Tuesday, July 30, 2024

SMFS Members Published in Smoking Guns


SMFS list members are published in the recently released anthology, Smoking Guns. Published by Wildside Press, the book is available at Amazon. The list members that reported being in the book are:

 

Paula Gail Benson with “Balance.”

 

Editor Kaye George with “Fences, Neighbors, and a Gun” and “Johnny and Hyde.”

 

Robert Mangeot with “Bet You're Wrong.”

 

Sharon Marchisello with “Hiding in Pistol Point.”

 

Tom Wood with “Takeout” and “The Wrong Guy.”

 

Amazon Description:

Dive into the gritty underworld with Smoking Guns, a collection of modern mystery and crime stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Edited by Kaye George, this anthology features tales of deception, revenge, and justice served cold. From the sleepy streets of small-town America to the dark alleys of the city, each story is a journey into the unexpected. With contributions from new and acclaimed authors, Smoking Guns delivers a thrilling mix of suspense and mystery.

HIDING IN PISTOL POINT, by Sharon Marchisello
JUST BENEATH, by Patrick Connolly
WARM NIGHTS IN COLD SHELTER, by Carmen Amato
BET YOU’RE WRONG, by Robert Mangeot
BALANCE, by Paula Gail Benson
LANDS AND GROOVES, by Ronald Demmans
THE WRONG GUY, by Tom Wood
TAKEOUT, by Tom Wood
IN THE STARS, by Patrick Connolly
FENCES, NEIGHBORS, AND A GUN, by Kaye George
BLOOD IN HILHAM, by Jeffrey Philips

 

Sunday, July 28, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Harvey and the Redhead by Debra H. Goldstein


SMFS list member Debra H. Goldstein reported that her short story, Harvey and the Redhead, appears in Black Cat Weekly #152. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format.

 

Publisher Description:

Three favorite series highlight this issue: First, Sherlock Holmes—or rather, several Sherlock Holmeses—feature in A.L. Sirois’s “The Matter of Time” (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken). Then burlesque queen turned private eye Velda returns in Ron Miller’s original tale, “Big Top Velda.” (You will recall several other Velda stories in recent months—and we have more upcoming!). And on the science fiction front, space opera misfit Lancelot Biggs stars in “The Downfall of Lancelot Biggs,” by Nelson Bond. Fun stuff!

   More highlights: Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has found a real winner in Debra H. Goldstein’s “Harvey and the Redhead.” (I’m a sucker for bar stories.) And our mystery novel is by Harold MacGrath.

   On the science fiction front, we have dark fantasies from British master John S. Glasby (who’s in his 90s and still writing) and Frank Belknap Long, plus space opera from Edmond Hamilton and classic SF from Lester del Rey.

   Here’s the complete lineup—

 

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

  • “The Matter of Time,” by A.L. Sirois [Michael Bracken Presents short story, Sherlock Holmes series]
  • “The Case of the Lost Library,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
  • “Harvey and the Redhead,” by Debra H. Goldstein [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
  • “Big Top Velda,” by Ron Miller [short story, Velda series]
  • The Blue Rajah Murder, by Harold MacGrath [novel]

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy: 

  • “The Matter of Time,” by A.L. Sirois [Michael Bracken Presents short story, Sherlock Holmes series]
  • “A Place of Shadows,” John S. Glasby [short story]
  • “Evans of the Earth-guard,” by Edmond Hamilton [short story]
  • “The Downfall of Lancelot Biggs,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story, Lancelot Biggs series]
  • “The Cottage,” by Frank Belknap Long [short story]
  • “The Life Watch,” by Lester del Rey [novella]

SMFS Members Published in TWISTED VOICES: Stories from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

 

SMFS list members are published in the recently released anthology, TWISTED VOICES: Stories from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Published by Level Short, imprint of Level best Books, the book is available at Bookshop.Org, Amazon, and other vendors. The list members that reported being in the book are:

 

Daniel C. Bartlett with “A Complicated History.”

