Wednesday, July 31, 2019

SMFS Member Nominees for the 2019 Macavity Awards


The Macavity Award is named for the “mystery cat” of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats). Each year The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends and supporters of MRI who all nominate and vote for their favorite mysteries in several categories. The winners will be announced at opening ceremonies at Bouchercon 2019  in Dallas, Texas, this October.

This year we have five members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society nominated in the category of Best Short Story. The nominees are:


Craig Faustus Buck for “Race To Judgement” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: November/December 2018.

Leslie Budewitz for “All God’s Sparrows” in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: May/June 2018.

Barb Goffman for “Bug Appétit” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: November/December 2018.

Gigi Pandian for “The Cambodian Curse” in the collection, The Cambodian Curse & Other Stories, published by Henery Press. 

Art Taylor for “English 398: Fiction Workshop” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: July/August 2018.


The full list of all the 2019 Macavity Award Nominees can be found on the website. Congrats and good luck to all the nominees and especially to those members of the SMFS!

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Writers Who Kill: Advice from Stephen King You Might not Have Heard ...

Writers Who Kill: Advice from Stephen King You Might not Have Heard ...: Advice from Stephen King You Might not Have Heard Before by Warren Bull Image from Joseph J Cotton on Upsplash Of c...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 63


News of the latest issue from list member Peter DiChellis …

Prowling for a good time? This week’s blog will do you right, with links to an alluring host of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes: Two free stories by Edgar-nominated author Paul Doiron (of the Mike Bowditch series).
Plus: A hot-off-the-presses anthology edited by Lee Child and Jeffery Deaver (July 23, 2019. Contains a new Jack Reacher story).
A short walk down a dark street (#63). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter


Jacqueline Seewald: Are Editors Important to Writers?

Jacqueline Seewald: Are Editors Important to Writers?: How important are editors to writers? I’m considering this question because I’m currently working with an editor on my latest historica...

Saturday, July 27, 2019

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Andrew Welsh-Huggins


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.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Andrew Welsh-Huggins shares the 2018 published short story, “Long Drive Home” archived at TOUGH.

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.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 62


The latest issue by way of list member Peter DiChellis…

Looking for trouble? This week’s blog delivers a truckload, with links to a bad-ass bunch of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes: Free stories by Jack Bates, Angel Luis Colón, and Cindy Rosmus.
Plus: The editor of Occult Detective Quarterly riffs about submissions, writing, and rejections.
A short walk down a dark street (#62). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter

Killer Nashville’s 2019 Silver Falchion Award SMFS Member Finalists


The SMFS is proud to announce that again this year members of the SMFS have been nominated for the 2019 Silver Falchion Awards. Winners will be announced at the 2019 Killer Nashville Guest of Honor & Awards Dinner in late August.  The complete list of nominees is on the 2019 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalists site. The nominated members are:


In the Mystery category, the nominee is Ann Parker for A Dying Note.

In the Procedural category there are two nominees. They are:

Bruce Robert Coffin for Beyond the Truth.

James Doherty for An Obscure Gave.

In the Young Adult category, the nominee is Alison McMahan for “Kamikaze Iguanas” in the anthology, Scream & Scream Again.

In the Short Stories category, the nominee is Marianne Donley for “The Roman Coin” in the anthology, Untethered: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of the Paranormal.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

SleuthSayers: A Saturday Post About The Saturday Evening Post by John Floyd

SleuthSayers: A Saturday Post About The Saturday Evening Post: by John M. Floyd A few years ago I discovered a new market for my stories--or, more accurately, I was told about it. It wasn't a ...

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Richard Prosch


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.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Richard Prosch shares the 2012 published short story, “Jolly’s Boy” archived at his website. The short story originally appeared in the anthology, PROTECTORS - Stories to Benefit PROTECT. Edited by Thomas Pluck, the work featured short stories from several SMFS members.

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.

Friday, July 19, 2019

SMFS Member Publication News: Dave H. Hendrickson


SMFS member Dave H. Hendrickson’s latest young adult novel, Bottom of the Ninth, has just been released. This is the final book in his “Rabbit” Labelle series that began with, Offside. Published by Pentucket Publishing, the book is available at Amazon in print and digital formats.


Amazon Synopsis:

“Rabbit” Labelle, the charismatic and improbable football star of Offside and unlikely basketball player in Offensive Foul, continues his high school sports journey in Bottom of the Ninth.

