Short story review coming soon

Good evening constant reader.

I sit here typing this good news, with a big black cat literally at my left hand. If she got any closer, I couldn't type, but I don't have the heart to make her move.

I received a short story submission in my mail not too long ago. My first reaction was to politely write back and inform the author I only accepted novels or short story collections for review.

But I stopped and thought it over.

There are tons of short stories offered for download online, giving authors another platform for exposure. Why shouldn't I give these authors the same consideration as authors of books?

I read the story and am pleased to say I think it is worthy of review and will be posting that review soon.

The Written Universe has started accepting short story submissions in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy and mystery. The only stipulation is that the story must be available on line for the reading public to download.
As always, there is no charge to the author for this service.

However, this reviewer needs to eat, so, for now, if you, constant reader, would be so kind as to take advantage of the "contextual ads" and the Amazon carousel widget if interested in purchasing what has been reviewed, I would be most appreciative.
I am in the process of finding out how I can monetize this blog for maximum effect and am looking at turning TWU into it's own dedicated webpage, with and Amazon affiliate store, as well as a Pay Pal "if you like what you're reading, donations kindly accepted", button.

I am passionate about the success of this site and strive to provide a dual service: getting good authors the exposure they deserve without charge, and providing readers with excellent choices in reading material.

The Shirley Jackson Awards

Good afternoon constant reader.

While I'm reading review material, I like to bring you new items of interest. In that vein, may I present the winners of the Shirley Jackson Awards, which have been presented since 2007.

"In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson’s writing, and with permission of the author’s estate, The Shirley Jackson Awards, Inc. has been established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.
The Shirley Jackson Awards are voted upon by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics, and academics, with input from a Board of Advisors. The awards are given for the best work published in the preceding calendar year in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology.
Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) wrote such classic novels as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, as well as one of the most famous short stories in the English language, “The Lottery.” Her work continues to be a major influence on writers of every kind of fiction, from the most traditional genre offerings to the most innovative literary work."

Here are the winners:
2007
Novel - Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand
Novella - "Vacancy" - Lucius Shepard
Novelette - "The James Tree" - Glen Hirshberg
Short Story - "The Monsters of Heaven" - Nathan Ballingrud
Collection -  The Imago Sequence and Other Stories by Laird Barron
Anthology - Inferno - edited by Ellen Datlow

2008
Novel - The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford
Novella - "Disquiet" - Julia Leigh
Novelette - "Pride and Prometheus" - John Kessel
Short Story - "The Pile" - Michael Bishop
Collection - The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa
Anthology - The New Uncanny - edited by Sarah Eyre & Ra Page

2009
Novel - Big Machine by Victor LaValle
Novella - "Midnight Picnic" - Nick Antosca
Novelette - Morality - Stephen King
Short Story - "The Pelican Bar" - Karen Joy Fowler
Collection - Tunneling to the Center of the Earth - Kevin Wilson
Collection - Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical - Robert Shearman
Anthology - Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe edited by Ellen Datlow

2010
Novel - Mr. Shivers - Robert Jackson Bennett
Novella - "Mysterium Tremendum" - Laird Barron
Novelette - "Turth is a Cave in the Black Mountains" - Neil Gaiman
Short Story - "The Things" - Peter Watts
Collection - Occultation - Laird Barron
Anthology - Stories: All New Tales - Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio

2011
Novel - Witches on the Road Tonight - Sheri Holman
Novella - "Near Zennor" Elizabeth Hand
Novelette - "The Summer People"- Kelly Link
Short Fiction - "The Corpse Painter's Masterpiece" - M. Rickert
Single-Author Collection - After the Apocalypse: Stories - Maureen F. McHugh
Edited Anthology - Ghosts by Gaslight - edited by Jack Dann & Nick Gevers

2012
Novel - Edge - Koji Suzuki
Novella - "Sky" - Kaaron Warren
Novelette - "Reeling For the Empire - Karen Russell
Short Fiction - "A Natural History of Autumn" -  Jeffrey Ford
Single-Author Collection - Crackpot Palace - Jeffrey Ford
Edited Anthology - Exotic Gothic 4: Postscripts #28/29 - edited by Danel Olson

The Edgar Awards

Good evening constant reader.

I would like to shed some light on the Edgar Awards.

The Edgar Awards (named after Edgar Allan Poe) are presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America. The Edgar goes to the best achievement in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film and theatre printed or produced in the year previous.

Seeing as how Edgar Allan Poe is considered the father of the detective story, the awards are aptly named.

Here are the winners for best mystery novel since 2000:

2000 - Bones - Jan Burke

2001 - The Bottoms - Joe R. Lansdale

2002 - Silent Joe - T. Jefferson Parker

2003 - Winter and Night - S.J. Rozan

2004 - Resurrection Men -  Ian Rankin

2005 - California Girl - T. Jefferson Parker

2006 - Citizen Vince - Jess Walter

2007 - The Janissary Tree - Jason Goodwin

2008 - Down River - John Hart

2009 - Blue Heaven - C. J. Box

2010 - The Last Child - Jphn Hart

2011 - The Lock Artist - Steve Hamilton

2012 - Gone - Mo Hayder

Happy Birthday Mr. Poe

Good evening constant reader.

