A Truly Awful Way to Die

Most of us have heard the story of how Socrates chose death by hemlock after being convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens and impiety to the Gods of the City. Okay, what he really said when he was asked to name his own punishment was that he deserved a wage paid by the government and free dinners for the rest of his life, to finance the time he spent as Athens' benefactor. The hemlock beverage was the choice of the court. I can't help thinking he might have been more resistant to the hemlock if he been offered the native North American water hemlock. 

The plants are from the same family and look somewhat alike, but the New World plant has no helpful numbing effect; it is a truly awful way to die. The spotted water hemlock, pictured in full bloom above, was well known to Native Americans. Diluted amounts of the plant were used to treat bruising and reduce swelling. It was used internally for suicide rituals. Wow! Who wakes up and decides they want to commit suicide by enduring two hours of agony?

Its toxin, called cicutoxin, can cause delirium, nausea, convulsions, abdominal pain, seizures, and vomiting within 60 minutes of ingestion and, within two hours, a final convulsion ending in death. All parts of water hemlock are toxic, but the poison is especially virulent from the roots. The lower stem and upper roots of Cicuta contain numerous internal partitions or air spaces that can be revealed if sliced lengthwise. Would-be natural food gourmets are well-advised to avoid parsley-like plants with this combination of leaflet and root characteristics.

True to its common name, water hemlock occurs primarily on wet soils associated with ditches, stream banks, pond margins, and marshes. It can be found in every part of North America except the island of Newfoundland. There is a secondary concern because birds are seemingly immune to the toxin. Waterbirds often eat the corky, rounded fruits of water hemlock without ill effect, though anecdotal reports suggest that humans who eat these birds can be sickened by the toxins in their flesh.  That sounds like an excellent reason to avoid waterfowl during the fruiting season. 

So why am I discussing spotted water hemlock...? Well, I spend a lot of time thinking up ways to kill people. This seems like an evil way to commit murder.  There is no minimum dose for this poison. It is deadly to all mammals. Ingesting a walnut-sized amount of spotted water hemlock, also known as cowbane, can kill a 1200 pound bull. While even tiny amounts of spotted water hemlock can be deadly, consumption does not always result in death. Nobody knows why, but sometimes people survive with immediate dosing of various barbiturates and benzodiazepines. However, it is unlikely that anyone would have barbiturates or benzodiazepines on hand. If they did, there is still no guarantee that they would work.

Cornelia grew up on a farm. She would be familiar with cowbane, and probably had to make sure the livestock was not accidentally poisoned by the plant. A single plant mowed into a bale of hay would be deadly. Fortunately, we mystery writers kill people, not animals. I have my poison. I've picked out the setting. Now all I need is a victim who richly deserves a horrid death. Do you know anyone wicked enough to deserve two hours of agony followed by death? They opened a lovely spa here in Safety Harbor in 1925.

Remembering Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton was born on April 24, 1940, in Louisville, Kentucky. Grafton followed her father's advice and moved west to write for Hollywood, and had some success, but the publication of her first Kinsey Millhone novel, A is for Alibi, made her a best-selling author. Her alphabet series is loved by millions, translated into 26 languages, and earned her numerous accolades.

She often claimed that Kinsey was a younger, skinnier version of herself. I've always thought she was more of a younger sister than a true reflection of the author. Kinsey lacked Sue's Kentucky roots, that Southern iron benevolence softened by the lilt of an accent that is pure Kentucky. She has always been very generous in being honest in her advice to writers. I feel very fortunate to have been one of the writers she cautioned to slow down and spend time and attention on learning to write.

One of my most treasured possessions is the three-page letter I received from Sue Grafton after she read the first fifty pages of my manuscript for Circle of Dishonor. It was not entirely flattering. It wasn't intended to be. Grafton took writing seriously and had generously offered to read and critique my work. She returned those fifty pages with editorial marks and comments. Her letter was one Kentucky mystery writer giving advice to another. I took the advice seriously. She showed me how to critically read my own manuscript. I made a number of changes to those fifty pages and used her examples to improve the rest of my book. I am indebted to her for making my work better.

