Lesa's Book Critiques: What Are You Reading?

 Lesa's Book Critiques: What Are You Reading?

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: Japanese author Keigo Higashino, a prolific writer best known for his numerous hit mystery novels and lauded for his intricate plotting and ...

Thursday Treats: 7/30/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

 

SMFS list member Armand Rosamilia announced that his flash fiction short story, Coffee And A Glazed Donut, was published online at The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read it for free here.

 

SMFS list member Chuck Brownman announced that his short story, Rendering the Truth, was released as Episode 13 of Season 9 of the Mysteries to Die For podcast anthology series. You can listen for free at https://m2d4podcast.com/. As is done at the close of the season each year, a book will be generated of all the episodes and available at a variety of vendors.

 

Black Cat Weekly #256 is out and includes short stories by SMFS list member Michael Bracken (Satan’s Wings) and others. You can pick up the latest issue here. 

 

SMFS list member James W. Ziskin  latest novel, The Prank, is now out. “Set in Christmas 1968, a thirteen-year-old sociopath befriends his teacher, unaware she loved the man his prank accidentally killed.” Published by Level Best-Historia, the read is available in both digital and print formats at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Also now out is the new anthology, What the World Needs Now: Mystery Stories Inspired by the Music of Burt Bacharach. SMFS list members Joseph Goodrich (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and Josh Pachter (Me Japanese Boy) are included in the charity anthology edited by Martin Edwards. Funds raised are for autism charities in the US and UK. It is available at Amazon.

 

 

Speaking of musical themed anthologies, In Too Deep: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Genesis, is once again released into the world. Edited by Adam Meyer, the new publisher is Audecyn Books. The read contains short stories by Kathleen Barber, Eric Beetner, Michael Bracken, Austin Camacho, Barb Goffman, Debra H. Goldstein, James A. Hearn, Smita Harish Jain, Hugh Lessig, Adam Meyer, Tom Milani, Alan Orloff, Josh Pachter, Rob D. Smith, Joseph S. Walker. You can get it at Amazon or other vendors.

A reminder that by this time next week, another anthology will be out. Edited by SMFS list members, Editors Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead, All the Crime in the World: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles. According to the synopsis, the anthology will feature 14 short stories by “Victor Bonini, James Scott Byrnside, Shelly Dickson Carr, S.A. Cosby, Anne van Doorn, Martin Edwards, Sulari Gentill, Paul Halter, Christopher Huang, Vaseem Khan, Josh Pachter, Masaya Yamaguchi, Ovidia Yu, and a brand-new collaboration from the editors.” It is currently available for preorder at the publisher, Crippen and Landru.

 

As Gigi Pandian posted to the SMFS list recently and I quote: “We've got several SMFS members in the anthology. Josh mentioned his story, "The Allegory of the Five Senses," which is terrific. Tom Mead and I wrote "The Problem of the Poison Garden" as a nod to our favorite author, John Dickson Carr. I had no idea co-writing could be such fun!”

 

  

Until next time…. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Thursday Treats: 7/23/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

 

SMFS list member Mia Dalia announced that her short story, B Minor, was published online at The Sunlight Press. You can read it for free here.

 

SMFS list member James Patrick Focarile announced that his short story, What Whiskey Won’t Cure, was published online at The Saturday Evening Post. You can read it for free here.

 

Black Cat Weekly #255 is out and includes short stories by SMFS list members N. M.  Cedeño (Mirror Life Meltdown), Stacy Woodson (She Loves You), and others. You can pick up the latest issue here. 

 

SMFS list member James W. Ziskin announced that his latest novel, The Prank, comes out on the 28^th. “Set in Christmas 1968, a thirteen-year-old sociopath befriends his teacher, unaware she loved the man his prank accidentally killed.” Published by Level Best-Historia, the read is available in both digital and print formats at Amazon and other vendors.

 

As I told you earlier this month, Level Best—Level Short is scheduled to release on the 28^th the anthology, What the World Needs Now: Mystery Stories Inspired by the Music of Burt Bacharach. SMFS list members Joseph Goodrich (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and Josh Pachter (Me Japanese Boy) are included in the charity anthology edited by Martin Edwards. Funds raised are for autism charities in the US and UK. The digital version is up for preorder at Amazon.

 

Coming early next month. and edited by SMFS list members, Editors Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead, All the Crime in the World: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles. According to the synopsis, the anthology will feature 14 short stories by Victor Bonini, James Scott Byrnside, Shelly Dickson Carr, S.A. Cosby, Anne van Doorn, Martin Edwards, Sulari Gentill, Paul Halter, Christopher Huang, Vaseem Khan, Josh Pachter (The Allegory of the Five Senses), Masaya Yamaguchi, Ovidia Yu, and a brand-new collaboration from the editors. It is currently available for preorder at the publisher, Crippen and Landru.

