Edgar Allan Poe Sesquicentennial Tribute Story Contest

October 7, 1999 marked the 150th anniversary of the passing of Edgar Allan Poe, the dark genius of American letters and the father of the detective story.  In recognition of this, The Short Mystery Fiction Society, together with MURDEROUS INTENT, sponsored a Poe Tribute Short Story Contest. The contest was open to members of the SMFS and the readers of MI.

All entries were new (never before published) tales of mystery, detection or suspense, 2,500 words or less.  No supernatural horror, and no science-fiction.  The stories were either set in historical times or were contemporary, and were either deadly serious or humorous (in recognition of the fact that Poe in his lifetime was known for his humor writings!).  In keeping with the Poe Tribute theme, each story involved a work of Edgar Allan Poe's as a key story element that was integral to the plot, or used Edgar Allan Poe as a character himself.

We were not necessarily looking for a pastiche, a parody or an imitation of Poe's style, but rather creative and imaginative homages to the writer who defined the form of the short mystery.

The winning story was Mark Troy (writing as M.E. Troy) with "The Montressor Hit". The story was published in the Fall, 1999 issue of MURDEROUS INTENT.

In addition, four other stories were selected for Honorable Mention status by the reading committee and our contest judge, Henry Slesar. They were:

"Cave Cask" by Glynn Marsh Alam

"Poetic Justice" by James L. Oddie

"Midnight Dreary" by D. C. Thomas

"Second Hand Smoke" by E. J. McGill

The original announcement concluded

On behalf of the SMFS and Murderous Intent, we would like to congratulate our winner, Mark Troy, as well as the honorees -- Glynn, James, Debra and Earl -- and thank all those who contributed a story and made this contest a success!  We would also like to express our gratitude to Henry for serving as our final judge.

Poe-etically yours,

G. Miki Hayden, President SMFS

Michael Mallory, Vice President SMFS and Poe Contest Coordinator

* This contest was in no way connected with the Mystery Writers of America and its annual Edgar Allan Poe award.

Publication News: Groovy Gumshoes

 

 Down & Out released a new short story collection titled GROOVY GUMSHOES: PRIVATE EYES IN THE PSYCHEDELIC SIXTIES edited by Michael Bracken.  It features:

Jack Bates. "Creaky Jonah."

N. M. Cedeño. "Nice Girls Don't." 

Steve Liskow. "The Ugly."

Adam Meyer. "Sons of Soundview" 

Stephen D. Rogers. "Undercase G."

Mark Troy. "Sundown Town."

Andrew Welsh-Huggins. "Building Something Better."

SMFS Member Publishing News: Mark Troy

Today is publication day for Dos Tacos Guatemaltecos y Una Pistola Casera by Mark Troy. This is the concluding installment of Season Two of the Guns + Tacos series edited by Trey R. Barker and SMFS list member Michael Bracken. Published by Down & Out Books, the read is available at the publisher where there are numerous perks for subscribers, at Amazon, and elsewhere.

 

Synopsis:

Three shadowy denizens of an online gaming chatroom—an undocumented refugee, a socially isolated teenager, and a sexual predator—make an abandoned Chicago stockyard run red with blood once again.

Getting off the bus from El Paso, Balam, the Mayan jaguar, arrives in South Chicago, hungry, broke, and cold, hoping to find MagcPanda, a girl he had befriended online. Balam believes MagcPanda has fallen prey to an online predator and has been trafficked to Chicago. His only link to her is a laptop stolen from a refugee shelter. Wandering the streets of the alien city, he is dismayed to find that Chicago is fraught with more dangers than any he had experienced in Guatemala or on the trek though the mountains and deserts of Mexico. When gangbangers take his laptop, destroying his hopes of rescuing MagicPanda, Balam is ready to admit defeat, only to get help from an unlikely source—the owner of a taco truck whose food is inedible, but whose “special” is sought after. Armed with the “special,” Balam resumes the hunt which terminates in the abandoned killing field.

Thrilling Detective Noir at the Bar 05/23/20

The First Two Pages: “Shaft on Wheels” by Mark Troy

The First Two Pages: “Shaft on Wheels” by Mark Troy

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Mark Troy

SMFS Short Story Saturdays was born out of the very successful International Short Story Month this year. 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, Mark Troy shares “The Rules” archived at his author site.

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.