FOUR NOSES FOR CRIME by Rob Lopresti I just finished a terrific book of short stories by James Powell. A Pocketful of Noses is published by Crippen and Landru which, amazingly enough, specializes in collections of mystery stories. (May their coffers overflow.) If you haven’t encountered Mr. Powell, I should warn you that he isn’t […]

It is never too early for young readers to learn that crime does not pay. I therefore present this classic caper of a heinous felony and its devastating aftermath. Think of it as “The Getaway” for kids. —JLW THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, […]

ADVENTURELAND by James Lincoln Warren You are not having a sudden attack of déjà vu. You really have been here before. Titles, as most everyone is aware, can’t be copyrighted. Deborah has already used the title of this piece for one of her columns, but since it also perfectly suits my (completely different) topic today, […]

NEWS at 11 by Leigh Lundin I bookmark interesting news items that may (or not) relate to writing, words, crime, or nothing at all, but simply catch my fancy. Over time, some are no longer topical and fall off my list and others work their way into longer articles. Some find their way into potluck […]

CLASS NOTES by John M. Floyd This summer I attended a high school class reunion. Not the 25th or 50th or anything quite so normal — this was our 44th. (That makes me 61, and the only good thing about that is that I can start Social Security on my next birthday.) We had a […]

MEME A LITTLE MEME OF ME by Steve Steinbock What is it with teen supernatural romance novels? Continuing on last week’s Meme theme, I want to put the question out there as to what forces are behind current literary trends. I’d like to blame it all on the big publishing houses and their marketing departments, […]

SHORT CRIMES by Deborah Elliott-Upton There may not be a free lunch, but it appears that a web site, SHORT STORIES AT EAST OF THE WEB, is offering short crime stories for nada. Okay, so there are a few ads hoping to catch your attention, but like everything else in today’s world, it is merely […]