In 2017 the headline read: "Famed  writer Sue Grafton loses battle against cancer."  I cried. I am sure a lot of other readers and writers cried. She was 77 years old and little sister Kinsey was one letter short of a complete alphabet. Her last case, Z is for Zero, will never be finished.

The Great Paradox of Herbert Hoover

 

This is Herbert Hoover, in full Herbert Clark Hoover, (born August 10, 1874, West Branch, Iowa, U.S and died October 20, 1964, New York, New York), 31st president of the United States (1929–33). Most Americans think of President Herbert Hoover in relation to the Great Depression. His administration failed in its attempts to alleviate widespread joblessness, homelessness, and hunger in America during the early years of the Great Depression. Which is sad, because Hoover’s rise to the presidency was a direct result of his humanitarian work during and after World War I as he rescued millions of Europeans from starvation. 

I was thinking about this paradox in relation to our Three Snowbirds series. In France, the ladies would have seen firsthand and also had great pride in the incredible effort ordinary Americans put into alleviating hunger in occupied Belgium and France. Herbert Hoover created the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB) to help the victims of famine. At the time of the CRB's foundation, the United States had not yet entered the war, and Hoover was viewed as a neutral negotiator. As a result, he was personally able to deal with the English, French, and German governments, so that the CRB could bring aid to the famished citizens.

Food relief was essential, because 10 million Belgians and French were dependent on it during the four years of German occupation. The first ship to deliver goods to the Belgians carried 1,018 tons of wheat, rice, beans, and peas. Close to 2,500 other ships took 5 million tons of food to the innocent civilians. By working together, Hoover and prominent Belgian officials ensured that the acquired food was given directly to the citizens of the starving areas.

Even after the United States entered the war in 1917, Hoover still helped combat hunger. As the appointed head of the United States Food Administration (USFA), he encouraged Americans to conserve food. Through these efforts, there would be enough to send to Europeans in need. Once the war ended, he continued to help arrange relief as head of the American Relief Administration for all of the European countries, as well as defeated Germany and the other Central Powers. In this capacity, Hoover enabled 6 million tons of food to be sent to just about every European country.

Herbert Hoover is credited with saving close to 10 million lives in this region —about 2 million in northern France, and approximately 7 million Belgians. Belgians continue to honor him. On December 4, 1922, Belgian Senator Lejeune presented a statue of Isis, the Egyptian goddess of Life, to Hoover at the Stanford Art Gallery. In 1939, it was relocated to his hometown of West Branch, Iowa. Today, a Belgian museum is hosting an exhibit called “Remembering Herbert Hoover," portraying him as the "Great Humanitarian" and showing how he and the CRB helped them at such a critical time.

The Great Depression hasn't hit our Snowbirds yet. To Cornelia and Teddy, Hoover is one of America's greatest humanitarians. This is the reputation that led to his election as America's 31st president. Unfortunately, he was sworn in just a few short months before the bottom fell out of the New York Stock Exchange, plunging us into economic crisis. The organizational and logistical skills that made him a hero to millions failed to help him at home. He was strongly opposed to government "handouts" and called on business people to keep Americans employed, and he asked the American people to tighten their belts and make do in the spirit of “rugged individualism.” While Hoover’s philosophy and his appeal to the country were very much in keeping with his character, it was not enough to keep the economy from plummeting further into economic chaos. As Congress and the people urged him to do more he responded that “The spread of government destroys initiative and thus destroys character.”

Hoover's political career was wrecked by the Depression and his inability to realize that, in times of crisis, the need for direct government action is essential. The organized effort that fed millions in Europe was not applied to feeding millions at home. Even though he personally took no salary as President and donated thousands to charity relief efforts every year, he was unable or unwilling to do what had to be done to bring America out of the Depression. 

I can't help wondering how this will impact our books. Do you think Cornelia will continue to believe in Hoover the humanitarian, or will she turn on him as so many others did?

Review: A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd

Inspector Ian Rutledge is on the case again, though not the case he wanted. Rutledge is off to a difficult start. Scheduled to give evidence in another case, he is unable to go to the village of Avebury, where the body of a young woman has been found in the center of a stone circle. A reluctant Inspector Leslie is sent in his place.

