Thursday Treats: 10/8/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

 

Black Cat Weekly #266 is out and includes news of the transition to the new ownership and more. SMFS list member donalee Moulton has the cover story, Indigo Bunting. SMFS list member Dave Zeltserman is also in it with his short story, An Evening in Argentina. You can pick up the issue at the website.

 

The latest issue of Dark Yonder is now out. Published by Thalia Press, edited by Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt, Dark Yonder: Issue 13 has short stories from SMFS list members Jay Butkowski (The Sofa Wars of Route 17), Curtis Ippolito (A Righteous Heist) and Armand Rosamilia (Hidden Weapons). You can pick it up in print on Amazon. Past issues are also available there and on Kindle Unlimited.

 

Level Best Books has published the anthology, Crime Before Our Time: Crime Fiction and Mystery Inspired by History. The SMFS list members that publicly announced their presence in the read are Shari Held (Women's Rites), Robert Lopresti (The Crossing), Claire A. Murray (Charlotte's Mine), donalee Moulton (Le Pain),John A. Tures (Stealing the Treasure of the Sahel), and Gabriel Valjan (Ink and Silence). You can pick it up on Amazon and other vendors.

 

In addition to her publication in the above anthology, Claire A. Murray also announced that her short story, Ned's Bedevilment,  placed as an Honorable Mention in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2026 Short Story contest. You can read the story, for free, here.

 

 

SMFS list member Michael Bracken announced on social media that his short story, In-Country, appears in the recently released, Flash of the Dead: Halloween '26. Published by Wicked Shadow Press, the read is available at LuLu.

 

The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2 is now out. Published by Black Beacon Books, the read includes the short story, Miranda's Moon Garden, by SMFS list member Cameron Trost. You can pick up the read at Amazon.

 

The latest season of podcasts, Stuff That Can Kill You (Mysteries to Die For), is now available to preorder in eBook format at Amazon and other vendors. SMFS list member Kathleen Marple Kalb announced on social media that her short story, The Current Situation, is in the read of twenty stories. You can lock in your copy at Amazon and other vendors now in advance of the October 13^th publication day.

 

SMFS list member Mia Dalia announced on the SMFS list that her novel, Tell Me A Story, is now back out from a new publisher. Available in both print and digital versions, you can pick it up at Amazon and other vendors.

 

The Sisters in Crime Colorado Chapter has announced that their lates anthology, Colorado Mystery Merge: Crime Fiction Collection 2, is coming out later this month. SMFS list members Chris Dreith (The Clueologists Club), and Lisa Harkrader (The Mall Walkers), reported being in the read. The 26 tales are not only complete individual mysteries; they also provide the clues to solve the overarching mystery of the book. Sounds pretty cool to this reader. Learn more at their website. You can also preorder the digital format at Amazon.

 

With a big time thank you to fellow SMFS list member Nikita Costiuc who brought a number of our fellow members and their short stories to my attention, I remind you that DEATH CAMAS: Best New England Crime Stories 2026 is coming out tomorrow. Published by Crime Spell Books, the anthology includes works from a number of SMFS list members. They are: Bruce Robert Coffin (Pump Number 2), C. Dan Castro (The Mass Murderer and a Little Disorder), Zakariah Johnson (Dangerous Tastes in Literature) Nikki Knight (Milk. Bread. Homicide.), Avram Lavinsky (The Daughter of the King), Steve Liskow (A Deed without a Name), Edith Maxwell (Cough Lasagnas and Salty Memories), Ruth McCarty (I Hereby Bequeath), Ang Pompano (The Angel of Sachem Creek), Susan Oleksiw (All’s Well That Ends . . .), Eugenia Parrish (Stopping by the Woods), Stephen D. Rogers (A Scene of Salt and Sea), Bonnar Spring (Safe?), and Leslie Wheeler (The Wound Clinic). It can be purchased at Amazon and elsewhere.

 
SMFS list member M. E. Proctor has announced that her new book, The Way You Say My Name: A Declan Shaw Mystery, will be coming out next week from Shotgun Honey Books. You can pick it up at the publisher in print and digital formats. This is the 3rd read in the Declan Shaw Mystery series.

 

 

Also out later this month is Tollund Man: Stories by SMFS list member Jeff Esterholm who announced this fact on social media. Published in print format by Cornerstone Press, you can order it now in advance of the October 20^th publication day on Amazon.

 

At the end of the month, A Fatal Affair: The Murder of Helen Grier by Amanda Capper and Judy Penz Sheluk will be released by Superior Shores Press. This is a true crime read on the case of the death of Helen Grier. Was it murder or something else? You can get it in eBook and print formats at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Finally, a reminder that Short Mystery Fiction Society Mystery Magazine: Volume 1 Number 1 - October 2026 has been published by Murderous Ink Press. This first issue includes my short story, Sweet Dreams Are Made of This, as well as short stories by other SMFS list members and other features. You can get it on Amazon.

 

 

Until  next time…. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026