SMFS Members Published in Santa Rage: A Killer Claus Compendium

SMFS list members are published in the new anthology, Santa Rage: A Killer Claus Compendium. Edited by fellow SMFS list member Jay Hartman, the book is currently available from the publisher, White City Press, and will be available at other vendors soon. The SMFS list members that reported being in the read are:

 

KM Rockwood with “Burn, Baby, Burn.”

 

Kevin R. Tipple with “First Contact.”

 

Publisher Description:

Inspired by a suggestion from legendary book reviewer, author and multi-term Short Mystery Fiction Society President Kevin R. Tipple, here’s the holiday anthology that’s definitely not filled with Christmas cheer. It will, however, be sure to entertain the darker side of your imagination.

Christmastime is a season full of stress. Cooking, decorations, trying to find the perfect gift for people you barely know. It’s enough to make anyone snap. Now, imagine you’re Santa Claus and you’ve got the entire world to take care of.

Yeah, cookies and milk isn’t going to make that kind of pressure go down any easier. Add in flippant reindeer, elves who slack and Mrs. Claus nagging that you never spend enough time with her during the holidays and it’s enough to make your Kris wanna Kringle, if you know what we mean.

Welcome to Santa Rage: A Killer Claus Compendium in which Mr. North Pole himself finally snaps and gets his just desserts…and we’re not talking gingerbread. Within these ten stories Claus dishes out his own brand of justice to nonbelievers, kidnappers, meth and other drug dealers while protecting strippers and doling out some of the best doses of karma Santa ever dealt that did not involve coal.

These ten stories of grindhouse-level revenge, horror, and action come courtesy of Kevin R. Tipple, Alexander Bayliss, KM Rockwood, Dante Bilec, Kurtis Rupé, MJ McClymont, E. Catherine Tobler, Erica Barnes, Justin Hunter and Leon Peter Blanda.

 

SMFS Members Published in Lost and Loaded: a Gun's Tale (the 509 Crime Anthologies)

Today is publication day for the new book, Lost and Loaded: a Gun's Tale (the 509 Crime Anthologies). The anthology from High Speed Creative, LLC, includes short stories by SMFS list members. The read is available from Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported being in the read are: 

 

James D.F. Hannah with “Do You See the Light?”

 

Curtis Ippolito with “8-Hour Detour.”

 

Robert Lopresti with “The Book Deal.”

 

Amazon Description:

Taking the revolver was their first mistake. Using it was their second.

Marlin Hattenburg has no idea of the mayhem he’s about to unleash when he discovers an ugly gun while at work. Holding the snub-nose revolver fills him with hope that his marital problems will soon melt away.

He’s dead wrong.

The same pistol soon winds up in the hands of a junkie, followed by a mother, a spy, and even a failed clown. Each of them believes a found revolver to be good fortune or a solution to their problems. They, too, are wrong.

How does one discarded revolver lead to so much trouble? Follow the gun through one Pacific Northwest summer and find out.

Lost and Loaded: a Gun’s Tale is a collection of fourteen stories from crime fiction’s freshest voices. Get your copy today and experience a summer of broken dreams and murder.

SMFS Members Published in Dark Yonder: Issue 8

SMFS list members reported being published in Dark Yonder: Issue 8. Billed as the Holiday Issue 2024, the print version came out back on November 13^th with the digital version released on December 1^st. Published by Thalia Press, the read is available at Amazon. The SMFS list members that reported being in the read are:

 

Recita Clemons with “Have Turkey, Will Travel.”

 

Zakariah Johnson with “Residents and Renters.”

 

Ed Teja for “Toys for Thugs.”

 

Amazon Description:

Bah, Humbug!

Yeah, yeah, we know. Peace on earth and all that. We’re fans. But we also recognize that all the eggnog in the world can’t stop reality from eventually crashing down on us amidst the revelry. Check out ten great stories of holiday mayhem and mystery by these outstanding neo noir authors:

Starter Home by Jedidiah Ayres

Have Turkey, Will Travel by Recita Clemons

Isaiah by Bradley Harper

Residents and Renters by Zakariah Johnson

Merry Christmas, You Son of a Bitch by Charlie Kondek

All I Want for Christmas by Meagan Lucas

A Lot in Common by Stanton McCaffery

Silver Cord by Sarah Smith

Go Elf Yourself by Casey Stegman

Toys for Thugs by Ed Teja

Issue 8 also features the Drunk Uncle, a special holiday cocktail recipe that honors everyone’s favorite holiday dinner guest, along with commentary by editors Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt.

SMFS Members Published in Mickey Finn Volume 5: 21st Century Noir

This is publication day for the new book, Mickey Finn Volume 5: 21st Century Noir. Edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken, who also wrote the introduction, the anthology from Down & Out books features short stories from a number of SMFS list members. The read is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors.  The SMFS list members that reported being in the read are:

 

 

K.L. Abrahamson with “Red Dust Express.”

 

Eddie Generous with “Sister.”

