SleuthSayers: The Last Lesson: Queen vs Hitchcock by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: The Last Lesson: Queen vs Hitchcock: Two weeks ago I reported that I had been invited to speak to the Northwest branch of the Mystery Writers of American on the subject: &...

SMFS Member Publishing News: John Weagly

SMFS list member John Weagly’s short story “As Easy As Trick-Or-Or Treating: A Halloween Mystery Short Story” has been published at King’s River Life Magazine. You can read it for free online here.

Little Big Crimes Review: Doing Time in the Crunchy Granola Suite by Tim P. Walker

Little Big Crimes: Doing Time in the Crunchy Granola Suite, by Tim P....: "Doing Time in the Crunchy Granola Suite," by Tim P. Walker, in Rock and a Hard Place Magazine, #1, 2019. The publisher sent ...

SMFS Members Published in Switchblade: Tech Noir

Several SMFS list members are published in the new Switchblade: Tech Noir issue. Edited by Scotch Rutherford, the read is published by Caledonia Press. Currently the read is only available in digital format from Amazon.

Eric Beetner with “Killer App.”

Alec Cizak with “Post-Biologocal_Stress-Disorder.”

Nick Kolakowski with “Night Mayor.”

Amazon Synopsis:

This is it, Switchblade: Tech Noir, the ultimate cutting edge cyberpunk anthology—and that’s only the half of it. One of a two volume set, featuring hard boiled gutter noir, with a sci-fi twist. Presented alongside the ultimate cyber Pulp companion issue, Pulp Modern: Tech Noir. Ten hard-hitting no luck tales from dystopian doomsayers. With fiction from Callum McSorley, James Edward O’Brien, Mandi Jourdan, Hugh Lessig, Rob D. Smith, John Moralee, along with Switchblade veterans, Matt Gomez, Nick Kolakowski, Eric Beetner, and Alec Cizak.

SMFS Members Published in Pulp Modern: Tech Noir Special Edition

Several SMFS list members are published in the new Pulp Modern: Tech Noir Special Edition issue. Guest edited by Scotch Rutherford as well as SMFS list member and editor Alec Cizak, the read is published by Uncle B. Publications/ Larque Press. Currently the read is only available in digital format from Amazon. The SMFS members in this issue are:

Tom Barlow with “Love in the Time of Silicone.”

C. W. Blackwell with “A Deviant Skein.”

J. D. Graves with “Three-Two-One Zebra-Stripe Shake-off”

Amazon Synopsis:

The future's so bleak, we got to throw it some shade! Pulp Modern teams up with the premiere crime fiction journal, Switchblade, to bring you Tech Noir, a special edition loaded with nine science fiction stories chosen by guest editor Scotch Rutherford. Featuring contributions by the hottest independent writers today, including Tom Barlow, C.W. Blackwell, Deborah L. Davitt, Angelique Fawns, Nils Gilbertson, J.D. Graves, Zakariah Johnson, Jo Perry, and Don Stoll. Alec Cizak provides chief editing duties. Richard Krauss continues his outstanding work as art director. And Ran Scott delivers cover-to-cover illustrations to help make this a must-have for fans of science fiction everywhere.

SMFS Members Published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November/December 2019

Several SMFS members are published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November/Decemberr 2019 issue. The issue is available from Dell Magazines as well as at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members published in this issue are:

David Dean with “The Breakfast Club.”

Richie Narvaez with “None of This Is On The Map.”

Ingrid Oonincx with “The Final Stage.” Fellow SMFS list member Josh Pachter provides the translation.

Anna Scotti with “That Which We Call Patience.” 

Elizabeth Zelvin with “The Island.”

The table of contents and more for this issue can be found on the EQMM website.

SMFS Members Published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: November/December 2019

Several SMFS members are published in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: November/December 2019. The issue is available from Dell Magazines as well as at Amazon and newsstands and bookstores. The SMFS members published in this issue are:

Leslie Budewitz with “Miss Star’s Good-bye.” This is also the noted cover story for the issue.

Deborah Lacy with “The Sky’s The Limit.”

R. T. Lawton with “A Loaf of Bread.”

O’Neil De Noux with “A Meanness With Me.”

Susan Oleksiw with “Just Another Runaway.”

Mark Thielman with “Thanksgiving Eve.”

Melissa Yi with “Dueling Banjos.”

Dave Zeltserman with “Terrible Thoughts.”

The Case File column spotlights Gary Phillips discussing his career in graphic literature and considering the laughs and social commentary found in some mid-century African American comic strips.

The complete listing and accompaning information on this issue can be found on the AHMM website.

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 76

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list…

Sunday. A great day for a walk. A short walk down a dark street.

As usual, this week’s blog is all about short mystery and crime fiction, with links to reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes—New from Editor Otto Penzler, The Big Book of Reel Murders: Stories that Inspired Great Crime Films.

Plus, Free reads by Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard, as well as all the Anthony Award short story finalists (courtesy of Barb Goffman at Sleuthsayers).

Also, some bloggers’ Bouchercon memories, 2015-2018.

