Art Taylor's Blog, page 15
March 13, 2023
The First Two Pages: “Locked-In” by William Burton McCormick
In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
William Burton McCormick appeared here at the First Two Pages a few years ago, writing about his story “The Dunes of Saulkrasti” from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. You can find that essay here, but at the time I called Bill one of my own favorite short story writers and I praised the first two pages of “The Dunes of Saulkrasti” as “among the most gripping I’ve hosted so far, most strategically plotted too!” As I welcome him back today, some of those words would surely remain the same. Not only is Bill still one of my favorite writers, but the first two pages of the story he’s discussing today, “Locked-In,” are equally gripping and strategic (as you’ll read below in his essay). And some of my introduction would stay the same too: his super-prolific output, his appearances in a wide variety of magazines and anthologies. But a few things have changed as well. For example, the story he’s discussing today was published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine instead of Ellery Queen’s, and he sent me a link to his Instagram page in addition to his website, Facebook, and Twitter page, and um… oh, yeah, BILL IS NOW AN EDGAR FINALIST FOR BEST SHORT STORY!
Seriously, when this year’s list of Edgar Award finalists came out, I was thrilled to see Bill’s name on the slate—an honor his short stories have long deserved. And I’m pleased to be welcoming some of the other finalists ahead in the next few weeks, sharing reflections on the first two pages of their own nominated stories. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, enjoy William Burton McCormick’s thoughtful and comprehensive essay on “Locked-In” below. And congratulations again!
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
McCormick-Locked-InMarch 6, 2023
The First Two Pages: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
Back in October, Tor Books emailed with a pitch about Malka Older’s then-forthcoming book, The Mimicking of Known Successes. The subject line was an eye-catcher—”A sapphic, Sherlockian space mystery!”—but I was equally pulled in by the book being tagged as a novella and by the the mention in Older’s bio that she “teaches in the genre fiction MFA at Western Colorado University.” Last year, my new year’s resolution focused on novellas—read a new one each month—and in early November, I was also pulling together the reading list for my spring course in “Crossing Genres,” so the email drew my attention on several levels. I requested an advance read of the book, admired and enjoyed it start to finish, and now…
And now it’s pub week for The Mimicking of Known Successes—launch day, in fact! And one thing leading to another, I’m pleased not only to have the book on the syllabus for “Crossing Genres” (part of a book-ending with the Sherlock Holmes we read at beginning of the semester) but also to be hosting Malka Older at the First Two Pages, with a glimpse at some of the decisions she made in the prologue for the book—and the decision to have a prologue at all.
An aid worker and sociologist in addition to her writing, Malka Older is also the author of the science-fiction political thriller Infomocracy—named one of the best books of 2016 by Kirkus, Book Riot, and the Washington Post—and the short story collection And Other Disasters, among other writings. She’s now a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, where she teaches on humanitarian aid and predictive fictions, and hosts the Science Fiction Sparkle Salon. Find out more about her writing here.
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
Older-The-Mimicking-of-Known-SuccessesMarch 5, 2023
Saturday, March 11 • Suffolk Mystery Author Festival
One of my personal favorite mystery author festivals is back in person this year—and I’m so excited to be part of the program again!
The Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival will take place on Saturday, March 11, in Suffolk, VA—this year at the Suffolk Conference Center, 100 East Constance Road.
The full schedule is pasted below—with a terrific line-up of authors, as you’ll see. I’m feeling privileged to be interviewing this year’s headliner, Hank Phillippi Ryan, at 1 p.m. and then participating on a short story panel at 4 p.m. alongside Shawn Reilly Simmons (our fearless moderator!), Teresa Inge, Dana King, Nan O’Berry, and Josh Pachter.
See below for more information—and hope to see you in Suffolk!
11:30am-12:45pm
VIP Reception (PRIVATE)
Advance Tickets Required; Limited Space
$30 per person (tickets are now completely sold out!)
Includes Private Meet & Greet with Featured Authors, refreshments, souvenir ticket, and a festival swag bag full of goodies/books!
1:00pm
Festival Opens to the General Public
1:00-1:50pm
Opening Session:
Headliner Hank Phillippi Ryan interviewed by Art Taylor
2:00-6:00pm
Featured Author Signings
Meet the authors and have your books signed! A limited number of books by each author will be available for purchase. Attendees are welcome to bring their own copies of books for signing.
2:00-2:55pm
Making History: Writing Historical Period Mysteries
Let’s talk about carefully and precisely curating a guided mission to the past—how all the details truly matter and the challenges and joys of reveling in yesterday’s mysteries.
MODERATOR: Ellen Butler featuring: Bradley Harper | Allie Marie | Stacie Murphy | Katharine Schellman | Christine Trent
Taking Care of Business: Plucky Heroes Navigating Everyday Life
OMG! They’re just like us! Except they somehow navigate work, love, and drama…and uncover the truth behind scandals and crime.
