Monday, September 16, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Betrayal: A Storefront Assassin Novel by Ed Teja


SMFS list member Ed Teja reported that his new book, Betrayal: A Storefront Assassin Novel is now out. Published by Float Street Press, the book is available at Amazon.

 

Amazon Description:

Tina’s best friend is in a bit of trouble.

A drug deal went south, and several people got killed, including Beryl’s boyfriend. Now she is being stalked by his biker gang—and the cops. Tina Clarke wants to help, but her only real skills are very specific—those of a professional, government-trained assassin.

Army Intelligence prefers that the assassin disappear. Someone betrayed Tina’s special ops unit, leaving her the sole survivor, kicked out on a medical discharge. Tina wants to know why. She’ll kill to find out.

Readers who enjoyed the heart-pumping action and suspense of Lee Child's Jack Reacher will love Tina Clarke—she’s less macho, more deadly.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Haircut by Margaret Lucke


SMFS list member Margaret Lucke reported that her short story, Haircut, was published at Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Flash! You can read the flash fiction story online for free here.

SMFS Members Published in New York State of Crime: Murder New York Style 6

 

Today is publication day for New York State of Crime: Murder New York Style 6. Containing short stories by members of the Sisters in Crime New York/Tri-State Chapter, the anthology is published by Down and Out Books. The read is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their short stories in the book are:

 

Nikki Knight with "Things Look Different Up Here."

 

Adam Meyer with "Rockaway Beach.”

 

Rebecca Olmstead with "A Deadly Conundrum.”

 

Michele Bazan Reed with “Mayhem on the Cheddar Express.”

 

Cathi Stoler with "Another Opening. Another Show."

 

Nina Wachsman with "Murder at the Ziegfeld Follies.”

 

Description

New York is a state where mystery and secrets thrive. A state of chaos. A state of confusion. And above all, a state of crime. No matter what the time period, or the venue—the world of high tech, the media, tourism, or the arts—criminals have infiltrated every aspect of New York life. But what these ne’er-do-wells soon learn is that New Yorkers are smart and resilient. Some count on their wits, others their computer skills, and still others their physical strength, but when risk arises, New Yorkers fight back. Hard.

In this anthology, authored by acclaimed Sisters in Crime NY/Tri-State authors, you’ll realize just how hard. You’ll learn how computer hacking can kill more than just a business, sense the sweet scent of death in Old New York, and discover how an Internet chef parlayed a chopped liver debacle into big bucks and even bigger danger. You’ll tag along on city tours that rat out Manhattan, witness a radio broadcaster’s afternoon break turn deadly, and gasp as a psychologist with questionable ethics gets what’s coming to him. In these pages, a death at the Ziegfeld Theater is clearly not folly, and some hitchhikers want more than just a ride. Busybodies, whether fighting neighborhood crime or interruptions at Carnegie Hall, uncover plots devious and perverse; an actress suffers something far worse than bad reviews, and DNA testing leads to family trees ridden with gnarled limbs. Whether they’re trying to shake an ex-lover, a fall from grace, or an infamous former life and reputation, these characters find their lives taking unexpected turns. Meet the tarot reader who finds solving crimes in the cards, the police officer who finds himself in a pickle, the single woman whose hike turns into a date with death, the detective with a cheesy assignment, and the novelist who takes extraordinary steps to protect her royalties.

Included are stories by such acclaimed authors as Nancy Bilyeau, Susan Breen, Paula Bernstein, D.M. Barr, Joseph R.G. De Marco, Susan Egan, Nancy Good, Nikki Knight, Nina Mansfield, Adam Meyer, Karen Odden, Rebecca Olmstead, Ellen Quint, Michele Bazan Reed, Lori Robbins, Catherine Siemann, Triss Stein, Cathi Stoler, Izolda Trakhtenberg, and Nina Wachsman.

On every page, these authors have created tales of New Yorkers who take on unspeakable challenges. Your challenge will be to stop reading before night turns to day.

Sunday, September 15, 2024

SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Weekly #159


SMFS list members are published in Black Cat Weekly #159. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format. The list members that reported being in the issue are:

 

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier with “Mother’s Day Tea.”

 

Kathleen Marple Kalb with “Mow Way Out.”