While struggling to secure his place on the team, Rabbit battles family discord, reels from current events that shake the country, and stands up for his principles in the face of adversity.

The impact of his choices will affect everyone around him.


Writers Who Kill: Five Writing Numbers by Warren Bull

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SMFS Member Publication News: Robert Jeschonek


SMFS list member Robert Jeschonek’s short story, “Bearers of Bad, Bad News” appears in the just published Apocalypse Descending: Boundary Shock Quarterly Book 7. Published by Knotted Road Press, the book is available in print and digital formats at Amazon, the publisher, and elsewhere.  

Amazon Synopsis:

The world is ending.
Right here. 
Right now. 
How? 
Why? 
What’s next?
Join us to explore eighteen different interpretations of the end of the world, from the amazingly silly to the darkest nightfall.
Be sure not to miss every issue of Boundary Shock Quarterly, available everywhere you get your books



Wednesday, July 17, 2019

SMFS Member Publishing News: Craig Faustus Buck

SMFS list member Craig Faustus Buck’s short story, “Hat Box” is read aloud by Carina Cojeen at “Mathew Toffolo’s Summary.”  Also included with the video is a short interview with Mr. Buck. You can read the interview and watch the twitter story here. 

SleuthSayers: Because It Isn't There by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: Because It Isn't There: by Robert Lopresti I'm going to give in to peer pressure and follow Steve Liskow , Michael Bracken , R.T. Lawton, and O'Neil De...

Monday, July 15, 2019

2019 Thriller Award Winner: Alan Orloff


As previously announced back in April, SMFS Member Alan Orloff was a 2019 Thriller Award Finalist. His book, Pray for the Innocent, was a finalist nominee in the “Best E-Book Original Novel Category.” Saturday evening, at Thrillerfest XIV in New York City, Mr. Orloff was announced as the winner by the International Thriller Writers.  We of the SMFS congratulate Mr. Orloff on his latest award winning achievement.

Amazon Synopsis:

Can former best-selling novelist Mathias King—now a rumpled, grizzled English professor—save America from a terrorist of his own making? In the shadow of the Pentagon, a secret DoD brain research experiment goes terribly wrong, and an ex-Special Ops soldier escapes, believing he is Viktor Dragunov, the Russian operative from the 80’s thriller novel, Attack on America. To capture him, the Feds turn to the person uniquely qualified to predict his next moves, the man who created the fictional character, best-selling author Mathias King. Now a reclusive English professor, King is reluctant to get involved, having sworn off the culture of violence after a deranged fan murdered his wife. But when innocent people start dying, King is thrust back into that dark world. With help from his enthusiastic graduate assistant Emily Phan, King must outsmart his own creation—while outmaneuvering the cover-up-loving Feds—before Dragunov succeeds in his hell-bent mission. To destroy America.


SMFS Member Publication News: C. W. Blackwell


SMFS member C. W. Blackwell informed the list this morning that he appears twice in the just published Switchblade: Issue Ten. Currently, the issue is only available in digital format at Amazon. Mr. Blackwell’s short story, ‘For Love Or Money” appears in the issue as does an interview with him.

Amazon Synopsis:

Rough riders, gangsters, hitters, stick up men, boxers, and box crushers. From the west side all the way back east; featuring the bar flies, cheap motels, and day-old diner coffee in between…From the A-bomb to the B-word (Betrayal) and it’s all about Zulu Time. It’s another motley crew of unusual suspects grinding out yet another set of premium gutter noir. This is Switchblade Issue 10, and it ain’t just another black and blue issue with shades of gray. It’s full color and absolute. Featuring the criminally good fiction work of Serena Jayne, Jim Wilsky, Eddie McNamara, Beaumont Rand, Gene Breaznell, N.W. Barcus, Tim V. Decker, Christian Goss, C.W. Blackwell, Jim Towns, Brian Beatty, and Timothy Friend. And for the very first time, check out our “Person of Interest” special interview section, featuring noir author and rising star in the pulp community: C.W. Blackwell.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Peter DiChellis

SMFS list member Peter DiChellis’ short story, “Nobody’s Safe” is free to read online at TOUGH.

