Art Taylor's Blog, page 2

The First Two Pages: “Better Together” by Delia Pitts

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.

Today—August 19—is publication day for Double Crossing Van Dine, a new anthology from Crippen & Landru, in which contributors break the rules of crime fiction as laid down by mystery writer S.S. Van Dine, creator of the detective Philo Vance. The new collection is a follow-up to the Anthony Award-nominated anthology School of Hard Knox, which gave a similar treatment to Monsignor Ronald Knox’s Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction—and I’m pleased to have helped organize both collections alongside Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Crippen & Landru publisher Jeffrey Marks.

Double Crossing Van Dine features stories by a terrific group of writers. In addition to stories by each editor (including my own, “Dalliances”), we’re welcoming short fiction by J.C. Bernthal, John Floyd, Michael Thomas Ford, Barb Goffman, Elly Griffiths, Cheryl Head, Vaseem Khan, Edith Maxwell, Tom Mead, Richie Narvaez, Erica Ruth Neubauer, Alan Orloff, Gigi Pandian, Leigh Perry, Delia Pitts, Marcia Talley, and Elaine Viets.

Delia Pitts joins us today to talk about the opening of her story, “Better Together”—which breaks Rule #9 of Van Dine’s list: “There must be but one detective…” You can find the full list of rules here.

Delia may be best known as a novelist—author of the Ross Agency Mysteries, set in Harlem, and most recently of the noir mystery Death of an Ex, book two of the Vandy Myrick mystery series. But she’s also a distinguished short story writer, including having one of her stories, “The Killer,” selected for Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021. You can find out more about Delia and her work at her website, deliapitts.com.

With the new book, Crippen & Landru is running a special between now and Bouchercon—clipping this information from the latest newsletter:

While I didn’t list them, we have a number of other authors included in this book, Double Crossing Van Dine, who have collections with Crippen & Landru. We’re so lucky to have them. Since we’re celebrating our authors, the collections by these authors will be available at half-price (50% off) if you purchase Double Crossing Van Dine. If you purchase the clothbound edition, you may choose to buy the clothbound of the collection(s), or the paperback(s). If you purchase the paperback edition, you may choose to buy the paperback(s) of the collections. In either case, you may purchase up to five books at the discounted price.
These authors are: 

Edith MaxwellTom MeadMarcia TalleyLeigh Perry (whose collection came out under Toni. L.P. Kelner)Art TaylorElaine Vietsand Gigi Pandian (who wrote the introduction for Funeral in the Fog by Edward Hoch.)School of Hard Knox 

Enjoy Delia’s essay here and enjoy the special deal from the publisher—and stay tuned for another contributor to Double Crossing Van Dine in this same space next week!

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.

Delia-Pitts

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Macavity Award Finalist

In a completely unexpected twist, my story “Two for One” from Murder, Neat: A SleuthSayers Anthology was named a finalist for the Macavity Awards.

Thanks to Janet Rudolph, Mystery Readers International, and the readers of Mystery Readers Journal for the support, to my co-editors Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman for all their help with the story, and to our publisher, Level Best Books!

Congratulations as well to Barb on her own nomination in the same category—and to all the other writers whose stories were named finalists: Craig Faustus Buck, Leslie Karst, Gabriel Valjan, and Kristopher Zgorski. I’m especially thrilled for Leslie, have to admit, because she won an auction to get feedback from me on a short story of hers, and the story I helped her with is the one getting honored now. Can’t ask for better!

Here’s the full list of finalists—so many friends up and down the slate. Congratulations to all!

Best Mystery Novel

Hall of Mirrors by John Copenhaver (Pegasus Crime)

Served Cold by James L’Etoile (Level Best Books)

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead)

California Bear by Duane Swierczynski (Mulholland)

The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell (Doubleday)

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Crown)

Best First Mystery

Outraged by Brian Copeland (Dutton)

A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman (Headline)

Ghosts of Waikiki by Jennifer K. Morita (Crooked Lane)

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen (Dutton)

The Expat by Hansen Shi (Pegasus Crime)

Holy City by Henry Wise (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Best Mystery Short Story

“Home Game” by Craig Faustus Buck (in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July/August 2024)

“The Postman Always Flirts Twice” by Barb Goffman (in Agatha and Derringer Get Cozy)

“Curse of the Super Taster” by Leslie Karst (in Black Cat Weekly, Feb 23, 2024)

“Two for One” by Art Taylor (in Murder, Neat)

