Thursday Treats

Welcome to what will be, I hope, the first of many weekly columns highlighting cool stuff to check out. Publishing news of books, short stories, interviews, and more, that I have seen and think might be of interest to you. So, you will see a lot of publishing news related items as, more than anything else, I am a reader. A reader who reads both eBooks and print.

 

I’m not a true crime kind of guy. Many of you are, and so I mention that authors Judy Penz Sheluk and Amanda Capper are writing a book on the Helen Grier murder case. Judy explains the background and their plans in her post earlier this month on The Stiletto Gang. Even though I am not a true crime guy, the post is intriguing. Her post is well worth the read.

 

Ed Ridgley’s short story “The Blue Lincoln” is up at the Guilty Crime Magazine website. A flash tale and a free read. And, if you missed it, the latest issue of the magazine, Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 015 - Summer 2025 is available over on Amazon. I have my copy in the TBR pile along with several other issues. Just way behind in my reading.

 

As Lesa Holstine announced on Lesa’s Book Critiques back in November 2024, Bill Crider’s books are being republished by his daughter, Angela, and her husband, Tom. In recent days, Jan Grape wrote about her love for Bill, the Dan Rhodes series, and more in a post that includes an interview with Angela. Check out her  SluethSayers post. By the way, if you have not read the mystery series set in East Texas with the good sheriff, you should do so. Begin with Too Late To Die and read in order. I have reviews of the books here on the blog as well if you want to know more. Been a big fan for decades.

 

The new issue, Starlight Pulp Review #7, is out. Features short stories by numerous folks including SMFS list members, Robert J. Binney with “Gifts of Providence,” Ron Clyburn with “Send in the Killers,” Martin Hill Ortiz with “Not Enough Corpses,” and Jennifeer Slee with “The Apex.”

 

Mystery Writers of America put out their monthly roundup of publishing news from their members. New Books by MWA Members – January 2026 also lists short stories. This month, all the stories are found in the pages of AHMM or EQMM. SMFS list members are featured in the books as well as the short story categories.

 

Speaking of SMFS, the latest publishing news post as compiled and issued by SMFS President Joseph S. Walker came out last week. With winter weather making things dangerous outside coming for most of the nation, including my part of NE Dallas where we are being threatened with a crippling ice storm this weekend (God, no), this is a good time to stock up on reading materials.

Also, get your submissions in to the Derringers. All the details are up on the SMFS blog. Deadline is 1/30/2026.

 

Finally, as Lorie Ham of Kings River Life Magazine has shared on Facebook and elsewhere, “We've had some big unexpected expenses come up lately, so I'm running another big ad special for KRL. So if you are interested in knowing more reach out via email at kingsriverlife@gmail.com.”

Until next time...  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Guest Post: Secrets and Schemers by Amanda Capper

  

Please welcome Amanda Capper to the blog today as she discusses her short story, A Time to Tell, in the upcoming new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, published by Superior Shores Press, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors and will release on June 18th.

 

Secrets and Schemers by Amanda Capper

 

I firmly believe if you want to write well, you must read. Lots. Bonus if you read as a child.

I was raised on Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. Library books, novels written by Catherine Cookson and Jeffrey Archer, were borrowed and left strategically around my childhood home, used as bait to get me to sit in one place long enough to read them. And I enjoyed them. But they took time, and I was a busy child.

Short stories were, and still are, my drug of choice. The horror of Hitchcock and the suspense of Queen captivated me, and I remember thinking, “I can do that.” And I tried, but all I really did was copy them. Which was a start because, eventually, if you keep reading and writing, chances are good you’ll get that buzz when your own story comes together.

Judy Penz Sheluk is carrying on the short story tradition, and I was buzzed to the point of combustion when Judy accepted my story “A Time to Tell” for her fourth anthology, Midnight Schemers and Daydream Believers.

I had read the first three and enjoyed them all, first because I love a story I can read in bed and know the ending before I turn off the light, and second, because these short stories are excellent for studying the craft. Why did I like this one? What would I have done different? And the best – Holy Hannah, I did not see that coming.

My contribution to Midnight is full of secrets. Rebecca’s dad has a secret. So does her mom. Even the neighbours have a secret. And finally, so does Rebecca. Here’s the first paragraph:

I started collecting secrets when I was six-years-old. Not by design. More by the unfortunate circumstance of being a sickly, solitary child, cursed with curiosity. I hovered in doorways, or stared out windows, and was always startled when someone noticed I was in the room. I had, at one time, concluded I was invisible and that was okay.

When the anthology comes out on June 18^th and you finish reading my story, I hope you have a Holy Hannah moment. There are 22 stories in Midnight Schemers and Daydream Believers; I expect you’ll have more than one.

Readers: Have you had a Holy Hannah moment lately? Leave a comment and don’t worry—your secret is safe with me.

 

About the book:

Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense 

Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.

Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44vnrJF

 

Amanda Capper ©2025

 

Amanda Capper is a Canadian author. Her debut mystery novel, A Bother of Bodies was published by Divertir Publishing in 2014. During the years since, she’s had flash fiction and short stories published in e-zines and anthologies. You can find her at https://ajcapper.wordpress.com