Thursday, February 28, 2019
H. Terrell Griffin: R.I.P.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Edible Anthology
The 14th anthology in the Malice Domestic series will be published by Wildside Press and released during Malice 31 in May. What a great collection! Mystery Most Edible is presented by Parnell Hall and includes the following stories:
Brown Recluse by Marcia Adair
A Slice of Heaven by Laura Brennan
A Death in Yelapa by Leslie Budewitz
Pie Sisters by Richard Cass
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Murder by Lynne Ewing
Pig Lickin' Good by Debra H Goldstein
Quiche Alain by Marni Graff
Snowbirding by Kristin Kisska
The Blue Ribbon by Cynthia Kuhn
Up Day Down Day Deadly Day by Ellen Larson
The Extra Ingredient by Joan Long
Carne Diem by Sharon Lynn
Sticky Fingers by L.D. Masterson
Sushi Lessons by Edith Maxwell
Killer Chocolate Chips by Ruth McCarty
Dining Out by Rosemary McCracken
Bad Ju-Ju by M.A. Monnin
The Cremains of the Day by Josh Pachter
The Missing Ingredient for Murderous Intent by Elizabeth Perona
Canning Season by Adele Polomski
Diet of Death by Ang Pompano
Gutbombs 'N' Guinness by Lisa Preston
Turn the Sage by Stephen Rogers
Death at the Willard Hotel by Verena Rose
Deadly In-Flight Dining by Sara Rosett
Honor Thy Father by Harriette Sackler
Bring It by Terry Shames
The Gourmand by Nancy Cole Silverman
The Last Word by Shawn Reilly Simmons
Bull Dog Gravy by Mark Thielman
Morsels of the Gods by Victoria Thompson
Mrs. Beeton's Sausage Stuffing by Christine Trent
First Day of the Year by Gabriel Valjan
Murder Takes the Cupcake by Kate Willett
The Secret Blend by Stacy Woodson
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Cartoon of the Day: A Survey of the Teetering Pile of Unread Books Next to My Bed
From the amazing Tom Gauld.
Do you have a teetering pile like this? Post in comments. Be sure and scroll down to see mine (that also includes my iPad).
Monday, February 25, 2019
The Hammett Prize Nominees 2019
The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers announced the nominees for their annual HAMMETT PRIZE for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a US or Canadian author. Congratulations to all.
The nominees:
William Boyle, The Lonely Witness (Pegasus Crime)
Lisa Unger, Under My Skin (Park Row)
Sam Wiebe, Cut You Down (Random House Canada)
Lou Berney, November Road (William Morrow)
Robert Olen Butler, Paris in the Dark (The Mysterious Press)
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Links to Agatha Short Story Nominees: Malice Domestic
"All God's Sparrows"by Leslie Budewitz (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine):
http://www.lesliebudewitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/AllGodsSparrows.pdf
"A Postcard for the Dead"by Susanna Calkins in Florida Happens (Three Rooms Press): http://www.susannacalkins.com/uploads/8/6/7/1/8671494/calkins_a_postcard_for_the_dead[1].pdf
"Bug Appetit" by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine): http://www.barbgoffman.com/whose-wine-is-it-anyway-.html
"The Case of the Vanishing Professor"by Tara Laskowski (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine): http://taralaskowski.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Laskowski_Case_of_the_Vanishing_Professor.pdf
"English 398: Fiction Workshop"by Art Taylor (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine): http://www.arttaylorwriter.com/arttaylor/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Taylor_English398.pdf
Saturday, February 23, 2019
The Frisco Detective, Or, How I came to be a Publisher of Old Stories in Brilliant New Editions: Guest Post by Mark Williams
The Frisco Detective, Or, How I came to be a Publisher of Old Stories in Brilliant New Editions
Mark Williams here, and I should introduce myself. I’m the guy starting a publishing company to bring “lost” detective and crime stories of the late 1800s to new readers. Stories like The Frisco Detective, which has just come out as a trade paperback. My company is called Dark Lantern Tales, and here is how it came to be.
My parents were artists, and while growing up I had no other expectation than to pursue life as an artist myself. But during my one erratic year in college I became part of a bootleg underground radio station and soon was in the music business, recording music for a living.
