Gearing Up

After more than a year of not being able to do much of anything creative, Sarah and I are gearing up for an exciting year in 2013. We are hard at work on our first novel together. Murder on the Mullet Express is set in the Roaring 20's in Homosassa Springs, Florida, and will feature the intrepid trio of geezers Theodora Lawless, Cornelia Pettijohn, and Professor Percival Pettijohn. The three of them will make their debut in a short story, "The Odds are Always Uneven"  this October, in the Speed City Sisters in Crime anthology Hoosier Hijinks.

Sarah is going to be pitching our joint novel at the Historical Novel Society meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, this June on the same morning I am scheduled to pitch the new Nessa Donnelly novel, Concealed in Ash. It should be an exciting and busy weekend for both of us. We're looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones while we are at the event. We will also be distributing business cards for our new press, Mystery and Horror, LLC.

Along with our personal writing projects, our little cross-eyed bat logo is going to make several appearances on new books before the end of the year. We have decided on three anthologies this year and will be opening for mystery novels later this summer. Covers for Strangely Funny, All Hallows' Evil, and Undead of Winter are on the Mystery and Horror, LLC website. Strangely Funny, our paranormal humor anthology, and All Hallows' Evil, our Halloween Mystery anthology, are open for submissions. Undead of Winter isn't open yet. There are only so many hours in the day.

Our first non-anthology will be a series of collections of monster art and humor by Monstermatt Patterson - Ha Ha Horror! Volumes 1 and 2. Volume 1 is due out later this year. In the meantime, catch his podcast at 6 Foot Plus. He is truly a man of many talents.

Our plan for the press is to do a limited number of anthologies each year. We want to devote the rest of our time to working with our authors to develop and promote their books. In the world of small press publishing it isn't enough to create a great book, authors and publishers have to work together to get that book in front of an audience. Everything we do is geared toward the goal of getting our books noticed. It is an exciting, scary, and daunting course we've set for 2013. Together we've gone from planning to building, but every day I wake up asking myself what I can accomplish and what I can do better.

Switching Hats

Hats are one of the wardrobe essentials of strange characters like me. Whether it is the top hat that I don to hang out with my gangster gal or that Greek fisherman's cap I use to keep the Florida sun from baking my tiny brain, hats bring little personality changes that give me a lift.

About now you are probably wondering if I am going to post tons of photos of me in various hats. Well...No. I'm just using these hat photos to show that at different times and for different reasons, I decide on a change of hats. In the figurative sense, switching between author and publisher is the same kind of hat trick.

When I write short fiction, the story is usually written with a specific publication in mind. In the best cases the story was requested by a publisher who knows me and wants me to write a story for their publication. More often, the story goes to someone who hasn't heard of me and I am judged by how well I fit their needs and the quality of my story. One of three things happens with cold submissions. The editor loves the story and sends me an acceptance email. Sometimes, the story is short listed, and I have to wait to find out if I make the final cut. The final possibility is rejection. My author's ego gets bruised by editors who reject my work.

Like most authors, I find rejection difficult. It is hard to remember that the editor isn't singling me out. Intellectually, I know it isn't personal. Emotionally, it hurts. Rejection will always hurt because my stories are personal. They are part of me.

Now that Sarah and I have started a publishing house, rejections are part of the job.We are the ones putting out calls for submissions. That publisher's hat is an uncomfortable fit. I have to look at the work writers send, work they have tailored to my request, and poured their talent into creating. I must say "no" to many writers and send acceptance emails to the precious few who make the cut.

Maybe, in time, this new hat will have a more comfortable fit. I hope not. I don't ever want to feel entirely comfortable with rejecting work that I know is created through the sweat and dreams of an author. Even if the work submitted isn't ready for print, the words on the page are much more than words. Stories are part of who we are and what we know. Stories are the human experience. The best ones take us beyond the story and into the world created by the author's imagination.

How do I find a good hat for that?

2012 Derringer Awards Submission Instructions

This year I am the coordinator for the Derringer Awards Judging. Below is an update of the instructions for submitting stories. I did not write the instructions, those came from the Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog. I have simply updated them with my contact information and reposted theme here so my mystery editing friends who might not belong to the society could enter stories. Authors must belong to SMFS to submit.
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The period to submit stories for the Derringer Awards will open Sunday, Jan.1, 2012, at 12:00 p.m. (noon), Eastern Standard Time. The following link will take you to the blog page which details the complete rules and guidelines for the Derringer process. http://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2008/08/smfs-derringer-awards-procedure.html

1.) Who can submit: Members of SMFS as of Dec. 31, 2011 or editors of publications (print or online; see link above to read qualifications for 'publication') that feature short mystery fiction.

