Thank you to everyone who voted for Maynard Soloman Proves Santa Claus is Real for Best Short Story of 2011 in the Preditors & Editors Poll. As of this writing, here are the standings:

Yup, Maynard Soloman is numero uno. Thank you!

Voting is still open through Jan. 10. If you haven't…

One of the first teaching aides I learned as a trainee instructor was the list of class management skills. I had to memorize all ten and demonstrate them in a classroom situation. During each of my recertification seminars, these skills were reinforced and practiced. These skills show how well the instructor is conducting the class and how much he/she cares about the…

Maynard Soloman fans, I need your help. Maynard Soloman Proves Santa Claus is Real was nominated for best short story in the 2011 Preditor & Editors poll. Many of the nominees are authors I look up to, so winning this would mean a lot to me. Please swing by and…

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Maynard Soloman and the Job-Nabbin’ Illegal Immigrants

by Benjamin Sobieck

Format: Kindle (AZW)

Price: $0.99

Today we must recomend some sweet Kindle shorts for…

Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

http://bookread-mumswritings.blogspot.com

With the New Year almost upon us it's that time of year to take a look back over the events of 2011, and for me it's been a busy and productive year. 



Here are some of the highlights of 2011.



January saw the launch of the second Crime Writers’ Association Young Crime Writers Competition 2011. I was the judge of the South Coast entries with the winner going forward for the National prize which was announced during National Crime Writing Week 13 - 19 June. …

Vanessa Michael Munroe is an assassin who has nightmares about her past.  He understands her killing capability and when her best friend, Logan, asks for help, she can't refuse.

Logan explains that eight years ago, his friend, Charity's daughter, Hannah, was abducted from her school and carried over the border to Mexico to a religious cult known as The…

The Shadow of al-Khayal

I know – the heading makes it sound like a Lovecraftian pastiche, but bear with me – there’s a point here somewhere.

My wife asked me when I started writing. After some serious thought I answered that I probably started in earnest sometime around 2004 but I’d been writing off and on since late 2001. Although September 11^th wasn’t a source of inspiration for my urge to write I would have to admit that it provided a form…

I'm primarily known (where I'm known at all) as a novelist and as a comic book/graphic novel writer. I haven't published a whole lot of short fiction, partly because I haven't pursued that area, and partly because when I do get story ideas, they tend to be big, sprawling ones. Novels, in other words.

But lately I've been the recipient of various bits of happy news on different short stories.

At the invitation of a producer for Tucson's NPR radio station, KUAZ, I wrote a…

This Christmas Eve morning Kings River Life has some more mystery fun. We have an article on Hawaii 5-0 then and now http://kingsriverlife.com/12/24/hawaii-five-o-review/

And a mystery short story by author Dennis Palumbo http://kingsriverlife.com/12/24/players-an-original-mystery-short-story/

You can also find the great Christmas…

In my post today at Criminal Minds, I make the case for declaring Raymond Chandler's birthday a national holiday.  http://7criminalminds.blogspot.com/

The Julian Clegg Christmas Party on BBC Radio Solent Friday 23 December was a big hit. Here are some photographs from the event.

Having a laugh and getting ready to go on air with Julian Clegg and his wonderful production team…

DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL (A Jack the Ripper Mystery), bestselling historical thriller by R. Barri Flowers, now in Audible and eBook. NYC detective pursues deranged serial killer across the Atlantic to London in 1888.

"It gets no better than this! R. Barri Flowers has written another thriller guaranteed to hold onto its readers! It was…

MURDER IN MAUI: A Leila Kahana Mystery, a medical thriller and police procedural by bestselling author R. Barri Flowers, now in Audible. as well as eBook.

"MURDER IN MAUI by R. Barri Flowers is a masterful thriller set in the dark underbelly of Maui, with lots of fine action, down and dirty characters, and the vivid details of police…

New Releases from Trestle Press in time for Christmas!!

Trestle Press has released another bunch of incredible stories just in time for Christmas to feed those hungry ereaders. Without further ado, here they are:

FULL LENGTH NOVELS:

J.T. Lewis- Murder! Too Close to Home

Paul Grzegorzek-The Follow

Paul D. Brazill- Brit Grit Too

David L. Hoof-Triple Jeopardy

Michel R. Vaillancourt-The Sauder Diaries: By Any Other…

In the Dickeyville, Maryland area, five young friends meet and bond. They consider themselves like the five arms of a starfish. They are, Gwen, the Halloran brothers, Tim, Sean and Go Go, and the other girl, Mickey Wyckoff.

Their middle class area didn't require a lot of parental supervision on the children's playtime activities.

The novel moves between actions in the late 1970s and today.

In the current time, Gwen returned to care for her father who…

ICE - International Community of E-Publishing

Goal:

• To recognize and promote work of independent authors, agents, editor, publishers and other e-publishing professionals.
• To be able to vet outstanding writing and to provide assistance, via connections to other e-pub professionals to help an author produce quality work and product.

Membership:

• Open to all participants who are working to produce emedia…

What’s everyone so excited about? 

There’s a new Emily Stone Thriller – Dark Mind.  Yes, my kick ass serial killer hunter heroine is back and she’s taking names.  Beware!

Grand Prize Winner: Receives an autographed copy of Dark Mind, a cool black t-shirt with Dead Game’s book cover (previous…

One of my favorite getaways is to the beautiful island of Kauai – and still is today.  All of the Hawaiian Islands are beautiful, but for some reason I enjoy the less crowded and somewhat remote areas of Kauai the best.  I love the local people, great food, and wonderful views. 

One of my last visits about four years ago; I sat on a remote beach and thought to myself, “What if there was a killer on the loose here?”  Hey, it’s just a thought.  Many things go through a…