Punk Noir Magazine

 by Paula Gail Benson

Punk Noir Magazine

I discovered a great online publication: Punk Noir Magazine. James C. Jenkins, the July editor, accepted submissions with the theme corruption. Following are the stories, the first two by favorite authors: “Wait a Minute” by Kaye George; “The Medicine Show” by John M. Floyd; “Town Ain’t What It Used to Be” by Jay Bukowski; “Export Issue W/R/T/ Poison Inner Sleeve” by Clem Flowers; “Heart of Darkness” by Daniel Schultz; “Why Slagfield, Texas, Gave Up Football” by Stephen Sossaman; and three flash fictions: “New Borns” by L.P. Ring; “Las Cucarachas” by Ron Riekke; and “The Other Cheek” by Matthew R. Davis.

My Writing in 2021

My writing success this year included: “Cosway’s Confidence” winning second place in the short story contest and featured in the Bethlehem Writers’ Group Roundtable; “Hollandaise” receiving honorable mention in the South Carolina Writers Association, Surfside Chapter’s short story contest and appearing in its blog; and three pieces published in the Red Penguin Books Collection (a group of anthologies) (one twice!): “Beloved Husband,” a monologue based on Norman Baskin, Majorie Kinnan Rawlings second spouse, in An Empty Stage;

“The Fairy Godmother’s Christmas” in Once Upon a Time and Stand Out: Volume Two; and

 “No Legs” accepted for The Robot and Me.

 

Links to Malice Domestic's Agatha Nominated Short Stories

Gigi Pandian's 2017 Agatha

One of the delightful aspects of mystery awards season is reading the nominated works. The 2019 Agatha short story nominees provide a range of time periods and characters to contemplate and savor. Here are the links to each story:

"All God's Sparrows" by Leslie Budewitz (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"A Postcard for the Dead" by Susanna Calkins in Florida Happens (Three Rooms Press)

"Bug Appetit" by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Case of the Vanishing Professor" by Tara Laskowski (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"English 398: Fiction Workshop" by Art Taylor (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Please read and enjoy!

2019 Edgar Short Story Nominees

Annually, the Mystery Writers of America present Edgars, for Edgar Allan Poe, to recognize excellence in mystery writing and special achievement.

www.pauldavisoncrime.com

This year’s 73^rd celebration will be April 25, 2019 in New York City.

Following are the Edgar Best Short Story nominees:

“Rabid – A Mike Bowditch Short Story” by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books).
“Paranoid Enough for Two” – The Honorable Traitors by John Lutz (Kensington Publishing).
“Ancient and Modern” – Bloody Scotland by Val McDermid (Pegasus Books).
“English 398: Fiction Workshop” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Art Taylor (Dell Magazines).
“The Sleep Tight Motel” – Dark Corners Collection by Lisa Unger (Amazon Publishing).

Malice Domestic 31

Malice Domestic, a conference for writers and readers of Christie-style mysteries, is scheduled for May 1 through 3, 2019, in Bethesda, Maryland. Donna Andrews is the Guest of Honor with Chris Grabenstein as the Toastmaster and Parnell Hall recognized for life achievement. The Agatha nominees (awarded at the Malice Domestic banquet to celebrate excellence in the traditional mystery) include many friends. In addition to Leslie Budewitz, Susanna Calkins, and Barb Goffman, Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski, husband and wife marvelous writers, find themselves competitors for best short story, a first in Agatha history. Art describes their “rivalry” in this article.

Art Taylor, son Dash, and Tara Laskowski

Visiting the Lowman Home Book Club

Last week, I truly enjoyed meeting the Book Club at the Lowman Home. Nancy Tuten, the group’s coordinator, helped distribute a collection of my short stories to the ten members in advance, including the two about film professor Ham and his daughter Jessica, “Mr. Claude North,” “Only the Sacrifice Knows,” “Nectar of the Gods,” “Long in the Tooth,” “Apple’s Lure,” and “Ghost of a Chance.” I spoke about my life, ideas, and writing, then answered questions about my critique groups and plays. When Nancy asked, one member identified "the pirate story" as her favorite. A lovely visit and lunch after.

Congratulations to E.B. Davis and Shari Randall!

E.B. Davis

Congratulations to two fellow bloggers on Writers Who Kill who have short stories in and are celebrating the launch of the anthology Homicidal Holidays this weekend.

E.B. Davis, who asked me to join WWK, has been my online critique partner since I joined the Guppies. Her story, "Compromised Circumstances," involves college roommates dealing with diplomatic immunity for a crime that occurs on President's Day 1979 near Washington, D.C.

Shari Randall

Shari Randall, a writer and librarian, has modern-day teenaged library volunteers resolving a 1970s crime from clues from donated library books and recycled vintage clothes. Both stories make for excellent anytime reading.

New Homicidal Holidays Anthology

The Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime is releasing its sixth anthology, Homicidal Holidays, featuring stories by: Barb Goffman, Rosemary and Larry Mild, E. B. Davis, Shaun Taylor Bevins, Cathy Wiley, Art Taylor, Shari Randall, Meg Opperman, Carla Coupe, Timothy Bentler-Jungr, Linda Lombardi, Debbi Mack, Clyde Linsley, and Donna Andrews. While President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Talk Like a Pirate Day are covered, a majority of the stories are about Halloween or Christmas. The launch will take place on October 11 at One More Page Books & Morein Arlington, Virginia. Available now on Amazon. Best wishes for holiday reading!

A Lovely Surprise

Barbara Carnal

I received a lovely surprise from a student who took my short stories workshop at the S.C. Book Festival. As class exercises, the students wrote and volunteers read some six-word and six-sentence stories. Barbara Carnal, whose website is http://www.patchworkfamily.com/, wrote a delightful six-sentence story with a twist at the end. On Saturday, before my panel, she met me at the door, thanked me, and placed an oversized envelope in my hand. Later, when I opened it, I discovered she had bound and illustrated her story, “A Surprise for Minnie,” in a small book. Thanks, Barbara, for this wonderful, thoughtful gift!