- by TimThere’s a mirror in the box that makes it look like he’s disappeared. This is his best magic trick. He’s so good at it he sometimes refuses to come out from behind the mirror, having convinced himself that disappearing leaves behind a wonder that can’t be achieved by being present. Ran Walker is an award-winning … Continue reading RAN WALKER: The Best Magic Trick →
- by TimOn his 104th birthday he has to ask his great-granddaughter to blow out the candle on the cake. He says he has two wishes. One, Seabiscuit win the Kentucky Derby. Two, more for emotional than political reasons, FDR get re-elected. If ever there was one good way to stay young… John Szamosi is a wordsmith … Continue reading JOHN SZAMOSI: Birthday Boy →
- by TimIn his dreams he can see. He’s darting across the lawn after the sassy Shih Tzu in a pink pinafore. His paws thrash the air; he twitches and whines; he’s just about caught up with her now. His person wouldn’t dare disturb his reverie now, would she? He can see! Susan Israel is the author … Continue reading SUSAN ISREAL: Cataract →
- by TimThe dark car pulls up to the curb. Door shut, the unblinking driver ferries you away. Your first impression: Why so many pine-tree air fresheners? You wrap yourself in a snow-pale blanket and notice the smell, not of petrichor, nor the dangling pressed-paper forest, but the first notes of rot. Tim Boiteau writes in Michigan. … Continue reading TIM BOITEAU: Delayed by the Rain →
- by TimI want to write words that are polished and pretty poetic, prophetic and wonderf’ly witty with verses and stanzas and pages galore, and when I am finished write ten pages more. Except there’s a rule that I need to address. The word count is fifty. No more and no less. Helen Ksypka lives in Eliot, … Continue reading HELEN KSYPKA: Following the Rule →
- by TimShe left me unexpectedly. I now have eleven houseplants of various shapes and sizes. She took very good care of them…treating them as if they were her children. She spoke to them, fed them, healed them when they were sick. Now they stare at me. Will I be enough?
- by TimSince cats are able to see in the dark, they don’t need flashlights to read under the covers. I’ve suspected this for a while, but couldn’t prove it. Until now. There she is, Fluffers, engrossed in an adventure novel. Caught in the act! I knew my books weren’t rearranging themselves. Roberta Beach Jacobson (she/her) is … Continue reading ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON: Bookworm →
- by TimI scratched your initials inside my locker, to touch you each day between classes. I spoke your name under my breath; formed you with my lips, tasted you on my tongue. You were diner coffee and cigarettes. A baggy black t-shirt meeting low-slung jeans on sharp hips. That space in-between. Jean Buie is a lawyer … Continue reading JEAN BUIE: In Grade Ten, When I Fell In Love →
- by Tim“Mr. Dawson, I’m sorry for your loss.” One of the cops speak but I barely see his face. Red and blue lights flicker as a yellow convertible laments in flames circled by dismayed faces. Yet, I keep calling. The sun sets in tears as I wait for her to answer. Abhijith is a university graduate … Continue reading ABHIJITH PARMESHWAR: Please Don’t Go →
- by TimYou worked at dot-to-dots in the hospital while I went to school. “There are never enough dots,” you raged. Last night, I looked at the sky and thought: You will never run out again. Then I taped an extra star to my window, just in case you do. Joanna Norland is a Canadian playwright and … Continue reading JOANNA NORLAND: Dot-to-Dot →
- by SMFS list member Debra Bliss Saenger’s short story, Recipe for Betrayal, was published at Punk Noir Magazine. You can read the piece for free online here.
- by SMFS members are published in the recently released, Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue 28. Published by WMG Publishing, the read is available from the publisher, Amazon, and other vendors. The SMFS list members that reported being in the issue are: David H. Hendrickson with “Bubba and the DeLorean.” Annie Reed with “Every Day New, Bright and Beautiful.” Publisher Description: The Cutting Edge of Modern Short Fiction A three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up ten fantastic stories by some of the best writers working in modern short fiction. No genre limitations, no topic […]
- by SMFS list members are published in the Mystery Magazine: May 2024 issue. The read is available at the publisher and at Amazon. The SMFS list members that reported their presence in the issue are: John M. Floyd with “Bad Eagle Road.” Julie Hastrup with “The Pool Boy.” Bruce W. Most with “The Mysterious Woman in the Lifeguard Chair.” Amazon Description: At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Magazine presents original short stories by the world’s best-known and emerging mystery writers. The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police […]
- by Since 1998, the Short Mystery Fiction Society has awarded the annual Derringers—after the popular pocket pistol—to outstanding published stories. The Short Mystery Fiction Society is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Derringer Awards for works published in 2023. As reported by Derringer Coordinator Joseph S. Walker…. FLASH THE REFEREE by C. W. Blackwell (Shotgun Honey, October 12, 2023) SHORT STORY LAST DAY AT THE JACKRABBIT by John Floyd (The Strand, May 2023) LONG STORY GOOD DEED FOR THE DAY by Bonnar Spring (Wolfsbane: Best New England Crime Stories, Crime Spell […]
- by As announced Saturday evening at Malice Domestic #36, SMFS list members Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski won the 2023 Agatha Award in the Best Short Story category for their short story, "Ticket to Ride." The winning tale was published in the anthology, Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Down & Out Books). For the full list of the winners and more information, please see the Malice Domestic Facebook Page.
- by Today is publication day for A Fatal Reception: An Ella Shane Mystery by Kathleen Marple Kalb. Published by Level Best Books, LLC., this fourth book in the series is available at Amazon. Amazon Description: Gilded Age trouser diva Ella Shane and her Duke are at long last headed for the altar…but they’ll confront a murder, a shipwreck, a questionable Polish prince, and any number of other complications on the way. Continuing the highly-praised series featuring a Lower East Side orphan who found fame and fortune as a singer of male soprano roles, this new installment follows Ella and her […]
- SMFS Members Published in Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 011 – Spring 2024: The Detective AnnualbySMFS list members are published in the Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 011 – Spring 2024: The Detective Annual. Published by Full Speed Publishing, the read is available at Amazon. The SMFS list members that reported being in the issue are: Publisher/Editor Brandon Barrows with “Personal Business: A Sam Harrigan Story.” Publisher/Editor Brandon Barrows with the short story reprint, “The Only One.” M. E. Proctor with “Flame of the West.” Amazon Description: Guilty is a magazine of crime stories, of criminals, their motivations and their beginnings and ends. In issue eleven, the detective annual: […]
- by SMFS list member Edith Maxwell’s short story, Bye-Bye, Jojo, appears in Black Cat Weekly #139. Published by Wildside Press, the issue is available here in digital format.
- by Please welcome our Vice President to the blog today… DOING GOOD AND DOING WELL Guest Post by SMFS Vice President Kathleen Marple Kalb Charity anthologies are often good career moves as well as good karma. In the last few years, I’ve been fortunate to have stories in several, and every time, there’ve been concrete benefits beyond the pleasure of helping our fellow humans. First, if you’re early in your career, giving a story to a charity anthology can be a chance to work with an accomplished editor. To get their comments, and their […]
- by 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 […]
Best Writing Tips For New Authors 