SMFS Member Publishing News: Summer Equinox In The Old Pioneer Burial Ground by Albert Katz

 

SMFS list member Albert Katz’s short story, Summer Equinox In The Old Pioneer Burial Ground, is published online at the Mystery Tribune. The story can be read for free at the website.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Sorry Sorry by Twist Phelan

 

SMFS list member Twist Phelan’s short story, Sorry Sorry, is published online at the Mystery Tribune. The story can be read for free at the website.

SMFS Member Podcast News: Who Killed the Faro Cheat by Larry Keeton

  

SMFS list member Larry Keeton’s short story, Who Killed the Faro Cheat, is now featured as the first episode of the Mysteries to Die For: Season 7: Games People Play podcast. Produced by TG Wolff, the podcast can be heard here.

SMFS Members Published in (I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders

 

Multiple SMFS list members appear in the new anthology, (I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders. Published today by Misti Media, and edited by SMFS list member Jay Hartman, the anthology is available in both print and eBook format from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS members in the book are:

 

Leone Ciporin with “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.”

 

Jeanne DuBois with "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye."

 

Barb Goffman with "Teenage Dirtbag."

 

Adam Gorgoni with “Bitch."

 

Vinnie Hansen with "96 Tears."

 

Wendy Harrison with "It's Raining Men."

 

Sandra Murphy with “Pigeon Talk.”

 

Josh Pachter with "The Rapper."

 

J. Michael Taylor with "It's Hard to Die."

 

Christine Verstraete with "Wildfire."

 

Bev Vincent with "Somebody's Watching."

 

Joseph S. Walker with "Come On Eileen."

 

Publisher Description:

Hitting the charts only once isn’t just unfortunate…it’s a crime.

Over the decades, tons of musical artists and groups have had a hit song that has lived on long after the tune topped the charts and is often looked upon fondly for decades to come. For some musicians, this may be the only the song they’re ever known for and they fade into obscurity soon thereafter. These are affectionately known as “one-hit wonders,” and are much celebrated by fans and music publications, particularly on September 25th each year on One-Hit Wonder Day

 

12 of today’s best short story authors have taken their favorite one-hit wonders and reimagined them as the influence for some pretty heinous crimes. (I Just) Died in Your Arms features a decades-spanning collection of immediately recognizable hit songs turned into stories from the amazing talents of Vinnie Hansen, Jeanne DuBois, Josh Pachter, J.M. Taylor, Christine Verstraete, Sandra Murphy, Joseph S. Walker, Wendy Harrison, Bev Vincent, Leone Ciporin, Adam Gorgoni and Barb Goffman.

 

SMFS Member Publishing News: Feng, Whose Name Means Phoenix by C. Dan Castro

SMFS list member C. Dan Castro’s short story, Feng, Whose Name Means Phoenix, was published in Bards and Sages Quarterly: January 2024. Published by Bards and Sages Publishing, it is available from multiple vendors through Books2Read.Com.

 

Amazon Description:

For over fifteen years, the Bards and Sages Quarterly has been a showcase for both new and established authors to share their speculative works. The short stories presented in each issue serve as a delightful sampler of the speculative genres. Whether your preference is sword and sorcery, time-travel, space exploration, gothic horror, urban fantasy, or any of the speculative genres, you are sure to find something to love in the pages of this magazine.

A sample from this issue:
A strange sibling rivalry develops between a child and the alchemical creature created to help treat her mother's cancer in From Ashes.

After a visit to a strange art gallery, an artist must decide the price they want to pay for success in The Drouet Collection.
An acrobat finds herself in a dangerous situation when she is tasked with preventing a time-shattering calamity in Feng, Whose Name Means Phoenix.

Special notification: Though we avoid publishing stories we deem gratuitous in nature, as a journal of speculative fiction, some stories may content dark subject matter. Some stories may contain strong or offensive language, depictions of violence, and child and animal endangerment. Please visit our website for information on possible trigger warnings for specific publications.

SMFS Member Publishing News: A Brick Through the Window by Victoria Weisfeld

 

SMFS list member Victoria Weisfeld’s short story, A Brick Through the Window, appears in the anthology, Sherlock Holmes A Year of Mystery: 1885. Published by Belanger Books, the read is available at Amazon.

 

Amazon Description:

As a scientist, Sherlock Holmes would have certainly been familiar with the famous dictum attributed to Aristotle: Nature abhors a vacuum.

In that same vein, fans of the Great Detective must look at 1885 and 1886 and see a somewhat similar void. Conan Doyle set no cases during those years; in fact, if you believe Doyle, Holmes and Watson remained inactive for a period of some 30 months. Given the expenses of everyday life, it’s difficult to imagine Holmes moonlighting as a hansom driver (a job he would have been eminently suited for, given his intimate knowledge of London’s streets and byways) or Watson, putting in extra hours at the clinic.

Obviously, they were working on various cases, including a number that were withheld for various reasons. However, we have reached out to Sherlockians around the globe and asked them to review carefully any correspondence with Dr. Watson which may have come into their possession.

As you might expect, they unearthed a plethora of stories which occurred in 1885 and ‘86. We have culled through them with an eye towards selecting not only those cases which showcase the amazing deductive abilities of the Great Detective but those which offer insights into his unique personality as well as those highlighting the relationship between Holmes and his Boswell.

Having said that, know that once again, “The game is afoot!”

Enjoy!

 

SMFS Member Podcast News: City of Light by Josh Pachter

 

SMFS list member Josh Pachter’s short story, City of Light, is featured today at Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine's Fiction Podcast. Read by the author, the podcast can be heard here.

 

Episode Description:

Our latest podcast episode will whisk listeners off to Paris for an adventure filled with fine food and wine, paired with a side of revenge. Here, from our March/April 2020 issue, is "City of Light" by Josh Pachter, one of EQMM's most prolific contributors and translators.