MODERATOR: Grace Topping featuring: Gabby Allan | Karen McCullough | R. A. Muth | Amy M. Reade | Rosalie Spielman
3:00-3:55pm
Savory Sleuths: Food and Mysteries
These authors have perfected their palates, each savoring the dynamic ingredients of a good mystery. Learn how the best meals are served with a side of murder (and more).
MODERATOR: Mindy Quigley featuring: Catherine Bruns | Lynn Cahoon | Maya Corrigan | Nancy Naigle
Ripped From The Headlines: Crafting Contemporary Crime Fiction
They say art imitates life and in this case, “they” are absolutely right! With the corruption and crime running amok throughout the world, it’s easy to feel “criminally inspired!”
MODERATOR: Betsy Ashton featuring: E. A. Aymar | Austin Camacho | John Gilstrap | Jeffrey James Higgins | Thomas Kies | Tara Laskowski
4:00-4:55pm
Make It Snappy: Creating Inventive Short Fiction
“Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Look, we all know about the effect of time poverty, but a lack of time does not mean a lack of creativity, entertainment, and inspiration. Learn how these authors concisely construct quality short fiction.
MODERATOR: Shawn Reilly Simmons featuring: Teresa Inge | Dana King | Nan O’Berry | Josh Pachter | Art Taylor
Off The Beaten Path: Mysteries in Unique Settings
Further proof that a good mystery can happen anywhere! Whether the setting is in this world, a different realm, or a place we’ve never traveled, these mysteries lure us in with their clever settings.
MODERATOR: Julie Moffett featuring: Paul Awad | Rebecca Hemlock | Jackie Layton | Kathryn O’Sullivan | Hunter J. Skye
5:00-5:55pm
Book ‘Em: Literary-Lovin’ Gumshoes
Don’t quit your day job! Or do? Let’s chat about those characters who manage to balance their “real” jobs all the while sleuthing their ways to solving mysteries.
MODERATOR: Marni Graff featuring: Victoria Gilbert | Edwin Hill | Tim Holland | Con Lehane
Women To Watch: Writing Strong Female Protagonists
We’re leading the next generation of writers and readers to a place where women are more than victims, more than a distracting plot device—they are the story. Completely.
MODERATOR: John DeDakis featuring: Obelia Akanke | Thomas A. Burns | Diane Fanning | K. L. Murphy | LynDee Walker
6:00pm
Festival Closes to the General Public
March 1, 2023
SINC-UP: Small Steps Count!
Such fun to be part of a second SINC-UP tip with Sisters in Crime—this time focused on process and motivation instead of craft. Hope folks enjoy, and thanks to Nicolette Lemmon for hosting me!
February 28, 2023
The First Two Pages: “The Adventure of the Castle Thief” by Art Taylor
In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
I’m taking host’s prerogative today to write a First Two Pages essay on my own most-recent story—the title novella of my new collection The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions. In the essay below, I compare the first two pages of the original draft (from 2017? seriously?) with the final revision—hopefully an improvement along the way. (I’m a tinkerer, as I admit.) The new collection is available now from Crippen & Landru and through Bookshop, Indiebound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble—or please do support your own favorite indie bookstore! You can also buy signed copies of the book through Scrawl Books in Reston, Virginia.
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
Castle-Thief-First-Two-PagesFebruary 27, 2023
Book Fight!
Thanks to Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister for hosting me on this week’s episode of Book Fight! You can find the episode here or wherever you do your podcast listening. (I like Spotify.)
The story I chose for our discussion is Joyce Carol Oates’ “How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction and Began My Life Over Again”—which also has a subtitle, but you know, isn’t it long enough already?
Seriously, this story has had a big impact on me as a writer, and in the episode, I begin trying to explain why. Additionally, we talk about my own new story collection, The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions (is that subtitle really necessary?), about teaching at George Mason University, about short stories, about genre fiction, about… well, give it a listen and see where things go.
February 21, 2023
The Wickeds and Jungle Red Writers
Thanks to Sherry Harris at The Wickeds and Hank Phillippi Ryan at Jungle Red Writers for hosting me at their respective blogs in celebration of my new collection, The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions.
At The Wickeds, I talked a bit about castles—and two trips the inspired the title novella of the new collection.
And at Jungle Reds, I shared some of the decision-making process behind the dedication for the book—and explained why the one I ended up with seemed perfect in so many ways.
More blog posts ahead elsewhere—stay tuned!
The First Two Pages: “A Manual for Success” by Sandra Benson
In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
It’s always a joy to celebrate a writer’s first publication—and today, we’re celebrating Sandra Benson, whose first story in print, “A Manual for Success,” appears in Hook, Line, and Sinker: The Seventh Guppy Anthology, the recently published seventh anthology from the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Edited by Emily P.W. Murphy, Hook, Line, and Sinker focuses on “grifters, con artists, and their marks” and features stories by N. Buchholz, Lida Bushloper, Susan Daly, Steve Shrott, Kait Carson, Judith Carlough, Sandra Benson, Sally Milliken, Wrona Gall, M. R. Dimond, Mary Dutta, Kim Keeline, Shannon Taft, Merrilee Robson, Lisa Anne Rothstein, KM Rockwood, Frances Stratford, Jane Limprecht, Vinnie Hansen, Ann Michelle Harris, A. W. Powers, Kate Fellowes, and M. A. Monnin.
