Thursday Treats: 2/5/2026

Welcome back to “Thursday Treats.”  Viewership dropped more than half from week one to last week, so that was less than thrilling. So too was our weather event though things easily could have been way worse.

 

We survived the three inches of sleet and a dusting of snow, though not completely unscathed. Scott fell twice last week on back to back days trying to get stuff out to the bins. With my cane, there was no way I could do it. He did not break anything, but his neck remains sore and stiff. 

As to publishing news of interest….

 

Author Nikki Knight has the third book in her Gracie “The Hit Mom” Mystery series coming out next week. Murder on the Sea Otter Express: A Grace "The Hit Mom" Mystery takes readers to the New Haven Aquarium where Gracie’s intended target dies without her taking action. Comes out Tuesday in hardback, paperback, and eBook.

 

Authors Michael Bracken, Dave Zeltserman, and many others appear in Black Cat Weekly #231. This is a weekly publication featuring short stories and novellas in multiple genres. You can buy individual issues or one of the far better subscription deals at blackcatweekly.com.

 

Also out now is Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 16 Winter 2026. Edited and published by Brandon Barrows, the issue includes short stories by Mr. Barrows, Vinnie Hansen, and others. I am way behind on my reading, but I have enjoyed and reviewed previous issues.

 

Fellow SMFS list member Ron Clyburn announced on the list that his short story, The Fence, was available to read online at The Literary Garage. This is a free read and well worth your time.

 

Speaking of free reads, Michael Bracken announced that his short story, Store-Crossed Lovers, appears at the Substack of Cold Caller Magazine. You can read it here. By the way, he also recently announced that he, Joe R. Lansdale, Cheryl Head, and Warren S. Moore, will lead a writing workshop for the month of July on learning how to write crime fiction. Looks like it will be a really cool thing to do. You can learn more at the Newberry College website.  

 

M. E. Proctor also announced that her short story collection, A Book to Live By: Stories from a Different World, is now out. Published by Wordwooze Publishing, the read is available in eBook and paperback.

 

Jeffrey Siger announced on Facebook that his book, A Study In Secrets is the first book in his new The Redacted Man series. He explains the background of the book in this blog post as well as at his website. It is at Amazon as well as at other places.  I have read the book, enjoyed it, and will have my review up on this blog soon.

 

Until next time…. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026