4/20/2017 0 Comments Short Story Review: AtonementAtonement, by Michael Bracken, is a good example of an author packing a big story into a short format. Not a single word is wasted in the telling of this tale. The setting is the Blue Bonnet Cafe, a barely-hanging-on restaurant in a dying small town. The owner, cook, busboy and dishwasher are one and the same, surviving only because he owns the building and lives on his Social Security checks. Am I painting a picture of bleak? The story starts with the vivid image of the town's only traffic light having been shot out decades ago. By the end, you learn why. As with many of the stories I have reviewed, if I say too much, I'll give away the ending. Suffice it to say, Atonement begins with a bang, and continues relentlessly to a powerful closing. You can find this story in the April issue of Mystery Weekly Magazine.
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4/18/2017 0 Comments Five Fun Things I Have SaidWriting is a solitary endeavor. When the writer finally works up the courage to share his or her work with the world, rejection is rampant. Eventually, mingling with the downside are the good moments. Acceptance (by an agent, publisher, magazine editor), glory (a signed contract, holding the published work), and acknowledgement (sales, award nominations, good reviews). On April 8, I attended the Mountain of Authors event hosted by the Pikes Peak Library 21c. Dozens of authors sat at tables, displaying their work. Writers attended, hoping to glean information and enlightenment from the speakers. Readers wandered through, some purchasing books. I have a theory about library events. Readers come to libraries to use free materials. I do it myself. I can’t afford to purchase Sue Grafton’s entire mystery series on cd, but I check it out from the library to listen to on my work commute. I know Ms. Grafton will make a few bucks from library sales of her audio books, and hope she doesn’t begrudge my budgetary discretion. So I did not mind that readers picked up my bookmarks, but didn’t purchase books. Hopefully, they will either buy my e-books, and if not, at least check my books out from the library. Either way, I gain readers. I came to the event knowing what to expect. At some point that day, I remembered the excitement of my first library event four years ago, after the release of my first novel. Sitting in Library 21c, I rekindled the joy of being a writer. What an honor, to be included among the dozens of published authors! Occasionally, I have to remind myself of how far I’ve come. Fun things I have gotten to say in the past 4 years:
Low Tide at Tybee is the final novella in the anthology, Low Country Crime. Author James M. Jackson creates an amusing tale with unexpected red herrings and plenty of twists. The protagonist is the star of Jackson's Seamus McCree novel series. In this story, he is trying to enjoy a relaxing vacation with his six-year-old granddaughter and his mother, who is a spry 81. In keeping with the theme of the anthology, they have a rental near the beach on Tybee Island, off the coast of Georgia. That may sound like a laid-back setting with characters who can't possibly get in any trouble, but McCree is a retired financial crimes investigator. He believes his past has followed him to Tybee, and threatens his granddaughter and mother. The greatest tension for me was worrying about the six year old, followed closely by fears for McCree's dart champion mother. There are surprises at the end, as all the loose ends are wrapped up in ways I didn't anticipate. Low Tide at Tybee was a fun read, as were all the stories in this anthology with a Southern setting. 4/11/2017 0 Comments Mountain of AuthorsI had a great time at the Pikes Peak Library event Saturday, Mountain of Authors. My top five highlights are: 1) Hanging out for an afternoon with writing friends. 2) Meeting readers and aspiring writers. 3) Hearing author Sean Eads give his explanation of the difference between writing short stories and novels. 4) Being entertained by Mark Lee Gardner, as he embellished his talk about historical fiction and non-fiction with a few old cowboy and outlaw ballads. 5) Supporting my local library. Below is a slideshow with photos of just a few local authors in attendance. Wish I'd taken more pictures! Thursday is my day to post a short story review. I spent my time reading Derringer finalists. The Derringer is awarded annually by the Short Mystery Fiction Society. With five stories in four categories, that makes twenty terrific stories. Reading the entries was like reading a very eclectic anthology. I am honored that my story, The Chemistry of Heroes, is a finalist in the Novelette category. To learn more about the story, you can read my interview on Gerald So's website. I don't think it would be fair for me to review the finalists, so there will be no review this week. If you are an SMFS member, please vote! Your opinion is important, and the stories are great fun to read. Good luck to all the finalists! 4/4/2017 2 Comments Writing Reality and RewardsAdvice to new writers: write a short story and get published in a prestigious fiction magazine to catch the eye of agents and editors for your real writing - novels. WRONG! Financial Reality: Although that is exactly why I started writing short stories, I quickly fell in love with the art form for it's own sake, not for what it could do for my long fiction. Five years later, I discovered that I was earning more from my short fiction than my novels. Not that short stories pay that well. Quite the opposite. For the gritty economic details, read an article by R. T. Lawton, who writes short stories exclusively. For the hours some of us put into creating fiction, we should be earning what Fortune 500 CEOs are making. Again and again I read that even many NYT bestselling authors are barely making their bills. Writing Rewards: So why do we authors persist? There are rewards beyond the minuscule paycheck. First - the act of writing itself, which is the therapy some of us need to cope with reality, economic and otherwise. Second - knowing we bring entertainment to readers who may need momentary relief from the stresses of their own realities. Third - the acknowledgement by our peers that we belong to the unique community of writers. The Derringer: One reward for short story authors is being nominated for the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Award. Both R. T. Lawton and I are finalists, in different categories. It's an honor to be recognized by our peers as having written a worthy story. Until I make buy-an-island money, I'll be content to bask in the glow of being a Derringer nominee. If you go to the Derringer Award page, you can click on "An Ill Wind" to read R. T.'s flash fiction story. If you want to read my story in the novelette category, you'll need to hunt down a May 2016 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. 