SMFS Member Publishing News: Nupur Tustin

Today is publication day for SMFS list member Nupur Tustin’s new book, Visions of Murder: A Celine Sky Prequel. Published by Foiled Plots Press, the 87 page read is available in print and eBook formats at Amazon and other vendors. The book serves as a prequel to the recently published Master of Illusion.  

Synopsis:

Prequel to the Bestselling Master of Illusion

Celine Skye has always wanted to be an artist.

But when visions of murder infiltrate her senses, art must take a backseat to justice.

A Prequel to the first Celine Skye Psychic Mystery, Master of Illusion.

Psychic detection combines with art in this thrilling new series from the author of the beloved Haydn Mysteries.

SMFS Member News: Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day

SMFS list member Edith Maxwell, has participated as part of a panel on food cozies for “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.”  Produced by WGBH Boston (NPR) and hosted by Callie Crossley, Edith Maxwell as Maddie Day was one of three authors participating in a discussion on food cozies. Under her Maddie Day persona, Edith read an excerpt from her latest book, Nacho Average Murder: A Country Store Mystery. The discussion can be listened to here.

Synopsis:

It’s our special August edition of “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club” and we’re talking with authors who leave the spicy and sweet on the page in a mystery sub-genre known as food cozies. On the plate — author Joanne Fluke’s Coconut Layer Cake Murders, Maddie Day’s Nacho Average Murder, and V.M. Burns’ “Motherless Child.” These mavens of full-stomach fiction join us for an hour-long conversation about this popular genre, perfect for a summer read.

Guests:

·         Joanne Fluke is the author of “Coconut Layer Cake Murder: a Hannah Swensen Mystery,” the 26th novel in a series.

·         Maddie Day is the author of “Nacho Average Murder: a Country Store Mystery,” the seventh in a series.

·         V.M. Burns is the author of “Motherless Child: an RJ Franklin Mystery, “ the second in a series.

Jacqueline Seewald: What Themes Attract Readers?

Jacqueline Seewald: What Themes Attract Readers?: Whether authors of fiction write short stories, plays or novels, theme is an essential component, just like characterization, plot and se...

SMFS Member Publishing News: Nupur Tustin

Today is publication day for SMFS list member Nupur Tustin’s new book, Master of Illusion: A Celine Sky Psychic Mystery. Published by Foiled Plots Press, the read is available in print and eBook formats from Amazon and other vendors.

Synopsis:

When death arrives in Paso Robles, so do clues to an infamous art heist in Boston. . .

For seven years, psychic Celine Skye has led a life free of visions in quiet Paso Robles. But now the visions are back. Along with a dubious customer from Boston.

Celine has always been able to sense death. But not even she can foresee her employer Dirck's murder. Finding his corpse in the wine bar he owns is bad enough.

Grappling with the suspicion that Dirck's death could be connected with the Gardner Museum heist is even worse.

As Celine struggles to make sense of the psychic clues she receives, there's just one question in her mind: What exactly did Dirck know about the Gardner Museum heist to get himself killed?

SleuthSayers: Writing Squirrels by Michael Bracken

SleuthSayers: Writing Squirrels: “Squirrel!” In the movie Up, Dug is often distracted by squirrels while in the midst of conversations with Carl and Russell in much the s...

SMFS Member Publishing News: Cathi Stoler

Today is publication day for Bar None: A Murder On The Rocks Mystery by Cathi Stoler.  Now published by Level Best Books, the read is available in print at the publisher and at Amazon.

Synopsis:

Bar None, set in the heart of New York City, is an edge-of-your-seat mystery that features Jude Dillane, owner of The Corner Lounge on 10th Street and Avenue B. When Jude finds her friend and landlord Thomas "Sully" Sullivan's work pal, Ed Molina, dead in a pool of blood in Sully's apartment, she's sure it wasn't suicide as the police suspect. Jude investigates and adds murder to her plate as she delves into a case of major at the Big City Food Bank.

THE STILETTO GANG: Short Story Update by Paula Gail Benson

THE STILETTO GANG: Short Story Update: by Paula Gail Benson The Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America were delighted with ...

SleuthSayers: Adverbs: A Legitimate Aspect of Voice by Elizabeth Zelvin

SleuthSayers: Adverbs: A Legitimate Aspect of Voice: A couple of months ago, I participated in a lively discussion over at the Short Mystery Fiction Society e-list on the role of adverbs in...

SMFS Members Published in Flash Bang Mysteries Summer 2020, Issue 20

SMFS list members have short stories in the new issue of Flash Bang Mysteries Summer 2020, Issue 20. Published online by BJ Bourg, the issue is free to read here. The SMFS members in this issue are:

Herschel Cozine with “Dress Rehearsal. The story is also the Editor’s Choice story for the issue.

Bruce Harris with “Prophetic Words” The story is also the Cover Story for the issue.

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 114

News of the new issue as posted by Peter DiChellis to our SMFS list…

This week’s blog cheers short mystery & crime fiction with links to a concoction of crime-infested reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes five free-to-read stories from the new (July) issue of The Dark City Crime & Mystery Magazine.

