From the group keeping mystery & crime stories in the public eye since 1996
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
SleuthSayers: The Last Lesson: Queen vs Hitchcock by Robert Lopresti
SleuthSayers: The Last Lesson: Queen vs Hitchcock: Two weeks ago I reported that I had been invited to speak to the Northwest branch of the Mystery Writers of American on the subject: &...
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
SMFS Member Publishing News: John Weagly
SMFS list member John Weagly’s short story “As Easy As
Trick-Or-Or Treating: A Halloween Mystery Short Story” has been published at
King’s River Life Magazine. You can read it for free online here.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Little Big Crimes Review: Doing Time in the Crunchy Granola Suite by Tim P. Walker
Little Big Crimes: Doing Time in the Crunchy Granola Suite, by Tim P....: "Doing Time in the Crunchy Granola Suite," by Tim P. Walker, in Rock and a Hard Place Magazine, #1, 2019. The publisher sent ...
SMFS Members Published in Switchblade: Tech Noir
Several SMFS list members are published in the new Switchblade:
Tech Noir issue. Edited by Scotch Rutherford, the read is published by
Caledonia Press. Currently the read is only available in digital format from Amazon.
Eric Beetner with “Killer App.”
Alec Cizak with “Post-Biologocal_Stress-Disorder.”
Nick Kolakowski with “Night Mayor.”
Amazon Synopsis:
This is it, Switchblade:
Tech Noir, the ultimate cutting edge cyberpunk anthology—and that’s only the
half of it. One of a two volume set, featuring hard boiled gutter noir, with a
sci-fi twist. Presented alongside the ultimate cyber Pulp companion issue, Pulp
Modern: Tech Noir. Ten hard-hitting no luck tales from dystopian doomsayers.
With fiction from Callum McSorley, James Edward O’Brien, Mandi Jourdan, Hugh
Lessig, Rob D. Smith, John Moralee, along with Switchblade veterans, Matt
Gomez, Nick Kolakowski, Eric Beetner, and Alec Cizak.
SMFS Members Published in Pulp Modern: Tech Noir Special Edition
Several SMFS list members are published in the new Pulp
Modern: Tech Noir Special Edition issue. Guest edited by Scotch
Rutherford as well as SMFS list member and editor Alec Cizak, the read is
published by Uncle B. Publications/ Larque Press. Currently the read is only
available in digital format from Amazon. The SMFS members in this issue are:
Tom Barlow with “Love in the Time of Silicone.”
C. W. Blackwell with “A Deviant Skein.”
J. D. Graves with “Three-Two-One Zebra-Stripe Shake-off”
Amazon Synopsis:
The future's so bleak, we
got to throw it some shade! Pulp Modern teams up with the premiere crime
fiction journal, Switchblade, to bring you Tech Noir, a special edition loaded
with nine science fiction stories chosen by guest editor Scotch Rutherford.
Featuring contributions by the hottest independent writers today, including Tom
Barlow, C.W. Blackwell, Deborah L. Davitt, Angelique Fawns, Nils Gilbertson,
J.D. Graves, Zakariah Johnson, Jo Perry, and Don Stoll. Alec Cizak provides
chief editing duties. Richard Krauss continues his outstanding work as art
director. And Ran Scott delivers cover-to-cover illustrations to help make this
a must-have for fans of science fiction everywhere.
SMFS Members Published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November/December 2019
Several SMFS members are published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November/Decemberr 2019 issue. The
issue is available from Dell
Magazines as well as at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members
published in this issue are:
David Dean with “The Breakfast Club.”
Richie Narvaez with “None of This Is On The Map.”
Ingrid Oonincx with “The Final Stage.” Fellow SMFS list
member Josh Pachter provides the translation.
Anna Scotti with “That Which We Call Patience.”
Elizabeth Zelvin with “The Island.”
The table of contents and more for this issue can be found
on the EQMM
website.
