Monday, June 22, 2020
SMFS Member Publishing News: Frank Zafiro
Publisher Synopsis:
Synopsis … The Tyler Garrett Saga Continues…
Spokane Police Officer Tyler Garrett is a man of many different images. To the public, he is a once-maligned and now redeemed cop, the victim of public prejudice and city politics. To the Chief of Police and the Mayor, he is a good cop, falsely accused and thankfully back to work. To his wife, a man she no longer knows. And to those who know his secret, he is the most terrible thing any police officer can be—a traitor to his badge.
Clear of the controversy that surrounded him less than two years ago, Garrett is moving on and getting his life back in order. Meanwhile, Detective Wardell Clint remains on the hunt for any evidence against him that proves what Clint already knows—that Tyler Garrett is dirty. Clint has vowed to stop at nothing to bring down Garrett once and for all.
In the midst of Clint’s efforts, a rash of new city hall scandals break out, including a suspicious death, and Tyler Garrett inserts himself into the investigation. But he isn’t the only one. No one seems immune to being drawn into the web of dirty politics. Officer Gary Stone, assigned as a liaison to city hall, finds himself thrown into the midst of this maelstrom, struggling as his loyalties and ethics are challenged. The mayor, the chief, councilmembers, police captains, and news reporters all square off, each with their own agenda.
Before it ends, everyone will learn that it’s never the crime that causes downfall, but the following cover-up.
Spokane Police Officer Tyler Garrett is a man of many different images. To the public, he is a once-maligned and now redeemed cop, the victim of public prejudice and city politics. To the Chief of Police and the Mayor, he is a good cop, falsely accused and thankfully back to work. To his wife, a man she no longer knows. And to those who know his secret, he is the most terrible thing any police officer can be—a traitor to his badge.
Clear of the controversy that surrounded him less than two years ago, Garrett is moving on and getting his life back in order. Meanwhile, Detective Wardell Clint remains on the hunt for any evidence against him that proves what Clint already knows—that Tyler Garrett is dirty. Clint has vowed to stop at nothing to bring down Garrett once and for all.
In the midst of Clint’s efforts, a rash of new city hall scandals break out, including a suspicious death, and Tyler Garrett inserts himself into the investigation. But he isn’t the only one. No one seems immune to being drawn into the web of dirty politics. Officer Gary Stone, assigned as a liaison to city hall, finds himself thrown into the midst of this maelstrom, struggling as his loyalties and ethics are challenged. The mayor, the chief, councilmembers, police captains, and news reporters all square off, each with their own agenda.
Before it ends, everyone will learn that it’s never the crime that causes downfall, but the following cover-up.
SleuthSayers: A Matter of Trust by Steve Liskow
SleuthSayers: A Matter of Trust: A few weeks ago, a novice writer reached me through my web site. He said he went to the high school where I taught, but I never knew him. He...
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Little Big Crimes Review: Chin Yong-Yun Sets The Date by S.J. Rozan
Little Big Crimes: Chin Yong-Yun Sets The Date, by S.J. Rozan: "Chin Yong-Yun Sets The Date," by S.J. Rozan, in Deadly Anniversaries, edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, Hanover Squa...
A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 109
News of the latest issue from SMFS list member
Peter Dichellis…
Instead of cigars or cargo shorts this week’s
blog gives Dads (and other folks everywhere) links about short mystery and
crime fiction—reviews, releases, free reads, and more.
Includes all the latest free-to-read flash
fiction from Mystery Tribune.
Plus: Submission call—a new Mardi Gras
Mysteries anthology is open for submissions July 1 through August 31.
Check out the details.
A short walk down a dark street (#109). Celebrating short mystery and
crime fiction.
Best wishes,
Peter
One Day Sale: Flash and Bang: A Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology
For one day only, Flash
and Bang: A Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology is on
sale for just $2.00 at DriveThruFiction.com. It’s
available there in EPUB, Kindle and PDF formats. Regularly priced at $4.99,
this is the perfect time for you to pick up a copy and show your support for
SMFS!
Just head to DriveThruFiction.com and
you’ll find the ebook smack dab on their homepage.
Want a paperback or hardcover copy?
Those are 15% off every day when you purchase through The Untreed Reads Store (http://bit.ly/flashandbang).
We even offer a large print paperback edition! Spend $20, get free shipping
(you can combine ebook and paperback purchase to get the free shipping).
