The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: A Cornucopia of Great Reads from the Short Mystery Fiction Society

The past few weeks have seen a virtual explosion of great new publications from the talented writers of the Short Mystery Fiction Society! Looking to get away from AI slop and doomscrolling? Treat yourself to some of these terrific tales!

Leading off with bittersweet news: for the last several years, Black Cat Weekly has provided lovers of mystery, sci-fi, and pulp adventure with hundreds of pages a week of new and classic tales. Sadly, that run has come to an end with issue #270, which includes stories by, among many others, SMFS's Bobbi Chukran and Paula Messina, following up stories in other recent issues by such stalwarts as Barb Goffman, Michael Bracken, and Debra Goldstein. The whole run of the magazine is still available for purchase, at least for the time being--grab 'em while you can! And on November 13, look for the first issue of the new Black Cat Mysteries from Level Best Books, including stories from Joseph S. Walker Gabriel Valjan, Karen A. Phillips and others. The legacy lives on!
Don't forget the other new player on the crime fiction scene--SMFS Mystery Magazine! Featuring powerhouse stories, essays and reviews from Ginny Swart, Mat Coward, Eve Fisher, S. B. Watson, Gerald Elias, Jim Guigli, Ed Teja, N. M. Cedeňo, Kevin R. Tipple, Me. Proctor, June Lorraine Roberts, Vinnie Hansen, and Nikki Knight, this first issue is a sure-fire collector's item!
Another new mystery magazine has arrived! Umbra hosts John M. Floyd's "Rainbow's End"!
The annual release of The Best American Mystery and Suspense is always cause for celebration! The 2026 edition, from series editor Steph Cha and guest editor Megan Abbott, includes contributions from Mark Thielman, Gabriela Stiteler, and M. E. Proctor, alongside many others. It's always a pleasure to see SMFS represented in these august pages!
Another annual volume that always delivers is Best New England Crime Stories. This year's edition, Death Camas, includes stories from Zakariah Johnson and Steve Liskow, with many other New England authors and setting chiming in. A highlight of any reader's shelf!

Another not-to-be-missed annual volume is the Bouchercon anthology. Coming from this year's Calgary conference, The Lines We Cross includes stories from John M. Floyd and donalee Moulton!
From the minds that brought you the podcast Mysteries to Die For comes Stuff That Can Kill You, stories of everyday hazards turned into the perfect murder weapons. Twisty tales from a murderer's row of top-noth writers, including Robert J. Binney, Wil A. Emerson, Kathleen Kalb and Ed Teja!

Staying on the anthology tip, Songs to Woody features authors including Zakariah Johnson and Stephen M. Pierce paying tribute to the great Woody Guthrie through stories and poems bringing his populist drive to the present day. Timely and thrilling!
Abe Margel is among the writers bringing you to the dark side in the anthology Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares!
Check out this double whammy from SMFS all-star Bobbi Chuckran: the spine-tingling Kindle Single The Spectre of Eleanor Sutton--A Ghostly Tale and, for even more tales of terror, her collection Halloween Thirteen: A Collection of Spooky & Strange Short Stories. Halloween may be over, but it's never too late for a good scare!
Close to the Bone brings hard-hitting, bleak boxing noir to the masses in Jonas Paterno's Stumblebums!
The anthology Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy brings together a host of stories to keep you turning the pages, including Debra H. Goldstein's "My Pinball Knight"!
At Ratbag, James Patrick Focarile tells us about "Some Other Time"!
Yellow Mama issue #118 brings a touch of noir with a score of great stories, including Sandra Cady's "New Orleans Bound" and Joseph S. Walker's "Things That Never Happened at a Place That Doesn't Exist"!
Mystery Tribune checks in with Bobbi Chuckran's "Saturday Night at the Hideout Hotel" and Abe Margel's "Weather Report"!
At Literary Garage, check out a bit of flash fiction brilliance with K. C. Selby's "The Silk Target"!

Over in the virtual pages of Guilty Crime Story Magazine, Jessica Slee offers up "The Copycat"!
On Instagram, Nick Guthrie has launched a news series of shorts for your pleasure with Nick's Briefs!
Congratulations to SMFS's own G.M. Malliet for taking first prices in the comedy category in the Writer's Digest 95th annual competition! Jennifer and Jessica Slee also took honors, with their co-authored "Sand Trap" in 14th place and Jennifer's "Pawn Sacrifice" in 15th!
As always, SMFS authors are not confined to writing short stories! In K.L. Abrahamson's The Memory Palace, a seasoned detective investigates a case that forces her to confront her own mother's fading memories, and a truth she may not be ready to face!
And in Veronica Leigh's Eye for an Eye: A Lady Sheriff Mystery, a widow takes on her late husband's sheriff position, bringing justice to a small town!
M. E. Proctor brings us the latest in his fan-favorite Declan Shaw series with The Way You Say My Name!
SMFS authors are scholars of the form as well! For evidence, look no farther than donalee Moulton's "The Trials and Tribulations of Researching Life--and Death--in 1734," in the new issue of the invaluable Mystery Readers Journal.