When another victim is found stabbed to death and thrown into an open grave in the Shopshire village of Tern Bridge, Rutledge is sent to investigate her murder.  The victim is eventually identified as Bath schoolmistress Serena Palmer.  When a witness’s sharp eye and detailed memory put Rutledge on a trail that leads to Serena Palmer’s killer, he is quickly able to solve the murder.

Meanwhile, Inspector Brian Leslie's inquiries have not identified the killer in the Avebury case. Even the name of the victim eludes Leslie and, much to his chagrin, Rutledge. In Avebury, Rutledge finds himself bogged down in the case, needled by the ghost of Corporal Hamish McLeod, and threatened by his nemesis, Chief Superintendent Markham. Rutledge fears that he may not be able to solve the case or even add any new information to Leslie's report. It seems that every clue he discovers leads to more sadness heaped on his shoulders.

Sharp readers may guess what's coming in the final twist, but if you love history Todd doesn't disappoint.

Like many of the Inspector Rutledge books, this one delves into the shadows of the trenches. Todd's grasp of the grief that followed World War I and the devastating loss of a generation of young men across Europe makes it well worth the read. 

A New Look for the First Three Snowbirds Mystery

Thanks to Patty Henderson, the designer of our covers for Murder at the Million Dollar Pier and Ybor City Blues, we have a new look for the oldest of the Three Snowbirds Mysteries. It is great to have a look and logo for all the books in the series. 

 

Review: Drawn and Order by Cheryl Hollon

This is the second book in the Paint 'n Shine series. I have to confess that I have not read book one, but am a huge fan of Webb's Glass Shop series.

I like Marinda Trent, the main character. She reminds me of many of the strong women I grew up with in Kentucky. I also liked her description of the gorge and the rock climbing group. Marinda's rock climbing adventure is cut short by the discovery of human bones near the trailhead. Those bones turn out to be the remains of her cousin. The sheriff sees a rock climbing accident but Marinda and her family aren't buying that explanation. Marinda promises to find the truth and discovers the rock climbers are hiding a lot of secrets.

The only reason I give this one four stars instead of five is that I found the length of time it took for doing Google searches unbelievable. This pulled me out of an otherwise excellent story. I think the great characters and strong knowledge of the Red River Gorge area more than makes up for the Google thread. I look forward to reading more of the series and will definitely go read the first book.

The Queens of Crime

Golden Age of Detective fiction produced a group of female mystery writers that dominated the industry. For the most part, their careers began in the interval between World Wars One and Two and continued the rest of their lives. I am simply listing them here for your consideration. I will do a more detailed piece on each of them in the future. 

 

Agatha Christie (1890–1976)

Elizabeth Marsh (1895–1982)

Margery Allingham (1904–1966)

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957)

Gladys Mitchell (1901–1983) 

Elizabeth Mackintosh (Josephine Tey) (1896–1952)

Technically, only the first four are dubbed "The Queens of Crime" but while Mitchell and Tey fell out of favor for some decades before being rediscovered by mystery readers, their work warrants their inclusion in the group. The body of work these women left behind captures my awe, particularly when I consider that neither the computer nor word processer was available to them. 

Augusta Groner (1850-1929)

 

Augusta Groner (1850-1929), was a detective's writer who sometimes appeared under the more masculine pseudonym of August or Auguste Groner. She also published under the pseudonyms Olaf Björnson, A. of the Paura, Renorga, and Metis. 

We don't know a lot about her early life. She was the daughter of an accountant. She was born in Vienna on April 16, 1850, and was first published in 1869.  One of her brothers was the painter Franz Kopallik, and another was the theologian Josef Kopallik. She worked as a school teacher until she married journalist, Joseph Groner in 1879. Around 1890, she turned to crime fiction, creating the first serial police detective in German crime literature, Joseph Müller, who appears for the first time in the novella The Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow, which was published in 1890. Her first novel, The Case of the Lamp that Went Out, was published in 1899.

Outside of Austria, she is most known for her crime stories. Although, she wrote several juvenile stories and historicals. Groner's work is often overlooked in the lists of women pioneers of detective fiction. I am sure that part of the reason she remains unknown to many American readers is that her stories were written in German. Fortunately for us, Groner's work has been translated and adapted by Grace Isabel Colbron (1869-1948). 