We’ve already hosted Vinnie Hansen and Kate Fellowes at the First Two Pages in recent weeks—with, respectively, their stories “Perfect Partner” and “The Buddy System.” Sandra’s essay on her story rounds out this series devoted to the new collection.
Sandra Benson has come full circle a bit with her education and career. After earning a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria, she with a law degree from the University of British Columbia and a “detour” (her word) to Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. After practicing law, she’s coming back around to her first choice and first love—and hopefully building on the momentum of this story publication to finish her first novel as well, Last Chef Standing. You can find out more about Sandra at her website.
Do check out the Wolf’s Echo Press website for links to buy Hook, Line, and Sinker in both ebook and paperback.
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
Benson-ManualFebruary 14, 2023
The First Two Pages: “The Buddy System” by Kate Fellowes
In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
Kate Fellowes steps up with week with a First Two Pages essay on her story “The Buddy System” from Hook, Line, and Sinker: The Seventh Guppy Anthology, the latest collection from the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Edited by Emily P.W. Murphy and published by Wolf’s Echo Press, Hook, Line, and Sinker focuses on “grifters, con artists, and their marks” with stories by (in order of appearance) C. N. Buchholz, Lida Bushloper, Susan Daly, Steve Shrott, Kait Carson, Judith Carlough, Sandra Benson, Sally Milliken, Wrona Gall, M. R. Dimond, Mary Dutta, Kim Keeline, Shannon Taft, Merrilee Robson, Lisa Anne Rothstein, KM Rockwood, Frances Stratford, Jane Limprecht, Vinnie Hansen, Ann Michelle Harris, A. W. Powers, Kate Fellowes, and M. A. Monnin.
Kate Fellowes is the author of six novels, including A Menacing Brew, and she’s had short stories and essays in a variety of anthologies and periodicals including Victoria, Woman’s World, Brides, and Romantic Homes. Proof positive of her skillful economy and efficiency: She won the San Diego Public Library’s Matchbook Short Story contest by crafting a mystery just fifty words long. Kate is also a founding member of the Wisconsin Chapter of Sisters in Crime. You can find more about her at https://katefellowes.wordpress.com.
In addition to enjoying the preview below of Kate’s story “The Buddy System,” don’t miss Vinnie Hansen’s essay last week on “Perfect Partner,” and do check out the Wolf’s Echo Press website for links to buy Hook, Line, and Sinker in both ebook and paperback.
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
Fellowes-First-Two-PagesFebruary 12, 2023
Pub Week! The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions
This week, my second story collection—The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions—will officially be out in the world. The collection features two previously unpublished stories: the title novella about mystery and mischief during a study abroad trip to Ireland and “Everyone Talks About the Weather,” which traces the escalating conflict between two meteorologists who disagree about their forecasts, with implications for their community and (perhaps?) the wider world.
The book is available direct from my publisher, Crippen & Landru, and also through Bookshop and IndieBound (support your local independent bookstores!) and Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you’d like an autographed copy, Scrawl Books in Reston, Virginia will have some available soon; order here. (For whatever reason, many of the descriptions have this tagged as “large print”—rest assured it’s not.)
Thanks to Steve Weddle for hosting me with a blog post at Do Some Damage—and stay tuned for more blog posts later this week at The Wickeds and Jungle Red Writers.
Here’s the official description of the book, along with some advance praise—very grateful for the kind words from such distinguished authors!
A man hears a melody in the night and begins a dangerous quest to locate its source. Ghosts of the past haunt the present in hotels, at an office party, and on a date that takes a dark turn. And an elderly woman named Marple sets out to prove she’s every bit as capable as Christie’s own famous sleuth. This second short story collection from Edgar Award winner Art Taylor spans the spectrum of crime fiction—from light-hearted traditional mystery to noir-tinged tales and even toward speculative fiction—and features two previously unpublished stories and an introduction by Martin Edwards.
ADVANCE PRAISE
“Art Taylor is our present-day Edgar Allan Poe. His carefully crafted tales dig into the darkness of human desires and loneliness. This short story collection is beautifully arranged, first lulling us into delight and then surging into a madness only seen behind closed bedroom doors. A definite must-read ” Naomi Hirahara, a Mary Higgins Clark Award winner of Clark and Division
“Only the very best succeed in making a career from short stories. Art Taylor stands out for his wit, fine writing and beautifully observed snapshots of modern life.” Peter Lovesey, author of the Peter Diamond series and winner of the Gold, Silver, and Cartier Diamond Daggers from the British Crime Writers’ Association
“You can count on two things with Art Taylor’s stories-not only will they be very, very good, they’ll also surprise you. I love the way he plays with the short story form, sometimes in diabolical ways, but never at the expense of giving the reader a damned good read.” Donna Andrews, NYT-bestselling author of Round Up the Usual Peacocks and Dashing Through the Snowbirds