 

Barb Goffman with “Dear Emily Etiquette.”

 

LaToya Jovena with “What Kind of Criminal.”

 

William Burton McCormick with “Cleopatran Cocktails.”

 

Gary Phillips with “The Kim Novak Effect.” 

 

Bookshop.Org Description: 

Enter the world of crime and suspense fiction in this anthology of stories from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in which the narrators are part of the mystery. From the caper to the noir tale, we hear from twenty speakers whose particular ways of thinking affect the storytelling in unexpected ways. With a tangled web of biases, personalities, brain chemistry, and even states of being, this book goes far beyond the simple unreliable narrator; sometimes, the reader must be careful not to be the unreliable one, and sometimes the puzzle can only be solved by the narrator's particular view of the world. This volume's lineup of award-winning authors will use their voices to demand you push the boundaries of your own perceptions through stories featuring crooks and kids, private eyes and struggling artists, and more.

 

Stories by: Doug Allyn, Joyce Carol Oates, Martin Edwards, LaToya Jovena, Ian Rankin, Andrew Klavan, Barb Goffman, Daniel C. Bartlett, Tom Tolnay, Hilary Davidson, O.A. Tynan, Ed Gorman, William Burton McCormick, Alice Hatcher, Gary Phillips, Angelique Fawns, Mat Coward, S.J. Rozan, Liza Cody, and Mike McHone. Editors: Janet Hutchings & Jackie Sherbow

SMFS Member Guest Post: The Art of the Short Story by January Bain


Please welcome fellow SMFS list member and author January Bain to the blog today...


The Art of the Short Story by January Bain

 

Good day to you,

 

By way of introduction, I’m January Bain, a Canadian author obsessed with Story. Short ones, long ones, and all lengths in between, whatever serves the purpose. I have written so many books now, I’ve lost count. But I do have a special fondness for the short story form and have been known to pen a few in my time.

 

What makes the short story form so powerful? How can one hope to compare to someone like Hemmingway with his powerful themes, his renowned use of economy of language and understated intensity. His ability to convey deep emotion and complex human experiences in a few pages can be said to be unparalleled. But no, the same applies to other writers: Virginia Wolfe, Agatha Christie, Alice Monroe, Margaret Atwood, Edgar Allen Poe, William Faulkner, too many to mention in a short blog post.

 

What makes a story memorable, at any length, in my opinion, is the execution of a powerful idea drawing on human emotion, leading the reader through a labyrinth of a journey filled with conflict toward a destination that reveals something of the human experience. And hopefully the wisdom we discover as we read, we can draw on in our own time of need, seeing how others dealt with adversity and triumph. But it’s the powerful idea that first needs to be addressed.

 

Are there any original ideas left? Probably not very many, if any, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use your own unique viewpoint to craft stories. Each person who is compelled to write and is willing to sit down for hours on end, alone, and does so, has something to say, something to offer others.

 

I sometimes ask myself this question: Why do we write, slave over each and every word, paragraph and scene, not happy until we have come close as possible to getting across our ideas to the world? At first light, it can be ego, thinking I can write a story as least as good as the one I’m reading, then later, it’s more focused as we mature, a celebration of all that is human.

 

The hero’s journey speaks to all of us in story form, providing a road map in how to deal with life’s inevitable difficulties. Whether you care most about injustice, truth, expressing love, good versus evil, identity and coming of age, fighting for human rights or the abuses of power and corruption, story can take you on an illuminating journey of discovery and bring you closer to others in the process. It helps one immensely to realize they are not alone in this world, that others have followed similar paths many, many times before. That they have lived to come out the other side, no doubt wiser and better able to cope after being tested, showing all of us how they managed the feat. And if they didn’t survive the journey, it also teaches us something. The short story does this so well. A short, intense glimpse of another world, another time, but always applicable to the present.