2.) Submission limits: Each member of SMFS may submit up to two (2) stories, your own or someone else's. Please note that a story's author need not be a member of SMFS, but the submission must be made by either a member or the editor of the publication in which the story first appeared in 2011. Submission limits for editors are detailed below, from the blog page: If the publication contains up to 25 stories first appearing in 2011, up to 3 of these may be submitted by the editor for Derringer consideration in 2012." 26 to 50 stories first appearing in 2011, up to 4 of these may be submitted by the editor for Derringer consideration in 2012." 51 to 75 stories first appearing in 2011, up to 5 of these may be submitted by the editor for Derringer consideration in 2012." more than 75 stories first appearing in 2011, up to 6 of these may be submitted by the editor for Derringer consideration in 2012. By the way, editors who are also SMFS members still have their two-story quota as members, in addition to the number allowed for their magazines.

3.) Publication date: Only stories first published in English in 2011 are eligible for the 2012 awards. If a story appeared, for example, in a "Winter 2010-2011" issue, or a "December 2010-January 2011" issue of a publication, it would be eligible for consideration this year. On the other hand, one appearing in such issues for 2011-2012 would be eligible for consideration in the 2012 award cycle.

4.) Submission format: Please submit each story, with its author and publication data, to me at hypatiax@aol.com in Rich Text Format(*.rtf). I will check the story's eligibility and strip identifying data from it before sending it on to the appropriate judges. The subject line of your email should read: Derringer - Story Title - Category

The Categories are:

Best Flash Story - up to 1000 words
Best Short Story - 1001 to 4000 words
Best Long story - 4001 to 8000 words
Best Novelette - 8001 - 17,500 words

PLEASE NOTE: Again, submissions begin at 12:00 EST Sunday, Jan. 1. Please don't send anything before that time, as it will be discarded.

Gwen Mayo
Derringer Coordinator 2012

Book Review: A Mystery / Suspense Collection: Sweet

A Mystery/Suspense Collection Anthology: Sweet by Miss Mae

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A Mystery / Suspense Collection Anthology: Sweet would not be my first choice as a title for this anthology. The title is long, cumbersome, and lacks the real flavor of the book. The anthology was an interesting, well written, and diverse group of romantic suspense stories. Victory Tales Press is a Christian press, therefore, the four novellas are free of profanity, gratuitous violence, and graphic sex. I wouldn’t hesitate to give my mother a copy of this book. On the whole, the anthology holds up and is well worth reading.

Miss Penelope's Letters by Miss Mae opens the anthology. The only opening scene is unnecessarily italicized. Otherwise, it is an excellent story. Miss Penelope, a London doctor’s daughter, is filling in for Lord Wellington’s ill housekeeper and begins receiving unsigned letters. The writer demands that Penelope meet him in one of London’s most ill-reputed sections of town. When she dares to keep the assignation, she encounters trouble and a mystery man in a black mask. She must decide if the man behind the mask is truly a man of honor as he claims. It doesn’t help that his stolen kiss leaves her breathless and his presence makes her heart pound.

A Distant Call by Gerald Costlow takes readers deep into the mysterious wilds of the Appalachian Mountains and holds them spellbound by “the Call.” Jessy Corman, a young minister who has answered the call to preach, finds a church and a home in the mountains. He also finds Anna May Sherritt, a beautiful young mountain woman that locals believe to be a witch. Jessy doesn’t understand the dangers of his new home or the fear locals have of  the full moon. Anna May and her granny, know the mysteries of the mountain too well. Can they save Jessy from being the next victim of the call? To succeed, Anna May must solve the mystery of “the call” and save Jessy from being the next to disappear. If she succeeds what will happen to the new preacher if he falls under the spell of the local witch?

The Last of Her Kind by Cheryl Pierson is the story of an old Victrola and its place in the family. The Victrola is the cherished possession of Cassie's dying grandmother. Her father and new stepmother are fighting over the antique phonograph, which her stepmother is determine to get out of the house. During the fight Cassie discovers a frightening secret about the Victrola and its place in the family. Will this secret bring her broken family back together or destroy it? Cassie takes the Victrola into her grandmother’s room and together they play the music of love lost and found.

