Wednesday, September 18, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection by Leslie Budewitz


SMFS list member Leslie Budewitz reported that her latest book, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, was now out. Published by Beyond the Page Publishing, the book is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

Born into slavery in Tennessee, the remarkable “Stagecoach Mary” Fields was a larger-than-life figure who cherished her independence, yet formed a deep bond with the Ursuline Sisters, traveling to their Montana mission in 1885 and spending the last thirty years of her life living there or in nearby Cascade. Mary is believed to have been the first Black woman in the country to drive a U.S. Postal Star Route, the source of her nickname.

In 
All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories, Agatha Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz brings together three short stories, each originally published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, imagining the life of Stagecoach Mary in her first year in Montana, and a novella exploring her later life, including:

All God’s Sparrows
, winner of the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story; Miss Starr’s Goodbye, a nominee for the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Derringer Award; Coming Clean, a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s 2021 Spur Award for Best Short Story; and A Bitter Wind, a brand-new novella in which Mary helps a young woman newly arrived in the valley solve the mystery of her fiancĂ©'s death and his homesteading neighbors’ bitterness toward him.

Includes an abbreviated bibliography and historical notes from the author.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Good Girls by Serena Jayne


SMFS list member Serena Jayne reported that her short story, Good Girls, was published at Shotgun Honey. You can read the piece for free online here.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Lady and the Diner by Kaye George


SMFS list member Kaye George reports that her short story, The Lady and the Diner, was published online at Killer Nashville.  You can read it for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Perfect Pieces by Jay Butkowski


SMFS list member Jay Butkowski reports that his short story, Perfect Pieces, was recently published at TOUGH. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Snowed: A Phee Mahoney Adventure Mystery by Twist Phelan


SMFS list member Twist Phelan reported that her new book, Snowed: A Phee Mahoney Adventure Mystery is now out. Published by Bronzeville Books, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

Welcome to Bristlecone, Colorado--home of skiing, snowboarding, and secrets.

As if navigating the eighth grade weren't challenging enough for twelve-year-old spy aficionada Ophelia (Phee) Mahoney, she's caught in an avalanche of trouble when she investigates a classmate's disappearance on a school ski trip and a hit-and-run that leaves a friend in a coma.

The town's sheriff, who's also the father of Phee's crush, considers the hit-and-run an accident, but Phee thinks a sinister motive was behind it. Aided by her friends, Jeopardy!-obsessed Joshua and jockette Kimiko, Phee puts her life on the line to bring justice to her home town.

SMFS Members Published in Games People Play: Final Move


Today is publication day for the digital version of Games People Play: Final Move. Collected here are the written versions of the podcast episodes that are part of the seventh season of the Mysteries To Die For podcast. Published by Mysteries To Die For, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their short stories in the read are:

 

Paul A. Barra with “A Scent of Murder.”

 

Chuck Brownman with "Get a Clue."

 

Kaye George with "In a Pickle."

 

Kathleen Marple Kalb with "Sorry Not Sorry."

 

Amazon Description:

Games are a thing for children; a pastime for those with nothing better to do…or are they?

At the most basic level, games are competitions that are conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Sometimes those goals are mutual, but most of the time, not so much. Games are a part of every culture and go back further than human records. Take the simple marble which has been found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, in the ashes in Pompeii, and in North American native archeology. Games are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal.

For your puzzle solving pleasure, Mysteries to Die For presents: Games People Play in a two-part anthology. Part two is Final Move.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Floor 24 by Martin Hill Ortiz


Today is publication day for SMFS list member Martin Hill Ortiz’s new book, Floor 24. Published by Oliver-Heber Books, the book is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

Manhattan, 1926.

A pen falls from a high rise and shatters at the feet of New York World reporter and World War vet Alan Priest. Its broken barrel bears the name and office of Fritch Designs on the 24th floor. On a whim, he investigates. After he reaches Floor 24, he finds a window open and a corpse on the sidewalk below. A gawker from a nearby office window recognizes the corpse by her dress, sees Alan looking out the victim's window and screams.

Someone bolts from the office, and a hasty pursuit ends in a policeman being hurled to his death and Alan being accused of both murders.

He seeks shelter with the help of gentlemen's club hostess Lorraine Marquette, which lands both of them in police custody. But the mob king of New York has the police in his clutches and soon Alan and Lorraine find themselves released solely to uncover the secret behind Fritch Designs, a secret that could cost them their lives as they evade assassins and brave the lethal heights of a city growing at a mad pace.

Floor 24 is a heart-stopping, old-fashioned adventure with a reckless pace and breakneck twists.


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.