SMFS Members Published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: November/December 2019
Several SMFS members are published in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine:
November/December 2019. The issue is available from Dell Magazines as
well as at Amazon and newsstands and bookstores. The SMFS members published in
this issue are:
Leslie Budewitz with “Miss Star’s Good-bye.” This is also
the noted cover story for the issue.
Deborah Lacy with “The Sky’s The Limit.”
R. T. Lawton with “A Loaf of Bread.”
O’Neil De Noux with “A Meanness With Me.”
Susan Oleksiw with “Just Another Runaway.”
Mark Thielman with “Thanksgiving Eve.”
Melissa Yi with “Dueling Banjos.”
Dave Zeltserman with “Terrible Thoughts.”
The Case File column spotlights Gary Phillips discussing his
career in graphic literature and considering the laughs and social commentary
found in some mid-century African American comic strips.
The complete listing and accompaning information on this
issue can be found on the AHMM
website.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 76
As posted by Peter
DiChellis to our list…
Sunday. A great day for
a walk. A short walk down a dark street.
As usual, this week’s blog is all about short mystery and crime fiction, with links to reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
As usual, this week’s blog is all about short mystery and crime fiction, with links to reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes—New from Editor
Otto Penzler, The Big Book of Reel Murders: Stories that Inspired Great
Crime Films.
Plus, Free reads by
Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard, as well as all the Anthony Award short
story finalists (courtesy of Barb Goffman at Sleuthsayers).
Also, some bloggers’
Bouchercon memories, 2015-2018.
A short walk down a dark
street (#76). Celebrating
short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter
SMFS at Bouchercon DALLAS
Bouchercon Dallas 2019 begins this
Thursday in Dallas, Texas at the Hyatt Hotel. This is the 50th
Bouchercon and numerous SMFS members will be
attending and actively participating on panels, book signings, and more. The
list below features just some of the many activities featuring SMFS list
members.
Various Events
Wednesday
Michael Bracken is organizing a meetup
of SMFS members. Michael and his wife will meet those interested at 6 PM in the
hotel lobby. Look for Michael’s sign.
Thursday
8:30 PM Noir at the Bar will
include Terry Shames and other authors. This will be in Monduel’s Bar in the
Hyatt.
Friday
7:00
AM James l’Etoile and Andrew
Welsh-Huggins participates in the “Speeddating Breakfast Session 1” in Landmark
B.
11:00
AM SMFS President Kevin R. Tipple
will hand out Derringer Award Medals to Gigi Pandian and Alan Orloff. The SMFS
part of the awards hour will occur at the close of the “Round-Up Awards” evengt
in Landmark B.
11:00 AM The radio drama, “The Ghost Town Mortuary Gregory
Hood Play” by Anthony Boucher will be performed by James L’E’toile, Gige
Pandian, and Terry Shames among others in Ladmark D.
Saturday
7:00 AM
“Speeddating Breakfast Session 2” includes Susan Bickford, Lisa
Lieberman, and Cathi Stoler in Landmark B.
Panels
Thursday
9:30 AM
Kaye George participates on the “How Do I Self-Publish” panel in Pegasus.
9:30 AM
G. M. Malliet participates on the “Why I Wrote What I wrote” panel in Reunion
G-H.
11:00 AM Terry Shames participates on the “ The
Magical Macguffin” panel in Reunion A.
11:00 AM Lisa Leiberman participates on
the “Defining Your Novel” panel in Reunion B.
1:00 PM
James E’toile participates in the “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” panel.
1:00 PM
Mary Stojak participates on the “Does Length Matter” panel in Landmark
C.
4:00 PM Barb
Goffman moderates a panel on “Short and Sweet but Sometimes Dark” panel with SMFS
members John Floyd, R. T. Lawton, Mysti Berry, James Lincoln Warren, and
Michael Bracken participating in Reunion A.
4:00 PM
Andrew Welsh-Huggins participates on the “I Won’t Write That” panel in
Reuniion A-B.
