STRIKE UP THE BAND by John M. Floyd I’ve always loved music. My mother says when I was a little squirt I used to go around humming or singing or whistling all the time, and even now — unless I’m writing, at which time I like it quiet — I usually have some kind of […]

TWO-FACED by Steve Steinbock One of the earliest aphorisms I ever remember learning as a small child is “Look Both Ways Before Crossing.” Is that an aphorism? Perhaps it’s more of a dictum. But I like the word aphorism better. “Look Both Ways” can be applied to all sorts of experiences, not just crossing streets. […]

LET IT SNOW by Deborah Elliott-Upton Practically anyone who knows me knows I am a perennial lover of springtime weather. I don’t just dislike snow days, I loathe them. We’re in the midst of a Winter Wonderland weather where I live. Only forget the wonderland part. Outside is picture postcard perfect for a White Christmas […]

PLOTTING OUT LOUD by Rob Lopresti I have a predicament which is unusual, for me. As I’ve said before (and after two and a half years of blogging I suspect I have said everything before) I generally find characters easy and plots hard. I sometimes think my head is a little waiting room full of […]

One of the most common plot devices used in crime fiction is the idea of being falsely accused. A current trend in detective fiction is to concentrate on the effects of a crime rather than on how it is solved. These two ideas are united in this short story by one of the greatest writers […]

FEBRUARY FILL DIKE1 by James Lincoln Warren One of things I enjoy most when writing a story is coming up with names for my characters, and occasionally even names for my locales—there is no place I’m aware of in Devonshire called Warcoombe, for example, the site of one of my stories, but I loved the […]