Synopsis Supplied by Jay Hartman, Untreed Reeds:
From Jan Christensen’s
introduction to the book, here’s the author matched up with their title:
There are nineteen short
stories by nineteen amazing authors all in one volume. Here’s a peek inside:
1. “The Perfect Crime,”
a rhyming flash by Herschel Cozine, proves that crime writers can write the
perfect crime story.
2. Was the fire at the
old cotton mill arson? If so, who could have set it? Find out the surprising
answer in “The Conflagration at the Nameless Cotton Gin” by Bobbi A. Chukran.
3. There’d been a
“Murder on Elm Street” years ago, and the house had remained empty ever since.
Until the power went out and two strangers moved in. A real mystery by Su
Kopil.
4. In “Fireworks (From
Judge Lu’s Ming Dynasty Case Files)” by P.A. De Voe, what was supposed to be a
celebration turns deadly.
5. If you like surprise
endings, you’ll love “The Bag Lady” by Laurie Stevens.
6. In “Sierra Noir” by
Tim Wohlforth, the stakes are hot and high. A fire almost burns down a whole
town, but a young woman loses her life to gunshots, not the fire.
7. Suzanne Berube Rorhus
tells an unusual tale of two inventors that takes place in ancient times in
“Thor’s Breath.”
8. Sandra Murphy
provides laughs and surprises in her flash story, “Arthur.” Don’t miss it.
9. In “Fractured
Memories” by Julie Tollefson, more than fireworks go off at a Fourth of July
celebration.
10. “Don’t Let the Cop
into the House” by O’Neil De Noux is a powerful story about two police officers
having an intense discussion, and what follows.
11. In “Rosie’s Choice”
by John Floyd, the suspense builds to unbearable heights while an old woman
confronts two gangsters offering “protection.”
12. A retro, atmospheric
story about unrequited love is JoAnne Lucas’s offering, “Don’t Be Cruel.”
13. Andrew MacRae’s “A
Simple Job” involves a detective, a beautiful female CEO and blackmail.
14. Another flash story,
“Beautiful Killer,” by Judy Penz Sheluk is a moving tale of love and loss.
15. There’s Diana, the
smart hooker whose heart of gold is a bit tarnished in “The Fruit of Thy Loins”
by Albert Tucher.
16. Earl Staggs’s story,
“The Raymond Chandler Con,” stars a smart sheriff and a brave best friend who
disagree about how to catch a murderer.
17. A satisfying, flash
revenge story is short and not so sweet—“The Wrong Girl” by Barb Goffman.
18. Then there’s “Silent
Measures” by BV Lawson, a heartwarming tale of a little deaf boy being lost,
then found. 19. Walter Soethoudt's story, “A Day Like No Other,” closes out the
anthology with a look at a police lieutenant in Antwerp whose social
intolerance leads to a very bad day.
Guest Blog: Heartbreaks, Half-truths, and Writing Inspiration by Judy Penz Sheluk
The authors of Heartbreaks & Half-truths: 22
Stories of Mystery & Suspense share their opening lines and the
inspiration behind the stories.
The cast, in order of
appearance:
From Burning Desire by KM Rockwood
My cousin Sophia leaned in close, her boozy breath assailing
my nostrils. “Such a lovely party, Roger. Aunt Regina thought you might be
pretty much down in the dumps right now, what with the wedding called off and
all. She thought a party for your fiftieth birthday would be just the thing to
cheer you up.”
The Inspiration:
My family swarmed with well-intentioned aunts and cousins who tried hard to
support relatives, regardless of the merits of their cause. Usually their attempted
supports just missed the mark.
From The Devil’s Club by Peggy Rothschild
There were two things Jessie Mayhew hated: visitors and
talking about the past. The man standing on her front stoop was a problem on
both counts. Unwelcome, unshaven and underdressed for the weather, he stood in
that familiar cocky way, gloved hands on hips.
The Inspiration:
Hiking with a group in Alaska sparked the germ of this tale. I started to think
about how living in an isolated area provided a perfect setting for murder.
From Blackjack Road by John M. Floyd
Dave Cotten sat on his back porch with a .38 revolver in his
lap, staring at nothing in particular. Under other circumstances, it would have
been a fine day: sunny and humid but not quite steamy, with the kind of fresh,
crisp clarity that comes only after a recent storm.
The Inspiration:
Growing up in a house where the back porch had a view of miles of fields and
woods, as far as the eye could see.
