The First Two Pages: “Moe’s Seafood House” by Ramona DeFelice Long

The First Two Pages:  “Moe’s Seafood House” by Ramona DeFelice Long

Little Big Crimes Review: Shall I Be Murder? by Mat Coward

Little Big Crimes: Shall I Be Murder?, by Mat Coward: "Shall I Be Murder?", by Mat Coward, in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2019. A lot of good stories in...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 41

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list….

Got time for a quick one? This week’s blog will treat you right: links to reviews, releases, free stories, and a short essay.

Plus, for the Research Folder: How real-world private eyes use science to spot liars.

A short walk down a dark street (#41): celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/short-walk-41/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Clifford Royal Johns

Each May SMFS celebrates, as we do each year, International Short Story Month. The May 2018 celebration led to the creation of the weekly short story segment--SMFS Short Story Saturdays. Each Saturday we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old and were not previously linked to during the May 2018 Short Story Month event.

Today for SMFS Short Story Saturdays, Clifford Royal Johns shares his short story, “Forget Me Not” archived at Mysterical-E. Per the author, the story was a Derringer finalist in 2008.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at yahoo groups, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at Yahoo Groups.

Criminal Minds: Take a Negative and Turn it into a Positive by Paul D, Marks

Criminal Minds: Take a Negative and Turn it into a Positive: What book did you not enjoy, but motivated you in your own writing? by Paul D. Marks I can’t think of a book that I didn’t enjoy that...

SMFS Member Publication News: Peter DiChellis

SMFS member Peter DiChellis’ short story, “See No Evil” now appears online at Retreats From Oblivion: The Journal Of Noircon. This is in addition to Mr. Dichelli’s funny guest post here on the blog earlier this week.

SleuthSayers: Baby You Can Drive My Car by Michael Bracken

SleuthSayers: Baby You Can Drive My Car: By Michael Bracken Until recently, Temple’s parents lived in Tyler, Texas, about a three-hour drive from our home near Waco. We visited he...

The First Two Pages: “Messin’ With The Kid” by Steve Liskow

The First Two Pages: “Messin’ With The Kid” by Steve Liskow

SMFS Member Publishing News: Josh Pachter

Edited by SMFS member Josh Pachter and Rene Appel, Amsterdam Noir is the latest in the long running anthology series from Akashic Books. The read is available in print and digital formats from Amazon, the publisher, and other vendors. In addition to translating many of the works in the book from Dutch, Mr. Pachter’s short story, “Starry, Starry Night” co-written with Rene Appel appears in the book.

Synopsis:

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Brand-new stories by: Michael Berg, Anneloes Timmerije, Murat Isik, René Appel & Josh Pachter, Simon de Waal, Hanna Bervoets, Karin Amatmoekrim, Christine Otten, Mensje van Keulen, Max van Olden, Theo Capel, Loes den Hollander, Herman Koch, Abdelkader Benali, and Walter van den Berg.

From the introduction by René Appel and Josh Pachter:

Amsterdam has the amenities and, to a certain extent, the feel of a major world city, but one of its most attractive features is its relatively small size. It's easy to navigate on feet, by bike, and via its excellent public transportation network, especially with the semicircular perimeter of its famous Grachtengordel, or ring of concentric canals.

Like any other metropolis, though, Amsterdam also has its dark side, its shadowy corners--in other words, there is also an Amsterdam noir. No matter how beautiful, vital, and cheery a city might be, pure human emotions such as greed, jealousy, and the thirst for revenge will rear their ugly heads...with all their negative consequences. Amsterdam is a multidimensional city, populated by a wide assortment of social groups, and not all of those groups agree on what constitutes normal social values and mores. This results in a lively mix...and, as you will see, in problems.

Little Big Crimes Review: The Stranger Inside Me by Loes den Hollander

Little Big Crimes: The Stranger Inside Me, by Loes den Hollander: "The Stranger Inside Me," by Loes den Hollander, in Amsterdam Noir, edited by Rene Appel and Josh Pachter, Akashic Press, 2019...

Victoria Weisfeld: ****Amsterdam Noir

Victoria Weisfeld: ****Amsterdam Noir

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 40

As posted by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis today….

Ready to chase the storm?

This week’s blog includes links to a deluge of reviews, releases, and free stories.

Plus: in a 30-minute video Elmore Leonard riffs about the fun of writing, how outlining can stifle ideas, and his famous ten rules—including the one about the weather.