“Satan’s Spit” by Gabriel Valjan (in Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem)

“Reynisfjara” by Kristopher Zgorski (in Mystery Most International)

Best Historical Mystery

The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks (Minotaur)

An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington)

Fog City by Claire Johnson (Level Best Books)

The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan (Soho Crime)

The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann (Lake Union)

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn (Berkley)

Best Nonfiction/Critical

Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft edited by Phyllis M. Betz (McFarland)

Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers: Critiquing the Columbo Killers by Chris Chan (Level Best Books)

Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice by Alex Hortis (Pegasus Crime)

The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson  (Crown)

On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson  (Ohio State University Press)

Abingdon’s Boardinghouse Murder by Greg Lilly (History Press)

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The First Two Pages: “Secretly Keith” by Charlie Kondek

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.

Charlie Kondek’s essay this week marks the third and final in a series by contributors to the forthcoming anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Two weeks ago, C.W. Blackwell wrote about his story, “Making Up for Lost Time,” and last week Bethany Maines discussed “Front Desk Staff.” The anthology, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and due out this week from Superior Shores Press, asks this question: “Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream?” And in addition to the three authors already mentioned, the other contributors exploring the theme include Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Edward Lodi, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.

Charlie Kondek’s story is “Secretly Keith”—a tantalizing title to my mind, especially since his essay below mentions local bookie Big John Warmer, bar owner Tim Fleet, musician Nick Papke (our POV character), and Nick’s best friend Rex, the two of them setting out to rob Big John… but no one yet named Keith. I’m drawn ahead both by the first two pages and by that title too!

As Charlie explains on his website, he writes both crime fiction and “crime adjacent” fiction (I love that phrase), and his stories have appeared in Black Cat Weekly, Dark Yonder, Mysterion Online, ADR Crime, MysteryTribune.com, and Yellow Mama, among others. His “general” fiction has appeared in publications including The Saturday Evening Post,  BULL, and Hidden Peak Press. 

Hope you enjoy his essay below—and to find out what happens next (and who’s “secretly Keith”!), check out the full anthology.

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.

Kondek_Secretly-Keith_FirstTwoPages_v2

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The First Two Pages: “Front Desk Staff” by Bethany Maines

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.

This week continues a series featuring contributors to the forthcoming anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and due June 18 from Superior Shores Press, the collection features 22 writers tackling this question: “Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream?” Contributors include Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.

I was grateful to host C.W. Blackwell last week, talking about his story “Making Up for Lost Time.” This week, Bethany Maines steps in with “Front Desk Staff”—with an essay not only offering glimpses into writing decisions but also into customer service . . . and maybe there’s some overlap there, reading between the lines?

Bethany Maines is an award-winning indie and traditionally published author, writing in romance, action-adventure, and fantasy. She’s won numerous screenplay awards and writing awards. Find out more about her work at www.BethanyMaines.com or follow her blog posts at The Stiletto Gang.

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.

Maines

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The First Two Pages: “Making Up for Lost Time” by C.W. Blackwell

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’ve long wanted to host C.W. Blackwell on the First Two Pages—a talented and increasingly celebrated short story writer, with two Derringer Award wins to his credit (out of five nominations); you can read his Derringer-winning stories online: “Memories of Fire” at Pulp Modern Flash and “The Referee” at Shotgun Honey. He’s joining us here today to talk about his new story, “Making Up for Lost Time,” for the anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers (more on that in a moment), and if those three stories aren’t enough, you can find more links to his work here as well as interviews and more—plus here’s some great news: His new short story collection, Whatever Kills the Pain, is coming out next month from Rock and a Hard Place. Pre-order now!

C.W.’s appearance this week at the First Two Pages is the first in series featuring contributors to Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and due out June 18 from Superior Shores Press in both ebook and paperback. (Pre-order that one now too, of course!) The book features 22 writers tackling this question: “Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream?” Contributors include Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.

We’ll have two more writers over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, enjoy this first preview of the book—and thanks to C.W. Blackwell for joining us!

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.

The-First-Two-Pages_Blackwell

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In Short: Ray Bradbury, Center for Fiction, Wednesday, August 6

I’m loving the fancy graphic for my next talk with the Center for Fiction’s “In Short” Reading Group series— Wednesday evening, August 6, focused on two Ray Bradbury stories. Here’s the description:

While better celebrated as a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury was also a master of mystery and suspense, particularly in the short story format. His early fiction was published in pulp magazines, and across a seven-decade career, he continued to pen tales mixing crime, noir, and the supernatural to fascinating ends. Two linked stories about a serial killer in a small town provide a unique opportunity to examine Bradbury’s work in these genres: “The Whole Town’s Sleeping,” published in McCall’s in 1950, and its supremely darker companion, “At Midnight, in the Month of June” (1954), written specifically at the behest of the editor of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.

