SMFS list member Christina Boufis’ short story, The
Game, is published at Reedsy. You can read the piece for free online here.
From the group keeping mystery & crime stories in the public eye since 1996
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Game by Christina Boufis
Monday, October 30, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: Two Short Stories by M. E. Proctor
SMFS list member M. E. Proctor has two new short
stories published.
The mystery short story, Wolf Cub, was published
Saturday at Kings River Life Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.
Black Cat Weekly #113 includes the short story, An Arm and a Leg. You can purchase the new issue at the website.
Friday, October 27, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: Scot-Free by Wil A. Emerson
SMFS list member Wil A. Emerson’s mystery short story,
Scot-Free, was published earlier this week at Kings River Life Magazine. You
can read the piece for free online here.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: Sanctuary Motel: A Mess Hopkins Novel by Alan Orloff
SMFS list member Alan Orloff’s new book, Sanctuary
Motel: A Mess Hopkins Novel is now out. Published by Level Best Books,
this first read in a new series is available in digital and print formats. The
read can be purchased at Amazon
and other vendors.
Amazon Description:
Mess Hopkins, proprietor of the seen-better-days
Fairfax Manor Inn, never met a person in need who couldn't use a helping
hand-his helping hand. So he's thrown open the doors of the motel to the
homeless, victims of abuse, or anyone else who could benefit from a comfy bed
with clean sheets and a roof overhead. This rankles his parents and uncle, who
technically still own the place and are more concerned with profits than
philanthropy.
When a mother and her teenage boy seek refuge from an
abusive husband, Mess takes them in until they can get back on their feet.
Shortly after arriving, the mom goes missing and some very bad people come
sniffing around, searching for some money they claim belongs to them. Mess
tries to pump the boy for helpful information, but he's in full uncooperative
teen mode-grunts, shrugs, and monosyllabic answers. From what he does learn,
Mess can tell he's not getting the straight scoop. It's not long before the boy
vanishes too. Abducted? Run away? Something worse? And who took the missing
money? Mess, along with his friend Vell Jackson and local news reporter Lia
Katsaros, take to the streets to locate the missing mother and son-and the
elusive, abusive husband-before the kneecapping loansharks find them first.
SMFS Member Publishing News: Murder Uncorked: A Cece Barton Mystery by Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell
SMFS list member Edith Maxwell’s new book, Murder
Uncorked: A Cece Barton Mystery has been released. Writing as Maddie
Day, this is the first read of a new cozy mystery series published by Kensington
Books. The book is available in audio, digital, and print formats. It is available
from Amazon
and other vendors.
Publisher Description:
Raise a glass to Cece Barton, a widowed
single mom and recent L.A.-to-California-wine-country transplant who suddenly
finds herself at the center of a murder investigation in this sparkling new
mystery series from Agatha Award-winning author Maddie Day.
As the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, Cecelia “Cece” Barton’s
first Alexander Valley harvest is a whirlwind of activity. Her twin sister,
Allie Halstead, who owns a nearby Victorian bed & breakfast, is accustomed
to the hustle and bustle of peak tourist season. But Cece barely has a moment
to enjoy her new home in between worrying about her estranged college-age
daughter, juggling her responsibilities at the bar, and navigating the sticky
politics of the local wine association. Just when it seems things can’t grow
any more intense, Colinas is rocked by a murder within the wine community . . .
and Cece is identified as a possible suspect!
With her reputation and her livelihood on the line—and the Sonoma County deputy
sheriff breathing down her neck—Cece has no choice but to open up her own
murder investigation. Tensions are already high in the valley, as a massive
wildfire creeps toward Colinas, threatening homes, vineyards, and the vital
tourist trade. And now, with a murderer on the loose, and Cece’s sleuthing
exposing the valley’s bitterest old rivalries and secret new alliances, Colinas
feels ready to pop! But with Allie’s help, Cece is determined to catch the
killer and clear her name before everything she’s worked so hard for goes up in
flames . . .
SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #14
Several SMFS list members
have been published in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #14. Published by Wildside
Press, the read is edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken. The new issue is currently available in print at Amazon. The SMFS list members published in this issue
are:
John Bosworth with "A Great Team."
Editor Michael Bracken with his editorial note, "From
the Cat's Perch."
Barb Goffman with "Real Courage."
Peter W. J. Hayes with “El Paso Heat.”
R.T. Lawton with "Most Important Meal of the Day."