Review: Three Treats too Many by Debra H. Goldstein

 

Three Treats Too Many is the third book in the Sarah Blair mystery series. In this installment, Sarah has partnered with her sister Emily and Emily's significant other Marcus to open a new restaurant in Wheaton, Alabama. Things don't get off to a good start when the final inspection delays her opening. Then her husband-stealing nemesis, Jane, opens a competing restaurant across the street. While they struggle with red tape in completing inspections, Jane and her new chef, Riley, are earning rave reviews for Riley's vegan offerings. 

When Riley turns up dead on the night of an event at Jane's Place, the police are convinced that Sarah and Emily's friend, Jacob, killed her in a fit of jealousy. Pulled into investigating by Jacob's sister, a local politico, Sarah enlists the help of her lawyer boss and friend, Harlan, as well as others in her circle to find out the truth. Jacob's troubles only deepen when the building inspector and fellow biker dies doing a motorcycle stunt and Jacob is suspected of tampering with his bike.

This well-written and entertaining mystery features a great cast of characters, which includes Sarah's cat RahRah and new puppy Fluffy. Being an animal lover, I adore that Sarah's devotion to her pets is a theme that is woven throughout the book, and actually plays a part, indirectly, in the mystery.

Wheaton is one of those charming, fictitious towns that you wish were real (murder notwithstanding!) because of how well the author has conceived of and describes the location and the residents. The mystery is well-plotted. I had not started to suspect who the killer might be until I was nearly at the end of the book. The motive for Riley's murder turned out to be a big surprise. I look forward to reading about the further adventures of Sarah, RahRah, and the rest of the gang!

Family Game Night in the 1920s

A deck of cards, a checkerboard, or a chess set seemed a little hum-drum for my intrepid Three Snowbirds. I couldn't picture the ladies playing the Cootie Game they had been in France and seen first hand the infestations the troops suffered. This just wouldn't be Cornelia's idea of a fun evening with the family gathered around a board depicting a WWI battlefield where players moved little red cooties across the board to the "cootie trap." 

This led me to look into what sorts of games a family might gather around the dining table to play. The first one that caught my attention was Snakes and Ladders. Yes, the same board game I played with my daughter in the late 1970s was around in the 1920s. The board has hardly changed. 

I discovered a game called Hokum, which was one of the most popular of the decade. Since the game was unfamiliar to me I wanted to know how it was played. It turns out that Hokum is the forerunner of Bingo and the rules are very similar. 

In 1921 a new sensation hit the market, a board game based on The Wizard of Oz series. This was more than a decade before Judy Garland was carried off to Oz through the magic of Hollywood. The board game doesn't just take us on a tour of Munchkin Land, but all the magical lands in the kingdom of Oz. 

While we're talking of magic, let's not overlook the fascination with all things magical and mystical among us, Parker Brothers introduced a game called the Venician Fortuneteller. It never became as popular as the Mystifying Oracle Ouija or the Ouija Board as it is known today. I don't know about Cornelia, but I'm sure Teddy tried her hand at speaking to the spirit world. Her natural curiosity wouldn't let her miss out on Ouija.

Waif Wander: Mary Fortune (1833-19??)

Mary Fortune is a true woman of mystery. Her series of more than five hundred short detective stories was published in the Australian Journal and spanned more than forty years. At the time hers was the longest-running series in crime fiction. She also pioneered the case book form of writing detective stories, which was later used by Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Seven of her stories were reprinted as THE DETECTIVE’S ALBUM: TALES OF THE AUSTRALIAN POLICE (1871), which was the first book of detective fiction published in Australia.

Mary also wrote poetry, serialized novels, worked as a journalist, and wrote an unreliable memoir. The latter contributed to the mystery surrounding her life. Nobody really knew who she was. Much of her work was published under the pseudonyms “Waif Wander” or just ‘W.W.” with her real name, identity, and, as W.W., even her gender hidden. In her autobiographical writing, there are a few clues to her life, but both she and the Australian Journal guarded her privacy.