Most of the people in my life know me from the long career I had in the recording business. Obsessively pursuing the knowledge, skill, intuition, and opportunities to make fine recordings of music was way beyond a job – it was who I was! And that was for nearly fifty years, during which time I had to evolve through many changes in the recording industry. But a couple of years ago it became obvious to me that new changes in the business were more than I was up to tackling. It was finally time to call it a day.
And that led to the question, “If I am not recording music, who am I?” Good question, and looking for a satisfying alternative, I began to imagine how I might create a publishing company to share my interest in an obscure area of literature.
Beginning as a teenager I have studied late 19th century American history and collected artifacts. Series books of that time period interested me, and I still have some of the copies I gathered in the 1960s. Over the years I further focused my interest and collecting on the more ephemeral popular fiction sold from newsstands to working folks in the 1800s. The publishing business of the latter 19th century was as seamy and chaotic as anything I experienced in the music business, and I always felt a kindred with the hard living and hard working writers who scratched out thousands of words each day with pen and ink.
After a twelve-hour day working in a recording studio somewhere, I would relax in my hotel room with a glass or two of red, and prowl the internet. I was learning and looking for rare titles I wanted. My wife, Ann, would have the boxes of my online finds for me when I got back home.
A favorite author of mine is Albert W. Aiken. Aiken was part of the stable of writers for Beadle and Adams publications and maintained a parallel career as a playwright and actor. Many of his stories feature vivid backstage scenes in sleazy theatres. I am drawing on his crime and detective novels for many of the initial releases from Dark Lantern Tales, including The Frisco Detective.
A concept came to me that people might really enjoy the low brow, high action detective stories of the 1870s-1890s if they were easy to read. There are lots of readers who like Historical Fiction, and there is new interest in Victorian era drama on TV with shows like The Alienist, Ripper Street, and Penny Dreadful. Trying to read the fragile, browned originals, or trying to read scans from computer files was OK for academics (and me) but someone on a long flight or sitting on a beach would want a convenient, modern format. Modern ebooks looked like a good place to start, print versions are coming out now, and eventually audiobooks will be available.
The Frisco Detective is the first title out as a trade paperback, and Jim Wann, our storyteller friend who has authored Pump Boys and Dinettes, Diamond Studs, and other musicals, recently wrote this:
My friend Mark Williams came to Tybee for KING MACKEREL and handed me this novel he has just edited and brought out under his banner, Dark Lantern Tales. I loved it! The crooked police chief, the beautiful woman who may or may not be on the level, the cheerful thugs with their inventive patois, the resourceful hero--all characters that fans of Hammett would encounter about 40 years on with his own Frisco detectives, Sam Spade, The Continental Op, and Ned Beaumont. Highly recommended!
So, to answer my question from a few paragraphs ago, I am now an editor and publisher of these stories from Dark Lantern Tales. Being immersed in these old detective stories, and going through all the stages to bring them from the scarce originals to new editions, has become my new obsession. My search is for adventurous Historical Fiction readers, and I hardly miss making records at all. Welcome to the world of action-packed, ephemeral crime thrillers of the late 1800s!
P.S. What is a “Dark Lantern?” The answer is here: https://darklanterntales.wordpress.com/what-is-a-dark-lantern/
The Frisco Detective in Trade Paperback and Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Frisco+Detective&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
The Frisco Detective in EPUB file for iPad, iPhone, other readers than Kindle: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/891939
Friday, February 22, 2019
Thursday, February 21, 2019
INAUGURAL SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD
Presented by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, the award will be given at Mystery Writers of America’s 73rd Annual Edgar® Awards in New York City on April 25, 2019
Thirty-five years ago, Sue Grafton launched one of the most acclaimed and celebrated mystery series of all time with A is for Alibi, and with it created the model of the modern female detective with Kinsey Millhone, a feisty, whip-smart woman who is not above breaking the rules to solve a case or save a life. Like her fictional alter ego, Grafton was a true original, a model for every woman who has ever said the hell with this and struck out on her own independent way.
