THE CODE OF THE WARRENS by James Lincoln Warren Since my installation a week ago last Saturday as Master of my Masonic lodge (I’m the fat gray-haired beamish eminence seated in the center), I have found myself more occupied than a ping-pong player in a contest with the goddess Kali of the eight arms. Luckily, […]

PARAPROSDOKIA by Leigh Lundin I credit my friend Sharon with rescuing today’s column. While I edited another friend’s novella, I was debating a couple of dour topics when an eMail popped up with a circulated list of ‘paraprosdokians’. What? paraprosdokian A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is […]

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER by John M. Floyd A few months ago I did a column about the James Bond phenomenon, and mostly about Bond movies. I’m not sure how pertinent it was to our crime/suspense short-story theme (although a few of the films were loosely adapted from Fleming’s short stories), but I am sure […]

AMERICAN RE-HASH by Steven Steinbock My son Sam and I were watching something on the Syfy Channel when, a commercial came on: She’s a ghost. “Not all vampires are bad.” You’re a werewolf. “We’ll have full-moon parties and invite the neighbors over to eat.” Being Human. A new original series. Premieres Monday, January 17 at […]

MOTIVES by Deborah Elliott-Upton For a mystery writer, one of the basic elements of the story is why the crime takes place at all. What drives someone to do some dastardly deed that may lead at best to a stint in a jail cell? What is worth taking someone’s life, cash, or car? Why does […]

BOOK DROP by Rob Lopresti So, a while back my family went to a music camp. Picture almost two hundred people spending a long cold winter weekend in a kid’s summer camp, playing old time music, dancing, and trying to stay warm. The main building is a long hall with twenty dining tables at one […]

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD by Melodie Johnson Howe I am often asked if being an actress has informed my writing, especially with the Diana Poole series. The answer is yes, but not in the way one may think. Here is an example. A PR man for Universal Studios (I have long forgotten his name so I’ll […]