Sadly, her desire for privacy was so pervasive that her death passed without any public attention. The exact date of her death remains a mystery. What little we know about her comes from a book collector, J.K. Moir, who began searching for ‘Waif Wander’ in the 1950s. Through his queries to people who might have known her, he located some manuscript poems and a letter signed "M. H. Fortune." It took another generation and the microfilming and indexing of documents from colonial Australia before more information about ‘Waif Wander’ was discovered.

Among the fragmentary information revealed in her autobiographical writing was the mention that she and her little son, George, immigrated to Australia from Canada in 1855. There was no mention of a husband. However, the clue of her immigration led to the discovery of an 1858 'Goldfields marriage' (a public marriage with no minister) of Mary Helena Fortune, nee Wilson to a mounted policeman named Percy Rollo Brett. His occupation also explained her knowledge of police procedures.

The marriage did not last, and in 1866 Brett married a second time without divorcing her. It seems, though, that Mary was the first person in the couple to commit bigamy. Her first husband, Joseph Fortune, died in Canada in 1861, six years after she and her son moved to Australia. There is no evidence that Joseph ever came to Australia, but in 1856 Mary named him the father of her second son, Eastbourne Vawdey Fortune.

The only surviving physical description of Fortune was part of a police inquiry: “40 years of age, tall, pale complexion, thin build; wore dark jacket and skirt, black hat, and old elastic - side boots. Is much given to drink and has been locked up several times for drunkenness. Is a literary subscriber to several of the Melbourne newspapers.”

What we know of her later life is from the 1909 letter J.K. Moir discovered. She was impoverished and nearly blind. Her magazine contributions stopped altogether in 1913. The Australian Journal granted her an annuity and continued reprinting her Detective Album series through 1919. After that, they hired other writers for the popular series which continued until 1933. She created the police procedural and developed the casebook style while Arthur Conan Doyle, who became famous for it, was still in the nursery.

Perhaps this final note on her death is the saddest commentary on her life. The impoverished author’s funeral was paid for by the Australian Journal and she was buried in someone else’s grave. Her final resting place remains unknown, as does whose name is on the gravestone.

A Fresh Start

 I haven't been blogging for quite some time. There are so many writers' blogs out there that we don't need another voice telling readers about their writing journey or doing a "how to ..." blog. The simple truth is that I don't like talking about myself and don't have the kind of ego that leads me to want to be the expert of the day. 

So, what do I do with my writing blog?

After much thought about whether or not to remove the blog or use it, I have decided to talk about other writers, their journies, their struggles, and their work. I am going to focus mainly on women mystery writers because my favorite writers are all women and many of them don't get the attention they deserve. This is not to say that men will never appear on my blog. There are a few that I enjoy reading and will be happy to comment about their work. 

Oh, one more thing, expect history. I am a history junkie. In 2020 I did a presentation on women mystery writers who pioneered the genre. Many of them deserve more than a passing mention. I am going to profile some of them in my blog this year. 

If you stop by, you might discover a woman of mystery you didn't know before.

Pane and Suffering by Cheryl Hollon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Pane and Suffering is a fun mystery with a smattering of romance. A perfect read for a lazy summer day.

Savannah Webb comes home to St. Petersburg, Florida to bury her father and put his affairs in order after his unexpected death. Her plan to sell her father's stained glass business to his best friend and long-time business partner is shattered when he suffers a sudden “heart attack” that mirrors her father’s. The last thing she expected was to be caught up in a murder, but two unexpected heart attacks are too much to ignore. Soon she is struggling with threats to her safety, and dealing with a pair of oily businessmen who each want to buy and close her father’s business.

When she finds a cryptic note from her father warning her that she is in danger, she must break the codes to catch the killer. Savannah convinces the police to take a closer look.

Reality sets in when the cops confirm that both men were murdered. She knows she can't leave until she finds out who killed them. With the help of one of her students and the handsome pub owner next door, Savannah races against time to catch the killer before an innocent young man goes to jail.




View all my reviews

Back in the Saddle Again

Okay, I'm not literally back in the saddle. Injuries from my ill-spent youth prevent me from being able to ride a horse, but I am working on several writing projects that I'm excited about. In later posts I'll tell readers about other projects. Today I wanted to let you know what's going on with Nessa Donnelly and her pals this summer.