3/30/2017 4 Comments Short Story Review - OverviewThere are many short mystery fiction options out there, from e-zines, to physical magazines, to anthologies. I've been so busy, I haven't strayed from the current issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. It hardly seems fair to review every story in AHMM, so I'll mention a few more I've read, then list other short story venues. AHMM is my favorite. Not just because I have had several stories published in the magazine. I enjoy the variety. You might read a short detective story, a thoughtful literary-style story, humor, historical, a chilling spooky tale, and now graphic fiction. Most present clues, giving the reader the option of attempting to solve the mystery before the protagonist. Others have no obvious solution, and leave you wondering. The March/April issue is about character, as explained on the magazine's blog, Trace Evidence. I enjoyed the short tale Magpie Man, by Tony Richards. A detective tracks down a prison escapee. He is seeking not just the prisoner, but the reason why the seemingly meek man would choose to escape just weeks before his release. I'll admit, his motivation was not what I expected. Susan Oleksiw's How Do You Know What You Want actually made me uncomfortable. The story follows a woman's attempt to connect with a teen in foster care. If you have ever dealt with a truly troubled teen, you might agree with me that Oleksiw creates a disturbingly realistic story. I'm still reading my way through the March/April issue of AHMM, and expect to finish it cover to cover before the next issue arrives. Yes, Old School, in my snail mail box. You can also subscribe to the e-version of AHMM. Other magazines publishing mystery short stories: Mystery Weekly Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine The Strand King's River Life - mystery section - novel reviews and short stories Women's World - a short mystery in each issue I know I'm missing someone important. Do you have a favorite source of mystery short stories? 3/28/2017 0 Comments Change of WeatherSpringtime in the Rockies has begun. We can go from 70s to snowstorms in less than 24 hours. I'm not complaining. We need moisture. When there is snow on Pikes Peak now, there's a chance we'll be able to water our gardens and lawns this coming summer. My writing season began earlier. In December, I enjoyed a blast of creativity. I am still harvesting the story ideas now. I just finished a short story. I'm beginning an exciting new novel project that I'll talk more about later. This weather reminds me that you have to take advantage of nice days when they happen, and be prepared to ride out the inevitable storms. It often seems that things don't happen in our timing. No, the good and the bad arrive on their own schedule. I hope you are enjoying spring. The weather can be tumultuous, and sometimes you just don't know what to expect from day to day. Through it all, though, there is that delicious smell of thawing earth and emerging vegetation. The cycle begins again. Don't confuse graphic fiction with comic books. Although both use illustrations to tell a story, graphic fiction might be considered an elevated version, or comics all grown up. Manga is Japanese graphic fiction. Anime is the movie version of manga. Our younger daughter (mid-twenties) and grandchildren are happy participants in the great love affair between American youth and Japanese culture. They devour illustrated fiction appropriate to their reading levels and ages. Some manga is more like the classic comic book, while other stories may be dark and complex, geared toward mature readers. Family friend Jason Salas creates graphic fiction in comic strip style, with two to five panels telling a story. One series, Perk at Work, follows quirky characters who work at or frequent a coffee shop. This is all to say that I am familiar with graphic fiction. I don't seek it out, but it frequently finds its way into my reading. I am not a snob about the art form, seeing both its appeal and value. When I saw graphic fiction featured in the March/April 2017 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, I was eager to see what an artist and writer could do with the mystery fiction short story format. Dale Berry's Dead Air follows a radio disc jockey as he takes a listener's phone call. The illustrations are vital to the tale, creating atmosphere, and also giving the big reveal at the end. The story is brief, so if I say too much, I'll give away the mystery. I'll just tell you, whether you are a graphic fiction fan or not, this story is worth reading. You can learn about Berry's process in combining writing a mystery fiction story while using illustration. If you prefer your fiction with less visual art and more prose, visit the website Trigger Warning to read short fiction with one illustration. On April 8, I will be participating in a library event, Mountain of Authors. Date: Saturday, April 8, 2017 Time: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Location: Library 21c map it! The 11th Annual Mountain of Authors (MOA) is a free annual community program that provides an opportunity for the public and local authors to meet and listen to notable authors and writers, and for aspiring writers to learn more about the craft of writing. |
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