Friday
2:30 PM Craig
Faustus Buck particaptes on the “Location, Location, Location: The Importance
of Setting” panel in Reunion E.
4:00 PM Mark Troy
paricaptes on “The Perfect Setting
Panel” in Reunion E.
Saturday
9:30
AM Susan Bickford participates on the
“Murder Is Everywhere” panel in Reunion C.
9:30 AM
Alan Orloff participates on the “What’s So Great About Critique Groups?”
panel in Reunion E.
1:00
PM Cathi Stoler participates on the “A
Good Family” panel in Reunion F.
4:00 PM
Barb Goffman and Art Taylor participate on “Anthony Awards-Best Short Story
Nominees” panel in Pegasus.
Several SMFS members who are also MWA
members are participating in book signings hosted by the MWA. For more
information, go here.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Lida Bushloper
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 Lida Bushloper shares the 2013 short story, “Every Day is Mother’s Day: A Mother’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.
Friday, October 25, 2019
SMFS Members Published in Heart’ s Kiss: No. 17
Two SMFS members are published in the
recently released, Heart’s Kiss: No. 17 October-November 2019. Published by
Heart’s Nest Press, the read is currently available from the publisher as well as in print
and digital
formats at Amazon. Our two SMFS members with short stories in this issue are:
David H.
Hendrickson with “The Boy in the Boxers.”
Tonya D.
Price with “In Tuscan Twilight.”
Amazon
Synopsis:
A Magazine Celebrating Romance:
Love
romance? Love discovering the best new writers with bite-sized stories? Or
maybe you prefer to treat yourself by escaping into a sure-to-please favorite
author’s world now and again, but don’t have the time to read a full-length
novel. Heart’s Kiss magazine
offers delicious variety and more.
Each
issue has at least 60,000 plus words of fiction from names readers will
recognize, to newly discovered writers, including interviews and articles
talking about what romance readers love most—the books they love, why romance
is important in today’s world, their love of the genre and what to enjoy next.
Heart’s Kiss is filled with a
sweet-spicy-erotic mix of historical, contemporary, paranormal, suspense and
futuristic romance stories that will be sure to make you yearn for more.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
OPENING
EDITORIAL by Tina Smith
ONE NIGHT IN PARIS by Kayla Perrin
IN TUSCAN TWILIGHT by Tonya D. Price
THE BOY IN THE BOXERS by D. H. Hendrickson
THE MUSIC OF LOOSE SPRING by Olivette Devaux
QUEEN CLEOPATRA AND THE BASEBALL GOD by Kathryn Nolan
YOU READ THAT?: SAVED BY ROMANCE by Julie Pitzel
RECOMMENDED BOOKS by C.S. DeAvilla
THE TEMPTRESS PRESENTS: LENTIL SOUP WITH TOMATO, POTATOES & FRESH HERBS by Andrea Abedi
CLOSING EDITORIAL by Lezli Robyn
ONE NIGHT IN PARIS by Kayla Perrin
IN TUSCAN TWILIGHT by Tonya D. Price
THE BOY IN THE BOXERS by D. H. Hendrickson
THE MUSIC OF LOOSE SPRING by Olivette Devaux
QUEEN CLEOPATRA AND THE BASEBALL GOD by Kathryn Nolan
YOU READ THAT?: SAVED BY ROMANCE by Julie Pitzel
RECOMMENDED BOOKS by C.S. DeAvilla
THE TEMPTRESS PRESENTS: LENTIL SOUP WITH TOMATO, POTATOES & FRESH HERBS by Andrea Abedi
CLOSING EDITORIAL by Lezli Robyn
Jacqueline Seewald: Interview with Author/Editor Sandra Murphy
Jacqueline Seewald: Interview with Author/Editor Sandra Murphy: Sandra Murphy lives in St Louis , the land of the blues, brews, and shoes. Her short stories appear in her collection, From Hay to Eterni...