 

James A. Hearn with “Gone Fishin'.”

 

Hugh Lessig with “Burned.”

 

Tom Milani with “Barstow.”

 

Alan Orloff with “Solid Six.”

 

Travis Richardson with “No Requests Denied.”

 

Joseph S. Walker with “Ronnie Mercer is Back in Town.”

 

Andrew Welsh-Huggins with “All Apples.”

 

Description

Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir, Volume 5, the fifth entry of the hard-hitting anthology series, is another crime-fiction cocktail that will again knock readers into a literary stupor.

Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn’t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century.

Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you’ve finished reading every story, you’ll know that you’ve been “slipped a Mickey.”

The eighteen contributors, including some of today’s most respected short-story writers and new writers making their mark on the genre, include: K.L. Abrahamson, Alan Barker, Michael Chandos, Caleb Coy, Eddie Generous, Nils Gilbertson, James A. Hearn, Hugh Lessig, Sean McCluskey, Tom Milani, Bill W. Morgan, Alan Orloff, Travis Richardson, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Robb T. White, Sam Wiebe, Joseph S. Walker, and Stacy Woodson.

 

SMFS Members Published in Dark Yonder: Issue 7

SMFS list members reported being published in the recently released Dark Yonder: Issue 7. Published by Thalia Press, the read is available at Amazon. The SMFS list members that reported being in the read are:

 

 

Jay Butkowski with “Earl Green's Nazi Murder Machine.”

 

Hope Hodgkins with “Love Does.”

 

Chris L. Robinson with “Worth The Bullet.”

 

Rob D. Smith with “A Box Full of Soul.”

 

Amazon Description:

No One Knows...

... what goes on beyond closed doors: A remote country house hides a predator. A generic apartment is home to heartbreak and revenge. The confessional booth masks a monster. And prison walls? Well, anything can happen inside them. Join us for Issue 7 of Dark Yonder as ten of the best neo noir authors writing today reveal what the human heart hides:

Earl Green's Nazi Murder Machine by Jay Butkowski

Auntie Soo by Marco Etheridge

Penitents by Bryan Gruley

Love Does by Hope Hodgkins

Over the Wall by David James Keaton

Rosie's Thing by Kathleen Kent

Golden by Henry Presente

Happy Birthday by Jay Randall

Worth The Bullet by Chris L. Robinson

A Box Full of Soul by Rob D. Smith

Issue 7 also features a special autumnal cocktail recipe, along with commentary by editors Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt.

SMFS Members Published in Pulp Adventures #45

SMFS list members are published in Pulp Adventures #45. Published by Bold Ventures Press, the issue is available at the publisher. The SMFS list members that reported being in the issue are:

 

C. Dan Castro with “The Night Is More Richly Colored Than The Day.”

 

Teel James Glenn with “The Dragon Lady and I.”

 

 

Publisher Description:

CONTENTS

Featured Story

• Nightmare In Ice — John S. Glasby
  Something terrifying lurked outdoors amidst the harsh snow and ice — and it desperately wanted to get inside!

Featured Story Close-Up

• John Glasby: Memories of My Father — Edmund Glasby
  Author Edmund Glasby discusses the life and stories of his prolific father.

Classic Pulp Fiction

• Episode — E. C. Tubb
• I’ll Wait for You — Shelley Smith
• Mr. Walker Sees the Show — Ernest Dudley

New Pulp Fiction

• Halo in Gold — Jack Halliday
• Maneater — Terry Wijesuriya
• The Dragon Lady and I — Teel James Glenn
• He Died Smiling — Michael A. Wexler
• The Intervention of Professor Omega — Don E. Smith, Jr.
• The Night Is More Richly Colored Than The Day — C. Dan Castro

Pulp History /Departments

• Editorial — Audrey Parente
• Rough Edges — James Reasoner
  Reviews of The Gunsharp by William R. Cox; This Is It, Michael Shayne by Brett Halliday; The Further Adventures of Zorro by Johnston McCulley.

 

SMFS Members Published in Invasive Species: Stories By Northern California Crime Writers

SMFS list members are published in Invasive Species: Stories By Northern California Crime Writers. Edited by SMFS list member Josh Pachter, the anthology is published by SinC NorCal. It is available at Amazon. The SMFS members that reported their presence in the book are:

 

Mary Adler with “The Hunt.”

 

Chandler Christie with "Too Many Santas."

 

Vinnie Hansen with “Coming Attractions.”

 

Ellen Kirschman with “The Untold Upside of a Termite Infestation.”

 

Margaret Lucke with “Open House.”

 

Editor Josh Pachter with “Peace on Tenth Street.”

 

Publisher Description:

The SinC NorCal 2024 short story anthology, Invasive Species, is on track to be launched at Left Coast Crime in Seattle in April. A soft launch, with authors reading a selection from their story, will be our April 6 membership presentation.

The call for submissions was open until Sept. 15 and, though we didn’t get the fifty or sixty anticipated, we did have a good selection.

