AND THE WINNER IS . . . by John M. Floyd Like most (if not all) of you, I’ve been reading short stories for many years, and like most (if not all) of you, I especially enjoy mysteries. Also, as a writer of that kind of fiction, I like shopping for markets that might be […]

OPEN UP — IT’S THE GRAMMAR POLICE by John M. Floyd A couple of years ago I saw an interesting list in a writing magazine. I can’t recall which magazine it was or who wrote the piece, but since I remember most of the items in the list I don’t think I dreamed it — […]

RUNNING THE MIDDLES by John M. Floyd The title for this piece is both a sports term and an agricultural term — they mean two entirely different things — but I’d like to apply it today to a third area that I know at least a little more about than either football or farming. Much […]

DADDY, WHERE DO STORIES COME FROM? by John M. Floyd Do you ever read a story or novel and wonder how the author came up with it? What in the world did he or she hear, or see, or read, or dream, that triggered the idea or ideas that led to the finished product? Okay, […]

PLAYING AT WORK by John M. Floyd Over the past month or so, Deborah’s written two interesting columns about reading (and writing) for the sheer fun of it. And that got me to thinking. Occasionally I read fiction so good that the reading itself is effortless — I float along with no awareness of the […]

PARTNERS IN CRIME by John M. Floyd It’s Saturday at Criminal Brief Corporate Headquarters, and unlike some organizations, we’re here and hard at work. Or at least here — I’m not sure about the other part. After a discussion about the size of certain companies, I once asked Velma how many people work in our […]

THE CHEERING SECTION by John M. Floyd I was informed the other day that I’ll be attending a wedding in Atlanta next month. I don’t particularly enjoy weddings, but in the interests of my own marital harmony I suppose I’ll go along to this one and act as if I’m having a good time. More […]