Thursday, October 24, 2019
SMFS is moving to Groups.Io
Becuase Groups.Io rescinded their plan to charge for groups over 500 people, we are now moving to Groups.Io and our new free group. While things will still be in place on Yahoo Groups for now, you should go to https://groups.io/g/shortmystery and go sign up.
Big time thanks to Dan who has been doing the work on this. Much appreciated. I am still working on learning how stuff works there and what I can do and can't so give me time to figure it out. Your president does do well with change.
Kevin R. Tipple
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Update on SMFS and Yahoo Groups Going Forward
As previously reported here,
the changes at Yahoo Groups means we are actively searching for a new home. The
plan had been to move to Groups.Io. That was until Dan Persinger alerted list members
that Groups.Io was exploiting the situation for monetary profit and had
instituted a price increase. If that was not enough, he also detailed with the
link how we had no possibility of being a free group as we have for years via
Yahoo Groups.
SMFS does not charge dues or any fees to members. Our
Derringer medals are paid for each year by the voluntary donations of those
members who wish to fund their purchase. We have no interest in charging dues
to members to fund paying a group host or website.
The discussion regarding the situation continues onlist.
List members are strongly encouraged to monitor and constructively participate in
the discussions as we chart the way forward.
Kevin R. Tipple
President-SMFS
SleuthSayers: Meet the Finalists for the 2019 Anthony Award - Sh...
SleuthSayers: Meet the Finalists for the 2019 Anthony Award - Sh...: We have only nine days until the fiftieth annual Bouchercon—the world's largest mystery convention—begins in Dallas, Texas. I know some ...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Little Big Crimes Review: Miss Starr's Good-bye by Leslie Budewitz
Little Big Crimes: Miss Starr's Good-bye, by Leslie Budewitz: "Miss Starr's Good-bye," by Leslie Budewitz, in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, November/December 2019. It was just la...
SleuthSayers: Extreme Editing by Travis Richardson
SleuthSayers: Extreme Editing: On October 15, I finally finished a short story that had been plaguing me for months. I started the story on July 10 after some research. I...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 75
As posted by
Peter DiChellis to our list…
If it’s Sunday let’s take a walk. A short walk
down a dark street.
As always, this week’s blog is all about short mystery
and crime fiction, with links to reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes: The newest issue of cutting edge crime ‘zine
Switchblade has been released into the civilian population.
Plus, food for thought: Author and editor Richard
Thomas dissects 15 unconventional storytelling methods.
A short walk down a dark street (#75). Celebrating
short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter
SMFS Members Published in Fiction River: Superstitious
Several SMFS members are
published in the new anthology, Fiction River: Superstitious.
Published by WGM Publishing, the read is available from the publisher
as well as Amazon in print
as well as digital
formats, and at other vendors. The members in this issue are:
Ron Collins with “The Robin Club.”
Dayle A. Dermatis with “Umberto Scolari and the Ill-Fated
Marriage.”
Anne Reed with “The Perils of Taking Table Selfies at a
Con.”
C. A. Rowland with “8 Seconds.”
Amazon Synopsis:
Superstitions pervade
every culture and belief system. Often, the origins of such superstitions elude
their practitioners. The seventeen authors in this latest volume of Fiction
River create their own superstitious tales in fascinating stories ranging from
dark and moody to light and fun, from introspective and thought-provoking to
high-ratcheted tension. Distinct and realistic elements of humanity, love,
fear, family, friendship, life, and death provide unforgettable experiences
that prove we all practice some form of superstition, whether we admit it or
not. “…fertile imaginations take these ideas to wild and wonderful
directions.”—Astro Guyz
SMFS Members Published in In the Key of 13: An anthology of music and murder
Several SMFS members are published in the new anthology, In
the Key of 13: An anthology of music and murder. Published by Carrick Publishing, the read is
available in both print and digital formats at Amazon.
The SMFS members with stories in the book are:
M. H. Callway with “Brainworm.”
M. H. Callway also served as project manager.
Melodie
Campbell with “Death of a Cheapskate.”
