SleuthSayers: Wish Upon a Crime

SleuthSayers: Wish Upon a Crime: On June 2, Level Short released Wish Upon a Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Fairy Tales , an anthology I edited with Stacy Woodson. Though ...

News: ShortCon

 Some folks claim they have teleported to a Waffle House. While that would be cool, I would rather teleport there and back. This would be a very cool thing to do. Below is a recent message about it from Michael Bracken. You can also follow along at their Facebook page. 

ShortCon, the Premier Conference for Writers of Short Crime Fiction, takes place Saturday, June 6, in Alexandria, VA. A one-day conference concentrating exclusively on the craft and business of short crime fiction, is limited to 50 attendees, and there are still a few openings available.

 

This year's presenters include Gary Philips, Michele Slung, and Art Taylor. Stacy Woodson will lead the end-of-day panel discussion, and I'll be there as the host.

 

Learn more and register at https://www.eastcoastcrime.com/#/

 

We hope to see you there.

 

Michael

--

Michael Bracken

Copywriting • Creative Writing • Editorial Services

https://www.CrimeFictionWriter.com 

SleuthSayers: Oh, What a Tangled Web(site) We Weave

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Little Big Crimes: Glass Beach, by Michael Bracken

Little Big Crimes: Glass Beach, by Michael Bracken:   "Glass Beach," by Michael Bracken, in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2026. This is the twelfth appea...

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Something Is Going To Happen: Newberry Crime Writing Workshop (by Michael Bracken)

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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.

 

Author Michael Bracken, 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

SleuthSayers: One in Six

SleuthSayers: One in Six: A few days before this post went live, Queer Crime Writers released “ One in Six is Not Equity: The State of Queer Representation in Mystery...

SleuthSayers: 2025 Year in Review: Writing and Other Things

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Trace Evidence: Creating “Glass Beach” (by Michael Bracken)

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SleuthSayers: 2025 Year in Review: Editing

SleuthSayers: 2025 Year in Review: Editing: I’m splitting my 2025 Year in Review post into two parts. I’ll discuss writing and other things next post; this time I’m concentrating on ed...

SleuthSayers: Mining the Files

SleuthSayers: Mining the Files: Some of the many publications containing my stories, including those that were mined from the files. If you’ve been writing for any length ...

SleuthSayers: It’s the End of the World as We Know It

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SleuthSayers: Bouchercon Waffle Report

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SleuthSayers: Newberry Crime Writing Workshop

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SleuthSayers: Hot Streak by Michael Bracken

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In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange 8/14/2025

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SleuthSayers: Frittering

SleuthSayers: Frittering: There are too many hours in the day, and I sometimes fritter them away. When I haven’t enough to do, I do even less, often spending my avail...

Market Call: Sans Press and No Gods No Masters

 

Tip of the ball cap to Michael Bracken for pointing this out on one of the lists I am on. 

Sans Press at https://www.sanspress.com/submissions  

No Gods No Masters

From July 24 to Aug 31*, we are open for short story submissions! We are looking for stories of any genre that respond to our title and/or cover art. Selected writers will receive a flat rate of €200.

The Hard Word: SLEUTHS JUST WANNA' HAVE FUN'S MICHAEL BRACKEN, MARK THIELMAN, LAURA OLES, ANDREW HEARN, & WILLIAM DYLAN POWELL

 The Hard Word: SLEUTHS JUST WANNA' HAVE FUN'S MICHAEL BRACKEN, MARK THIELMAN, LAURA OLES, ANDREW HEARN, & WILLIAM DYLAN POWELL