Sue Grafton passed away on December 28, 2017, but she and Kinsey will be remembered as international icons and treasured by millions of readers across the world. Sue was adored throughout the reading world, the publishing industry, and was a longtime and beloved member of MWA, serving as MWA President in 1994 and was the recipient of three Edgar nominations as well as the Grand Master Award in 2009. G.P. Putnam’s Sons is partnering with MWA to create the Sue Grafton Memorial Award honoring the Best Novel in a Series featuring a female protagonist in a series that hallmarks Sue’s writing and Kinsey’s character: a woman with quirks but also with a sense of herself, with empathy but also with savvy, intelligence and wit.
The inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award will be presented for the first time at the 73rd Annual Edgar Awards in New York City on April 25, 2019 – the day after what would have been Sue’s 79th birthday – and will be presented annually there to honor Sue’s life and work.
The nominees for the inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award were chosen by the 2019 Best Novel and Best Paperback Original Edgar Award judges from the books submitted to them throughout the year. The winner will be chosen by a reading committee made up of current National board members, and will be announced at this year’s Edgars Award banquet.
The nominees for the inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award are:
Lisa Black, Perish, Kensington
Sara Paretsky, Shell Game, HarperCollins – William Morrow
Victoria Thompson, City of Secrets, Penguin Random House - Berkley
Charles Todd, A Forgotten Place, HarperCollins – William Morrow
Jacqueline Winspear, To Die But Once, HarperCollins - Harper
ABOUT SUE GRAFTON:
#1 New York Times–bestselling author Sue Grafton is published in twenty-eight countries and in twenty-six languages—including Estonian, Bulgarian, and Indonesian. Books in her alphabet series, beginning with A is for Alibi in 1982 are international bestsellers with readership in the millions. Named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, she also received many other honors and awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award from Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Malice Domestic, the Anthony Award given by Bouchercon (most recently the 2018 Anthony /Bill Crider Award for Best Novel in a Series), and three Shamus Awards. Grafton passed away on December 28, 2017.
ABOUT G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS:
Putnam is home to many bestselling fiction authors including Ace Atkins, Chloe Benjamin, C.J. Box, Eleanor Brown, Tom Clancy, Robin Cook, Robert Crais, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Deaver, Janet Evanovich, Lyndsay Faye, Frederick Forsyth, Karen Joy Fowler, Sue Grafton, W.E.B. Griffin, Jan Karon, Philip Kerr, Delia Owens, Robert B. Parker, Nick Petrie, John Sandford, Jill Santopolo, Lisa Scottoline, Kathryn Stockett, and Stuart Woods. Among its distinguished nonfiction list are Sophia Amoruso, A. Scott Berg, Cathy Guisewite, Spencer Johnson, Bobby Orr, Dolly Parton, and Eve Rodsky.
ABOUT MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA:
MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses more than 3,000 members including authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. For more information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website: www.mysterywriters.org
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
L.A.Times Book Prizes Finalists
MYSTERY/THRILLER
Megan Abbott, "Give Me Your Hand"
Kent Anderson, "Green Sun"
Lou Berney, "November Road"
Oyinkan Braithwaite, "My Sister, the Serial Killer"
Leila Slimani, "The Perfect Nanny"
Left Coast MWA MeetUp: March 28
Going to Left Coast Crime in Vancouver in March? Then, you'll want to meet up with Left Coast Mystery Writers of America members.
Thursday, March 28, 7:15 (after opening ceremonies)
Everyone invited!
Meet writers and friends of MWA NW, NorCal, & SoCal
Thursday, March 28, 7:15 (after opening ceremonies)
Everyone invited!
Meet writers and friends of MWA NW, NorCal, & SoCal
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
BILL CRIDER PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION: Bouchercon 2019
Bouchercon 2019
Denim, Diamonds, and Death
Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction
The 2019 Bouchercon Dallas committee has launched the Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction to celebrate this treasured literary form, both the short story and the widely-admired mystery author and reviewer, Bill Crider. Designed to encourage writers from all over the world, these distinguished prizes award stories with fascinating characters and twisty plots, all in the mystery genre. This award is debuting at the 2019 Bouchercon.
Prizes
First Prize: $1000
Second Prize: $750
Third Prize: $500
Bill Crider Memorial Scholarship: Registration to Bouchercon 2020
Judging Longlist Finalists An anonymous judging panel of published authors will select an initial round of finalists (no public announcements will be made).