Marilyn
Kay with “Her Perfume.”
Rosemary
McCracken with “Farewell to the King.”
Lisa de
Nikolits with “Hit Me With Your Pet Shark.”
Ed Piwowarczyk with “The Ballad of Will Robinson.”
Mr. Piwowarczyk also served as a copy editor for the project.
Sylvia M. Warsh with “None Shall Sleep.”
Amazon Synopsis:
The Mesdames of Mayhem are delighted to bring
readers their fourth anthology of crime stories. Our current theme is music,
mischief and murder: In the Key of 13 !
Music from Mozart to Beethoven to Elvis is a sweet accompaniment to sin in 19 wicked tales, ranging from cozy to noir, by 18 acclaimed Canadian crime writers and one talented newcomer.
Can you hear the violins? They may be plotting your demise. Are you an opera lover? Take care, your passion means a revenge served cold. And that tune that refuses to leave your mind? It will truly drive you mad…
Many of the Mesdames are winners or finalists of leading crime fiction awards, including the Arthur Ellis, Edgar, Derringer, Bony Pete and Debut Dagger awards. To learn more about us and our novels and stories, follow the links in these pages and visit our website at mesdamesofmayhem dot com.
Editor: Donna Carrick
Copy-editor: Ed Piwowarczyk
Project manager: M.H. Callway
Foreword: Donna Carrick
The Moonlight Sonata, Caro Soles
Farewell to the King, Rosemary McCracken
A Contrapuntal Duet, Blair Keetch
Hit Me with Your Pet Shark, Lisa de Nikolits
Requiem, Jane Petersen Burfield
Under the Lamplight, Kevin P. Thornton
Soul Behind the Face, Madona Skaff
Winona and the CHUM Chart, Catherine Dunphy
Brainworm, M.H. Callway
The Beethoven Disaster, Rosemary Aubert
Her Perfume, Marilyn Kay
Bad Vibrations, Rosalind Place
Death of a Cheapskate, Melodie Campbell
Let the Sunshine In, Lynne Murphy
Gentle Rain from Heaven, Catherine Astolfo
None Shall Sleep, Sylvia Maultash Warsh
Solace in D Minor, Donna Carrick
The Ballad of Will Robinson, Ed Piwowarczyk
Modern Myst'ry Scribble'er, Cheryl Freedman
Get your Blue Shoes on and thrill to these fabulous stories of music and murder, brought to you by this acclaimed group of award-winning authors!
Music from Mozart to Beethoven to Elvis is a sweet accompaniment to sin in 19 wicked tales, ranging from cozy to noir, by 18 acclaimed Canadian crime writers and one talented newcomer.
Can you hear the violins? They may be plotting your demise. Are you an opera lover? Take care, your passion means a revenge served cold. And that tune that refuses to leave your mind? It will truly drive you mad…
Many of the Mesdames are winners or finalists of leading crime fiction awards, including the Arthur Ellis, Edgar, Derringer, Bony Pete and Debut Dagger awards. To learn more about us and our novels and stories, follow the links in these pages and visit our website at mesdamesofmayhem dot com.
Editor: Donna Carrick
Copy-editor: Ed Piwowarczyk
Project manager: M.H. Callway
Foreword: Donna Carrick
The Moonlight Sonata, Caro Soles
Farewell to the King, Rosemary McCracken
A Contrapuntal Duet, Blair Keetch
Hit Me with Your Pet Shark, Lisa de Nikolits
Requiem, Jane Petersen Burfield
Under the Lamplight, Kevin P. Thornton
Soul Behind the Face, Madona Skaff
Winona and the CHUM Chart, Catherine Dunphy
Brainworm, M.H. Callway
The Beethoven Disaster, Rosemary Aubert
Her Perfume, Marilyn Kay
Bad Vibrations, Rosalind Place
Death of a Cheapskate, Melodie Campbell
Let the Sunshine In, Lynne Murphy
Gentle Rain from Heaven, Catherine Astolfo
None Shall Sleep, Sylvia Maultash Warsh
Solace in D Minor, Donna Carrick
The Ballad of Will Robinson, Ed Piwowarczyk
Modern Myst'ry Scribble'er, Cheryl Freedman
Get your Blue Shoes on and thrill to these fabulous stories of music and murder, brought to you by this acclaimed group of award-winning authors!