Today is Edgar Allan Poe's 204th birthday.

When Poe is mentioned, many of us think of his horror works.
But Poe is credited as the inventor of the detective fiction genre.

In 1841, Poe invented the modern detective story with "The Murders In the Rue Morgue".
In his story, Poe introduces his intelligent albeit eccerntirc detective C. Auguste Dupin who solves crimes using the process of rational thinking. Poe called this process "raciocination".
Dupin appears in two more stories "The Purloined Letter" and "The Mystery of Marie Roget".

Poe once stated in a letter to an associate dated 1848: "These tales of ratiocination owe most of their popularity to being something in a new key. I do not mean to say that they are not ingenious - but people think them more ingenious than they are - on account of their method and air of method. In "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", for instance, where is the ingenuity of unraveling a web which you yourself (the author) have woven for the express purpose of unraveling?"

Poe's Dupin is the predecessor of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had this to say about Poe:
"Edgar Allan Poe...was the father of the detective tale, and covered its limits so completely that I fail to see how his followers can find any fresh ground which they can confidently call their own. For the secret of the thinnness and also of the intensity of the detective story is that the writer is left with only one quality, that of the intellectual acuteness, with which to endow his hero. Everything else is outside the picture and weakens the effect. The problem and its solution must form the theme, and the character-drawing is limited and  subordinate. On this narrow path the writer must walk, and he sees the footmarks of Poe always in front of him."

The Mystery Writers of America present an annual award called The Edgar Award for outstanding work in the mystery genre.

Stay tuned for a future post listing past Edgar Award winners.

Allow Me To Introduce a Brilliant Reading Resource

Good evening constant reader.

I want to draw your attention to a website I've been using over the last several years:
Fantastic Fiction, out of the UK.

Fantastic Fiction contains bibliographies for over 30,000 authors.  
You can search an author by their last name, or there are search fields provided to search by book title.
There is information on over 350,000 titles. When you've looked up an author, merely click on a book to see it's cover, a synopsis and publication information. 

Fantastic Fiction includes the following genres:
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, Horror, and more.

Author citations divide an author's work into series, listing all titles in the series in order, stand alone novels in order by year of publication, novellas, anthologies, anthologies featured in, non-fiction works, books about...you get the idea.

All in one convenient place.

Forthcoming works are highlighted at the top of the page with cover art and projected publication date.

Give it a look and book mark it. You'll be glad you did.

Fantastic Fiction

Review: Sprinkle With Murder

Sprinkle With Murder
by
Jenn McKinlay
Available at Barnes & Noble online,
Amazon, Barnes & Noble brick and mortar stores,
and as an e-book for the Kindle or Nook.

Good evening constant reader.
In a nutshell, if you like a good who did it, with believable characters in believable situations, with a tasty culinary background, then this is the book for you.

Melanie Cooper and her best friend Angie DeLaura are the owners and operators of Fairy Tale Cupcakes, a cupcake bakery in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Business is good and the two young women couldn't be happier.  They are joined in this business venture by Tate Harper, their friend since grade school.

It's Tate's upcoming nuptials that start the cupcake crumbling, when his caustic fashion designer bride to be, Christie Stevens, wants to contract Melanie to create 5 original cupcake flavors for their wedding.
When I say contract, I mean contract, as in, the cupcakes become the bride's property and Melanie may not make them for sale in her shop.  As it turns out, Bridezilla has extended the contract business to her gown designer and photographer.
Understandably, this has all the creative types fuming, yet they are reluctant to take Christie on, as her name can mean bigger and better things to their futures.  Who wants to go on record as turning down her business?

Melanie creates the 5 flavors and they're picked up by Christie's assistants.
The next morning, Melanie has an appointment at the crack of dawn to meet with Christie to see if her creations past muster.  She arrives at Christie's design studio to find it quiet...too quiet...and discovers Christie's dead body, with one of Melanie's cupcakes at hand.

Thus begins Melanie's efforts to clear herself and find out who did Christie in and why.
There are numerous suspects, all with an ax to grind, and some clever hey-I-bet-it's-this-guy moments, that may or may not prove to be true.

Jenn McKinlay deftly weaves a compelling tale, combining realistic dialogue and character actions that were very refreshing.  I hate it when characters don't sound convincing and do dumb things, most especially in a mystery.
Melanie, Angie and Tate form a great triad of friendship that obviously has stood the test of time and is put to the real test with Christie's murder.
Supporting characters are well drawn and come and go as needed, including Melanie's mother and Angie's over-protective brothers.

Have I mentioned the cupcakes?
Oh, the cupcakes!
4 recipes are included at the end of the book that sound divine.

This is a brilliant start to a continuing series.
The second book in the series, Buttercream Bump Off is available now. (And I went out and bought it as soon as I finished Sprinkle), with #3, Death By The Dozen due in October 2011.

For more information on Jenn McKinlay, please go to:
Jenn McKinlay on Facebook
Jenn McKinlay's home page