Steve Liskow with "Speed Dating."
Andrew Welsh-Huggins with "The Legend of
Yag-Gryllhoth."
Amazon Description:
Black Cat Mystery Magazine is back with a selection of
11 original crime and mystery stories. Here are tales of murder and mayhem,
filled with intrigue and suspense—all by some of today's best authors. Plus a
rare crime classic from Australia. Here's the lineup: REAL COURAGE, by Barb
GoffmanMEET ME AT THE CHURCH AND BRING ALL THE GUNS, by Bruce ArthursEL PASO
HEAT, by Peter W.J. HayesTHE LEGEND OF YAG-GRYLLHOTH, by Andrew
Welsh-HugginsRED ROSES FOR A BLUE LADY, by Josh PachterHEIRESS, by Linda
NiehoffEL PRIMO DE ANA, by Tom LarsenRAIN ALWAYS FALLS, by Stephen D.
RogersHYENAS, by Janice LawA GREAT TEAM, by John BosworthSPEED DATING, by Steve
Liskow
Macavity Award 2023 Winner: Beauty and the Beyotch by Barb Goffman
SMFS congratulates SMFS list member Barb Goffman for
her Macavity Award 2023 win in the “Best Mystery Short Story” category. Her
winning short story, Beauty and the Beyotch, was originally was published in Sherlock Holmes
Mystery Magazine #29. As previously announced, this story also
won a 2022
Agatha Award as well as a 2023
Anthony Award.
The full list of the
winners announced earlier this week can be found on the website.
Sunday, October 22, 2023
SMFS Members Published in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue 22
Several SMFS members are published in the recently
released, Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue 22. Published by WMG
Publishing, the read is available in print and digital formats from the publisher,
Amazon,
and other vendors. The members in the issue are:
David H. Hendrickson with “When the Wiener Dogs Come
Out to Play.”
Robert Jeschonek with "With Love in Their
Hearts."
O’Neil De Noux with “The Rhythm of Dueling Oak.”
Annie Reed with "The Hair Thief."
Website Description:
The Cutting Edge of Modern Short Fiction
A three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue
of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up ten 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
Includes:
“I Was a Teenage Boy-Crazy Blob” by Nina Kiriki
Hoffman
“The Hair Thief” by Annie Reed
“When the Wiener Dogs Come Out to Play” by David H.
Hendrickson
“The Henchman Is Hurled Off the Catwalk” by Adam-Troy
Castro
“The Rhythm of Dueling Oak” by O’Neil De Noux
“Shocking Tales” by Don Webb
“The Lessons Only a Jelly Bean Can Teach” by Scott
Edelman
“Lending the Truth” by Rob Vagle
“With Love in Their Hearts” by Robert Jeschonek
“Unknown Baby Girl” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Minions at Work: Squeeze Play” by J. Steven York
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Voices I Will Never Hear Again by Kaye George
SMFS list member Kaye George’s short story, The Voices
I Will Never Hear Again, is the featured cover story and published in Black Cat
Weekly #112. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format.
Website Description:
This issue features a pair of original tales: a
mystery from Kaye George (thanks to acquiring editor Michael Bracken) and a
fantasy from Adrian Cole (written especially for this Halloween issue).
On the mystery
front, we have a pair of great modern tales by William Dylan Powell (thanks to
acquiring editor Barb Goffman) and James Holding, plus a classic novel by
British master A.E.W. Mason, who is best known for his tale of courage and
cowardice in wartime, The Four Feathers. Notably, Mason created Inspector
Hanaud, a French detective who was an early template for Agatha Christie's
famous Hercule Poirot. We even have a special Halloween solve-it-yourself
puzzler from Hal Charles!
On the fantastic side of things, we have a
seasonally-appropriate SF tale by Norman Spinrad, plus Golden Age reprints from
Algis Budrys, Cordwainer Smith, and David Mason. Mason is one of my favorite
sword & sorcery authors for his novels Kavin’s World and The Return of
Kavin. Had Mason not died tragically young in a boating accident, I have no
doubt he would have become a major novelist in the field. After reading all of
his books one after the other, I suspect he was creating a vast common universe
for his fantasy and science fiction stories. Check them out if you get a chance.
They are in print from Wildside Press.