Saturday, October 19, 2019
SMFS and Yahoo Groups Going Forward
For those SMFS members who
are no mail or have other email restrictions and may not have been checking on the
list as much as they should have been, Yahoo Groups is soon ending files,
polling, and numerous other features. While we will still have the ability to
send and receive email for now, changes are coming and that is going to necessitate
moving to another host. This morning I sent the below message to the list so
that all SMFS list members are aware of how I, as SMFS President, intend on
handling this situation. The post below was generated by numerous member
comments on the list in recent days since the news broke Tuesday afternoon as
well as a massive flood of messages to me offlist.
.
It has seemed clear to me
that those commenting publicly and privately would prefer to move to Groups.Io
when we do move. As Yahoo Groups has stated that the emails will still work
after October 21st or October 28th (pick a date as they are using both), there
still seems to me to be no rush to move right this second. As I see it, the
files function and polling function are the two that hit us the hardest and are
not truly needed until Derringer season.
I anticipate starting this
process in early November sometime after Bouchercon. No, not the day after. I
am not sure what exact day it would be, but it would be just a few days after
Bouchercon here in Dallas. My goal would be to have everyone who wishes to make
the leap to our new home do so by the end of November so that things are in
place long before Tony and Dan need those tools for files/polling. Yes, there
would be news on our blog to help spread the word when it happens.
As I have previously
explained, there would be a fee if I were to attempt to export us over from
here. While I have not been able to find an actual fee structure on the
Groups.Io site, I have seen the figure of $110 bandied about here and on other
groups. I have also seen the fee listed as a $10 a month which would add up to
$120 a year. Like the cutoff date, I don't know which one is right. Either way,
it is a pain. While I would be willing to pay that up front on behalf of the
group and would do so and then ask for members to chip in and help pay it, I
don't trust these Groups.Io folks to not demand a higher fee next year to
retain their service. Once we pay now, we may find ourselves locked in and
unable to later switch to their free plan.
That means I would be
passing on a fee to the next administration. That is a burden or
obligation I do not want to place on them. Beyond that fact, I don't trust
the Groups.Io folks to not end their free plan a year from now. They clearly
are profiting from the end of yahoo groups and I think that once they get this
wave of money they will want more. A simple solution for them would be to end
the free version of things. But, at least if we went in free now, we would have
a year before that happened and the new administration would face that issue. I
can't avoid that happening, but I don't have to do something now that
definitely obligates the new administration into either paying a fee or moving
us again.
Beyond that potential
problem is the definite real problem regarding group ownership. As Gerald
So again noted this morning, Margo Power is the owner of record and
remains unreachable. I personally have tried to reach her a couple of times
during my administration--as recently as mid summer this year-- as have members
of previous administrations and with no sucess. The transfer process at
Groups.Io requires the active participation of the owner of the Yahoo Group.
That owner HAS TO be involved and do parts of it. No choice. Therefore,
at this time, there would be no possible way to make a transfer happen anyway.
So, it is not just their
fee issue. It is a owner problem.
This is why I suggested that
the only way to do this would be to start a new group fresh there and then have
folks come join it. Becuase their rules at Groups.Io make it impossible to
do a transfer as many have advocated. By starting fresh, we also jettison the
massive number of dormant accounts that have bloated our member roll.
Our basic email will
continue to work for now. Since we have time, I would really like to get
through my coming medical stuff this week and then, hopefully, attend
Bouchercon, and get through all of that before I try to fiddle with creating
our new group at Groups.Io.
Hope this all makes
sense.