A short walk down a dark street (#76). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/10/27/short-walk-76/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS at Bouchercon DALLAS

Bouchercon Dallas 2019 begins this Thursday in Dallas, Texas at the Hyatt Hotel. This is the 50^th Bouchercon and numerous SMFS members will be attending and actively participating on panels, book signings, and more. The list below features just some of the many activities featuring SMFS list members.

Various Events

Wednesday

Michael Bracken is organizing a meetup of SMFS members. Michael and his wife will meet those interested at 6 PM in the hotel lobby. Look for Michael’s sign.

Thursday

8:30 PM Noir at the Bar will include Terry Shames and other authors. This will be in Monduel’s Bar in the Hyatt.

Friday

7:00 AM  James l’Etoile and Andrew Welsh-Huggins participates in the “Speeddating Breakfast Session 1” in Landmark B.

11:00  AM  SMFS President Kevin R. Tipple will hand out Derringer Award Medals to Gigi Pandian and Alan Orloff. The SMFS part of the awards hour will occur at the close of the “Round-Up Awards” evengt in Landmark B.

11:00 AM  The radio drama, “The Ghost Town Mortuary Gregory Hood Play” by Anthony Boucher will be performed by James L’E’toile, Gige Pandian, and Terry Shames among others in Ladmark D.

Saturday

7:00 AM  “Speeddating Breakfast Session 2” includes Susan Bickford, Lisa Lieberman, and Cathi Stoler in Landmark B.

Panels

Thursday 

9:30 AM  Kaye George participates on the “How Do I Self-Publish” panel in Pegasus.

9:30 AM  G. M. Malliet participates on the “Why I Wrote What I wrote” panel in Reunion G-H.

11:00 AM  Terry Shames participates on the “ The Magical Macguffin” panel in Reunion A.

11:00 AM Lisa Leiberman participates on the “Defining Your Novel” panel in Reunion B.

1:00 PM  James E’toile participates in the “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” panel. 

1:00 PM  Mary Stojak participates on the “Does Length Matter” panel in Landmark C. 

4:00 PM  Barb Goffman moderates a panel on “Short and Sweet but Sometimes Dark” panel with SMFS members John Floyd, R. T. Lawton, Mysti Berry, James Lincoln Warren, and Michael Bracken participating in Reunion A. 

4:00 PM  Andrew Welsh-Huggins participates on the “I Won’t Write That” panel in Reuniion A-B. 

Friday 

2:30 PM  Craig Faustus Buck particaptes on the “Location, Location, Location: The Importance of Setting”  panel in Reunion E.   

4:00 PM  Mark Troy paricaptes on  “The Perfect Setting Panel” in Reunion E.

Saturday 

9:30 AM  Susan Bickford participates on the “Murder Is Everywhere” panel in Reunion C. 

9:30  AM  Alan Orloff participates on the “What’s So Great About Critique Groups?” panel in Reunion E. 

1:00 PM  Cathi Stoler participates on the “A Good Family” panel in Reunion F.

4:00 PM Barb Goffman and Art Taylor participate on “Anthony Awards-Best Short Story Nominees” panel in Pegasus.

For more on the complete schedule of events at Bouchercon go here.

Several SMFS members who are also MWA members are participating in book signings hosted by the MWA. For more information, go here.

Ladies of Mystery: Changing over Time by Susan Oleksiw

Ladies of Mystery:  Changing over Time by Susan Oleksiw

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Lida Bushloper

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.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Lida Bushloper  shares the 2013 short story, “Every Day is Mother’s Day: A Mother’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.

Jacqueline Seewald: Interview with Author/Editor Sandra Murphy

Jacqueline Seewald: Interview with Author/Editor Sandra Murphy: Sandra Murphy lives in St Louis , the land of the blues, brews, and shoes. Her short stories appear in her collection, From Hay to Eterni...

Something Is Going To Happen Blog: “My Father Made Me a Crime Writer!” (by Richie Narvaez)

Something Is Going To Happen Blog: “My Father Made Me a Crime Writer!” (by Richie Narvaez)

SMFS is moving to Groups.Io

Becuase Groups.Io rescinded their plan to charge for groups over 500 people, we are now moving to Groups.Io and our new free group. While things will still be in place on Yahoo Groups for now, you should go to https://groups.io/g/shortmystery and go sign up.

Big time thanks to Dan who has been doing the work on this. Much appreciated. I am still working on learning how stuff works there and what I can do and can't so give me time to figure it out. Your president does  do well with change.

Kevin R. Tipple

Update on SMFS and Yahoo Groups Going Forward

As previously reported here, the changes at Yahoo Groups means we are actively searching for a new home. The plan had been to move to Groups.Io. That was until Dan Persinger alerted list members that Groups.Io was exploiting the situation for monetary profit and had instituted a price increase. If that was not enough, he also detailed with the link how we had no possibility of being a free group as we have for years via Yahoo Groups.

SMFS does not charge dues or any fees to members. Our Derringer medals are paid for each year by the voluntary donations of those members who wish to fund their purchase. We have no interest in charging dues to members to fund paying a group host or website.