Here’s the complete lineup:
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
“The Voices I Will Never Hear Again,” by Kaye George
[Michael Bracken Presents short story]
“Signs of Halloween,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself
Mystery]
“The Darkness and the Light,” by William Dylan Powell
[Barb Goffman Presents short story]
“The Only One of Its Kind,” by James Holding [short
story]
No Other Tiger, by A.E.W. Mason [novel]
Science Fiction & Fantasy:
“The Falling Leaves” by Adrian Cole [short story]
“The Fat Vampire”by Norman Spinrad [short story]
“The Burning World,” by Algis Budrys [novelet]
“Mark Elf,” by Cordwainer Smith [short story]
“The Long Question,” by David Mason [short story]
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Swine Hunt by Pamela Ebel
SMFS list member Pamela Ebel’s short story, The Swine
Hunt, was published yesterday at The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read it online
for free here.
Friday, October 20, 2023
Writer's Digest Genre Short Story Winner: Jennifer Slee
SMFS congratulates SMFS list member Jennifer Slee for her first place and fourth place wins in the “Genre Short Story” category in the 92nd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Her winning first place short story, Stranger, can be read here. Her story, Nest Egg, took forth place. The full list of categories and winners can be found on the website.
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
SMFS Members Publishing News: Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #32
Several SMFS list members have short stories in the
recently released Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #32. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is currently
available in print at Amazon
and elsewhere. The members in this issue are:
John M. Floyd with “The Three Little Biggs.”
Veronica Leigh with “No Place Like Home.”
Amazon Description:
Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine returns with an
intriguing issue featuring 9 original tales of crime and mystery, plus a classic
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Here's the lineup:
CANYON FODDER, by John H. Dromey
THE SAN FRANCISCO ADVENTURE, by Hal Charles
NO PLACE LIKE HOME, by Veronica Leigh
THE THREE LITTLE BIGGS, by John M. Floyd
THE CASE OF THE BELGRAVIA BEAST, by Gary Blackwood
THE CELL PHONE, by Ellen Wight
THE QUIGLEY METHOD, by Marlin Bressi
MILLER’S LAKE, by Ellen Denton
THE NEW SHERIFF, by Greg T. Nelson
CLASSIC SHERLOCK HOLMES:
THE ADVENTURE OF THE GOLDEN PINCE-NEZ, by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Competition by Kathryn Prater Bomey
SMFS list member Kathryn Prater Bomey’s short story, The
Competition, is published at Shotgun Honey. You can read the tale for free here.
SMFS Members Published/Recognized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2023
Several SMFS list members have stories in or are
recognized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2023 edition. Edited by Lisa
Unger and Steph Cha, the read is published by Mariner Books and is available in
audio, digital, and print formats from the publisher,
Amazon,
and other vendors. The SMFS list members in the book or recognized in it are:
Main Full Story Section:
Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier with “Ripen.” Originally
published in Black
Cat Weekly Issue 48, published by Wildside Press.
Jacqueline Freimor, with “Foreword.” Originally
published in Vautrin
- Volume 4, Issue 1, Summer 2022, published by Vautrin.
James A. Hearn with "Home Is the Hunter." Originally
published in Mickey
Finn Volume 3: 21st Century Noir,
published
by Down & Out Books.
Adam Meyer with "Mr. Filbert's Classroom."
Originally published in Chesapeake
Crimes: Magic is Murder, published by Wildside
Press.
Annie Reed with "The Blood-Red Leaves of Autumn."
Originally published in Always
With Us: Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem #9, published by Knotted Road Press.
Joseph S. Walker with "Crime Scene."
Originally published in Malice
in Dallas: Metroplex Mysteries Volume 1,
published by the North Dallas Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Other Distinguished Mystery and Suspense of 2022:
Francelia Belton with "Dreaming of Ella."
Originally published in Denver
Noir, published by Akashic Books.
Michael Bracken with "Kissing Cousins."
Originally published in Starlite
Pulp Review #1, published by Starlite Pulp.
Eve Fisher with "The Closing of the Lodge.” Originally
published in Alfred
Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: November/December 2022.
Barb Goffman with "The Gift." Originally published in Land
of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022,
published by Down & Out Books.
Delia C. Pitts with “A Deadly First.” Originally published
in Festive
Mayhem 3: A Limited-Edition Collection of New Mystery and Crime Fiction Stories
and Reissued Holiday Favorites.