 

 

Publisher Description:

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

 

“Mother’s Day Tea,” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier [Michael Bracken Presents short story]

At a seemingly innocent kindergarten Mother’s Day tea, Briana Carter arrives late and out of place, feeling the pressure of keeping up with the other polished moms. But behind her professional exterior, Briana has a darker motive.

 

“Who Stole Annie Oakley’s Golden Gun?” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]

When Fanny Fister’s prized possession—a gold-plated Colt .45 once owned by Annie Oakley—vanishes from her gun safe, State Police Detective Kelly Stone is called in to solve the locked-room mystery. Can you solve it before Kelly does?

 

“Business As Usual,” by Wayne J. Gardiner [Barb Goffman Presents short story]

Lucille is a cold-blooded specialist for hire, used to handling “business” for the Chicago Outfit. After a risky job in Kansas City, she returns to New York with doubts creeping in—did she make a mistake by taking a little extra on the side? When a hitman in a brown suit tails her at LaGuardia, it’s clear Walter, the polished underboss who hired her, isn’t done. Lucille must think fast and act faster. But how long can she stay ahead?

 

“Mow Way Out,” by Kathleen Marple Kalb [short story]

When Christian Shaw, a history buff and single mom, finds her neighbor, Mr. Berducci, unresponsive in his tomato patch, it seems like a tragic accident. But her young son, Henry, notices something odd about the trowel near the body.

 

The House of Intrigue, by Arthur Stringer [novel]

When Baddie Pretlow gets caught up in a web of deception and crime, she finds herself at the center of a dangerous game involving stolen jewels, false identities, and ruthless criminals. As she navigates a world of con artists and crooks, Baddie must decide who she can trust—especially when it comes to the enigmatic Wendy Washburn, who may be her salvation…or her downfall.

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

 

“Snail Ghost,” by Will Murray [Darrell Schweitzer Presents short story]

Under a mysterious blue moon in Tibet, an otherworldly traveler encounters a snail-like entity with a plea for help. Drawn through a strange, dimensionless door, they uncover a timeless space filled with unsettling figures—mirror images of themselves!

 

“Nightmare on Ice,” by John S. Glasby [short story]

The polar base is under siege by an otherworldly force in the depths of an unrelenting Arctic winter. When a scientist, Spender, dies mysteriously and leaves behind strange tracks in the snow, the remaining men of the expedition face an escalating series of supernatural terrors.

 

“Where Are You, Mr. Biggs?” by Nelson S. Bond [short story, Lancelot Biggs series]

Lancelot Biggs, the brilliant but eccentric First Mate of the spaceship Saturn, invents a revolutionary “velocity intensifier” that propels the crew on a high-speed journey to Uranus. When a miscalculation puts them on a collision course with Jupiter, disaster seems unavoidable—unless Biggs can perform a miracle!

 

“The Nobles Are Coming,” by Gene Cross [short story]

Trapped in a Martian cave, archeologist Ross encounters the unnerving presence of a man named J.J. Abrogado, a prospector with a deep obsession over the mysterious, deadly creatures known as the Nobles. These towering, regal beings are infamous for making humans disappear, leaving behind only husks of their former selves…



Cities in the Air, by Edmond Hamilton [novel]

In a future where massive floating cities dominate the skies, Captain Martin Brant finds himself at the center of an epic aerial war between global superpowers. As enemy forces close in with devastating new weapons, Brant and his crew must pull off a daring mission to infiltrate and hijack the enemy’s flagship city in a desperate bid to turn the tide!

Thursday, September 12, 2024

SMFS Members Published in Crimeucopia - Let Me Tell You About...

 

SMFS list members are published in the recently released anthology, Crimeucopia – Let Me Tell You About… . Published by Murderous Ink Press, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors. SMFS list members that reported being in the read are:

 

Michael Bracken with “Black Mack.”

 

Jim Guigli with “Supply and Demand.”

 

Vinnie Hansen with “A Perfect Place to Die.”

 

V.S. Kemanis with “A Father's Duty.”

 

Beverle Graves Myers with “Jewboy in Dallas.”

 

Kevin R. Tipple with “Package of Pain.”

 

Martin Zeigler with “Your Ticket To Freedom.”

 

Publisher Description:

If Looks Could Kill, She Would Have Been An Uzi….