Shortlist Finalists A second anonymous judging panel of published authors will select the shortlist finalists (no public announcements will be made).
Winners
Janet Hutchings, editor of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, will choose the winners from the shortlisted writers.
Please note that no automatic publication in either EQMM or AHMM is attached to winning or being a finalist in this contest. All contestants (whether they make judges cuts or not) are welcome to submit to either magazine—but not both at the same time.
Once the final four writers have been chosen, all shortlisted authors will be notified on or near October 1.
Bouchercon Dallas Guest of Honor Hank Phillippi Ryan will recognize the shortlisted authors and award the top prizes during Bouchercon 2019 in Dallas, Texas.
All decisions are final and may not be contested.
Submissions
Deadline: Mar 1, 2019 Open to all writers regardless of Bouchercon registration or residency
Stories must be an original work, not previously published, submitted anonymously (as provided in these rules), and without identifiable series characters
Theme: Deep in the Heart (relating to Texas, whether locale, characters, history, etc.) with an element of mystery or crime
One submission per person
Manuscript Guidelines:
Word count: 3,500 - 5000 words
Format: Standard font Times New Roman at 12 pt size; no fancy fonts
Denote scene breaks with asterisks: ***
Double-space with one-inch margins on all sides
Email as an attached Word doc to: subs.deepintheheart@gmail.com
Subject line: CRIDER CONTEST SUBMISSION
Contact info (body of email only, not in Word doc):
Name: Actual
Pen Name: If applicable
Mailing address
Phone number
Email address
Story Name
Word Count
No identifying information anywhere in the story or document
Entrants retain full copyright of her/his work with the stipulation it cannot be published until Bouchercon Dallas ends on Nov 3, 2019.
No automatic publication in either EQMM or AHMM is attached to winning or being a finalist in this contest. All contestants (whether they make judges cuts or not) are welcome to submit to either magazine—but not both at the same time.
There is no entry fee, nor will any monies be paid for stories other than the four prizes stated.
Questions
Direct all questions to: subs.deepintheheart@gmail.com
Question subject line: QUESTION on Crider Contest
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
PRESIDENTIAL CRIME FICTION: Presidents Day
A big thriller on the list this year is The President is Missing by former President Bill Clinton with James Patterson. And, I really enjoyed Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery by Andrew Shaffer.
Political Election and Thrillers
Rubicon by Lawrence Alexander
Saving Faith by David Baldacci
Political Suicide and Touched by the Dead by Robert Barnard
Capitol Conspiracy by William Bernhardt
Collateral Damage by Michael Bowen
Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell
Executive Orders by Tom Clancy
Impaired Judgement by David Compton
Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
Term Limits; Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn
The Scandal Plan by Bill Folman
The Power Broker by Stephen W. Frey
Spook Country by William Gibson
Fast Track, Sleeping Dogs by Ed Gorman
The Fourth Perimeter by Tim Green
The People's Choice by Jeff Greenfield
Hazardous Duty by W.E.B. Griffin
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
The Second Revolution by Gary Hansen
The President's Daughter and The White House Connection by Jack Higgins
The Enemy Within by Noel Hynd
First Daughter by Eric Lustbader
Drone Threat by Mike Maden
Executive Privilege by Philip Margolin
Presidents' Day by Seth Margolis
The Race, Protect and Defend, Balance of Power by Richard North Patterson
Politics Noir: Gary Phillips, Editor
Missing Member by Jo-Ann Power
Dark Horse by Ralph Reed
Dead Heat, The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg
Dead Watch by John Sandford
State of the Union by Brad Thor
Capital Crimes by Stuart Woods
Assassination Attempts
American Quartet by Warren Adler
Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer
Sherlock Holmes in Dallas by Edmund Aubrey
The 14th Colony by Steve Berry
All American Girl by Meg Cabot (YA)
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton/James Patterson
Primary Target by Max Allan Collins
Campaign Train (Murder Rides the Campaign Train) by The Gordons
Glass Tiger by Joe Gores
The President's Assassin by Brian Haig
Potus by Greg Holden
Marine One by James W. Huston
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Murder at Monticello by Jane Langton
The Surrogate Assassin by Christopher Leppek
Gideon's March by J.J. Marric
The Kidnapping of the President by Charles Templeton
Pursuit by James Stewart Thayer
Primary Target by Marilyn Wallace
Watchdogs by John Weisman
Kidnappings