KRT
SleuthSayers: Music in the Time of a Private Eye by O'Neil De Noux
SleuthSayers: Music in the Time of a Private Eye: Music in the Time of a Private Eye by O'Neil De Noux Research for my private eye series set in the 1940s-1950s drew me to YouTube to...
SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Earl Staggs
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 Earl Staggs shares the 2014 published
short story, “Dead Man On A School Bus,” archived at his 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, October 18, 2019
Criminal Minds: There's No Place Like Office by Paul D. Marks
Criminal Minds: There's No Place Like Office: Laptop, desktop, Underwood or pencil. Do you budget based on book sales, or do you just go for it? What’s your dream office look like? by ...
Thursday, October 17, 2019
SMFS Member Publishing News: BJ Wingate
SMFS list member BJ Wingate’s short story, “A Scary (?) Story: Halloween Mystery
Short Story” was published today at Kings River Life Magazine. You can read it here.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
SleuthSayers: Ten Things I Learned Writing Short Stories by Robert Lopresti
SleuthSayers: Ten Things I Learned Writing Short Stories: Photo by Michael Fowles by Robert Lopresti As I mentioned in an earlier column, October 2019 was a special month for me. Not only ...
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
SleuthSayers: Writers Blocks Build Stories by Steve Liskow
SleuthSayers: Writers Blocks Build Stories: Dennis Lehane is one of many successful crime writers who doesn't outline. He writes his novels on a legal pad (as did John Steinbeck) a...
Little Big Crimes Review: The Two-Body Problem by Josh Pachter
Little Big Crimes: The Two-Body Problem, by Josh Pachter: "The Two-Body Problem," by Josh Pachter, in Mystery Weekly Magazine, October 2019. I admit to being a sucker for stories set ...
Monday, October 14, 2019
SMFS Member Publishing News: Frank Zafiro
SMFS member Frank Zafiro’s new book, At Their Own Game: A SpoCompton Crime Novel as released today. Published by Down & Out books, this first book of a new series is available in audio, digital, and print formats by way of the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors.
Synopsis:
Jake Stankovic has been flying below the radar for years, dealing safely in stolen property crime with his two-man crew. But times are tough, so he decides to step up to the big money with a drug deal. Everything that can go wrong, does. The deal goes bad, a vengeful detective sets his sights on Jake, one of his crew might be a turncoat, and a woman from a long past affair suddenly reappears. All of this would be complicated enough on its own, but for Jake, it’s even worse.
The woman is the detective’s ex-wife.
And Jake Stankovic used to be a cop.
Now Jake must face new problems and old vendettas in an all-in proposition with lives on the line. He has to find a way to get his money back, keep the girl, and beat everyone involved…At Their Own Game.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 74
As
posted by Peter DiChellis to our list…
This week’s
blog pours it on, with links to a gusher of reviews, releases, free reads, and
more.
Includes: Free reads aplenty from new issues
of OMDB! and FBM, and from many SMFS members.
Plus, Tricks of the Trade: Describing a
protagonist in first-person POV.
A short walk down a dark street (#74). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter
SMFS Members Published in Flash Bang Mysteries: Fall 2019
Several SMFS members are in the just
released Flash
Bang Mysteries: Fall 2019. The
members in this 17th issue are:
Herschel Cozine with “Nothing to
Lose.”
Bruce Harris with “It’s In The
Cards.”
BV Lawson with “The Barbecue Pot.”
This story is the cover story for the issue as well as the “Editor’s Choice”
story.
Alan Orloff with “Afterward.”
Saturday, October 12, 2019
SMFS Members Published in A Murder Of Crows
A number of SMFS members are published in the new anthology,
A
Murder of Crows. Edited by SMFS list member Sandra Murphy who wrote the
introduction to it and also contributed a short story, the read is published by
Darkhouse Books. The book is available
in print at Amazon as well
as digital
format. The SMFS members published in this anthology are:
Jack Bates with “A Tickle of Tarantulas.”
Michael Bracken with “A Cling of Koalas.”