…Or more likely a shotgun. I mean, Lawd knows what those two ever saw in each other in the first place, and that’s a fact. Don’t believe me? Well, let me tell you about the time when….

But that’s how it usually starts, doesn’t it? Someone says something, which reminds someone else about…. And so the anecdotal avalanche begins.

This time there’s 19 storytellers:

Vinnie Hansen, V.S. Kemanis, David Krugler, Robert Jeschonek, Beverle Graves Myers, Kirk Landers, James Lee Proctor, Victor Kreuiter, K. Arlington Andrews, Michael Bracken, Kevin R. Tipple, William Flores, Robert Sumner, Jim Guigli, James Roth, Michael Zimecki, Sebastian Corbascio, Martin Zeigler, and John Bertram Fawet III

They're all gathered around the front counter of the Crimeucopia Shots to Hell  Bar & Grill — and more than willing to tell you about how it is, or was, or even will be….

So, over the background sounds from an old jukebox loaded with worn out 45s (vinyl rather than the likes of a Px4 Storm), settle back and take in their individual stories. We guarantee there’ll be Crimesapleanty indeed…

Enough to keep going until the Editorial bar staff call for glasses and ask the age old question:

“Don’t any of you writers have homes to go to?!”

As with all of these anthologies, we hope you’ll find something that you immediately like, as well as something that takes you out of your late night Cocktail comfort zone — and puts you into a completely new one.

Because, in the Happy Hour spirit of our Murderous Ink Press motto:

You never know what you like until you read it.

Paperback Edition ISBN: 9781909498600  eBook Edition ISBN: 9781909498617

 

 

Sunday, September 8, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: Edie by Merrilee Robson


SMFS list member Merrilee Robson reported that her short story, Edie, appears in Black Cat Weekly #158. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format.

 

Publisher Description:

This time, we have an original mystery from Jack Roney (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and modern mysteries from Merrilee Robson (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman) and James Holding. Our mystery novel is from Golden Age author John Esteven. And, of course, Hal Charles returns with another solve-it-yourself puzzler.

   On the science fiction and fantasy side, we have a terrific tale from Anna Tambour, plus classics by Nelson S. Bond, Edmond Hamilton, Roger Dee, and Frank Belknap Long. Good stuff.

   Here’s the complete lineup—

 

Cover Art: Ron Miller

 

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

  • “The Tom Baker Mystery,” by Jack Roney [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
  • “The Golden Girl Is Gone,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
  • “Edie,” by Merrilee Robson [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
  • “Test Run,” by James Holding [short story]
  • The Door of Death, by John Esteven [novel]

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

  • “The Syncopation Streak,” by Anna Tambour [short story]
  • “The Love Song of Lancelot Biggs,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story, Lancelot Biggs series]
  • “The Space Visitors,” by Edmond Hamilton [short story]
  • “The Man Who Found Out,” by Roger Dee [short story]
  • “Two Way Destiny,” by Frank Belknap Long [short story]

SMFS Member Publishing News: Study Guide for Murder: A Master Class Mystery by Lori Robbins


SMFS list member Lori Robbins reports that her new book, Study Guide for Murder: A Master Class Mystery, was published early last week. Released by Level Best Books, the book is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

Murder has no place in Liz Hopewell's perfect suburban life. She left her complicated past behind when she moved from Brooklyn to New Jersey, and she's determined to forget the violence that shadowed her early years. As an English teacher, wife, and mother, Liz now confines her fascination with existential dread to classroom discussions about Frankenstein and Hamlet. But violence follows her from the mean streets of her childhood home to the manicured lawns of suburbia when Elliot Tumbleson's head has an unfortunate and deadly encounter with a golf club. Her golf club.

A second murder, a case of mistaken identity, and a rollicking trip back to her childhood home all point to one prime suspect in each crime. Liz embarks upon a double investigation of homicides past and present, using her gift for literary theory to unearth clues that she finds as compelling as forensic evidence. But the killers, like her students, don't always read to the end.

Saturday, September 7, 2024

2024 Anthony Award Winners: Ticket to Ride by Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski


As announced at Bouchercon: Nashville, SMFS list members Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski won the 2024 Anthony Award in the Best Short Story category for their short story, "Ticket to Ride." The winning tale was published in the anthology, Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles. (Editor Josh Pachter, Down & Out Books, October 2023). 

