HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

by Steve Steinbock

Two years! Wow, had it not been for Rob’s celebratory, tag-clouded column on Wednesday, the second birthday of Criminal Brief would have gone right by. Happy Anniversary, everyone.

And thanks to all who congratulated me on my first fiction sale. I’ll keep everyone updated as I learn more about the publication date.

Number One Son turned sixteen yesterday. He wanted a Lindy’s Cheesecake as a birthday cake, but New York is too far. But sixteen; you know what that means. “Dad, can I have the keys?”

Queen in China

About a year ago I was contacted by someone in China named Fei Wu regarding a biographical piece I did for EQMM about Manny Lee, the second half of the “Ellery Queen” writing team. They were doing a book of stories and articles celebrating the centenary of Queen (both cousins were born in 1905, but maybe the Chinese calendar counts years differently) and wanted to use my piece.

A few weeks back a package arrived direct from Shanghai containing a finished copy of the book. I may be the last member of Criminal Brief to see my fiction appear in print, but how many others can say that their work has appeared in translation?

Periodic Tables

Last week I told you about my sneak peek at the July/August issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. I like the idea of celebrating Hitchcock (AHMM) and Queen (EQMM) and The Strand and anyone else who publishes short crime fiction. If there was ever a venue suited for such celebrating, then by gum, Criminal Brief is it. Since I’m already in the mood for celebrating, let’s get the party started.

Last month’s issue of AHMM (that would be the June issue – like the Chinese, magazine publishers count time differently; it has something to do with shelf-life, but that’s another story) opens with a “Jack the Tripper,” a clever tale of criminal Cleveland set in 1938 written by frequent Criminal Brief visitor (and guest columnist) Dick Stodghill. Dick writes in a delightful style that reminds me of Damon Runyon but without the New York patois. The issue also contains stories by Doug Allyn, the late George Chesbro, as well as B.K. Stevens and Kane K. Cleland. The issue ends with a “Mystery Classic” by Fredric Brown (introduced by Toni Kelner). Brown is a long-time favorite of mine, and his story along with Stodghill’s provide perfect twin bookends to the issue.

The July issue of EQMM is adorned with a cover painting by sci-fi artist William George featuring a sexy dame holding an exotic dart gun. The opening story is a “Preminger’s Gold,” a Hollywood story by Loren Estleman featuring Valentino the “film detective.” Also following the theme of Tinsel Town is the story “Hollywood Ending,” by our own Melodie Johnson Howe, in which actress Diana Poole is being haunted by a daughter she didn’t know she had. Editor Janet Hutchings packs a lot of story into her magazine, and other tales of note include Simon Brett’s “The Man Who Didn’t Play Golf” and Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s “What the Monster Saw.” Also noteworthy is “My Husband’s Wife,” a rather lucid tale of lust and insanity by Charles Ardai. Charles, for those who don’t know him, aside from being a really nice guy and one of the coolest geeks on the planet, was once a sort of teen-age intern at EQMM while he was still in high school. In 1996 he founded the Internet company Juno, and then, after selling it for oodles, he joined Max Phillips to establish Hard Case Crime.

In other magazine news, page four of the Spring 2009 issue of Mystery Scene is emblazoned with a photo of Bill Crider, novelist, short-story writer, blogger-extraordinaire, blog-reviewers for EQMM, and now short story reviewer at Mystery Scene. At the beginning of his column, Bill asks the question: “When you’re holding a new anthology, collection, or magazine, how do you decide which story to read first?” For Bill, any story involving alligators or crocodiles goes to the front of the line. (Bill has a “gator” fetish that out-does my Lewis Carroll thing by miles).

What do you do when you get a new short story magazine or anthology? Do you start with the first and read to the last? Do you pick and choose? Do you stick with stories about alligators? Share your secrets here.