Plus—Tricks of the Trade: Hank Phillip Ryan asks a Zoom-meeting expert to reveal the secrets of successful virtual events for authors.

And reviews of Dashiell Hammett Continental Op stories, along with previously-linked Continental Op free reads.

A short walk down a dark street (#114). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2020/07/26/short-walk-114/

Best wishes,

Pete

Little Big Crimes Review: Colibrí by Nicolás Obregón

Little Big Crimes: Colibrí, by Nicolás Obregón: "Colibrí," by Nicolás Obregón, in Both Sides: Stories From The Border, edited by Gabino Iglesias, Polis Books, 2020. Milagros Pos...

SMFS Published in Rock and a Hard Place: Issue 3, Spring/Summer 2020

Several SMFS members are published in the Rock and a Hard Place: Issue 3, Spring/Summer 2020 edition. Published by Rock and a hard Place Press, the read is available in print and ebook formats at Amazon. The SMFS list members in this issue are:

C. W. Blackwell with “Dig Deep The Midnight Furrows.”

Jen Conley with “He Will Kill You.”

Robb T. White with “Barn Find.”

Synopsis:

The poor pay more, even when nature calls. A vintage car is a cruel mistress. Hookers don't get vacations - not the kind you come back from. What won't a mother do when her son needs a heart?

Call this issue a hat trick of desperation. Rock and a Hard Place 3 continues the chronicles of people who might make one good decision if they could catch a single break.

Fiction, essays, and art by:
C.W. Blackwell
LR Casazza
Jen Conley
Tammy Euliano
Alison Garsha
Stephen J. Golds
Jeremiah Kniola
Mark Krajnak
Diane Krauthamer
Claude Lalumiere
Gabrielle Nelson
Andrew Novak
Alexandros Plasatis
David Rachels
Richard Risemberg
Todd Robinson
Donald D. Shore
Rob Tucher
Robb T. White

In Rock and a Hard Place the struggle never ends, and our attention never flags.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Pamala Ebel

SMFS list member Pamala Ebel’s short story, “Love and Death at the Red Onion” appears today online at Shotgun Honey. The story is free to read here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Art Taylor

SMFS list member Art Taylor reports that his short story, “Restoration” is currently a free read for “Wildside Press’ Black Cat Mystery and Science Fiction Ebook Club” as selected by SMFS list member Barb Goffman. Originally published in the first issue of Crime Syndicate Magazine, the currently free read is available in Mobi (Kindle) and ePub formats. You can pick it up here.

Synopsis:

Art Taylor is the author of The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74 and Other Tales of Suspense and the novel in stories On the Road with Del & Louise. His work has earned the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Macavity Awards. He is an associate professor of English at George Mason University. www.arttaylorwriter.com

"Restoration" by Art Taylor was originally published in Issue One of Crime Syndicate Magazine.

SMFS Member Publication News: Leslie Budewitz

Today is publication day for SMFS list member Leslie Budewitz’s new book, The Solace of Bay Leaves: A Spice Shop Mystery. This is the fifth book in the series that originally started with Assault and Pepper in 2015. Published by Seventh Street Books, the book is out today in eBook and audio formats by way of Simon and Schuster, Amazon, and other vendors, with the print paperback scheduled for release on October 20^th.

Synopsis:

Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves.

But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface . . .

Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow.

Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own.

SleuthSayers: The Problem with Writing about Mean Girls by Barb Goffman

SleuthSayers: The Problem with Writing about Mean Girls: Funny how you can write a story, revise it, edit it down to a certain length, read it again before submitting it, proofread it before it&#...

The First Two Pages: “Crow’s Nest” by John M. Floyd

The First Two Pages: “Crow’s Nest” by John M. Floyd

Gerald So's Blog So Much To Talk About: Time Tripping Back to the 1940s by Paul D. Marks

Gerald So's Blog So Much To Talk About: Time Tripping Back to the 1940s by Paul D. Marks

Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast: Crime of Passion by Guy Belleranti

The latest KRL Podcast features the mystery short story, “Crime of Passion” by Guy Belleranti. Originally published by Woma’s World in January 2007, the story is read by Kelly Ventura.  You can hear the KRL Podcast here.

From the site:

This episode features the mystery short story, Crime of Passion written by mystery author Guy Belleranti, read by local actor Kelly Ventura. You can learn more about Guy Belleranti on his website guybelleranti.com.  This story was originally published by Woman's World in their January 23, 2007 issue.  In each episode, we share with you mystery short stories and mystery novel first chapters read by actors from the San Joaquin Valley. Kelly Ventura has read many past podcast stories for us and they too are available here and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and others. If you enjoyed this episode please review or rate it as that helps more people be able to find us! Also, consider subscribing so you never miss an episode-both to this podcast and to the podcast newsletter. You can find more mystery fun on our websites Kings River Life Magazine and KRL News and Reviews.

SleuthSayers: Plot versus Character by Steve Liskow

SleuthSayers: Plot versus Character: by Steve Liskow When I conduct a writing workshop, one of the questions people frequent ask is about the importance of plot versus charact...