 

And, finally, for something completely different, the fantasy novel, Immortalized Memories of the Omniverse: Rise of the Draconic Hero, by Alex Rosen  is now out. Epic Fantasy and more are present in this read. I am reading more than one book right now, always a dangerous practice on my part, and this is one of them. I am not one for fantasy these days, but I am enjoying it. Sent to me by the publisher, you can get it at Amazon or many other vendors.

 

 

Until next time…. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Dru's Book Musings: Coming Soon ~ August 2026

 Dru's Book Musings: Coming Soon ~ August 2026

In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday

In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday: It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news: THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES Matthew Mic...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Favorite Books of 2026, So Far

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Favorite Books of 2026, So Far

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: I missed this bit of news earlier, but the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was announced. This year's finalists include: ...

Doing the Unwelcome Eye Thing Again--Part Two

As an update to my post of yesterday, things are not good. It is a PVD (Posterior Vitreous Detachment).

The eye is also a freaking mess and required a bunch of extra tests. 

The only good news at this point is that, so far, the retina has not torn. But, the doc thinks it is highly likely to tear. She can see the floater and it is one of the worst and biggest she has ever seen. The floater itself has blood clots in it. There are way more clots where the detachment line is. And there are at least two, maybe as many as five, blood clots free floating. 

This is why I keep seeing a black dot, like a dead pixel on the tv, floating through. That is a blood clot. The floater is very black in the center of it and that is…blood clots. There is so much debris free floating in the eye, she had a very hard time making sure the retina was still intact. 

Of course, she never saw me back in December 2024, when the left eye did this. So we have no idea if this is how my eyes do this deal OR this one now is way worse than what happened back then. I had several large floaters before. This time is seems to be one huge planet destroying space alien warship thingy, so why knows?

I am to come back three weeks from tomorrow so they can rescan everything. They had to do a bunch of extra tests yesterday to establish my baseline and it took over two hours from start to exhausting finish. My hope is that some of those tests won't be necessary this next time. 

If anything changes, no matter how minor, I am under strict instructions to call in and they will juggle patients to get me in as an emergency. Apparently the tear normally happens during REM sleep so I should not be surprised if it happens and I wake up to being way worse off. 

So, there you have it. My right eye is a mess. I can't read books. I bumped up the type here on the laptop and my old Kindle so I can still read some. But, if the floater hits just right, it can block out an entire sentence or four or five words. Watching TV means I can lose an actor's face or entire body. the damn floater is my own personal eye eclipse that is blocking out a lot. Annoying as holy hell. 

And the car may or may not be having issues. I had a hard time driving yesterday to the doc and a way harder time coming home as I was heavily dilated and the sunshine with the throw away glasses they give you was still blinding. I kept having issues working the gas and the brakes for some reason so it may be just that and nothing actually wrong with the car. 

The same thing happened on Monday a little bit when we hit the store and the library, and I know that was me and the shape I am in, so hopefully that was all it was yesterday. Just another thing to worry about. 

And none of this is an expensive I need as big bills are due and Scott is home due to a lack of work and that means he isn't earning a thing. Just like his dad.  

Doing the Unwelcome Eye Thing Again

It has happened again. Saw a flash, maybe three, in the corner of my right eye Saturday evening. We were outside doing the evening walk to the corner and back, so I did not think anything about it. Saw the massive floater yesterday and the tissue paper effect. Thought it had been this same eye before. Had a day of sheer panic that has stretched into today as my eye doc seems to be closed, at least for now, and the retina specialist place he told me call if anything ever happened will not see me without doctor notes. 

So, they decided to send me to an eye doctor next door, and after some discussion with the very nice scheduler who wanted me to wait two plus weeks as a new patient, I go in early afternoon tomorrow for an exam. 

Finally remembered I had blogged about this before. Read this and then figured out that it was the LEFT last time and now it is the RIGHT. SO NOT THE SAME FREAKING EYE, AFTER ALL. 

Panic Level Alert dialed down to a 7 as it was diagnosed as a posterior vitreous detachment before and was told it would most likely happen again with the other eye. Once you do it in one, it is a virtual guarantee. As long as the retina has not also detached, I should be fine after an annoying few weeks of the giant floater with the tissue paper effect. 

So, if you will, keep a good thought as I deal with this tomorrow. Please and thank you. 

Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: Accident by Design by E. C. R. Lorac

 Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: Accident by Design by E. C. R. Lorac

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: I missed this bit of award news back in March, but at the annual Krimimessen (Crime Fair) in Denmark, four crime honors were revealed, incl...

