SMFS Members Published in Black Cat Weekly #169

 

SMFS list members are published in Black Cat Weekly #169. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format. The list members that reported being in the issue are:

 

Richie Narvaez with "The Intruder." 

 

M.E. Proctor with "Magpie."

 

Publisher Description:

Here in the United States, we are rapidly approaching our Thanksgiving holiday—famed for its huge feasts, epic shopping sales, football games, family gatherings, and almost as a side note, reflecting on what we’re thankful for. We have several Thanksgiving-themed stories, and we hope you will enjoy them.

   It’s been a busy year here at Wildside Press and Black Cat Weekly. Thinking back over everything that happened in the last 12 months, as editor, I find I have a lot to be thankful for. We’ve reached our third anniversary, launched our submissions portal at blackcatweekly.com (if you’d like to contribute, we’re always reading!), had the amazing Ron Miller join the team as Art Director (and he has provided some truly stunning covers), and found some great new team members in Tom Easton, Ryan Hines, Vicki Erwin, Paula Messina, and Richard Prosch. And, of course, our first two Acquiring Editors are still with us: Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman have added vastly to the magazine’s ability to find and showcase great stories. Another Acquiring Editor, Darrell Schweitzer—far more infrequently than we’d like—still manages to bring in a few memorable stories each year. We hope Cynthia Ward will be able to return as an Acquiring Editor in coming months, as her family situation permits.

   And while I’m singling out people for praise, probably the biggest thanks must go to our readers. If not for your support through subscriptions and single-copy purchases, Black Cat Weekly wouldn’t be here. This magazine was never intended to make money. (It still doesn’t.) It’s meant to showcase fiction new and old, bring deserving writers to your attention, and promote reading. Circulation has slowly but steadily increased, and all subscription money continues to go toward bringing in new stories. That’s why the amount of original material in each issue has increased over the last year.

   Thank you, thank you, thank you one and all!

   Have a happy Thanksgiving!

   Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art: Ron Miller

 

NOVELS

 

Hunter at Large, by Thomas B. Dewey

 

Detective Mickey Phillips seeks revenge after a deadly attack leaves his world in ruins. A classic noir crime novel.

 

That Worlds May Live, by Nelson S. Bond

 

Scientists race to save Earth from mysterious cosmic rays. An interplanetary adventure filled with bold heroes, alien civilizations, and stunning revelations.

 

SERIAL NOVEL

 

The Dark Pilgrimage, by Edmund Glasby [Part 2 of 2]

 

The conclusion of the second apocalypse of Brother Santiago.

 

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

 

“A Memorable Clue,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]

 

Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!

 

SHORT STORIES

 

“The Intruder,” by Richie Narvaez [Michael Bracken Presents short story]

 

Missing cash, creaking floorboards, and an unlocked door—was it a thief, a lover, or something worse?

 

“Where There’s a Will,” by Elizabeth Hosang [Barb Goffman Presents short story]

 

A family’s Thanksgiving reunion turns deadly when Grandma’s will demands a murderous twist.

 

“The Couple Next Door,” by Wayne J. Gardiner

 

Two victims, no past, and no leads—the case seems impossible. But Reilly knows someone out there holds the deadly truth.

 

“Magpie,” by M.E. Proctor

 

A jade pendant vanishes, a fake Picasso raises eyebrows—and Alice’s magpie tendencies spark trouble in a family full of surprises.

 

“Misplaced Person,” by E.C. Tubb

 

Sleepless, emotionless, and terrified, Mark seeks answers to his fear.

 

NOVELET

 

“The Green Ray,” by Arthur Leo Zagat

 

A brilliant scientist perfects a devastating light-ray, but enemies close in.

  

 Until next time, happy reading!

   —John Betancourt

   Editor, Black Cat Weekly

SMFS Member Publishing News: Conscience Money by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor reports that her short story, Conscience Money, was recently published at TOUGH. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Love You Till Tuesday: A Declan Shaw Mystery by M. E. Proctor

 

Today is publication day for SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s new book, Love You Till Tuesday: A Declan Shaw Mystery. Published by Shotgun Honey Books, the book is out today in multiple formats at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Publisher Description:

The death of April Easton makes no sense. She was a jazz singer working the clubs. Maybe the recording contract she just signed would have been her breakthrough. It certainly wasn’t a motive for murder. Steve Robledo, Houston PD, is on the scene. He’s known for working fast and closing cases. This one has all the markings of a head scratcher. And when witnesses and security cameras confirm Declan Shaw, a local P.I. with police connections, spent the night with the woman, it just makes everything more complicated.

