Louis Willis returns with some thoughts on another name frequently dropped here at the CB offices, Jorge Luis Borges. THE VERSATILITY OF THE MYSTERY SHORT STORY by Louis Willis “I have taken it to a symbolic level, which I am not sure is appropriate.” —Jorge Luis Borges, “The Detective Story” After reading Robert’s article about […]

THE CALIFORNIA CRIME WRITERS CONFERENCE: SELLING SHORTS by Melodie Johnson Howe and James Lincoln Warren The weekend of June 13-14, 2009, Sisters in Crime Los Angeles Chapter and the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America teamed up to present the California Crime Writers Conference in Pasadena, CA. The conference consisted of two days […]

SCHOOL’s OUT NEWS by Leigh Lundin Little newsy items are like little snacks between the big headline issues. Sometimes they provide ideas for stories… and sometimes they provide stories for articles. Like much of the rest of the nation from Florida to Maine, kids have been graduating high school. Florida has its embarrassments and bad speeches. […]

ELMORE AND MORE by John M. Floyd Several weeks ago one of my mystery-writer friends told me a new Elmore Leonard novel had been released. What was really welcome news, though, was that Dutch was planning a trip to Lemuria Bookstore here in Jackson to sign that novel. (He’s been here several times before — […]

FEELIN’ WORDY by Steve Steinbock

Personal note: I missed you guys! Many thanks to the wonderful writers who filled in the Thursday time slot while I was away: alisa dollar, Travis Erwin, Sunny Frazier, Lissa Merriman and James Lincoln Warren – I love you all for sharing your talents so generously. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE by Deborah Elliott-Upton If […]

LISTENING TO THE SHANTY DRUMMER by Rob Lopresti Back in 1983 I was taking evening courses at the Newark campus of Rutgers the State University of New Jersey (and yes, that was the school’s official name … imagine singing the football fight song). So two nights a week I would drive through bombed-out-looking neighborhoods in […]