Sunday, July 14, 2019

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 61

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list…

Need a quick buzz? This week’s blog delivers links to a deadly dose of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes: A devotee of “rejectomancy” (the arcane practice divining hidden meaning from rejection letters) reflects on what to do about a story after 24 rejections spanning five years.
A short walk down a dark street (#61). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter

Saturday, July 13, 2019

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Eve Fisher


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.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Eve Fisher shares the 2017 published short story, “Raising Bigfoot” archived at TOUGH. Also offered for your reading pleasure are the short stories, “Sophistication” originally published in the AHMM: July/August 2007 issue as well as “A Time To Mourn” originally published in the AHMM: January/February 2011 issues. Both stories are archived at her website.

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.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Thursday, July 11, 2019

SMFS Member Publishing News: Dave Goudsward


SMFS member Dave Goudsward, writing as Dave Bernard, has a short story in the just published  Pulp Adventures #32. His story, “The Wicked Big Monstah Ovah Bawstin.” Published by Bold Ventures Press, the read is available at the publisher  as well as at Amazon in paperback format.

Publisher Synopsis:

MYSTERY, SCIENCE FICTION, HORROR — NEW AND CLASSIC PULP FICTION!

Audrey Parente, editor

Classic Pulp Fiction
  • The Death Dancer | Charles Boeckman  3
    The “Atomic Goddess of Beauty” sees a strange case of murder explode!
  • Roman Holiday | Talbot Mundy  28
    A tale of Christians and Romans — and Lions — in the reign of mad Caligula!
  • The Pigtail of Hi Wing Ho | Sax Rohmer  119
    Mystery in Chinatown ...
NEW PULP FICTION
  • The Mystery of Island X! | Bobby Nash  15
    Lance Starr and his scrappy crew investigate mysterious goings-on on an island — only to discover the island IS the mystery!
  • The Spawn of Lilthu | William M. Hope  51
    The “Welcome” mat was Thurl’s invitation to a hellish fate.
  • The Wicked Big ‘Monstah Ovah Bawstin’ | David Bernard  63
    An FBI agent generates buzz with his biggest case.
  • Time and Tide | Adam Beau McFarlane  75
    The Black Island Tavern plays host to a sailor like no other.
  • Stranded At Saturn | Jack Halliday  79
    He dreamt of reaching the stars … until he crash-landed …
  • A Snitch in Time | Robert W. Walker  83
    First-class seats for murder …

Victoria Weisfeld: Navigating Oceans of Words

Victoria Weisfeld: Navigating Oceans of Words

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Victoria Weisfeld: Snatching Summer Reading Time

Victoria Weisfeld: Snatching Summer Reading Time

SleuthSayers: Plot, Not Snot! by Barb Goffman

SleuthSayers: Plot, Not Snot!: by Barb Goffman Realism. It's something authors strive for and readers look for. If I see something in a book that seems completely ...

SMFS Members Published in Paul Bishop Presents…PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR: TEN TALES OF MURDER & MAYHEM


Several SMFS list members are published in Paul Bishop Presents…PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR: TEN TALES OF MURDER & MAYHEM. Published last month by Wolfpack Publishing, the read is available in print and digital formats from Amazon and other vendors. The members in this book are:

Eric Beetner with “Split Decision.”

Richard Prosch with “Dark Estate.”

Robert Randisi with “So Beautiful, So Dead.”


Synopsis:

EVERY STORY IS A GEM OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT...

Bestselling author and crime fiction expert, Paul Bishop brings together ten tales of murder and mayhem from the devious imaginations of both top crime writers and the genre’s rising stars.
Filled with unforeseen twists and turns, these tales range from dark to deadly, each one designed to snatch your breath away.
Includes Stories by Paul Bishop, Eric Beetner, Nicholas Cain, Ben Boulden, Brian Drake, Christine Mathews, Larry J. Martin, Richard Prosch, Robert Randisi, and Nikki Nelson-Hicks.




SMFS Members Published in Flash Bang Mysteries: Summer 2019 Issue 16


Several SMFS members are in the just released Flash Bang Mysteries: Summer 2019 Issue 16. The members in this issue are:

C. W. Blackwell with “A Dip In The Road.” This short story is also the cover story.

Herschel Cozine with “The Fugitive.”  This short story is also the editor’s choice story.

Bruce Harris with “Tree House.”

Stephen D. Rogers with “Tap and Rack.”

