SMFS Member Publishing News: The Minor, Nine-Ton Dragon Problem by C. Dan Castro

SMFS list member C. Dan Castro’s short story, The Minor, Nine-Ton Dragon Problem,  is published in the Dragon Gems: Spring 2024 issue. Published by Water Dragon Publishing, the issue is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Publisher Description:

There’s something funny going on here …

Featuring stories by Chase Anderson, Pauline Barmby, C. Dan Castro, P.A. Cornell, Sarina Dorie, CJ Erick, Arvee Andaya Fantilagan, Eric Farrell, Ben Fitts, Philip Brian Hall, David Hankins, David A. Hewitt, Hall Jameson, Pamela Love, Anne Marie Lutz, Sean MacKendrick, Lena Ng, Kurt Pankau, Bethany Tomerlin Prince, Michael Allen Rose, KR Samp, Clark Mark Sodersten, Gary S. Watkins, and Nemma Wollenfang

SMFS Members Published in Notorious in North Texas: Metroplex Mysteries Volume III

Several SMFS list members are published in the recently released anthology, Notorious in North Texas: Metroplex Mysteries Volume III. Edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken and published by the Sisters in Crime North Dallas Chapter, the anthology is available from Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their stories in the book are:

 

Tiffany Seitz with “A Vague Threat.”

 

Shannon Taft with "Bitter Cold."

 

Kevin R. Tipple with “Whatever Happened To…?”

 

Joseph S. Walker with "Citizens Arrested."

 

Amazon Description:

It is true that there is violent crime to be found all over the country. But a particular brand of “Texas Noir” has taken root and flourished within the canon of contemporary crime fiction. And the award-winning writers included in this anthology are some of the best illuminators of Lone Star mayhem—whether it be committed on a lonely and far-flung cattle ranch, or in the luxurious dressing rooms of Neiman Marcus—it has a unique flavor that is purely Texas. —from the Foreword by Kathleen H. Kent
A Perfect Gift For Mystery Lovers!
Welcome to the third anthology by the chapter members of Sisters In Crime North Dallas. The cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding locales offer great fodder for mystery writers—and readers. These have inspired the stories contained in Notorious in North Texas: Metroplex Mysteries Volume III.

·         THE UNTITLED GUNFIGHTER BALLAD, by Mark Thielman

·         DON’T GET CAUGHT, by Karen Harrington

·         OLIVER KOWALSKI, by Terry Shepherd

·         AMARILLO BY MORNING, by Dänna Wilberg

·         GRAVE NEWS, by Cindy Martin

·         LONGSHOT AT LONE STAR PARK, by ML Condike

·         TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY, by Pam McWilliams

·         A VAGUE THREAT, by Tiffany Seitz

·         WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…?, by Kevin R. Tipple

·         HIGH WINDOW, by Amber Royer

·         BITTER COLD, by Shannon Taft

·         CITIZENS ARRESTED, by Joseph S. Walker

MICHAEL BRACKEN (www.CrimeFictionWriter.com), who edited this anthology, is the Edgar Award and Shamus Award nominated, Derringer Award winning author of more than twelve hundred short stories, including crime fiction published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Best American Mystery Stories, The Best Mystery Stories of the Year, and many other publications. Additionally, Bracken is the editor of Black Cat Mystery Magazine, associate editor of Black Cat Weekly, and editor or co-editor of thirty-one published or forthcoming anthologies, including the Anthony Award-nominated The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods. In 2024, he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his contribution to Texas literature.

SMFS Members Published in The Mystery Patrons Present Mystery Most International

 

Today is publication day for The Mystery Patrons Present Mystery Most International. Published by Level Best Books, the anthology is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their stories in the book are:

 

J. F. Benedetto with “The Canadian: Death at a Ghost's Hands.”

 

Peter W. J. Hayes with “White Elephants.”

           

Aimee Kluck with “Murder in the Wine Cellar.”

 

Deborah Lacy with “Sweet Revenge Hotline.”

 

Robert Lopresti with “No Escape.”

 

Jeffrey Marks with “Death on the Nile.”

 

Rob McCartney with “Tent City.”

 

Alan Orloff with “Dragos and Son.”

 

Josh Pachter with “The Last Dance.”

 

Merrilee Robson with “A Farmhouse in Provence.”

 

J.R. Sanders with “Hangry in Hungary.”

 

Bev Vincent with “The Voynich Manuscript.”

 

Kristopher Zgorski with “Reynisfjara.”

 

Publisher Description:

THE MYSTERY PATRONS PRESENT:
MYSTERY MOST INTERNATIONAL

​
We are pleased to present this anthology of 34 stories, all with an international setting or theme. All proceeds from this anthology will go to sponsor registrations, travel, or accommodations to a dedicated mystery convention.