 

This story also won an Agatha Award earlier this year.

 

Friday, September 6, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Lucky One by Susan Alice Bickford


SMFS list member Susan Alice Bickford reports that her short story, The Lucky One, is published at The Saturday Evening Post. You can read the piece for free online here.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #15


Several SMFS list members have been published in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #15. 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:

 

Editor Michael Bracken with the editorial, “From the Cat's Perch.”

 

Marcelle Dubé with “Getting Back into Heaven.”

 

Elizabeth Elwood with “The Child.”

 

John M. Floyd with “A Cold Day in Helena.”

 

Tara Laskowski and Art Taylor with “After Their Convictions, Six Murderers Reflect on How Killing Mr. Boddy Changed Their Lives.”

 

Josh Pachter translated Gert-Jan van den Bemd’s sort story, “Promises to Keep.”

 

Amazon Description:

This issue of Black Cat Mystery Magazine features a fresh array of gripping short crime and mystery stories. From heart-pounding tales of suspense to more subtle explorations of crime, each story showcases unique voices in the genre. Included are: ARMADILLO BY MORNING, by Stacy Woodson AFTER THEIR CONVICTIONS, SIX MURDERERS REFLECT ON HOW KILLING MR. BODDY CHANGED THEIR LIVES, by Tara Laskowski and Art Taylor PROMISES TO KEEP, by Gert-Jan Van Den Bemd A COLD DAY IN HELENA, by John M. Floyd HUMAN WASTE, by Davin Ireland HIVA-OA, by J.W. Wood MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY, by R.T. Lawton LUXURY GOODS, by R.M. Lowery THE CHILD, by Elizabeth Elwood GETTING BACK INTO HEAVEN, by Marcelle Dubé AN IMP IN SPY’S CLOTHING, by Robert Jeschonek LET'S SETTLE THIS, by Jack Ritchie

SMFS Member Publishing News: No Job For An Old Man by Bern Sy Moss


SMFS list member Bern Sy Moss reports that her short story, No Job For An Old Man, was recently published at The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read it online for free here.

SMFS Members Published in Midsummer Mysteries Short Stories: From the Crime Writers Association (Beyond and Within)

 

SMFS members have short stories in the recently published anthology, Midsummer Mysteries Short Stories: From the Crime Writers Association (Beyond and Within). Published by Flame Tree Collections, the book is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their short stories in the book are:

 

G.M. Malliet with “Fear of Missing Out.”

 

William Burton McCormick with “City Without Shadow.”

 

Art Taylor with “The Gained Ground.”

 

Publisher Description:

From the Crime Writers' Association, a beautiful new book of short stories, designed as a perfect gift for the reader of crime and mystery, and a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Editor Martin Edwards has commissioned an entertaining range of stories from the membership of the world's most celebrated group of crime and mystery writers, the Crime Writers' Association (CWA). Founded over 70 years ago by John Creasey, the Crime Writers’ Association supports, promotes and celebrates this most durable, adaptable and successful of genres, while supporting writers of every kind of crime fiction and non-fiction. In this new collection, enjoy 19 original, thrilling mysteries packed full of enthralling characters, drama and intrigue, by the following authors: SJ Bennett, J.C. Bernthal, Chris Curran, Judith Cutler, Luke Deckard, Victoria Dowd, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Helen Fields, Paula Lennon, G.M. Malliet, William Burton McCormick, Tom Mead, Christine Poulson, Jacquie Rogers, Meeti Shroff-Shah, Chris Simms, Art Taylor and L.C. Tyler.

The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices, often with myth-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Courtesan's Pirate: A Venice Beauties Mystery by Nina Wachsman


SMFS list member Nina Wachsman reported that today is publication day for her book, The Courtesan's Pirate: A Venice Beauties Mystery. Published in digital format by Level Best Books - Level Historia, this is the third book in the series that began with TheGallery of Beauties: A Venice Beauties Mystery. The read is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

1614. At long last, Belladonna has been reunited with Isaak, a pirate captain, on the island of Jamaica. Amidst the chaos of hurricanes and Spanish marauders, they are separated. When she discovers her beloved Isaak is captured and bound for execution in Spain, Belladonna goes back to Venice, planning to leverage her allies to save him, only to learn her influence has diminished. Now facing cunning adversaries and shifting alliances, she must navigate perilous intrigues in a high-stakes bid to rescue Isaak from a tragic fate. Belladonna risks everything, including her own safety, in a daring gambit to save the man she loves.