Stories (blind) were sent to judges Kevin Tipple, Cheryl Hand and Tracy Clark, read, ranked and returned and fifteen chosen. These then went to editor Josh Pachter who worked with the authors and completed his editing by Dec. 15.

A cover (see the art) is designed and a formatter is working on putting together the final file.

In alphabetical order, the authors are:

·         Mary Adler, “The Hunt”

·         Daisy Bateman (writing as Stacie Grey), “The Predator”

·         Susan Alice Bickford, “Saved”

·         Laura Boss, “Feral: A Love Story”

·         Chandler Christie (pseudonym), “Too Many Santas”

·         Vinnie Hansen, “Coming Attractions”

·         William Bruce Johnson, “Déjà vu”

·         Ellen Kirschman, “The Untold Upside of an Infestation of Termites”

·         Margaret Lucke, “Open House”

·         Susan McCormick, “I Will Take Care of It”

·         Karen Phillips, “Found Art”

·         Brian Shea, “The Cavalry on Wings”

·         Linda Townsdin, “Hyde and Seek”

·         Alanna Weaver, “Burn Piles”

·         Danna Wilberg, “A”

 

Rounding out the volume is a bonus story from Josh Pachter, “Peace on Tenth Street.” His 2023 novel Dutch Threat is a finalist a Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel at the upcoming Left Coast Crime.

Congratulations to all our authors!

SMFS Members Publishing News: Motel: An Anthology

SMFS list members are published in the recently released book, Motel: An Anthology. Published by Cowboy Jamboree Press, the book is available at Amazon.

 

Nils Gilbertson with "The Morningstar."

 

M.E. Proctor with "A Redhead and a Green Car."

 

 

Amazon Description:

On lost, lonely highways, deep in the American heartlands and skirting the shady edges of cities, once ubiquitous motels have faded, some into ruin, others transformed from way station to permanent residence. MOTEL captures the heartbreak, desperation and indeed magic of motels.

Think Paris, Texas. Fool for Love. Wild at Heart. Even Bonnie and Clyde. This anthology is full of stories that pay homage to the essence of motels in all their beauty and pathos. Characters and stories of grit and glory, the brutal and banal.

As motels fade from popularity and even existence, this volume attempts to capture them before they’re gone altogether...and all their stories with them. Of the twenty-eight stories in MOTEL, there’s no two stories that are similar. Like a motel, these stories are neighboring rooms. None in them are the same, but here they are, together.

Cowboy Jamboree Press
good grit lit.

SMFS Members Published in Dark Yonder: Issue 5

The recently released Dark Yonder: Issue 5 contains short stories by two of our SMFS list members. Published by Thalia Press, the read is available at Amazon. The SMFS list members that reported being in the read are:

 

Tom Andes with "You Still There."

 

James D.F. Hannah with "Nothing More and Nothing Less."

 

BV Lawson with "Family Matters."

 

Amazon Description:

It's a Fine Line....

.... between love and hate.... loneliness and sex.... loyalty and revenge.... kinkiness and power.... grief and guilt.... and just about every other emotion driving the human condition. Explore those lines and the people who cross them through these ten provocative neo noir short stories:

 

You Still There by Tom Andes

Like a Good Irish Catholic by Colin Brightwell

The Return by K.A. Burks

Nothing More and Nothing Less by James DF Hannah

Family Matters by BV Lawson

Bartender Blues by Dana King

Rebirth by Nick Kolakowski

The Unfolding of Sam Lipton by Barbara Kumari

Pop by Ed Kurtz

The Playroom by Wolfgang Wright

Issue 5 also features a special cocktail recipe for The Hemingway Daiquiri, along with commentary by editors Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt.

SMFS Members Published in Pulp Adventures #44

 

SMFS list members are published in Pulp Adventures #44. Published by Bold Ventures Press, the issue is available at the publisher. The SMFS list members that reported being in the issue are: 

 

Teel James Glenn with “Notches.”

 

Veronica Leigh with "Burning Bright."

 

Website Description: 

CONTENTS

Featured Story

 

The Inevitable Conflict — E.C. Tubb

Thirty-six men were dead … that left Curt Harris, and time was running out!

Classic Pulp Fiction Close-Up

 

Room Number Twenty-Three — Judson P. Philips/Hugh Pentecost

Late evening … a scream … and a victim … but where was the victim?

Classic Pulp Fiction

 

The Wailing Hybrid — John Russell Fearn

A Comedy of Terrors — John Burke

Dagon — H.P. Lovecraft

New Pulp Fiction

 

Burning Bright — Veronica Leigh

Notches — Teel James Glenn

Worm Mother Revisited — Corky Savage

Scaramouche: A Rogue in the Hen House — Stuart Hopen

Pulp History

 

The Eliot Ness Story — Will Murray

57 Seconds and counting: E.C. Tubb — Philip Harbottle

 Departments

 

Editorial: First is first — Audrey Parente

Rough edges: Thrilling Western, January 1953 — James Reasoner