workshop" by Art Taylor (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

SMFS Members Published in Mystery Weekly Magazine: February 2019

Four SMFS list members have works appearing in Mystery Weekly Magazine: February 2019. The read is available from the publisher in both print and digital formats as well as Amazon and other vendors. The four  SMFS members in this issue are:

Joseph D’Agnese with “The Vulnerable Rind.”

Michael Guillebeau with “The Smooth Joy of One Good Step.”

Alan Orloff with “Hello, Cupcake.”

Josh Pachter with “Last Call at the Bar of Invariable Length.”

Synopsis:

At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Weekly Magazine presents original short stories by the world’s best-known and emerging mystery writers.

The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing and a compelling story are the only certainty.

Get ready to be surprised, challenged, and entertained--whether you enjoy the style of the Golden Age of mystery (e.g., Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle), the glorious pulp digests of the early twentieth century (e.g., Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler), or contemporary masters of mystery.

In this issue

In our cover feature, “Runners” by Don McLellan, three desperate fugitives from a Soviet gulag arrive cold and hungry at a trapper's cabin high in the mountains. The old man offers food, dry clothing and directions to freedom, but then the food runs out.

“Last Call At The Bar Of Invariable Length” by Josh Pachter: A man walks into a bar in a sleepy South Carolina beach town, and what happens next is no joke.

“Blood Poisoning” by Joe Giordano: Laurel told her father not to get married. Now a homicide, gold-shield detective is involved.

“Playdate” by Dr Bella Ellwood-Clayton: How far will a mother go to protect her daughter from bullies?

In “The Word” by Bill Connor, Rennie, a homeless drunk, is coerced into helping a strange woman get rid of a killer cop.

“Hello, Cupcake!” by Alan Orloff: Looking to reconnect with an old flame? Watch your step or you might get burned!

In “The Smooth Joy Of One Good Step” by Michael Guillebeau. Bobby Earl's always gotten himself in trouble by living in the moment. But when a guard asks Bobby Earl to hold his rifle, he really should have thought more than one step ahead.

In “The Vulnerable Rind” by Joseph D'Agnese, a young Italian carabinieri officer launches an unofficial investigation into a series of trivial break-ins at a small cheesemonger's shop in Rome, with troubling results.

SMFS Member Publication News: Debra Goldstein

SMFS list member Debra Goldstein’s short story “Lions, Tigers, and Sharks: A Valentine’s Day Mystery Short Story” appears at Kings River Life Magazine. You can read it here.

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Victoria Weisfeld

Each May SMFS celebrates, as we do each year, International Short Story Month. The May 2018 celebration led to the creation of the weekly short story segment--SMFS Short Story Saturdays. Each Saturday we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old and were not previously linked to during the May 2018 Short Story Month event.

Today for SMFS Short Story Saturdays, Victoria Weisfeld shares her 2011 short story, “Windjammer.” Originally published in US 1 Summer Fiction Issue published by Princeton, the story was recently archived at Victoria Weisfeld’s site.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at yahoo groups, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at Yahoo Groups.