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

SMFS Members Published in Tales of Music Murder and Mayhem: Bouchercon Nashville 2024 Anthology


Tales of Music Murder and Mayhem: Bouchercon Nashville 2024 Anthology is now available.  Published by Down & Out Books, the anthology is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their short stories in the book are:

 

 

Mary Dutta with “The Boyz in the Band.”

 

Merrilee Robson with “The Guadagnini Cello.”

 

Peggy Rothschild with “The Same Old Song.”  

 

H.K. Slade with “A Piper Has Fallen.”

 

Mark Troy with “The Car Hank Died In.”

 

Publisher Description

Music City, sometimes known as Nashville, has a 200-year history indelibly intertwined with music. Folk, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass, jazz, C&W, disco, classical, the sounds of Nashville are woven into the heart and soul of the city. Every city has its dark side and Nashville is no exception. Music may soothe the savage beast, but when the piper falls the beast emerges from the shadows to murder the not-so-innocent and sow mayhem on the unsuspecting.

Indulge in twenty-four mesmerizing tales crafted by talented Bouchercon writers of mystery. These stories share a melody of music, murder, and mayhem: A gift given with strings attached, even to a cello, can backfire. Would you kill for that lucky break—kill to be the One? Do you recognize the murderous details hidden in that ballad’s lyrics? When music and murder mix, will the past remain the past? Are the voices of the dead harmonizing in that hauntingly beautiful song? And more: stories of tailor-made revenge, the price of heckling, and the perils of being in a boy band.

Music lives forever, but while you’re still here, enjoy these tales of revenge and retribution, murder and obsession, robbery and rock ‘n’ roll, stolen dreams and thwarted desires, the blues and a comeback at any cost, all inspired by Nashville’s legacy of music.

With stories by the exceptional and amazing: Eric Beckstrom, Eric Beetner, Valerie (V.M.) Burns, Emily Carpenter, HC Chan, Michael Amos Cody, Tina deBellegarde, Mary Dutta, Michael Ferreter, Barry Fulton, Heather Graham, Rachel Howzell Hall and M.G. Hall, Sarah Zachrich Jeng, D.P. Lyle, Jenny Ramaley, Merrilee Robson, Peggy Rothschild, H.K. Slade, Clay Stafford, Kelli Stanley, JD Trafford, Mark Troy, Gabriel Valjan, and Erica Wright.

 

Sunday, September 1, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: The General, the Mole, and the Perfectly Tailored Monster by C. Dan Castro


SMFS list member C. Dan Castro reports that his short story, The General, the Mole, and the Perfectly Tailored Monster, is published in Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder No. 15: September 2024. Published by Hobb's End Press, the issue is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

Welcome to Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder, an extraordinary anthology magazine that transcends the boundaries of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. Prepare to embark on a thrilling journey through the darkest corners of the human imagination, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the mundane transforms into a realm of unspeakable terror and awe-inspiring wonder.

Within these pages, you'll discover a collection of captivating stories carefully curated to transport you to realms beyond the mundane. Each issue presents an array of unique tales crafted by talented visionaries, both established and emerging, who dare to defy conventions and push the boundaries of speculative fiction.

Whether you're a seasoned lover of the fantastic or just curious to explore new frontiers, 
Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder will be your guide through the realms of the extraordinary. Prepare to be enthralled, enchanted, haunted. So put on your dark sunglasses … and unleash your inner Black Sheep.

In this issue:

LABYRINTH
Kelly Hossaini


MARA RUNS
Elizabeth Rosen


THE CRADLE EXPEDITION
Spencer Sekulin


THE FALLEN
NP Cunniffe


NAPOLEON: PART TWO
Wayne Kyle Spitzer


THE GENERAL, THE MOLE, AND THE PERFECTLY TAILORED MONSTER
C. Dan Castro


THE PILLS
Ethan Cordeta


THE PROBLEM WITH TREVOR
Lawrence Dagstine


UPGRADE UNDERGROUND
Mikel J. Wisler


WHAT LAY BELOW
George Hagler