Thursday Treats: 10/22/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

 
Black Cat Weekly #268 is out and again features short stories and more. Halloween is the theme, but the issue is as wide ranging as ever. John Bentacourt reminds everyone that there are only two more issues before it goes to Level Best Books and becomes a monthly. To learn more, read the note at the end of the issue from the new publisher. SMFS list members by Leslie Budewitz (This Little Piggy) has the cover and Shari Held (Cordelia’s Quest) and by A.L. Sirois (Drowning in Monstrosity) also reported being in the issue. You can pick up the issue at the website.

 

Personal Note: My understanding is that when it becomes Black Cat Mysteries next month and relaunches as a monthly release, a subscription will be $60 bucks a year. As folks are well aware, as I have made no secret of it, things are very bad here so I will not be a subscriber. I hope the new venture works, but this reader has been priced out. And that should not be taken as a criticism of what they are doing. If anything, it is yet another indictment of my failure in life.

 

Author Maryann Miller announced on Twitter that her new book, Second Chances And Other Stories, is now available for preorder. Published by MCM Enterprises, the read is about characters experiencing life in many different ways. Scheduled to be published on November 24rth, when it will also be available on KindleUnlimited, the read can be purchased now on Amazon.

 

 

Released last week is the new anthology, Songs to Woody. Published by Cowboy Jamboree Press, the read includes short stories by SMFS list members Zakariah Johnson (Oklahoma Hills) and Stephen M. Pierce (This Machine Kills Itself). You can pick it up at Amazon.

 

Out at the end of the month is the new anthology, The Power of 13.  Authored by members of The Mesdames of Mayhem, a Canadian mystery writing collective, and published by Carrick Publishing, the read of 21 stories celebrates their 13th anniversary. The SMFS list members that have announced their presence in the read via the SMFS list are: J.E. (Jayne) Barnard (13 the Hard Way), M. H. Callway (Amdur's Mouse), Melodie Campbell (An Unlucky Stiff), Therese Greenwood (A Hard Ticket), Madona Skaff (Lennie and the 13), Hope Thompson (The Anniversary), Sylvia Maultash Warsh (Catalina andMr.  the King of the Fishes), and Melissa "Yi" Yuan-Innes (Flamingo Flamenco), Sylvia Maultash Warsh (Catalina and the King of the Fishes). It is available for preorder at Amazon and other vendors.

 

 

Speaking of SMFS, The Short Mystery Fiction Society, I remind you of other reads by our members as recently compiled and posted by SMFS President Joseph S. Walker. In his October 7^th post titled, A Plethora of Pulse-Pounding Pages as the Short Mystery Fiction Society Enters a New Age!, Mr. Walker details numerous reads and includes the launch of the first issue of the new SMFS Mystery Magazine. All the details are in his post on the SMFS blog.

 

 

Coming in November from Murderous Ink Press is the anthology, Crimeucopia - Objection! Overruled!! SMFS list members in the read are John M. Floyd (Nothing but the Truth), and Wil A. Emerson (Three Strikes—You’re Out). The read is available for preorder at Amazon and other vendors.

 

 

The Sisters in Crime Colorado Chapter has announced that their latest anthology, Colorado Mystery Merge: Crime Fiction Collection 2, is coming out tomnorrow. 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.

 

 

A reminder that Tollund Man: Stories by SMFS list member Jeff Esterholm is now out. Published by Cornerstone Press, you can get it at Amazon.

 

Finally, 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.

 

 

Until  next time….

  

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Picture taken earlier this week. Vote. It matters. 

Lesa's Book Critiques: November Book Tasting

 Lesa's Book Critiques: November Book Tasting

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 10-17-26

 The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 10-17-26

Thursday Treats: 10/15/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

 

Black Cat Weekly #267 is out and again features short stories and more. This issue is dedicated to Halloween and spooky season. You can pick up the issue at the website.

 

Back in September 2023, on the SMFS blog, as SMFS President at the time, I announced the publication day news of the release of Prohibition Peepers: Private Eyes During the Noble Experiment. Editor and fellow SMFS list member Michael Bracken announced on social media that the anthology is back in print with a new publisher. Crimson Gate Books is releasing it on October 19^th and you can pick it up on Amazon now. The SMFS list members that previously annpunced their presence in the book are: Michael Bracken (Cigarette Girl), David Dean (Three Irishmen), Jim Doherty (The Private Untouchable), John M. Floyd (River Road), Nils Gilbertson (Lovely and Useless Things), Richard Helms (West of the Ashley), Hugh Lessig (Cloths of Heaven), Steve Liskow (Peace of Mind Guaranteed), Adam Meyer (The Dance), Joseph S. Walker (Getting Away Clean), and Stacy Woodson (Moonshine Turn).

 

A reminder that SMFS list member Elizabeth Zelvin recently announced that her latest short story collection, Rifts & Reprisals: Collected Stories II, is available in digital form at Amazon. The fifteen tales were previously published between 2017 and 2025 in EQMM, AHMM, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and online at Yellow Mama. This book joins her previously published short story collection, Breaches & Betrayals: Collected Stories, released in 2016 and also available on Kindle Unlimited. You can learn more at her website.

 

A reminder that SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s new mystery,  The Way You Say My Name: A Declan Shaw Mystery, is now out. will be coming out next week from Shotgun Honey Books. You can pick it up at Amazon and other vendors. This is the 3rd read in the Declan Shaw Mystery series.

SMFS list member John A. Tures announced on the SMFS list that he had a short story podcast up on the Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast. His short story, Kill Your Darlings, is free to listen to at the website.

 

The new issue of the online publication Yellow Mama is now out. Yellow Mama #118 includes short stories by SMFS list members Sandra J. Cady (New Orleans Bound), Pamela Ebel (The Tenth Muse), and Joseph S. Walker (Things That Didn't Happen at a Place That Doesn't Exist). You can read the issue online, and for free, here.

 

Also now out is Black Petals Horror/Science Fiction Magazine #117. Full of short stories and more, you can read the issue online, for free, here.

 

After Claire A. Murray last week announced that her short story, Ned's Bedevilment, placed as an Honorable Mention in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2026 Short Story contest, fellow SMFS list member, Debra H. Goldstein, announced earlier this week that her short story, My Pinball Knight, appears in the new anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny, and Strange® Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy, published by the same group. The book comes out today and is available at Amazon and other vendors.

 

The Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: November/December 2026  is now out and includes short stories by SMFS list members. John M. Floyd (Moneyland), Kate Hohl (Advance Obituary), Michael Penncavage (Mr. Muktod Stays For Dinner) and S.B. Watson (Under Pressure) are in the issue. Additionally, SMFS list member Ed Ridgley announced that his short story, A Matter of Culture, won the May/June Mysterious Photograph Contest and is posted in the Nov/Dec issue. Per Mr. Ridgley, “This is my second time winning the contest!” You can pick up the issue at the website and at other vendors.

 

The Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November/December 2026  issue is also now out. “Be Still, Your Heart” by SMFS list member Josh Pachter is in the issue as is “My War 2” by Stephen M. Pierce.  You can pick it up on the website and at other vendors.

 

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

 

 

A reminder that coming next week 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.

 

Finally, 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.

 

 

Until  next time….

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

The Rap Sheet: B&N Takes the Lead

 The Rap Sheet: B&N Takes the Lead

The Rap Sheet: Even More End-of-Year Enticements

 The Rap Sheet: Even More End-of-Year Enticements

Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of October 11, 2026

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of October 11, 2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: What Are You Reading?

 Lesa's Book Critiques: What Are You Reading?

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