In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday

In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday: It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news: THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES Natalie Bur...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Community Book Tasting – July

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Community Book Tasting – July

Market Call: Santa Rage 2: More Tales of Murder and Mayhem

As you may have recently seen on social media, Jay Hartman of Misti Media announced four submission calls. One of the four is for the anthology, Santa Rage 2: More Tales of Murder and Mayhem. Yours truly has been given the privilege and the honor of editing the project.

 

Yes, you read that correctly. I am the editor.

 

Guidelines are at https://www.mistimedia.com/calls-for-submission/santa/

 

And, of course, check out the first book for ideas.

 

I look forward to reading your submissions. Deadline is August 31st. 

Don't Need A Diagram: Jennifer Hillier, “Little Secrets”

 Don't Need A Diagram: Jennifer Hillier, “Little Secrets”

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: At the recent Literacy Partners Evening of Readings and Gala Dinner, crime fiction author Patricia Cornwell received the Lifetime Achievemen...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

Happiness Is A Book: And Did Murder Him by Peter Turnbull

 Happiness Is A Book: And Did Murder Him by Peter Turnbull

Thursday Treats: June 6/11/2026

The latest reading opportunities…

Back in mid-March, I told you about the Kickstarter for the anthology, Detectives, Sleuths, & Nosy Neighbors III. Published by Inkd Publishing, the book has a publication date of May 20^th at Amazon. It includes short stories by  SMFS list members, N. M. Cedeño (The Assassination Game), Shari Held (The Mansion on the Hill), Kathleen Marple Kalb (Spring Death Cleaning), Aime Kluck (Peril in Provincetown), Veronica Leigh (Hoosier Sweetheart), Bev Myers (Three Fingers of Fate), Karen Oden (Murder at Angelique), and SB Watson (The Silent Herd), and others. You can pick it up at a variety of vendors and at Amazon.

 

Fellow SMFS list member Wil A. Emerson announced that his short story, Norms and Values, appears in the 3^rd edition of The Writers Monk. His piece appears on page 98 of this free to read flip magazine. You can read it here.

 

Fellow SMFS list member Leslie Elman, announced that her short story, When I Go, was published online at Guilty Flash (part of Guilty Crime Magazine). The story is free to read here.

 

Fellow SMFS list member David H. Hendrickson has been busy. He announced that his short story, Apt Pupil, was published in the latest issue of Thrill Ride Magazine. This is their 14 issue and is titled Thrill Ride Magazine: Assassins and Vigilantes. Learn more at the publisher listing or go to Amazon to get it.

 

Mr. Hendrickson also announced that his short story, The Mona Pizza and The Johnny Pesky Wannabe, appears in the recently released anthology, Romance for All Seasons: Sunkissed Summer. Mr. Hendrickson co-edits the anthology series with SMFS list member Annie Reed who also has the short story, Getting Away From It All. It is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: July August 2026 issue is now out. Fellow SMFS list member S. B. Watson made the cover with the short story, Tricks on the Table. Also included in this issue are short stories by fellow SMFS list members O’Neil De Noux (Charming Charlie Lovely Eyes” and Dave Zeltserman (Alfred & Hitchcock). Mike Ciaraldi of the list also reported that he received another Honorable Mention in the “Mysterious Photograph Contest.” Learn more at the publisher.

 
Of course, if the AHMM new issue is out, so too is the new EQMM. That new issue, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: July/August 2026, also features short stories by fellow SMFS list members O’Neil De Noux (Le Rouge, 2B), Tom Larsen (El Yerno), and Dave Zeltserman (A Lost Dream). Also included in this issue is the short story, Hunters, by SMFS President Joseph S. Walker. Kearn more at the publisher.

 

SMFS President Joseph S. Walker also has the featured cover story, It’s Flag Day on Fairview, in the latest issue of Black Cat Weekly. As always, the issue os packed with short stories and novels and bursting with variety. You can pick up Black Cat Weekly #249 here.

 

Finally, a reminder that the anthology, Crimeucopia - New Kids In Da 'Hood, is now out. Editor John Connor of Murderous Ink Press 16 crime fiction short story tales in the read. That includes a short story by fellow SMFS list member Thomas F. Gorham III (Classless Reunion). It can be picked up at Amazon. 

By the way, if you like what we do here, please consider spreading the word of these posts. Also, if you can, please consider making a donation through the PayPal widget on the left side of the blog. I try not to talk about it, or beg, but the desperation is very real. The hits keep coming here and things are really bad. 

Until next time….

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026