Included Stories:

The Canadian: Death at a Ghost's Hands by Joseph Benedetto
The Devil and Idle Hands by Jared Cade
The Far Shore by Susan Daly
The Road to Limerick by Chris Dreith
Grave Expectations by Marni Graff
Sins of the Father by Kerry Hammond
White Elephants by Peter W.J. Hayes
The Package by Anne Hillerman & David Tedlock
Murder in the Wine Cellar by Aimee Kluck
Sweet Revenge Hotline by Deb Lacy
Stranger on the Train by Kate Lansing
No Escape by Robert Lopresti
A Warm Moscow October by Nina Mansfield
Arsenic and the Shepherd by Nev March
Death on the Nile by Jeffrey Marks
Tent City by Rob McCartney
Death at Dunarven: A Jane Bennett Mystery by Annie McEwan
Swan Song by donalee Moulton
Big Vuto in Lusaka by Lorraine Sharma Nelson
Dragos & Son by Alan Orloff
The Last Dance by Josh Pachter
Death at Dunarven by Maureen Patrick
Thin Air by Katherine Ramsland
From Hunger by Robin Ray
French Fried by Lori Robbins
A Farmhouse in Provence by Merrilee Robson
The Diamond Caper: An Alternate History by Verena Rose
Hangry in Hungary by J.R. Sanders
Death Comes to Coakley by Shawn Reilly Simmons
Lost at Sea by Cathi Stoler
Maj de Ojo by Liz Milliron
The Last Fado of Ricardo Reis by Gabriel Valjan
The Tears of the Trophy Wife by Elaine Viets
The Voynich Manuscript by Bev Vincent
Reynisfjara by Kristopher Zgorski
​
​Editors: Rita Owen, Verena Rose, and Shawn Reilly Simmons
The Mystery Patrons 

SMFS Member Publishing News: Road to Nowhere by James D.F. Hannah

SMFS list member James D.F. Hannah’s short story, Road to Nowhere, appears in the new anthology, BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads. Published by Shotgun Honey, the anthology is available at the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors.

 

Publisher Description:

Twelve of today’s most innovative crime fiction authors bring the songs of the Talking Heads to life in this blistering collection.

A charity anthology to benefit the fight against climate change, BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE is a dazzling exploration of what crime fiction can entail — deftly mixing grimy crime, small-town grit lit, literary noir, and tales that blend crime with speculative fiction, sci-fi, road trip comedy, magical realism, and horror.

In this collection, readers will meet musicians desperate to escape their dying towns, con men with violent histories, detectives haunted by the ghosts of the past, women who refuse to be defined by the narrow expectations placed upon them, slimy magicians poised for a final vanishing act — and even a magic talking guitar. They will traverse back alleys populated by the desperate and the violent, attend desert weddings gone horribly wrong, unravel murders wrapped in ambiguity, visit alternate futures defined by ecological collapse and resurgent fascism, travel back to the turn of the 20th century, and experience visions where the very ideas of truth and reality collapse in on themselves.

This collection will delight, challenge and inspire crime readers of all kinds with stories from exciting up-and-comers and award-winning veterans — including Best American Mystery and Suspense-selected author and Shamus Award-winner James D.F. Hannah; World Fantasy Award-winner and Bram Stoker Award-winner P.D. Cacek; Derringer Award-winner Bobby Mathews; Shamus Award-winner Libby Cudmore; and Alex Award-winner Gregory Galloway.

SMFS Member Publishing News: The Big Snip by Michael Bracken

  

SMFS list member Michael Bracken’s short story, The Big Snip, was published yesterday at TOUGH.  You can read the story online for free here.

SMFS Members Published in Three Strikes—You’re Dead!

Today is publication day for Three Strikes—You’re Dead!. Published by Wildside Press, the anthology is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported their stories in the book are:

 

Kathryn Prater Bomey with "Running Interference."

 

Maddi Davidson with "Off the Beaten Trail."

 

Coeditor Barb Goffman with "A Matter of Trust."

 

Sherry Harris with "The Ultimate Bounty Hunter."

 

Smita Harish Jain with "Run for Your Life."

 

Adam Meyer with "Double Fault."

 

Alan Orloff with "Murder at Home."

 

Shannon Taft with "Race to the Bottom."

 

F. J. Talley with "Cui Bono."

 

Joseph S. Walker with "And Now, An Inspiring Story of Tragedy Overcome."

 

Amazon Description:

This original collection of sports-themed mystery stories features felonies and foul play across a range of athletics. Readers will find riveting stories involving baseball, biathlon, boxing, cycling, figure skating, swimming, tennis, and more. These clever tales—some penned by award-winning authors—offer something for everyone. From traditional whodunits to historical mysteries from noir tales to cozies, Three Strikes, You’re Dead! is the collection both mystery and sports fans have been waiting for!

Included is work by: Alan Orloff, F. J. Talley, Kathryn Prater Bomey, Adam Meyer, Rosalie Spielman, William Ade, Maddi Davidso, Shannon Taft, Sherry Harris, Robin Templeton, Lynne Ewing, Barb Goffman, Joseph S. Walker, and Smita Harish Jain.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Rent Party by P.M. Raymond

SMFS list member P.M. Raymond’s short story, Rent Party, was published at Punk Noir Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.