Nessa is making use of that private railcar to do a bit of traveling. She, Doc Haydon, and two of the McGuire sisters are off to Chicago. The ladies are being properly chaperoned by Campbell Academy's housemother. Mrs. Ruffin doesn't think much of Ness, but with classes out for the summer, she is delighted to pick up some extra money and travel to the big city.

Not all of Nessa's friends are coming along. Sgt. Hamm is still recovering from a near fatal beating. Tad is busy getting a new house built and hard at work on his own investigation. And Beulah is putting the old Slaton farm in order with the help of her newly discovered grandson. Where Jake goes Professor Pettyjohn is not far behind. Who knows what Nessa will come home to with that crazy professor and his "helpful" improvements added to the remodeling efforts. I suspect she will have at least one clock in every room.

You and I know that Nessa isn't going to escape trouble by leaving town. The Black Hand has made its way up the Mississippi from New Orleans and discovered Chicago. When Sicilian assassins start encroach upon turf long controlled by Irish gamblers there is bound to be trouble. The question is: "How much trouble will our travelers stumble into?"

2017 Derringer Awards

   

   

BEST FLASH STORY (1 - 1,000 words)

 

The 2017 Derringer for Best Flash Story is presented to

Herschel Cozine

for

“The Phone Call” 

(Flash Bang Mysteries, Summer 2016)

 

FINALISTS

“Aftermath” by Craig Faustus Buck

(Flash Bang Mysteries, Spring 2016)

 

“A Just Reward” by O'Neil De Noux

(Flash Bang Mysteries, Winter 2016)

 

“The Orphan” by Billy Kring

(Shotgun Honey, March 18, 2016)

 

“An Ill Wind” by R.T. Lawton

(Flash Bang Mysteries, Spring 2016)

 

 

Best Short Story (1,001 - 4,000 words)

 

The 2017 Derringer for Best Short Story is presented to

Linda Barnes

for

“The Way They Do It in Boston”

(Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2016)

 

FINALISTS

“Beks and the Second Note” by Bruce Arthurs  

(Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, December 2016)

 

“YOLO” by Libby Cudmore

(BEAT to a PULP, May 2016)

 

“The Woman in the Briefcase” by Joseph D'Agnese

(Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2016)

 

“The Lighthouse” by Hilde Vandermeeren

(Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2016)

 

 

Best Long Story (4,001- 8,000 words)

 

The 2017 Derringer for Best Long Story is presented to

Victoria Weisfeld

for

“Breadcrumbs”

(Betty Fedora: Kickass Women In Crime Fiction, Issue 3, September 2016)

 

FINALISTS

“Swan Song” by Hilary Davidson

(Unloaded: Crime Writers Writing Without Guns, ed. By Eric Beetner, Down & Out Books, April 2016)

 

“Effect on Men” by O'Neil De Noux

(The Strand magazine, Issue XLVIII, Feb-May 2016)

 

“The Cumberland Package” by Robert Mangeot

(Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, May 2016)

 

“Murder Under the Baobab” by Meg Opperman (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, November 2016)

 

 

Best Novelette (8,000 to 20,000 words)

 

The 2017 Derringer for Best Novelette is presented to

Terrie Farley Moran

for

“Inquiry and Assistance”

(Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2016)

 

FINALISTS

“Coup de Grace” by Doug Allyn

(Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2016)

 

“The Chemistry of Heroes” by Catherine Dilts

(Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, May 2016)

 

“The Educator” by Travis Richardson

(44 Caliber Funk: Tales of Crime, Soul, and Payback, ed. by Gary Phillips and Robert J. Randisi, Moonstone, December 2016)

 

“The Last Blue Glass” by B.K. Stevens

(Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, April 2016)

 

 

Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer

 

For more information about this award, see its complete description here:

https://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2008/10/smfs-golden-derringer-procedure.html

 

The 2017

Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer

is presented to

Robert Randisi

 

 

Gwen Mayo and Sarah E. Glenn - Murder On The Mullet Express

The Apocalyse was a Bust, Now What?

Yes, Donald Trump is headed to the White House and the four horsemen haven't put in an appearance. Now what?