Amazon Description:
“This form has a special kind of magic, the ability to
transport you quickly, intensely, to capture character, time, place, and story
with immediacy,” writes guest editor Lisa Unger in her introduction. The
transporting stories in this year’s The Best American Mystery and Suspense are
populated by those who exist on the fringe of our society and want more than
what life has dealt them: A haunted veteran turned career criminal is on the
run. An injured fighter turned bouncer seeks vengeance for his lost love. An
assassin on his last job finds himself questioning his life choices and breaks
all the rules to understand his final victim. By turns thrilling and
enlightening, each story, according to Unger, “will have you holding your
breath, flipping the pages, will leave you thinking about people and why they
do the dark, dangerous, frightening things that they do.”
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023 includes Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier • William Boyle • S. A. Cosby • Jacqueline Freimor • James A. Hearn • Ladee Hubbard • A. J. Jacono • Adam Meyer • Silvia Moreno-Garcia • Walter Mosley • Leigh Newman • Joyce Carol Oates • Margaret Randall • Annie Reed • Anthony Neil Smith • Faye Snowden • Jervey Tervalon • Joseph S. Walker • Thaai Walker • Jess Walter
Monday, October 16, 2023
SMFS Members Published in Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles
Today is publication day for Happiness Is a Warm
Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles. Published by
Down & Out Books in digital and print formats, the read is available at the
publisher,
Amazon, and other vendors.
The anthology is edited by SMFS list member Josh Pachter. The SMFS list members
that reported being in the read are:
Michael Bracken with “You Like Me Too Much.”
David Dean with “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”
John M. Floyd with “We Can Work It Out.”
Robert Lopresti with "I Saw Her Standing There."
Editor Josh Pachter with the introduction as well as
“I Call Your Name.”
Joseph S. Walker with "Baby, You're a Rich Man."
Description:
Happiness Is a Warm Gunis the sixth of Josh Pachter’s
“inspired by” anthologies, following volumes of stories inspired by the songs
of Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon…and by the films of
the Marx Brothers.
For this collection, the lyrics of the Beatles’
inspired the contributing authors to imagine a world in which murder,
kidnapping, blackmail, and theft are as common as meter maids and yellow
submarines. Each story was inspired by a song from one of the Fab Four’s studio
albums: seventeen albums, seventeen songs, seventeen stories—by a total of
eighteen authors (since one was written collaboratively by Dru Ann Love and
Kristopher Zgorski, two of crime fiction’s leading bloggers).
Many of the contributors, like the Beatles themselves, come from England—including award winners Martin Edwards, Paul Charles, Vaseem Khan, Christine Poulson, Marilyn Todd, Kate Ellis, and Tom Mead—while the American authors include such popular crime writers as John Copenhaver, Michael Bracken, John M. Floyd, David Dean, Joseph S. Walker, and Robert Lopresti.
So roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour—step right
this way! After all, when it comes to crime, all you need is…motive, means, and
opportunity!
Sunday, October 15, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Effects of Urban Renewal on Mid-Century America and Other Crime Stories by Jeff Esterholm
Today is publication day for SMFS list member Jeff
Esterholm’s new book, The Effects of Urban Renewal on Mid-Century America
and Other Crime Stories. Published by Cornerstone Press, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the read is available in print at the publisher,
Amazon,
and other vendors.
Website Description:
The last good time in the Great Lakes region, the so-called
Third Coast gouged into the Upper Midwest of America, was in the shipbuilding
era of the two world wars. But even in 1941, in Port Nicollet, Wisconsin, a
certain taint grew and spread. It was a port city: sketchy men; fresh-faced
boys; salesmen with their sample cases; able-bodied seamen. Always passing
through. Occasionally, the locals glimpsed opportunity, but, just as quickly,
it was gone. The prospect of something better could not gain purchase on the
south shore of Lake Superior. It was as if the people and region, an area in
the distant past promoted by developers as the next Chicago, had slipped the
moorings and drifted, minus captain and crew, on the waters of Lake Superior.
In The Effects of Urban Renewal on Mid-Century America and Other Crime Stories,
Jeff Esterholm explores what happens when people slip their moorings and are
set adrift.
Saturday, October 14, 2023
SMFS Members Published in Yellow Mama Webzine: Issue 100
SMFS list members are published in the just released Yellow Mama Webzine: Issue 100. The issue is online and a free read
here. The SMFS list members in the issue are:
Pam Ebel with “Unclaimed Property.”
Joan Leotta with the poems, “At The Funeral Lunch” and
“Dreaming My Way Home.”
Beverle Graves Myers with "Do You Know the Pizza
Man?"