The discussion regarding the situation continues onlist. List members are strongly encouraged to monitor and constructively participate in the discussions as we chart the way forward.

Kevin R. Tipple

President-SMFS

SleuthSayers: Meet the Finalists for the 2019 Anthony Award - Sh...

SleuthSayers: Meet the Finalists for the 2019 Anthony Award - Sh...: We have only nine days until the fiftieth annual Bouchercon—the world's largest mystery convention—begins in Dallas, Texas. I know some ...

SleuthSayers: Extreme Editing by Travis Richardson

SleuthSayers: Extreme Editing: On October 15, I finally finished a short story that had been plaguing me for months. I started the story on July 10 after some research. I...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 75

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our list…

If it’s Sunday let’s take a walk. A short walk down a dark street.

As always, this week’s blog is all about short mystery and crime fiction, with links to reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes: The newest issue of cutting edge crime ‘zine Switchblade has been released into the civilian population.

Plus, food for thought: Author and editor Richard Thomas dissects 15 unconventional storytelling methods.

A short walk down a dark street (#75). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/10/20/short-walk-75/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Members Published in Fiction River: Superstitious

Several SMFS members are published in the new anthology, Fiction River: Superstitious. Published by WGM Publishing, the read is available from the publisher as well as  Amazon in print as well as digital formats, and at other vendors. The members in this issue are:

Ron Collins with “The Robin Club.”

Dayle A. Dermatis with “Umberto Scolari and the Ill-Fated Marriage.”

Anne Reed with “The Perils of Taking Table Selfies at a Con.”

C. A. Rowland with “8 Seconds.”

Amazon Synopsis:

Superstitions pervade every culture and belief system. Often, the origins of such superstitions elude their practitioners. The seventeen authors in this latest volume of Fiction River create their own superstitious tales in fascinating stories ranging from dark and moody to light and fun, from introspective and thought-provoking to high-ratcheted tension. Distinct and realistic elements of humanity, love, fear, family, friendship, life, and death provide unforgettable experiences that prove we all practice some form of superstition, whether we admit it or not. “…fertile imaginations take these ideas to wild and wonderful directions.”—Astro Guyz

SMFS Members Published in In the Key of 13: An anthology of music and murder

Several SMFS members are published in the new anthology, In the Key of 13: An anthology of music and murder.  Published by Carrick Publishing, the read is available in both print and digital formats at Amazon. The SMFS members with stories in the book are: 

M. H. Callway with “Brainworm.” M. H. Callway also served as project manager.

Melodie Campbell with “Death of a Cheapskate.”

Marilyn Kay with “Her Perfume.”

Rosemary McCracken with “Farewell to the King.”

Lisa de Nikolits with “Hit Me With Your Pet Shark.”

Ed Piwowarczyk with “The Ballad of Will Robinson.” Mr. Piwowarczyk also served as a copy editor for the project.

Kevin P. Thornton with “Under The Lamplight.”

Sylvia M. Warsh with “None Shall Sleep.”

Amazon Synopsis:

 The Mesdames of Mayhem are delighted to bring readers their fourth anthology of crime stories. Our current theme is music, mischief and murder: In the Key of 13 !

Music from Mozart to Beethoven to Elvis is a sweet accompaniment to sin in 19 wicked tales, ranging from cozy to noir, by 18 acclaimed Canadian crime writers and one talented newcomer.

Can you hear the violins? They may be plotting your demise. Are you an opera lover? Take care, your passion means a revenge served cold. And that tune that refuses to leave your mind? It will truly drive you mad…

Many of the Mesdames are winners or finalists of leading crime fiction awards, including the Arthur Ellis, Edgar, Derringer, Bony Pete and Debut Dagger awards. To learn more about us and our novels and stories, follow the links in these pages and visit our website at mesdamesofmayhem dot com.

Editor: Donna Carrick
Copy-editor: Ed Piwowarczyk
Project manager: M.H. Callway
Foreword: Donna Carrick
The Moonlight Sonata, Caro Soles
Farewell to the King, Rosemary McCracken
A Contrapuntal Duet, Blair Keetch
Hit Me with Your Pet Shark, Lisa de Nikolits
Requiem, Jane Petersen Burfield
Under the Lamplight, Kevin P. Thornton
Soul Behind the Face, Madona Skaff
Winona and the CHUM Chart, Catherine Dunphy
Brainworm, M.H. Callway
The Beethoven Disaster, Rosemary Aubert
Her Perfume, Marilyn Kay
Bad Vibrations, Rosalind Place
Death of a Cheapskate, Melodie Campbell
Let the Sunshine In, Lynne Murphy
Gentle Rain from Heaven, Catherine Astolfo
None Shall Sleep, Sylvia Maultash Warsh
Solace in D Minor, Donna Carrick
The Ballad of Will Robinson, Ed Piwowarczyk
Modern Myst'ry Scribble'er, Cheryl Freedman

Get your Blue Shoes on and thrill to these fabulous stories of music and murder, brought to you by this acclaimed group of award-winning authors!