Sunday, July 7, 2019

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 60

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list…
This week’s blog delivers links to a concoction of crime-infested reviews, releases, free reads, and more. Includes free stories by Michael Bracken, Gary Phillips, and Frank Zafiro.
Plus: Submissions at AHMM and EQMM -- Behind the Scenes with Senior Assistant Editor Jackie Sherbow.
A short walk down a dark street (#60). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter

SleuthSayers: Motivations by O'Neil De Noux

SleuthSayers: Motivations: by O'Neil De Noux Following up on blogs by Michael Bracken and R. T. Lawton, I am amazed at my similarity to both writers, especiall...

SleuthSayers: Rushing Mount Rushmore by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: Rushing Mount Rushmore: by Robert Lopresti An author out standing in his field If you have time for only one blog in your busy life obviously it should be...

SleuthSayers: Tess Gerritsen: What Makes Books Fail? by Paul D. Marks

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SleuthSayers: The Pitfalls of Being First by Travis Richardson

SleuthSayers: The Pitfalls of Being First: by Travis Richardson  Today I am going to leap into the shark-infested waters of controversy. I’m crossing my fingers (which m...

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: MARY REED AND ERIC MAYER DIG INTO THE PAST FOR THE...

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: MARY REED AND ERIC MAYER DIG INTO THE PAST FOR THE...: Mary Reed and Eric Mayer co-write the John, Lord Chamberlain, Byzantine mystery series set mainly in and around the court of Justinian an...

SMFS Member Publishing News: Diana Deverell


SMFS list member Diana Deverell’s latest published legal thriller, Lay Bare The Lie: A Nora Dockson Legal Thriller was released on July 1, 2019. Published by Sorrel Press, the read is available in eBook format at Amazon and other vendors. This is the sixth book in the series that began with Help Me Nora.


Amazon Synopsis

An ex-con, Nora Dockson pulled herself out of the gutter and became an appeals lawyer. She works only for convicted felons. She’s sure her current client didn’t murder his wife. The jury was misled by testimony from an expert witness who reconstructed the crime based on bloodstain patterns. She’ll prove the so-called expert made leaps of logic incompatible with the latest forensic science.

But a family emergency pulls her away from the case and back to her unsavory roots. Events spiral out of control. Instead of arguing in a courtroom, she’s once again on the dangerous turf of her childhood. And this time she may not escape alive. 

A Derringer and Macavity Award finalist acclaimed for “sharp storytelling” (Publishers Weekly), Diana Deverell has “a gift that grabs the reader so one cares about every character in the story” (reader review).

In Lay Bare the Lie, Diana brings you a gutsy, big-hearted heroine, a chilling plot, and a complex and passionate supporting cast doing their best to bring mercy to a broken justice system. “A great character, a great series—I highly recommend it to people.” (Stephen Campbell, CrimeFiction.FM)

Buy Lay Bare the Lie today and enjoy this captivating series of legal thrillers.

Guns + Tacos: New Anthology Series from Down & Out Books

Guns + Tacos: New Anthology Series from Down & Out Books

SMFS Short Story Staurdays: Joan Leotta


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.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Joan Leotta shares the 2017 published short story, “Who Is Bringing The Ravioli?” archived at The Mystery Tribune.

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.

Monday, July 1, 2019

SMFS Member Publishing News: Gary Phillips


SMFS list member Gary Phillips’ novella titled, Tacos de Cazuela con Smith and Wesson  is released today by Down & Out Books. This is the first installment of six book series, Guns + Tacos, created and edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken and Trey R. Barker. At this time, the read is available in eBook format only from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. 

The entire series, with bonus content, can be ordered direct from the publisher.

Synopsis:

Why does an ER doctor used to dealing with the physical and psychological trauma of gunshot wounds obtain a handgun? What exactly has brought her to this breaking point, and what will be the consequences when she puts her plan into play on the infamous South Side of Chicago?

2019-2020 SMFS OFFICERS ANNOUNCED

Current Derringer Award Medals

The Short Mystery Fiction Society is pleased to announce that, by acclamation, Tony Rudzki and Dan Persinger are the Derringer Coordinator and Assistant Derringer Coordinator for a one year term of office starting today, July 1, 2019.

They join the current President, Kevin R. Tipple, and Vice President, Larry W. Chavis, who are serving their final year in office starting today.