 

Of course, it’s assumed that one learns the structure of a short story, scintillating prose, making your characters as real as possible, with a plot and a hook that engages readers, no different than the longer novel form, except in brevity. Celebrated authors have taken all this onboard and more, to arrive at a diamond that others can relate to. A worthwhile enterprise celebrating the art of the short story.

 

I bid you adieu and happy reading.

 

January Bain/Storyteller 

 


January Bain ©2024 

January Bain firmly believes that stories unite us, that good stories help us to discover the commonality of the human experience by supporting values, empathy and understanding. January writes with her heart, mind, and soul, hoping that her novels will touch your life, giving you moments of freedom as you fly with her to other worlds. January and her husband live in rural Canada on peaceful acreage where a variety of wildlife comes to visit regularly and expects to be fed and paid attention to.

Saturday, July 27, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Houdini Act by Billie Livingston

 

SMFS list member Billie Livingston’s short story, Houdini Act, was recently published at The Saturday Evening Post. You can read the piece for free online here.

Monday, July 22, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Debt Owed by Brandon Barrows and Patrick Simpson


SMFS list member Brandon Barrows’ short story, Debt Owed, was published today at Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Flash!  The story was cowritten with Patrick Simpson. You can read the flash fiction story online for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Outfitters and Critters by John M. Floyd


SMFS list member John M. Floyd’s short story, Outfitters and Critters, appears in the July 29th issue of Woman's World. The issue is available in grocery stores, newsstands, and at Woman’s World.

SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Weekly #151

 

SMFS list members are published in Black Cat Weekly #151. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format. The list members in the issue are:

 

Tracy Falenwolfe with “Jamming at Jollies.”

 

Teel James Glenn with “White Face/Blood Red.”

 

Veronica Leigh with “Divine Discontent.”

  

Publisher Description:

This issue, we have five mystery stories, three of which are originals—tales by Tracy Falenwolfe (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), Veronica Leigh, and Teel James Glenn—these last two names should be familiar to regular readers from previous issues. We also have a great modern tale by Jonathan Santlofer (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman) and a classic pulp crime story set in the dark world of Las Vegas casinos by Bryce Walton. Plus, of course, a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles.

 

On the science fiction end, the Lancelot Biggs space opera series from Nelson Bond continues with “F-O-B Venus.” F-O-B was a more common term in early to mid 20th century. It stands for “Free on Board”—a term used in international shipping to indicate that the seller delivers the goods to a ship at a specified port, and the buyer assumes responsibility once the goods are on board and is responsible for shipping costs, insurance, and other expenses related to transporting the goods to their final destination. Rounding things out are a pair of novels: pulp action-adventure from Edmond Hamilton, then Lester del Rey’s classic tale of an atomic power plant heading toward meltdown. Great stuff.

 

Here’s the complete lineup—

 

Cover Art: Ron Miller

 

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

 

  • “Jamming at Jollies,” by Tracy Falenwolfe [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
  • “The Case of the Carried-off Coins,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
  • “Lola,” by Jonathan Santlofer [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
  • “Divine Discontent,” by Veronica Leigh [short story]
  • “White Face, Blood Red,” by Teel James Glenn [short story]
  • “Murderers Three,” by Bryce Walton [short story]

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

 

  • “F-O-B Venus,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story, Lancelot Biggs series]
  • Outside the Universe, by Edmond Hamilton [novel]
  • Nerves, by Lester del Rey [novel]

Thursday, July 18, 2024

SMFS Member 2024 Scribe Award Nominee: Terrie Moran


SMFS list member Terrie Moran reports that her novel, Murder, She Wrote: Fit for Murder was nominated for the 2024 Scribe Award in the “Original Novel—General” category by The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. The full list of The 2024 Scribe Award Nominees is on their website.

SMFS Member Publishing News: How Low Can You Go? by Sally Milliken


SMFS list member Sally Milliken reports that her short story, How Low Can You Go?, was published at Punk Noir Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Heart that Fed by Bev Vincent


SMFS list member Bev Vincent’s short story, The Heart that Fed, is published in the recently released anthology, About That Snowy Evening...: Stories Inspired by Classic Poems, from Emily Dickinson to Walt Whitman & More. Independently Published, the read is available at Amazon.