Elizabeth Zelvin with “Don't Think Twice.”
SMFS Member Publishing News: Short Stories by John Floyd
Several of SMFS list member John Floyd’s short stories appear in the recently released, 2 Minute Mini- Mysteries: Murder & Mayhem. Published by Woman's World, these stories are reprints of tales that previously appeared in the Woman’s World weekly issues. The collection is available in grocery stores, newsstands, and at various online vendors such as MagazineShop.US.
John M.
Floyd's short stories in the read are, A Very Deadly Clue, Caught Up in the
Crossfire, Angela's Taxicab, and, A Shot in the Dark.
Friday, October 13, 2023
SMFS Members Published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: November/December 2023
SMFS list members are published in the Ellery
Queen’s Mystery Magazine: November/December 2023 issue. The issue is
available at the publisher and other vendors. The SMFS members in the issue
are:
Richard Helms with "Spear Carriers."
David Krugler with “Kit’s Pad.”
SMFS Members Published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: November/December 2023
Several SMFS list members are published in Alfred
Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: November/December 2023 issue. The issue is
available at the publisher
and other vendors. Those members are:
Michael Bracken with "Spilt Milk."
John M. Floyd with “The Zeller Files.”
R.T. Lawton with "Whiskey Curb."
Robert Lopresti with “When You Put It That Way.”
Robert Mangeot with "Know Thyself."
Mark Thielman with "The Experimental Theater
Company of Barbed Wire, Texas."
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Referee by C.W. Blackwell
SMFS list member C.W. Blackwell’s short story, The
Referee, is published at Shotgun Honey. You can read the tale for free here.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
SMFS Members Published in Wolfsbane: Best New England Crime Stories 2023
Several SMFS list members are published in the
recently released book, Wolfsbane: Best New England Crime Stories 2023.
Published by Hale Street Press, the read is available in print at Amazon.
The members in the book are:
Brenda Buchanan with "Assumptions Can Get You
Killed.”
Bruce Robert Coffin with “One for the Road.”
Zakariah Johnson with "Not Too Sharp."
Paula Messina with "Which Way New England?"
Editor Susan Oleksiw with “The House on Riverbend
Road."
Bonnar Spring with "Good Deed for the Day."
Editor Leslie Wheeler with “Whoop!”
Amazon Description:
Wolfsbane: Best New England Crime Stories 2023 once again brings together many of the best writers in the genre in our region. These 21 stories cover the full range of crime fiction, from the traditional amateur sleuth to the cop in the world of self-driving cars and AI bots running your home. The award-winning authors take us to the streets of Boston where drug dealers congregate, and yet show us the true character of some of those on the mean streets. A decent man goes undercover and learns a few lessons the hard way, and a lawyer faces his own hard reality. Every story brings new insight and fresh perspective to the world of crime, the criminals, and the victims caught among them.
Read the work of these award-winning writers: Jason
Allison, Christine Bagley, Brenda Buchanan, Christine H. Chen, Bruce Robert
Coffin, Michael Ditchfield, Judith Green, Connie Johnson Hambley, Sean Harding,
Eleanor Ingbretson, Zakariah Johnson, Paula Messina, Susan Oleksiw, Robin Hazard
Ray, Ray Salemi, Lauren Sheridan, Bonnie Spring, Gabriela Stiteler, Frances
Stratford, Leslie Wheeler, Carolyn Marie Wilkins
SMFS Member Podcast News: The Perfect Patsy by Bern Sy Moss
SMFS list member Bern Sy Moss’ short story, The
Perfect Patsy, is featured this week at Mysteryrat's Maze podcast. Produced by
Kings River Life Magazine, the podcast can be heard here.
Website Description:
This episode features the mystery short story The
Perfect Patsy written by Bern Sy Moss. It is read by local actor
Jessica Williams. The Perfect Patsy was published online in
2017 by Mysterical-E.
In each episode, we share with you mystery short
stories and mystery novel first chapters read by actors from the San Joaquin
Valley. Our theme song was written and performed by Kevin Memley. If you
enjoyed this episode please review or rate it as that helps more people be able
to find us! Also, consider subscribing so you never miss an episode-both to
this podcast and to our podcast newsletter.
If you would like to help support this podcast and
Kings River Life financially, and get some fun rewards, check out our Patreon Page.
You can also make a one time donation through Paypal and you can purchase some fun Mysteryrat's Maze
merchandise on Redbubble.