From The Greatest Secret by James Blakey
August 1962
My Fairlane backfires, drawing glares from the foursome of
old-timers lining up putts on the ninth green. I return shaking fists with a
friendly wave and continue up the looping driveway to the valet station.
The Inspiration: Eight
years old and hacking away at the golf ball while impatient men mutter snide
comments
From So Long by Edward Lodi
Sunday
3:17 p.m.: Hey Sarah, Doc here. Not asleep I hope? The
sedative should’ve worn off by now. I wouldn’t want to disturb you. You’ll need
all the rest you can get to build up strength for what’s to come.
The Inspiration: While
recuperating from an operation and listening to the messages on his Voice Mail,
Edward asked himself: would it be possible to construct a suspenseful story
consisting solely of voice messages left by various individuals on one person’s
Voice Mail?
From Afterlife by Kate Flora
Since Hal died, Ida has had too much time on her hands.
While he was with her, she never noticed how much of her day was spent taking
care of his needs.
The Inspiration: This
story of a widowed elderly woman watching the conflicts between young
lobstermen stems from two things. My cottage on a lobstering cove in Maine,
where I have lobstermen in front of me every day; and how, in my mystery
fiction, my detective often goes for insight to the overlooked witness--a woman
who watches her neighborhood or a child who isn't noticed.
From Tongor of the Elephants by Buzz Dixon
Here, lemme show you something you’ve never seen before.
I’ve only shown this to maybe six other people in the last
thirty years, but I’ll be honest, I must’ve watched it dozens of times whenever
I find myself in a bad mood, an ugly mood.
The Inspiration: I’ve
long been interested in Hollywood’s history and folklore (viz. Kenneth Anger’s
Hollywood Babylon books). By chance in
the weeks prior to writing my story, I binged watched six or eight old movie
serials, and the next thing I knew, Tongor Of The Elephants materialized.
From The God Complex by J A Henderson
Jensen and Murphy peered through the smoked glass partition.
On the other side, a dumpy, middle-aged woman sat at her console. She had
unusually dark hair, short and bobbed, with a purple butterfly clasp fastened
to one side. It looked suspiciously like a wig.
The Inspiration: It
fascinates me that observation actually affects events on a quantum level. It
seems like a great metaphor for reading, plus it makes me sound smart.
From For Elizabeth by Christine Eskilson
I’ve loved Elizabeth for years. From a pimpled adolescence
obsessed with maritime history and video games through a lucrative tech career
and right up to my present confines.
The Inspiration:
Reimagining a sixteenth century scandal involving Queen Elizabeth I and one of
her favorite courtiers, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
From See You in Court by Robb T. White
Trey’s friends all said it at one time or another with a
wink or a laugh: “He’s just like that lawyer in Body Heat.”
The Inspiration: A
homicide case involving a Las Vegas wife who murdered her husband. Knowing she
wasn’t strong enough to lift his dead weight into the trunk of her car, she
prepared months in advance by a regimen of intense exercise.
From In the Halls of Mercy by Rhonda Eikamp
My womanly intuition tells me you’ve pieced it together, but
I’ll go over it for you from the beginning.
You’ve got to understand what a scandal it was for us here
at Mercy. We don’t get out much, you know.
From Near Warrenton by Sharon Hart Addy
Warrenton. The town’s name on the green expressway sign
tripped a thought. I swung to the right lane and took the exit, hoping a quick
visit would prove profitable. The idea of scrounging up cold hard cash in a
free hour before my next business call had an inviting ring to it.
The Inspiration: In
Warrington came from seeing a skinny old man tinkering with an ancient tractor
in a farm's driveway. The house, barn and equipment in the barnyard was well
past its best -- all except one brand new building that stood out like a sore
thumb. Why a new garage when everything else needed so much attention?
From Exposure by Tracy Falenwolfe
Sheila and Edward Vandaveer sat shoulder to shoulder across
the desk from Dax and Lorna Cosgrove. Dax let the Vandaveers stew while he
unwrapped a butterscotch candy and popped it into his mouth.
From Living One’s Own Truth by Paula Gail
Benson
In the fall of 1931, near Patriot in Posey Township,
Switzerland County, Indiana, I was employed to teach literature at Framingham
Preparatory Academy, basically an all-male village school elevated only by its
presumptuous name.
