Author Archives: somethingisgoingtohappen

In Praise of Short Stories: Why Should a Prospective Novelist Start by Writing Short Stories? (by John F. Dobbyn)

Posted on July 3, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Last week author Twist Phelan talked about some of the different challenges involved in writing short stories and novels.  This week, author John F. Dobbyn argues that even writers interested primarily in becoming novelists should begin by writing short stories. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, Magazine, Novels, Publishing, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

INDEPENDENCE DAY DIGITAL-EDITION SALE

Posted on June 28, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Still looking for the perfect vacation reading? From July 1 through July 7, you can enjoy 50% off on digital subscriptions to both EQMM and AHMM. Available only through Zinio with the code SAVE50.

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“Writing Novels Versus Stories: It’s Not About the Word Count (well, just a little)” (by Twist Phelan)

Posted on June 26, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Twist Phelan is a former plaintiff’s attorney whose novels, but not her short stories, often make use of her legal background. Perhaps that’s because, as you’ll see in this post, her approach to short stories is very different from her … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Books, Editing, Fiction, Guest, Novels, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Posted on June 19, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

At the Malice Domestice Convention this year, I met Wildside Press publisher John Betancourt in the book room and received from him a gift of his 1993 anthology Swashbuckling Editor Stories. In John’s introduction, after noting that editors are “underpaid, … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthologies, Books, Business, Editing, Fiction, Publishing, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Free Advice from James Lincoln Warren

Posted on June 12, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

On this site posts seldom involve explicit advice to writers, but James Lincoln Warren wrote an engaging piece for Criminal Brief, a blog site he founded, several years ago that we thought readers as well as writers would enjoy. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Editing, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“The Storied South” (by Brenda Witchger, aka Brynn Bonner)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Brenda Witchger debuted in EQMM’s Department of First Stories in 1998 (under the pseudonym Brynn Bonner) with the story “Clarity,” a tale that went on to win that year’s Robert L. Fish Award for best short story by a new … Continue reading →

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“The Wonderful, Terrible, Mysterious West” (by Susan Salzer)

Posted on May 29, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

When Susan Salzer’s March/April 2012 story “The Saint of Pox Island” was named a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award this spring, we did a search of EQMM’s 72-year-long awards list (which you can find here, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Awards, Characters, Conventions, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Historicals, Noir, Western | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND DIGITAL-EDITION SALE

Posted on May 24, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Are you starting to put together your summer-reading list? If you have an e-reader, you’ll find it easy to download and enjoy EQMM while traveling. And to gear up, Magzter is running a Memorial Day Weekend sale for our title. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ellery Queen, Fiction, Magazine | 1 Comment

“Writing to the Edge” (by Sandi Ault)

Posted on May 22, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Adventure is a mystery-crossover category that we haven’t discussed much yet on this blog, but we’re correcting that today. Sandi Ault’s series of novels featuring Jamaica Wild, a Bureau of Land Management agent, are chock full of adventure, as EQMM … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Characters, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

“Collecting Detective Fiction” (by Martin Edwards)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

The Ellery Queen Collection of Mystery and Detective Fiction, housed at the University of Texas’s Harry Ransom Center, derives from the personal libraries of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee (though primarily from the rare-book collection of the former). It … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthologies, Books, Bookshops, Fiction, Guest, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments