Larry Harris

Mike Smith

Stacy Woodson

David Santo

Mary McKinney

Jerry McKinney

Anna Calhoun

Gwen Girvin

Kristi Powers

Aritst Behind

Broken is a Collection of Poetry and Art that deals with the subject of being Broken. What can cause you to become broken life situations, people, trauma, abuse. This collection is from a Downriver Detroit artist group called No Artist Left Behind. NALB is about helping people through their art. come check us out at www.noartistleftbehind.com

Broken

Don McLellan

Chris Wheatley

At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Weekly Magazine presents original short stories by the world's best-known and emerging mystery writers. The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing and a compelling story are the only certainty. Get ready to be surprised, challenged, and entertained--whether you enjoy the style of the Golden Age of mystery (e.g., Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle), the glorious pulp digests of the early twentieth century (e.g., Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler), or contemporary masters of mystery. In this issue: In our cover feature, "The Hail Mary Play" by Stacy Woodson, a last-ditch effort to avoid getting expelled from military school forces a cadet to come up with a plan-something that's guaranteed to impress the school's superintendent. At the dawn of mankind, one resourceful human sets out to solve a mystery after his chief, Ice-eyes, is killed by a vicious predator. Is Long-spear, the only witness, deceiving the tribe? Can you solve the mystery of "The Shrewdness Of Apes" by Chris Wheatley. In "A Nasty Bit Of Business" by Robert C. Madison, a private detective working for a very powerful man needs all his wits and quick reflexes when things go sideways, as they tend to do. An aging hitman agrees to one last job arranged by his young protege. But only if he takes the shot. The older man knows his gun; the younger man the tech. The hit was crowdsourced. What could possibly go wrong? Find out by reading "Going South" by Jay O'Connell. In "Visitors" by Don Mclellan, a housekeeper, grown accustomed to handling the whims and oddities of her wealthy employers, faces a threat no amount of experience can prepare her for. In "Willard" by Bill Connor, a much-loved homeless man is murdered, and the killer must be named before a mob renders its own blind justice. A Silver Alert, an ex-con, and a snowstorm create a deadly combination in "Bad Moon Rising" by Shannon Hollinger.

July 2019

Mystery Weekly Magazine

Jonathan Brown

John M. Floyd

Gar Anthony Haywood

S.A. Cosby

Debra H. Goldstein

Penny Mickelbury

Trey R. Barker

William Dylan Powell

Kimberly B. Richardson

Whether their cover bands play Willie Dixon or Willie Nelson, juke joints and honky-tonks appeal to hard-working men and women looking for a good time. Offering hot music, cheap food, and generous amounts of liquor, jukes and tonks are often a community’s unofficial gathering spot, where Saturday nights are spent committing the sins church leaders rail against the following morning. The stories in Jukes & Tonks introduce you to many sinners and few saints, love begun and love gone wrong, and all manner of unsavory criminal endeavors. What the stories have in common is that they plop you down in worlds where the music pulsating from the compact stage—if there’s a stage at all—provides the backbeat for tales that are unsparing, heartbreaking, twisty, and a few are as dark as the night, and the blinking sign offering live music is an invitation to the unexpected. Contributors include Trey R. Barker, Michael Bracken, Jonathan Brown, S.A. Cosby, John M. Floyd, Debra H. Goldstein, Gar Anthony Haywood, Penny Mickelbury, Gary Phillips, William Dylan Powell, Kimberly B. Richardson, and Stacy Woodson. Praise for JUKES & TONKS: “The world needs more jukes, more tonks, and more fine crime fiction—and this fast-paced playlist from Michael Bracken and Gary Phillips offers all of the above and then some. It’s a #1 hit…with a bullet!” —Josh Pachter, editor of The Great Filling Station Holdup: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Jimmy Buffett “While twists abound and nothing is predictable, one thing is certain: Jukes & Tonks transports the reader to a world where the drinks are cheap, the dancing is close, and the music reigns supreme.” —Holly West, Anthony Award-nominated editor of Murder-a-Go-Go’s: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of The Go-Go’s

Crime Fiction Inspired by Music in the Dark and Suspect Choices

Jukes & Tonks

Cynthia Ward

Michael Bracken

Michael Kurland

Ann Aptaker

James A. Hearn

Barry Fulton

Elliott Capon

Graham Powell

The ninth issue of Black Cat Mystery features a stellar lineup of new stories (and one classic reprint). Here are— LAST RITES, by Stacy Woodson THE JERICHO TRAIN, by John M. Floyd CORAL COVE, by B.A. Paul THE ALLEY, by Ann Aptaker SONNY'S ENCORE, by Michael Bracken SWITCH AND BAIT, by Cynthia Ward BECOMING ZERO, by James A. Hearn THE MURDER OF JONATHAN GREYSTONE, by Barry Fulton YOU GOTTA BE IN IT!, by Elliott Capon THE YOU-DON'T-KNOW-THE-HALF-OF-IT-DEARIE BLUES, by Michael Kurland A FIGHTER BY HIS TRADE, by Graham Powell Classic reprint: SMELLING LIKE A ROSE, by Gil Brewer