The Inspiration:
I wondered why a young woman might be reared to be a heartbreaker. At first,
she told the story. Then, I realized she needed a listener and my true narrator
was born.
From Deep Freeze in Suburbia by Susan Daly
Dina Calder, the Honourable Member for Vancouver-Capilano,
leaned back in her leather chair and reveled in the luxury of her office, with
its view of the Ottawa River and the East Block in all its Gothic Revival
glory. This was the life.
The Inspiration: Deep
Freeze in Suburbia started life as a story about a book club. And a book about
a long-ago murder, that one member wanted to forget. Plus arsenic-laced Nanaimo
Bars. It didn’t end up that way.
From The Angel of Maastricht by Chris
Wheatley
According to at least one expert witness, the victim was
alive and possibly conscious during the last, frenzied attack, during which she
suffered no less than seventeen separate knife wounds.
The Inspiration: I
was thinking about the real-life situation of a friend whilst reading a
biography which partly covered the Sharon Tate murder. The two came together to
form the plot.
From Pink Hearts Pierced by Arrows by Joseph
S. Walker
1998
From her bedroom window, Crystal watched as her mother
carried pile after pile of clothes out to the detached garage in the backyard,
the garage where Crystal’s father kept the vintage Mustang he’d spent years
lovingly restoring.
The Inspiration:
Thinking about illicit affairs and the complicated emotional knots that can
entangle three people, how alliances and sympathies twist and change--and how
the whole thing can blow apart when you add money to the mix.
From Deadly Cargo by Blair Keetch
O’dark hundred.
My favorite time of day. Maybe I appreciated the pre-dawn
hours because of the stillness. I’ve always enjoyed this pristine moment in
time with no stress or any complications.
The Inspiration: As
an airline project manager, I was always intrigued by the unusual and the
bizarre in the world of aviation. So when I heard about the body of a stowaway
falling from the landing compartment from an approaching aircraft into a into
the garden near Heathrow airport, it sent my imagination into the dark
motivations that drives dangerous actions.
From Ugly Fat by Steve Liskow
I’m coming back from the gym Saturday afternoon and the sun
beating on my car makes my hair droop so you wouldn’t know I passed up the
sauna. My gym bag huddles on the passenger seat like a sleeping dog.
The Inspiration: I
remember nothing about when or where this story came to me. The draft I sent
for the anthology is "Version S," which would be the 19th version.
That’s far more than usual, and I don't know why there were so many. (Read more
on Sleuth Sayers https://www.sleuthsayers.org/2020/06/heartbreaks-half-truths.html)
From Checkmate Charlie by Gustavo Bondoni
The small boy, as always, had set the difficulty level much
too high. Charlie sighed inwardly and sent the holographic enemy out to get
him.
The Inspiration: This
one was actually built backwards. The title came to me first, fully formed, and
I wondered who Checkmate Charlie might be. With a name like that, including
cold war overtones, this Charlie had to be a sinister character.
From The Short Answer by James Lincoln Warren
HOLLYWOOD INVESTIGATIONS LTD. had been painted on the
shopfront window in an arc, gold letters bordered in green, and below that, in
a straight line and smaller print, was written “Sleuths to the Stars”, complete
with quotation marks.
The Inspiration: I like to start a story by attempting to lodge a question in the
reader’s mind. In this case, the question is, “Why would anybody with an IQ
higher than a houseplant’s consider engaging a storefront private detective
agency with such a cheesy name and motto?”
From Goulaigans by Judy Penz Sheluk
There’s a place about twenty miles north of Sault Ste.
Marie, Ontario, called Goulais River. Now, you might be tempted to pronounce it
the French way—Goo-lay—or the way it reads phonetically—Goo-lays—but either way
you’d be wrong.
The Inspiration: Watching
Lake Superior as the waves came crashing in, a canoe pulled into the shore, off
in the distance, and thinking, “what if?”
Heartbreaks & Half-truths: 22 Stories of Mystery &
Suspense
Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk
Publisher: Superior Shores Press
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Book Synopsis:
Lovers and losers.
Whether it’s 1950s Hollywood, a scientific experiment, or a
yard sale in suburbia, the twenty-two authors
represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the
overarching theme of “heartbreaks and half-truths” in their own inimitable
style, where only one thing is certain: Behind every broken heart lies a
half-truth.
And behind every half-truth lies a secret.
Find Heartbreaks
& Half-truths: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense on:
Barnes & Noble (trade paperback):
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