Find out more and register here.

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The First Two Pages: “Traveller from an Antique Land” by Anna Scotti

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.

In 2019, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine published the first of Anna Scotti‘s “librarian on the run” stories, and since then stories from the series have been picked up three times by the Best Mystery Stories of the Year series from Mysterious Press. Next month, Down & Out Books will publish a collection of these tales, It’s Not Even Past, and as an added bonus, the new issue of EQMM (the first under the new ownership of Must Read Magazines) features a brand new story from the series: “Traveller from an Antique Land,” which Anna shares more about in her First Two Pages essay below.

As an introduction to the stories generally, here’s the description from the new collection:

A PhD candidate who can quote Shakespeare, Beaudelaire, and Louis Leakey with ease, the brainy but naive librarian we know as “Cam Baker” must go on the run, trusting Witness Protection to keep her alive as she jumps from one alias to another, always just a step ahead of her ruthless ex and his cartel henchmen.

Hiding her intelligence and education, Cam accepts menial jobs that will let her stay on the down-low, experiencing the best and worst of the human condition along the way. From her first placement as nanny to two over-achieving teenaged girls in Billings, Montana to her final adventure living rough on the streets of L.A., Cam solves murders, confounding her WITSEC handlers and the handsome police detective who tries to befriend her.

It’s Not Even Past takes Cam from a shack in the mountains to the sunlit beaches of South Carolina and Hawaii, from pastel sweater sets to hacked-off yoga pants and a tattoo. But even as she grows sarcastic and street-wise, Cam never really loses her innocence, and gets her heart broken more than once.

In addition to her success as a mystery writer, Anna is also an accomplished poet, with work in the The New Yorker among other venues and an award-winning collection, Bewildered by All This Open Sky. You can find out more about her work at her website: https://www.annakscotti.com/

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.

Scotti-Traveller-2

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The First Two Pages: “Buds” by Kevin Egan

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.

The two leading mystery publications in the country (in the world, really!)—Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine—are each starting new chapters with their May/June issues. Must Read Magazines purchased the magazines (and others) earlier this year, and the news issues—handsomely produced as always!—are out now, on newsstands or, even more easily, in your mailbox too (which is a nudge to subscribe if you haven’t already). This week and next, The First Two Pages will be hosting contributors to each magazine to help celebrate the new issues and the news owners as well.

First up is Kevin Egan, whose story “Buds” appears in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. As he points out in his bio and in the essay below, this is his 24th story for the magazine and the 21st set in the New York County Courthouse.

You can find out more about Egan and his work at his website: www.kevinjeganfiction.com.

And stay tuned for next week, when we’ll host a contributor to the new EQMM—but who will it be?! (Hint: This author has a new collection of stories coming out very soon… and the new story is connected to a series, too.)

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.

Egan-Buds

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Center for Fiction: Ray Bradbury, August 6

I’m so pleased to be leading another discussion for the Center for Fiction’s “In Short” Reading Group series—this one on Wednesday evening, August 6, and focused on two Ray Bradbury stories. Here’s the description:

While better celebrated as a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury was also a master of mystery and suspense, particularly in the short story format. His early fiction was published in pulp magazines, and across a seven-decade career, he continued to pen tales mixing crime, noir, and the supernatural to fascinating ends. Two linked stories about a serial killer in a small town provide a unique opportunity to examine Bradbury’s work in these genres: “The Whole Town’s Sleeping,” published in McCall’s in 1950, and its supremely darker companion, “At Midnight, in the Month of June” (1954), written specifically at the behest of the editor of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.

Find out more and register here.

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On the Road . . . Again . . . in Japan!

Thanks to Tokyo Sogensha for bringing Del & Louise back on the road—with a beautiful edition of my debut book, the novel in stories On the Road with Del & Louise, winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

I recently received several copies of the new translation, and while I can’t read it, I’m completely in love with the look.

A friend of mine who can read Japanese told me that they’ve changed the title in translation—with nods to Bonnie and Clyde.

Such a joy, and more news of Japan still ahead… stay tuned!

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