 

Amazon Description:

Poetry has inspired writers, artists, songwriters, and other artists for eons. About That Snowy Evening... offers 16 classic poems, and more than 20 short stories inspired by these poems, written by some of the most widely-published and highly-regarded writers working today.

A true hybrid, 
About That Snowy Evening... provides entertainment, insight, and an education in how the compression of language that bespeaks poetry can provide inspiration and spur the creative impulse.

Each story is different: they range from humanistic dramas, to ghost stories, crime thrillers, war stories, and childhood reminiscences.

Readers who are not familiar with poetry will be delighted at the classics offered, and the inspired stories will stimulate new understanding of literature and the power of the written word — in both poetic and prose formats.

SMFS Member Winner for the 2024 Public Safety Writers Association Awards: Frank Zafiro


SMFS list member Frank Zafiro reports that he won the below recognition at the Public Safety Writers Association conference held earlier this month.

 

Best Book Cover for Hope Dies Last (designed by Eric Beetner)

Mystery/Suspense (1st Place) for Hope Dies Last

Thriller (2nd Place - Tie) for Some Kind of Hell

Poetry (2nd Place) for When Something Slips (written as Frank Scalise... though I should have went with Zafiro, as it is a crime fiction poem...)

Short Story - Unpublished (Honorable Mention) for "The Second Degree" (written as Frank Saverio... it is science fiction/crime fiction)

Police Procedural (Honorable Mention) for All the Forgotten Yesterdays (River City #14)

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Something to Hold On To by Curtis Ippolito


SMFS list member Curtis Ippolito reported that his short story,  Something to Hold On To, is published in the recently released Dark Yonder: Issue 6. Published by Thalia Press, the read is available at Amazon.

 

Amazon Description:

A Single Moment.....

.... is all it takes to change a life forever. And a single life has such many such apocryphal moments in it. What will you do when the time comes for you? Stand up for yourself? Accept what fate has handed you? Or fight back against your destiny? Join us for Issue 6 of Dark Yonder as ten great neo noir authors explore the importance of life‘s turning points:

This is How it Begins by Patricia Abbott

Tooth by Steve Brewer

The Royal Court Quartet for Depression by Vince Carcangelo

Tether by Jill Haslam

Something To Hold On To by Curtis Ippolito

The Art Of Disappearance by April Kelly

Sweet Little Baby by Mike McHone

Hunting Weather by Karen Over

You Only Lose Them Once by James Queally

A Crime Story About Shit by Anthony Neil Smith

Issue 6 also features a special cocktail recipe for summer, along with commentary by editors Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt. 

SMFS Member Publishing News: Murder Houses by Ed Ridgley


SMFS list member Ed Ridgley’s short story, Murder Houses, was published at Punk Noir Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Lifestyle Changes by Gregory Meece


SMFS list member Gregory Meece’s short story, Lifestyle Changes, is published in the recently released Thriller Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 1. The read is available at Amazon.

 

Amazon Description:

Featuring established and new literary voices comes the ninth issue of Thriller Magazine!
---
This issue features short stories that will leave readers on the edge of their seat. Showcasing a wide range of tales, everything from psychological thrillers, to brutal tales of murder, to political thrillers, and much more, this issue has it all!

Authors included are:

Arthur Davis, Peter DiChellis, Philip Kimbrough, J.B. Stevens, William J. Baker, Myrna Davis, & Gregory Meece

Monday, July 15, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Shadow Hunt by Teel James Glenn

 

SMFS list member Teel James Glenn reported that his short story, Shadow Hunt, appears in Black Cat Weekly #150. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format.

 

Publisher Description:

Welcome to our 150th issue.