Perhaps it is time to get back to our real lives. Say a prayer for the safety of our country, accept the results of our messy system of electing leaders, and get on with the day to day business of living.

If, by chance, you see evidence of the four horsemen in your neighborhood...there is nothing we can do about the end of the world.

On this Thanksgiving I am still thankful to live in a place where I can disagree with my neighbor and still respect him. I am thankful for a system of government that allows for a peaceful transition of power and the right to protest the changes. I am thankful that the Apocalypse was a bust.

We are still here. 

I suggest being thankful for the blessings we have is better than being bitter over the desires thwarted. Enjoy our day of binge eating, parades, and football.

I am doubly blessed today because I get to celebrate the coming of age of my first grandchild. It is hard to believe that the little guy I held in my arms twenty-one years ago is all grown up. I am blessed to have kept all the promises I made to him the day he was born. I am happy that in this imperfect world we muddle through, there are young people of courage who haven't stopped dreaming of a better world.

The Derringers...How do we Choose?

There is a huge debate going on in the Short Mystery Fiction Society about self-published stories and how they should be included in the Derringer Awards. I've remained silent on the subject because I have a foot on both sides of the argument. There is a lot of crap being put out by writers who would not be considered in a professional market. There are also a lot of great stories being published by authors who want to have control of their work.

In my opinion, this is the same argument that rages in the publishing world over the flood of books released each year, often given away free, on Amazon. Anyone can throw a book together, post it to Amazon, and presto...a new published author. Some of those books are so bad, they can't be given away. Some of them give independent authors a bad name. Should judges for important awards be subjected to reading all those stories? If so, nobody would be willing to judge those stories.

In past years, I have both judged Derringer submissions and been the coordinator of the judging. The number of short stories sent to the competition grows each year. How do we balance the number of stories with the ability of judges to give a fair evaluation? I hope the Short Mystery group figures out a way to keep the door open to self published stories. There are some great ones out there.

Personal short stories I've written have been published by traditional publishers, e-publishers, small presses, and self-published. Sarah and I run a small press. We occasionally include one of our own stories in an anthology. We are writers who believe in the craft of writing, and the need have venues where new and different voices are published. When we select a story to go to the Derringers, it is a story that should be considered.

The crisis at the Derringers is the crisis fueled by Amazon. Before Amazon, publishers were the gatekeepers of the industry. Crap was still cranked out, but it was mostly crap that fed the pop culture of "celebrity." Before Amazon, the industry blocked a lot of unique, marginalized, and minority or controversial voices from being heard.

Among the pile of stories not ready for publication, there are gems that should and sometimes do get the accolades they deserve.I am not sure how the argument about Derringers will play out. I hope that whatever method gets used keeps the gate for independent stories open.

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: GUEST AUTHOR AND HISTORY JUNKIE GWEN MAYO

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: GUEST AUTHOR AND HISTORY JUNKIE GWEN MAYO: Civil War Army Field Surgery Kit Gwen Mayo is passionate about blending the colorful history of her native Kentucky with her love fo...

Republican Platform One Hundred Years Ago

The 1916 Republican Platform was written by conservatives.

The statement above is fact not wishful thinking. The party's liberals had been lost in the previous presidential election cycle when Teddy Roosevelt split the party. These conservatives emerged from their convention with the following plank in the party platform.

Right of Expatriation

We reiterate the unqualified approval of the action taken in December, 1911, by the President and Congress to secure with Russia, as with other countries, a treaty that will recognize the absolute right of expatriation and prevent all discrimination of whatever kind between American citizens whether native-born or alien, and regardless of race, religion or previous political allegiance. We renew the pledge to observe this principle and to maintain the right of asylum, which is neither to be surrendered nor restricted, and we unite in the cherished hope that the war which is now desolating the world may speedily end, with a complete and lasting restoration of brotherhood among the nations of the earth and the assurance of full equal rights, civil and religious, to all men in every land.

How much brotherhood among the nations of the earth will the current party build?

Can we look at today's convention and think about "assuring full equal rights, civil and religious, to all men of every land?"

It is foolish for us to think we can make "America Great Again" by building walls instead of bridges. Greatness cannot be achieved through bullying, belittling, and bashing our neighbors.