We are Holding the President Hostage by Warren Adler
The Camel Club, First Family by David Baldacci
Line of Succession by Brian Garfield
Madam President by Anne Holt
Oath of Office by Steven J. Kirsch
Presidential Deal by Les Standiford
The Kidnapping of the President by Charles Templeton
The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
Presidential Disappearances
The President Vanishes by Anonymous (1934)
Missing! by Michael Avallone
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal
The President's Plan is Missing by Robert J. Serling
The President Vanishes by Rex Stout
Fixing the Election
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
The 13th Directorate by Barry Chubin
Atropos by William DeAndrea
The Red President by Martin Gross
The Ceiling of Hell by Warren Murphy
The Trojan Hearse by Richard S. Prather
President Fu Manch by Sax Rohmer
The Big Fix by Roger L. Simon
Presidential Crisis
Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II
Vanished; Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
A Fine and Dangerous Season by Keith Raffel
The President as Detective
Speak Softly by Lawrence Alexander
Lincoln for the Defense by Warren Bull
Mr President, Private Eye, edited by Martin Greenberg & Francis M. Nevins
Bully by Mark Schorr
Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery by Andrew Shaffer
The JFK Plot
Too many to list, but...
Mongoose, RIP by William F. Buckley
Executive Action by Mark Lane, Donald Freed and Stephen Jaffe
The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry
Presidential Families
Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert
Deadly Aims by Ron L. Gerard
The First Lady by E.J. Gorman
The President's Daughter by Jack Higgins
The Devil's Bed by William Kent Krueger
Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal
The First Lady Murders, edited by Nancy Pickard
Murder and the First Lady; Murder at the President's Door (and other novels) By Elliot Roosevelt
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Murder in the White House (and other novels) by Margaret Truman
They've Shot the President's Daughter by Edward Stewart
Other
The Big Stick by Lawrence Alexander
The President's Mind, The 20th Day of January by Ted Allbeury
Absolute Power by David Baldacci
Father's Day by John Calvin Batchelor
Warriors by Ted Bell
The Kennedy Connection by Dick Belsky
Enslaved by Ron Burns
The Plan by Stephen J. Cannell
Killing Time by Caleb Carr
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
First Strike by Ben Coes
Ex Officio by Timothy Culver (Donald Westlake)
The Whole Truth by John Ehrlichman
The President's Vampire, Blood Bath by Christopher Farnsworth
FDR's Treasure, Lincoln's Hand by Joel Fox
The President's Henchman, The Next President by Joseph Flynn
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin
Julie Hyzy's White House Chef series
Spin Doctor by M.C. Lewis
Die Like a Hero by Clyde Linsley
Jack 1939 by Francine Matthews
The Better Angels by Charles McCarry
The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer
The First Patient by Michael Palmer
Treason at Hanford by Scott Parker
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson
Keeping House by Tucker and Richard Phillips
The Only Thing to Fear by David Poyer
Acts of Mercy by Bill Pronzini and Barry Malzberg
Love, Lust, and Loyalty by Greg Sandora
The President's Daugther by Mariah Stewart
Ghosts of War by Brad Taylor
Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut
Put a Lid on It by Donald Westlake
President Lincoln's Spy by Steven Wilson
An Anthology
Mr President, Private Eye, edited by Martin H. Greenberg. Different historical presidents in the role of sleuth
Abraham Lincoln Mysteries
Abraham Lincoln: Detective by Allen Appel
A Night of Horrors: A Historical Thriller about the 24 Hours of Lincoln's Assassination by John C. Berry
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
Lincoln's Hand by Joel Fox
The Lincoln Letter by Gretchen Elassani and Phillip Grizzell
Lincoln's Diary by DL Fowler
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Assassin's Accomplice by Kate Clifford Larson
The Lincoln Letter by William Martin
The Lincoln Secret by John A. McKinsey
The First Assassin by John J. Miller
The Lincoln Conspiracy by Timothy L. O'Brien
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Murder of Willie Lincoln by Brad Solomon
The Cosgrove Report: Being the Private Inquiry of a Pinkerton Detective into the Death of President Lincoln by G.J.A. O'Toole
President Lincoln's Secret, President Lincoln's Spy by Steven Wilson
Friday, February 15, 2019
First Responders and PTSD: March 2, San Francisco
Free to the Public. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America, NorCal Chapter:
DEAD IN SEAT 4-A: Guest post by M. Glenda Rosen
“Dead In Seat 4-A,” Book Two The Senior Sleuth Mysteries
“Thanks to my father, writing mysteries is in my DNA! My father was a gangster. Really!”
