WHERE’D YOU GET A NAME LIKE THAT? by John M. Floyd During all our recent discussions of characters and character-driven stories, I got to thinking about something. And the more I thought about it, I realized the following is true: Some of the most memorable pieces of fiction contain the most memorable character names. This […]

RUMPOLE’S LAST CASE We lost one of our best crime fiction short story writers today, Sir John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey. Here is a link to his obituary in the New York Times.

TOUGH PARENTING by Steve Steinbock This past Wednesday morning it was 17 degrees Fahrenheit as fifteen year old Nate was finishing his breakfast. He was dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans. “Dad, are you giving me a ride to school today?” he asked. I said, “Are you wearing a coat today?” (It’s a longstanding Jewish […]

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY by Deborah Elliott-Upton “But only a fool would write short stories solely for money. There has to be something more to it than that. In my case I am blessed (or cursed) with the ability to think up plots faster and more easily than I can fully develop them and set them […]

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION by Rob Lopresti Not long ago James put up an assortment of opening lines from his short stories. In November John did the same. Since all the cool kids seem to be doing it I am going to give in to peer pressure and provide some of mine. In a few […]

WHERE’S MY BOOKSTORE, DUDE? by Melodie Johnson Howe I love reading the Sheriff’s Blotter in our local village paper. Recently I came across this bit of news: Friday, December 27, 2:30p.m. – Deputy Bordon, Deputy Neel, and Sergeant Moore were dispatched to a residence on Ladera Lane to investigate a report of a burglary. The […]

ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS by James Lincoln Warren Today’s title is taken from the Aphorisms of Hippocrates, the 4th century B.C. physician known as the “father of medicine.” The Aphorisms were written in Greek, but this one is best known in its Latin incarnation, so it’s the Latin I’ve opted for here. In English, it […]