Maddi Davidson with “An Extinction of Dodos.”
Jeanne DuBois with “A Troubling of Goldfish.”
John M. Floyd with “The Blue Wolf.”
Kaye George with “Grist for the Mill.”
Heidi Hunter with “Killer Alpaca.”
Denise Johnson with “Knotty Inheritance.”
Sandra Murphy with “Me and Dean.”
Jacqueline Seewald with “Touch Not The Cat.”
Earl Staggs with “A Gaggle of Geese and a Tribe of Goats.”
Amazon Synopsis:
What do you call a group
of writers tasked with penning tales of crime that must include animals and
their collective names? It’s a wording of writers! This wording features
twenty-one writers who share crimes stories with a surprising twist. No animals
are harmed—the humans don’t fare so well. Here are the usual suspects: Jack
Bates, Michael Bracken, Jeanne DuBois, Kaye George, EJ McFall, Kari Wainwright,
John M. Floyd, Heidi Hunter, Jacqueline Seewald, Kathryn Gerwig, Earl Staggs,
Marianne Wilski Strong, Damien Mckeating, C.A. Fehmel, Linda Kay Hardie, Helen
O’Neill, Shielia J. Rizer, Maddi Davidson, Denise Johnson, Sandra Murphy, J.B.
Toner
SMFS Members Published in Star Noir: A Science Fiction Anthology
Several SMFS members are published in the new book, Star
Noir: A Science Fiction Anthology. Edited by Paul Bishop, the read is
only available in digital format at Amazon.
The members in the anthology are:
Eric Beetner with “Nightclub At the End of the World.”
O’Neil De Noux with “Escape From Tyrannosaur Valley.”
Gary Phillips with “The Anti-Gravity Steal.”
Richard Prosch with “Time Stamp.”
Amazon Synopsis:
Ten original stories by award-winning & bestselling authors.
One remarkable collection.
With a foreword by
Paul Bishop, this collection has something for every science fiction fan.
Nearly 700
action-packed pages of entertainment!
When you reach for the
stars, you don’t always know what you’ll get!
Grab your copy of Star
Noir today.
The Anti-Gravity Steal—Gary
Phillips
Escape From
Tyrannosaur Valley—O’Neil Du Noux
Time Stamp—Richard
Prosch
Tracks—Jean Rabe
A Nice Century For
Dying—Douglas Hirt
Hybrid—Michael Black
Blood Flurry—Tyler
Dann
Blue Ivory—Mike Baron
Too Much Time—Tim
Tresslar
Nightclub At the End
of the World—Eric Beetner
Writers Who Kill: The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle...
Writers Who Kill: The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle...: The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods edited by Michael Bracken Texas has it all, from bustling big cit...
SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Sybil Johnson
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 Sybil Johnson shares the short
story, “Some Like It Raw” archived at Mysterical-E.
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, October 11, 2019
SleuthSayers: In ME TOO Anthology, A Different Kind of Protagonist Fights Back...
SleuthSayers: In ME TOO Anthology, A Different Kind of Protagoni...: By now, many SleuthSayers readers know about Me Too Short Stories: An Anthology , SleuthSayer emerita Liz Zelvin's cunning plan to strik...
SMFS Member Publishing News: Joan Leotta
SMFS list member Joan
Leotta’s poems, “Candle at the Shrine- A Celebration” and “Every Meal” as well
as “Dance of the Seven Fishes” appear in the newly published book, Celebrate:
A Collection of Life’s Celebrations. Published by Tree Shadow Press,
the book is available in both print and digital formats from Amazon.
Synopsis:
To reduce negativity in
the world, it is vital to devote time to the positive. Holidays. Special Days.
Momentous Events. Personal Triumphs. All are worthy of being celebrated. This
collection focuses on all of the above. The style of each piece is as varied as
the contributors and includes: Poetry, Essays, Stories, and Articles. Start at
the beginning and read in order. ~ OR ~ Open the book to any random page. There
is something here for everyone.