BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE by John M. Floyd As some of you know, my working years (I don’t consider writing to be work) were spent in the Air Force and with IBM Corporation. Not the most logical background for a suspense writer, I know, but analogies can be found if you take the time to look […]

CURRENTLY READING … by Steve Steinbock I refuse to let Facebook take over my life. Sure, I enjoy the social networking website. I’ve reconnected with old friends and old friends have reconnected with me. I’ve been able to keep up with the latest on current friends and have made a lot of new friends. But […]

A LIFE’S STORY by Deborah Elliott-Upton A friend of mine is writing her memoirs, not for publishing consideration, but strictly for her family. I think it’s a great idea. There are people who will do that for you if you don’t feel up to the job and I can provide references for one who does […]

WOULD YOU RATHER BE FRAMED OR FLASHED? by Rob Lopresti Those who read my column last week (both of you) may have noticed that, unlike several of my neighbors here at Criminal Brief City, I didn’t write about how to begin a story. Two reasons for that: I write these things slowly, and I turn […]

OSCAR IN LOVE by Melodie Johnson Howe I have a love-hate relationship with the Oscars. Having been an actress I can understand wanting the acceptance of your peers and being a part of a magic bubble like community that sees the world the way you do. But as a viewer and writer (a writer can […]

COMMENCEMENT EXERCISE — CONCLUSION by James Lincoln Warren Last week, I challenged the Gentle Reader to manipulate a piece of short fiction, “Simon’s Secret”, in such a way as to open the story according to a number of listed techniques. Alas, not one reader responded, so in today’s concluding article, I’m afraid all of the […]

And YOU THINK AMAZON is only about BOOKS by Leigh Lundin Business classes teach about horizontal and vertical integration. Say you’re a bookstore, and you expand by carrying music and movies by buying a competitor. That’s lateral expansion, otherwise called horizontal integration. If you bought a book printing company, as Amazon did with its controversial […]