You can find more mystery fun on our websites Kings River Life Magazine and KRL News and Reviews.
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
SMFS Member Publishing News: Glass Houses by Brandon Barrows
SMFS list member Brandon Barrows short story, Glass
Houses, was published yesterday at TOUGH.
You can read the story online for free here.
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Unvarnished Gary Phillips: A Mondo Pulp Collection by Gary Phillips
Today is publication day for SMFS list member Gary
Phillips’ new book, The Unvarnished Gary Phillips: A Mondo Pulp
Collection. Published by Three Rooms Press, the read is available in digital
and print at the publisher,
Amazon,
and other vendors.
Publisher Description:
Award-winning author, screenwriter, and editor Gary
Phillips gathers his most thrilling, outlandish, and madcap pulp fiction in an
17-story collection that straddles the line between bizarro, science fiction,
noir, and superhero classics. Aztec vampires, astral projecting killers, oxygen
stealing bombs, undercover space rangers, aliens occupying Los Angeles, right
wing specters haunting the ’hood, masked vigilantes and mad scientists in their
underground lairs plotting world domination populate the stories in this
rip-snorting collection. In these pages grindhouse melds with blaxploitation
along with strong doses of B movie hardcore drive-in fare. Phillips, editor of
the Anthony Award-winning The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy
Noir, and author of One-Shot Harry, and Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple of
Harlem, said this about pulp. “The most common definition of pulp is it’s
fast-paced, a story containing out there characters and a wild plot. There is
that. But certainly, as we’ve now arrived at the era of retro-pulp, these
stories have elements of characterization…not just action but a glimpse behind
the steely eyes of these doers of incredible deeds.” As an added bonus,
Phillips resurrects Phantasmo, a Golden Age comics character created by Black
artist-writer E.C. Stoner in an all-new outing of ethereal doings.
Monday, October 9, 2023
SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Weekly #110
SMFS list members are published in Black Cat Weekly #110.
Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format. The
members and their stories are:
N.M. Cedeño with "A Matter of Trust."
Mark Thielman with "Grimalkin."
Website Description:
Our mystery selections kick off with “A Matter of Trust,”
N.M. Cedeño’s tale of a genetic genealogy detective trying to prove an
illegitimate child’s claim to a family trust. Thanks to Acquiring Editor
Michael Bracken for this one. And Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has a
Halloween-appropriate tale in “Grimalkin,” by Mark Thielman, in which a cat may
be more than it seems. We also have fantasist Phyllis Ann Karr’s first
sale—which turns out to be a mystery!—and a novel by British master J.S.
Fletcher. And, of course, no issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself
puzzler from Hal Charles.
Continuing our seasonal celebration of all things Halloween,
we have a pair of dark delights—tales by Adrian Cole and me. Have some ghoulish
shivers on us!
For lovers of science fiction, we have a recent tale by
Norman Spinrad, plus classics by Charles V. De Vet and Lester del Rey. Great
stuff.
Here’s the complete
lineup:
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
“A Matter of Trust,” by N.M. Cedeño [Michael Bracken
Presents short story]
“The Case of the Munificent Musketeer,” by Hal Charles
[Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
“Grimalkin,” by Mark Thielman [Barb Goffman Presents short
story]
“An Economical Means of Murder,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short
story]
The Herapath Property, by J.S. Fletcher [novel]
Science Fiction & Fantasy:
“In the Court of the Pumpkin King,” by Adrian Cole [short
storyx, Nick Nightmare series]
“Sand,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story, SCP series]
“Quarantine,” by Norman Spinrad [short story]
“Survival Factor,” by Charles V. De Vet [short story]
“The Band Played On,” by Lester del Rey [novelet]
SMFS Member Publishing News: The Refuge by James Patrick Focarile
SMFS list member James Patrick Focarile’s short story,
The Refuge, appears in the recently released anthology, JOURN-E: The
Journal of Imaginative Literature, Vol. 2, No. 2, Autumnal Equinox 2023, Whole
#4. The read is available in print format at Lulu.Com.
Website Description:
This is the fourth issue of JOURN-E: THE JOURNAL OF
IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE, Vol. 2, No. 2, Autumnal Equinox 2023, Whole #4. As with
the previous issues, JOURN-E is a presentation of short fiction, poetry,
non-fiction, and illustration across the various genres of the high imagination:
Adventure, Detection & Mystery, Fantasy, Horror & the Supernatural, and
Science Fiction.