Not that Declan has anything to do with the murder. He likes music and he liked April. He certainly didn’t kill her.

A collaboration, uneasy at first, is in the works. Declan can’t get April out of his head. Her memory is fading and he wants to hang on to it. What better way than to find more about her? Steve is running out of time, a few more days and he’ll have to turn his attention to other cases. They strike a mutually beneficial alliance.

For the powerful men behind April’s death, that alliance means trouble. Declan is stubborn and resourceful. He worries them a lot more than the police. There’s no telling what he could dig up. The stakes are high: a trial with the death penalty in play, cartel ties, money. Ultimately, it’s always about money.

Declan has to be stopped, incapacitated. He’s put under surveillance, a trap is set to ensnare him, a campaign is launched to discredit him—The P.I. and the Dead Jazz Singer. It’s a mistake. Declan will bite back.

Many will get hurt.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Last Vigil by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor reported that her short story, Last Vigil, was published at Punk Noir Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Weight Unsaid by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Weight Unsaid, was published at A Thin Slice Of Anxiety. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Because the Baby by M. E. Proctor

 

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Because the Baby, was published at Punk Noir Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: From the Rubble by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, From the Rubble, was published yesterday at Roi Faineant Press. You can read the online short story for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Deer Tracks by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Deer Tracks, is the selection this month at Stone’s Throw: A Rock And A Hard Place Publication. You can read the short story here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Gift Wrapped by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Gift Wrapped, was published at Shotgun Honey. You can read the piece for free online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Two Short Stories by M. E. Proctor

 

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor has two new short stories published.

 

The mystery short story, Wolf Cub, was published Saturday at Kings River Life Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.

 

Black Cat Weekly #113 includes the short story, An Arm and a Leg. You can purchase the new issue at the website.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Footwork by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor, Footwork, is published at the Mystery Tribune. The story can be read for free at the website.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Maybe I Love You by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Maybe I Love You, was published yesterday at Shotgun Honey. You can read the tale for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Family and Other Ailments: Crime Stories Close to Home by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story collection, Family and Other Ailments: Crime Stories Close to Home was recently released by Wordwooze Publishing. Published in digital and print formats, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Amazon Description:

Blood ties. The family we’ve been given, the friends we make, the loves we keep, and those we lost. The twenty-six stories in Family and Other Ailments teeter on the brink, hover at the periphery or even the possibility of crime. Under a soft light and at an angle, they're all love stories.

The collection opens with “Spy Head,” a tale of friendship after a crushing trauma. In “Texas Two-Step,” brotherhood leads to a wicked double-cross. “Razorbills” shows a young woman seeking freedom from the prison-like caring of her sibling. “Black and Tan” slips into domestic horror, as does “Mutti,” with a hint of the fantastic. “Hour of the Bat” and “Bag Limit” are deep woods Texas noir, while “A Head for Numbers” and “No Recoil” go west, to the stark unforgiving beauty of the desert.

M.E. Proctor draws characters with a tender touch. She catches them at an inflexion point in their lives, a moment of choice. We feel what they feel, see what they see, and their voices linger for a long time in our memory.

SMFS Member Publishing News: On a Dusty Road by M. E. Proctor

 

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, On a Dusty Road, was published earlier this week at the website, The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read the tale for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Heartstrings by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Heartstrings, appears at the website, Bristol Noir. You can read the tale for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Fever Pitch by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, Fever Pitch, was published earlier this week at the website, A Thin Slice of Anxiety. You can read the tale for free here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Sand Bar by M. E. Proctor

SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s short story, The Sand Bar, is the selection this month at Stone’s Throw: A Rock And A Hard Place Publication. Each month a new tale is selected to appear on the first and is free to read online. You can read the tale for free here.