Dangerous Deception by Anne Patrick: Gwen Jacobs is the story of an investigative reporter who thrived on dangerous assignments, until the massacre of an African village. At first glance this story didn’t seem to fit with the others. The massacre is in the recent past, the magical elements of the previous two stories are absent, and the language of the story is very different. The story is of love and redemption. Gwen is offered a chance to become the kind of person she wants to be by accompanying Jack Peterson and his small group of humanitarians to report on the atrocities taking place amidst a civil war. Her chance is tainted by the past and her relationship with the owner of the newspaper that has given her this assignment. When her secrets are revealed, will she be able to overcome her past and build a future with Jack?

View all my reviews

Weekend Writer: Procrastinating or Promoting

This Saturday, instead of writing we had a photo shoot for Sarah's author photo: that all important picture that will appear in her book. You might think that it doesn't take a lot of time to get a picture made, but you'd be mistaken. Sarah had a visit with her hair dresser Saturday morning, and a former Miss West Virginia was brought in as a beauty consultant for make-up and wardrobe. The shoot lasted about two hours and involved several locations around Lexington.

Sunday, Sarah worked on updating my website while I worked on chapbooks for the Emerald Coast Writers Conference goodie bags. I can't attend the Emerald Coast Conference this year, but the chapbooks will be there representing me.

My chapbooks are hand-made, quarter-page books that contain a short Nessa Donnelly mystery story. Quarter-page chapbooks are just the right size to stick in a pocket, which made them very popular with travelers during the 1800's. For me they are a small piece of history that I can share with readers. It is a little something extra that I give to fans when I attend conferences, and sometimes send to conferences that I cannot attend in person. I love doing them, but they take time.

This was my writing weekend. I didn't get a single paragraph finished on my novel. There was probably a little procrastination involved. I am not above goofing off a little after a long week at the office. Still, there was a lot of promotional work accomplished this weekend. I don't feel too guilty about taking a weekend off to promote my book and help Sarah get her own book ready.

Weekend Writer: Writing with a Partner

This weekend I began working on a story with my spouse on a new short story. For those of you worrying about when my next novel is coming out, don't. I didn't take any of my usually writing time to work on the short story. I was just working extra hard (grin). You do believe me, don't you?

Sarah and I teamed up to do one other short story a couple of years ago. Working together tested our egos, but the result was a story we really like. So, here we go again.

I don't know how other people approach writing with a partner, but for us it works best for us when Sarah takes the lead. We pick a story that has two lead characters with different backgrounds. Before we start working we toss around ideas until we hit upon one that both of us would be comfortable with writing. Then we work out plot details and character backgrounds together. After that Sarah, who has a stronger grasp of the mechanics of writing, takes over for a while. When she is ready, I come in and write my character, tweaking hers when necessary. After that, there's a lot of tweaking each other's work until it becomes hard to tell who wrote a particular line.

Does that sound confusing? Sometimes it is confusing. There are also times when we disagree about how something should be written. The key to doing a collaboration successfully is to keep the disagreements from becoming fights. Writing together means leaving your ego at the door. It comes down to remembering that the overall story is more important than the line a writing partner thinks should be cut. We did this successfully once. I think we can do it again.

Will Short Mystery Fiction Survive?

It might seem a little odd to be talking about short stories when I have a new novel out, but the short story was my first love. Short, short short, flash, and micro fiction stories are all wonderful.  I am a faithful reader of FlashShot, and Story of the Day. They are fun stories to find in my inbox each morning, but are not usually mysteries. Great short mysteries are getting more rare each year, and I mourn the loss of each venue that closes.

Closures are more common than any mystery lover can keep up with. I often click on one of my bookmarked links and find it broken. Some of the short story's survival is tied to the success of Amazon and Apple where authors post their stories for readers to find and purchase.

There are still free downloads, and some great sites for reading short mystery. I  have spent hours cruising the online short fiction sites, sampling what's offered, and bookmarking my favorite places. Who can resist dropping by MysteryNet or looking around for free down-loadable stories on Amazon?   Unfortunately, the free stories are not going to save the form. Quality writing takes support. Many of the best sites for short story writers don't have enough support to survive if they pay their authors.

The periodicals are in bad shape. Spinetingler appears to be the latest victim of the shrinking number of venues for short stories. Alfred Hitchcock, Ellery Queen and The Strand are still hanging on, but without reader support these too will fade into history. 

Yes, I am using that dirty phrase "reader support." We readers, lovers of short stories, have the ultimate power to either save the form or let it die. If we subscribe to the journals, purchase anthologies and collections, download shorts from Amazon and Apple, authors will get paid to write short fiction. When authors are being paid for their work, the quality will remain high and the readership will grow. The choice is ours. Do we love short mystery enough to support its survival?