Black Cat Mystery Magazine #9

A minister, a taco truck, and a gun, what could possibly go wrong? Vivian, an ex-con turned prison minister, discovers her brother, Tommy, is in debt to the Chicago Outfit. And they’re calling the note—20 grand plus the juice. If Tommy doesn’t come up with the money in 72 hours, he will be a permanent resident of Lake Michigan. As kids, she and her brother grew up on the streets and lived by a set of rules: #1 no drugs, #2 no turning tricks, #3 no tangling with the mob. And they’d have each other’s back—always. Vivian can’t abandon her brother, despite the risk to her church and the new life she’s built for herself. So, she comes up with a plan—a way to turn the tables on the Outfit and save her brother. An Eastside bookie, a taco truck, and a Russian-made pistol are key. But even she knows the plan is a long shot. There was a reason why she made rule #3. When it comes to the mob, someone always pays a price. “Buckle up for a gritty trip through Chicago’s seedy underbelly! Come along as Viv, an ex-con minister, struggles to provide salvation for her brother with the help of the Good Book—and a Tokarev. Stacy Woodson’s snappy voice sparkles in this tense tale of family loyalty. A winner!” —Alan Orloff, ITW Thriller- and Derringer-award winning writer

Two Tamales, One Tokarev, and a Lifetime of Broken Promises

Robert Sheckley

Malcolm Jameson

Don Webb

Edmond Hamilton

Henry Slesar

Mel Gilden

James Holding

Jayme Lynn Blaschke

Hal Charles

 Wil A. Emerson

John Bernard Daley

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #32. This issue, we have more original stories than ever before. Editors Michael Bracken and Cynthia Ward have brought in new tales by Wil A. Emerson and the writing team of Jayme Lynn Blaschke and Don Webb, and I snagged magazine rights to Mel Gilden’s new novel, The Case by Case Casebook of Emily Silverwood. Mel’s story is a new and thoroughly modern take on the Mary Poppins theme. Wil Emerson has a study on the dynamics of detective partners. And Blachke and Webb’s story (as Cindy Ward put it) “reveals the connections between Nietszche’s abyss, Lovecraft’s god-monsters and non-Euclidean spaces, and Cordwainer Smith’s monsters of subspace.” Wow! Not to be outdone, Barb Goffman acquired Stacy Woodson’s first story, which won the Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Reader’s Award. And, of course, we have a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles, a historical adventure novel from Edison Marshall, and a slew of great science fiction stories from such masters as Henry Slesar, and Edmond Hamilson. And a World War II fantasy from Malcolm Edwards. Here’s the lineup: Non-Fiction: “Speaking with Robert Sheckley,” conducted by Darrell Schweitzer [interview] Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Insieme,” by Wil A. Emerson [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “An Eggcellent Equation,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “Paper Caper,” by James Holding [short story] “Duty, Honor, Hammett,” by Stacy Woodson [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Infinite Woman, by Edison Marshall [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: It Gazes Back,” by Jayme Lynn Blaschke and Don Webb [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] The Case by Case Casebook of Emily Silverwood, by Mel Gilden [serialized novel] “Vengeance in Her Bones,” by Malcolm Jameson [short story] “The Man Who Liked Lions,” by John Bernard Daley [short story] “A Message from Our Sponsor,” by Henry Slesar [short story] Crashing Suns, by Edmond Hamilton [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #32

Dave Zeltserman

David H. Hendrickson

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 13: Two More Tacos, a Beretta .32, and a Pink Butterfly by Dave Zeltserman Episode 14: Two Tamales, One Tokarev, and a Lifetime of Broken Promises by Stacy Woodson Episode 15: Chimichangas and a Couple of Glocks by David H. Hendrickson Episodes 16-18 are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 6.

Guns + Tacos Vol. 5

Carol Anne Davis

Art Taylor

Brendan DuBois

Amber Sparks

Sherry Harris

Alison McMahan

Donna Andrews

Matthew Iden

Barb Goffman

David Dean

Elaine Viets

Tara Laskowski

Greg Herren

Abby Bardi

Christine Poulson

Edith Maxwell

Ricki Thomas

Marilyn Todd

Mindy Quigley

Kathryn O'Sullivan

Emily Hockaday

Adam Meyer

Alan S. Orloff

Jackie Sherbow

1/3 of the author royalties will be donated to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation in Joni Mitchell's name. **WINNER** 2021 Derringer Award for Best Short Story: Stacy Woodson for "River" **NOMINATED** 2021 Anthony Award for Best Anthology **NOMINATED** 2021 International Thriller Awards for Best Short Story: Elaine Viets for "Dog Eat Dog" **NOMINATED** 2021 Macavity Award for Best Short Story: Elaine Viets for "Dog Eat Dog" With nine Grammys, multiple lifetime achievement awards, inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a Top Ten ranking on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,” Joni Mitchell has established herself as one of the most important singer/songwriters, not only of her generation, but in the history of popular music. In this collection, 28 crime writers pay tribute to Joni’s musical legacy with short stories inspired by her lyrics, representing each of her seventeen studio albums from 1968’s Song to a Seagull to 2007’s Shine. Many of the classics are represented here, including “Both Sides, Now” (in the first literary collaboration between Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski, who have each won major awards for their fiction), “Big Yellow Taxi” (by Kathryn O’Sullivan, author of the Colleen McCabe series), and “River” (by Stacy Woodson, winner of the 2019 Readers Choice Award from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine), plus such equally fascinating titles as “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (by Donna Andrews, author of the award-winning Meg Lanslow series), “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines” (by Amber Sparks), and “Ray’s Dad’s Cadillac” (by Michael Bracken).

Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell

The Beat of Black Wings

Stacy Woodson

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