From Mystery Book Spot

In the introductory passage to the reprint of the David Goodis novella Professional Man it is said that Goodis was the "poet of the

losers." I'd like to quote a line from a story, included here, written

by another modern poet, Ken Bruen as an apt description for all the

stories contained in issue #1 of Murdaland.

Ye gods, but going to church on Easter Sunday was a bloody mistake. I knew the moment I walked in to be faced by countless hordes of people that I really should have stayed at home and - if my mood felt good and the wind was in the right direction - had a few private moments with God. Instead, I had to run the gauntlet of the service whilst wishing I was as many miles away as possible. God only knows why I felt like that - and please don't ask me to explain it as I don't think I can - but I…

Pattern of Vengeance

A Maria Sanchez Thriller

By C. Hyytinen

Echelon Press Publishing

9735 Country Meadows Lane 1-D

Laurel, MD 20723…

The Short Mystery Fiction Society presents the Derringer Award for several categories of short fiction - including Flash fiction of 500 words or less and Longer Short Stories of over 6,000 words. To indulge in a bit of horn tooting and back patting, I have been nominated. Quite exciting. Never been nominated for anything other than committee work at the different colleges I've worked at and the churches I've attended. It makes me feel like I've finally done something well enough to justify…

You know it is a sad thing when you reach the stage where you have to parent your own parent. If you are lucky this is a person whom you have looked up to your whole life. Really for me my mom was my first real life hero. She was strong and independent in a time when moms, and women in general, were not. Yes she got married and had kids but that did not, in and of itself, define her. And when that marriage ended she taught me more about grit, determination and strength than anyone every…

Thanks to everyone for visiting my page. I obviously spent more time here setting up everything but I'm always looking for something a little different. I'd like to track my books here, so may only blog when I finish a book. Right now I am 2/3 of the way through Stealing the Dragon by Tim Maleeny and am enjoying it quite a bit. I like Cape Weathers (the PI) and look forward to future outings. Tim if you are reading this, send me a ARC of Beating the Babushka and I will definitely read and…

Not feeling very well today, I have to say. Seems to be the same, strange sub-flu-ey thing I had a month or so ago. Aches, a deep weariness and something that's not quite a full-blown cold, which comes in waves. Still, at least it's familiar. Or maybe it's the onset of the menopause, and I should expect sweaty nights and long periods of fancying younger men (cue Lord H's cry: how will I tell the difference then?...)? The plot thickens.



Anyway, due to the above we decided to…

I hope everyone will take a moment and visit the Mayhem in the Midlands Conference website. http://www.omahapubliclibrary.org/mayhem/index.html

If you get a chance to attend, it is highly recommended.

Ya know what has become quite a mystery to me over the last five years? Girl Scout cookies--more specifically, why people order them and then refuse to pay for them? Over the last five years the kid unit has been with the Girl Scout organization, we have steadily decreased the number of people we ask to order cookies each year. And each year, there are new folks to add to the list of 'Those We Won't Ask Next Year Because They Didn't Pay This Year." It's strange to me!

One thing I…