Like Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man series, Dick and Dora Zimmerman from The Senior Sleuths, solve crimes, especially murders. Along with Zero the Bookie (fashioned after my father) and a fascinating cast of other characters (such as Frankie Socks fresh out of the Witness Protection Program), the Zimmerman’s ignore being told to stay away!
As the story begins, the Las Vegas Sheriff is not happy to have Dick and Dora back in his town, especially since they had arrived on a plane with a dead body. Zero had brought along Cloud, a woman he recently met on an online gambling site. Dora soon discovers what she’s really after.
In Book 2, Dead In Seat 4-A, readers are swept along with Dick and his friends in their frantic pursuit of his wife, Dora, who has been kidnapped along with Cloud, and taken to The Mob Museum. Can anyone save them from the bad guys?
The story includes a poisoned flask, a mysterious key and enough dangerous characters to keep the reader guessing who is really behind the murders. The action takes place in casinos, bars, the condo complex where Dick and Dora live, the airport, the famous Vegas Strip (the scene of car chases), the underbelly of Las Vegas and, in The Mob Museum.
As author of two mystery series I now do talks about growing up as “the gangster’s daughter.” I’ve also published numerous articles including ones in, Mystery Scene Magazine, Sisters In Crime Newsletters, and various mystery blogs. I’m author of “The Woman’s Business Therapist,” and the award-winning “My Memoir Workbook, “ and a member of Sisters in Crime, Board Member, Woman’s National Book Association, Central Coast Writer’s, Public Safety Writer’s Association and The Mob Museum.
Level Best Books has also re-released Book One: “Dead In Bed,” with a new cover and special e-book price for February 2019. Published in 2018 it received honorable mention, Public Safety Writer’s Association, 2018, and Las Vegas Writers Festival, 2018. Book Three: Dead In THAT Beach House, is to be published in 2020.
They will also publish a special 2019 holiday book my son and I are writing, he the recipes and me the stories: “The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menus,” by the Family. For more information please check out my website, www.theseniorsleuths.com or publisher at www.levelbestbooks.com.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
RETRO MYSTERY AND BOOK-RELATED VALENTINE'S DAY CARDS
Remember those Valentine's Day cards you punched out and gave to all the people in your class? Even if you don't, here are a few that are perfect for readers. I love these Retro Mystery and Book-Related Valentine's Day Cards. Be sure and view them all. Happy Valentine's Day!
And then there are the Bookish Valentines...
And my Favorite
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
William E. Butterworth III aka W.E.B. Griffin: R.I.P.
From an obituary on his Facebook page:
While his body of work includes more than 250 books published under more than a dozen pseudonyms, he is best known as W.E.B. Griffin, the #1 best-selling author of nearly 60 epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Butterworth’s first novel, Comfort Me with Love, was published in 1959. The delivery-and-acceptance check from the publisher paid the hospital bill for the birth of his first son, William E. Butterworth IV, who two decades ago began editing the Griffin best-sellers and then became co-author of them.
Griffin wrote a multitude of novels in the crime and thriller genre under thirteen different pen names. Read more HERE.
HT: TheRapSheet
The Return of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Don Klees, Vice President of Programming for the Acorn brands at RLJ Entertainment, said, “After first introducing U.S. audiences to the fashionable Miss Phryne Fisher in 2013, Acorn TV is thrilled to work with Every Cloud Productions and all3media on her highly anticipated return in a gorgeous, cinematic film, The Crypt of Tears, as well as introduce audiences to her equally fashionable and entertaining niece Peregrine Fisher in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries.