A short walk down a dark street (#40): celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/02/17/short-walk-40/

Best wishes,

Peter

Travels With Kaye: Short Story Sunday

Travels With Kaye: Short Story Sunday

SMFS Members Published in Switchblade: Issue 8

SMFS has several members published in Switchblade: Issue 8. Published by Caledonia Press, it is available from Amazon in both digital and print formats.  The members in this issue are:

Jack Bates with “Quivers.”

Michael Guillebeau with “Saint Monster’s.”

Chris McGinley with “A Queen’s Burial.”

Stephen D. Rogers with “And Other Assorted Duties.”

Synopsis:

It’s never just about taking a shot...This is the eighth issue in the Switchblade Outlaw Fiction anthology. Featuring Seven Switchblade Veterans, as well as some brand new players you ought to know. Featuring the poetry of Doug Knott, and fourteen no-luck tales from the dark corners of some of the most cutting edge criminal minds. Noir from the fringe—each of the stories in this volume offer one thing for sure: it doesn’t matter how strong your game is, or whether you run the table. Sooner or later, you’re going to end up behind the eight ball.

SleuthSayers: Pop the Clutch: Back to the Fifties

SleuthSayers: Pop the Clutch: Back to the Fifties: by John M. Floyd Like many of you, I occasionally have a story published in an anthology. Sometimes I see a "call for submissions&q...

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Each May SMFS celebrates, as we do each year, International Short Story Month. The May 2018 celebration led to the creation of the weekly short story segment--SMFS Short Story Saturdays. Each Saturday we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old and were not previously linked to during the May 2018 Short Story Month event.

Today for SMFS Short Story Saturdays, Andrew Welsh-Huggins shares his 2017 short story, “A Valentine’s Day To Remember: A Valentine’s Day Mystery Short Story" archived at Kings River Life Magazine.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at yahoo groups, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at Yahoo Groups.

SMFS Members Published in the BOULD Awards 2018 Short Story Anthology (*Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring)

Edited and Published by Jake Devlin aka R. J. Hezzlewood, the BOULD Awards 2018 Short Story Anthology (*Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring) is available in print and digital formats at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members in the anthology are:

Marjorie Brody with “By Royal Decree.”

Chris Chan with “The Screw You House.”

Patricia Dusenbury with “Cold Turkey.”

John Furutani with ‘Marketing for the Future” and “Living With Max.”

Kaye George with “Dream Girl.”

Teel James Glenn with  “Blindspot” and “Hands of Glory.”

Stephen D. Rogers with “The Bank Job.”

Walter Soethoudt with “Hotel Centraal.”

Earl Staggs with “Fishing For An Alibi.”

Elizabeth Zelvin with “Flash Point.”

Synopsis:

Bizarre, Outrageous, Unfettered, Limitless, Daring

Are you an adventurous, daring reader? Like to explore new frontiers? If so, this one's for you.

In this first annual edition, you'll find more than 20 of the weirdest, most outrageous, wackiest, scariest, puzzlingest (is that really a word?) short stories submitted for this anthology in 2018.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be shocked, scared, and maybe even perflutzed by some of the stories you'll find, in many different genres and styles. But with nearly every story, we know you'll be surprised.

These stories have all been anonymously selected by a panel of independent judges.

We expect the 2019 edition to be BOULDer (no relation to the city in Colorado), and that'll raise the bar even higher for the 2020 edition. We might wind up changing “Limitless” to “Loopy” if writers can really let their inhibitions go and let their haywire creativity loose.

But now it's time for you to quit reading these promo bits, brace yourself and dig in. Have fun!

SMFS Member Publication News: John M. Floyd

SMFS list member John M. Floyd has another tale appearing in the Woman’s World Magazine. His latest mystery short story, “The Coldest Case” is in the current issue (February 25, 2019) of  Woman’s World Magazine. The publication is available on some newsstands and by subscription.

Members are reminded that Mr. Floyd shared in his piece at SleuthSayers Blog how he goes about writing short stories for this market. Well worth reading, especially if you are looking to break into this market.

SMFS Member Publication News: Jeff Esterholm

SMFS  list member Jeff Esterholm’s short story, “Payday Friday” is now online at Shotgun Honey. You can read the story here.

SMFS Member Publication News: John M. Floyd

SMFS list member John M. Floyd’s short story, “Speed Dial” appears in Serial Magazine: Issue Two. The issue is available in print and digital formats from the publisher.