This time, we have terrific original tales by Neil S. Plakcy, Britin Haller & Shane Gericke, Bob Tippee, and Teel James Glenn ... plus novels by Natalie Sumner Lincoln and Gans T. Field, and classic stories by Jack Williamson, Nelson S. Bond, Jack Sharkey, and Larry Tritten ... plus a solve-it-yourself mystery by Hal Charles ... all jam-packed into 521 pages! Hours of great reading await.

Here's the lineup:

 

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

  • “The Shandiclere,” by Neil S. Plakcy [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
  • “The Campground Caper,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
  • “So Many Shores in Crookland,” by Britin Haller & Shane Gericke [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
  • “Private Equity,” by Bob Tippee [short story]
  • The Three Strings, by Natalie Sumner Lincoln [novel]

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

  • “Shadow Hunt,” by Teel James Glenn [short story]
  • “The Bird of Time,” by Larry Tritten [short story]
  • “The Second Shell,” by Jack Williamson [short story]
  • “The Madness of Lancelot Biggs,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story]
  • “The Man Who Was Pale” by Jack Sharkey [short story]
  • The Pale Ones Shall Dance, by Gans T. Field [novel]

SMFS Member Publishing News: In The End by Jacqueline Freimor


SMFS list member Jacqueline Freimor reported that her short story, In the End, was published in Rock and a Hard Place: Issue 11, Summer 2024. Published by Rock and a Hard Place Press, the read is available at Amazon.


 

Amazon Description:

You realize you've kidnapped a baby . . . And you're the good guy

You thought you knew the story of Ken McElroy and Skidmore, MO

The world or your family. Choose

You've spent your life not getting involved, but now you're faking it for your life and hers

Rock and a Hard Place Magazine returns with issue 11, featuring more of the most breathtaking, sweltering, realest fiction around, featuring some of the world’s finest writers at their grimiest and most unforgiving, including:

Joshua Murray, Colin Brightwell, Stefen Styrsky, Mary Thorson, Jay Bechtol, Jacqueline Freimor, Jason Allison, Christine Blackwicks, Jane Hertenstein, Anthony Neil Smith, John Weagly, and Casey Woolfolk

Rock and a Hard Place is the literary magazine that knows that when you go 11 out of 10, you’re bound to get 86’d.

Friday, July 12, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Ghost Drinking My Gin Wasn’t the Worst of My Problems by Lynne Curry


SMFS list member Lynne Curry’s short story, The Ghost Drinking My Gin Wasn’t the Worst of My Problems, was recently published at Flash Fiction Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.

Thursday, July 11, 2024

SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Weekly #149


SMFS list members are published in Black Cat Weekly #149. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format. The list members in the issue are:

 

Joslyn Chase with “A Killer View.”

 

Eve Fisher with “Sophistication.”

 

Mark Thielman with “Dramatis Personae.”

 

Publisher Description:

This issue, we have original mysteries by Mark Thielman (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Joslyn Chase, plus a modern classic by Eve Fisher (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Our novel is a Golden Age tale by Isabel Ostrander. Of course, there’s also a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles.

   On the more fantastic side of things, we have a dark fantasy from British master Edmund Glasby, plus a classic tale by Allen Kim Lang...who, at age 95, is still with us. (His most recent story appeared in Analog in 2020.) Plus we have a Lancelot Biggs story by Nelson Bond, a classic SF story by Randall Garrett, and a fantasy novel by Manly Wade Wellman. Good stuff!

   Here’s the complete lineup—

 

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

  • “Dramatis Personae,” by Mark Thielman [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
  • “The Black Bandana Kid Rides Again,” by Hal Blythe Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
  • “Sophistication,” by Eve Fisher [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
  • “A Killer View,” by Joslyn Chase [short story]
  • Ashes to Ashes, by Isabel Ostrander [novel]

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

  • “Something About Spiders,” by Edmund Glasby [short story]
  • “Lancelot Biggs Cooks a Pirate,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story]
  • “The Price of Eggs,” by Randall Garrett [short story]
  • “I, Gardener,” by Allen Kim Lang [short story]
  • Fearful Rock, by Manly Wade Wellman [novel]