From the creators of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries series, the Modern Murder Mysteries series moves the setting to the 1960s and features as much of the embodiment of style, glamour and adventure as the 1920s-set original. In 1964, when the famous aunt she never knew, Phryne Fisher, goes missing over the highlands of New Guinea, the gorgeously reckless Peregrine Fisher (Geraldine Hakewill, Wanted) inherits a windfall. Peregrine sets out to become a world-class private detective in her own right with the unerring guidance of The Adventuresses’ Club, a group of exceptional women of which her celebrated aunt was a member. A natural rule breaker, Peregrine is fearless, fun, and charmingly down-to-earth, as well as having a keen instinct for solving crimes. With newfound wealth and The Adventuresses to hone her rough edges and become the family she’s never had, Peregrine is unstoppable. The series co-stars Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door, Deadline Gallipoli) as smart, ambitious cop Detective James Steed and Catherine McClements (Wentworth) as Birdie, an ex-member of WW2 Special Forces and head of The Adventuresses.
The highly anticipated feature film, Miss Fisher and The Crypt of Tears, continues the story of global sensation Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which aired for three seasons (2012-2015). Essie Davis (The Babadook, Game of Thrones) returns in the five-time Logie-nominated role that made her a worldwide star. Set in the late 1920s, The Crypt of Tears follows the Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher on a Middle Eastern adventure in search of an ancient treasure. The film features several series regulars, including Nathan Page as Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Miriam Margolyes as Aunt Prudence and Ashleigh Cummings as her loyal assistant and maid Dorothy ‘Dot’ Collins.
THE POISONED CHOCOLATES CASE: A great Valentine's Day Read
Chocolates are perfect for Valentine's Day. I have several recipes for Chocolate Truffles on DyingforChocolate.com including Chocolate Cherry Truffles.Celebrate Valentine's Day with one of my favorite chocolate mysteries: The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley. Don't put poison in your bon bons!
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW, VALENTINE'S DAY DOG TREATS, DOGS IN MYSTERIES
The illustration above is from Tyler Humphreys at TylersWorkshop (posted with permission). Here's a link to the etsy site where you can buy this card or order lots of other cards, pictures and sculptures. I love this Valentine's Day Card because it reminds me of my late pets, Topper and Belle au Bois Dormant.
And, to keep this post to a mystery theme, here's a link to the Mystery Readers Journal Animals in Mysteries issue. Available as a PDF or hardcopy. Here's a link to an article by Spencer Quinn, author of the Chet the Dog series.
Valentine's Day is all about chocolate. If you want Chocolate People treats, here's a link to Walker's Shortbread Scottie Dogs with Muddy Boots. This is a HUMANS ONLY RECIPE. Be sure and keep the chocolate away from Fido. I posted an article at Halloween about Dogs, Chocolate and Halloween Treats: A Dangerous Combination, and the same warnings are in effect for Valentine's Day.
Finally a Valentine's Day Dog Treat Recipe for your four footed faithful friend.
Cupid’s Canine Cookies
From the Home Alone Website, recipe by Ariel Waters (my comments are in italics)
Warning: Don't overfeed
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 to 35 minutes
Yield: 2 pounds of heart-shaped dog treats
Ingredients
5 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup beef broth (choose one with no or low salt or make your own)
1/2 cup corn oil
2 eggs
+ heart-shaped cookie cutter (of course I've got plenty of these)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet using 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
With clean hands, roll dough out to 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness and use heart-shaped cookie cutter in honor of the holiday. If you have a larger dog (or a piggy dog like Topper) use a larger heart-shaped cookie cutter, Perforate the cookies with a fork down the middle to break apart easily after baking. Instead of a cookie cutter, you can always roll the dough into 1/2 to 2-inch balls and place them one inch apart on the greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 25 - 35 minutes until they turn golden brown. Baking times will vary based on size of treats, altitude, and your oven.
Cool cookies on wire racks, as far away from your dog as possible.
After treating your dog, store the rest in the refrigerator or freeze until the next visit from Cupid.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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| Rosie and Reign |
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| Stephen Huneck, Dog Mountain |
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