Art Taylor's Blog, page 55
April 16, 2019
The First Two Pages: “Quiche Alain” by M.K. Graff
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.
Malice Domestic is coming up in just a little over two weeks—May 3-5 in Bethesda, Maryland—and one of the things I’m always most excited about each year is the launch of the Malice Domestic anthology. This year’s volume is Mystery Most Edible, edited by Verena Rose, Rita Owen, and Shawn Reilly Simmons and presented by Parnell Hall (this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree), and it features a wide variety of contributors, as you can see at the anthology’s website here.
In advance of Malice, I’m pleased to host a series of contributors to the new anthology, beginning with M.K. Graff, talking about her story “Quiche Alain.”
Seeing Marni’s work in the anthology is a particular joy because (as she mentions in her essay) when she was writing the story, she reached out to me and to Barb Goffman as well for advice and for feedback on the completed draft. As usual (unfortunately!) I ran behind on responding, but when I did read the draft, it was clear that Marni had a winner on her hands—such fun to read and such a thrill when she got her acceptance. I was celebrating right along with her!
While Marni may be new to the short story market, she’s already accomplished as a novelist, balancing two series: the Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. Trudy Genova is the detective in “Quiche Alain” as well, and the second book in that series, Death at the Dakota, is due soon. For more information on all Marni’s work, visit her at Auntie M Writes, where she reviews contemporary crime fiction.
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.
Graff-Malice
April 12, 2019
“Better Days” in EQMM
The May/June issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine includes my story “Better Days,” a follow-up to an earlier story in EQMM‘s pages: “A Drowning at Snow’s Cut,” which appeared in the magazine’s May 2011 issue and went on to win the Derringer Award for Best Long Story. Set along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, the new story focuses on a love triangle, on father-and-son relationships, and on questions of identity theft—though none of it may be quite what it seems.
I’m thrilled to be sharing space in this issue with an all-star list of writers, some of the best in the field of short mystery fiction, including friends David Dean, Brendan DuBois, Martin Edwards, William Burton McCormick, Janice Law, Josh Pachter, Mark Stevens, and Marilyn Todd.
And as a special bonus, three friends also led the list of the EQMM readers poll this year, with Stacy Bolla Woodson taking top honors for her story “Duty, Honor, Hammett”—only the second time that a debut author has won the Readers Award!—and Josh Pachter and David Dean in second and third place. (My own story, “English 398: Fiction Workshop” came in seventh, I should add.)
Congrats to everyone in the top ten—and to all the fine writers in this issue!
April 9, 2019
The First Two Pages: “Lust to Love” by Jessica Laine
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 previous two weeks at The First Two Pages have featured essays by Bryon Quertermous and R.D. Sullivan on their stories for Holly West’s anthology Murder-A-Go-Go’s: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the Go-Go’s, published last month by Down & Out Books. This week, I’m pleased to round out the series by welcoming a third contributor, Jessica Laine, to talk about her story, “Lust to Love.”
Jessica and I first met in the bar at the Toronto Bouchercon—which is where all the best chat on writing takes place, right? (I’ll let you determine if I mean Bouchercon or the bar—or maybe Toronto?) That same year, Jessica had won the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award from Sisters in Crime—which we toasted, as I remember—and the previous year, she’d won the Hugh Holton Award from the Midwest chapter of Mystery Writers of America. It’s a thrill to see her career continuing on the rise—evidence this story in the new anthology, which BOLO Books called “wickedly delightful”—and I’m looking forward to more successes ahead, including her novel-in-progress.
You can read more about Jessica’s work at her website here or follow her on Twitter at @msjessicalaine.
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.
Laine-Lust-to-Love
April 7, 2019
New Leaves, George Mason University
This week, George Mason University’s English Department and Creative Writing Program host the annual New Leaves Festival and Writers’ Conference. My own work on this is behind-the-scenes rather than on stage myself, but I’m so pleased about and proud of the events ahead, so wanted to share the schedule below. Hope folks in the area will come out and join the fun!
MONDAY, APRIL 8
7:30 p.m. —Visiting Writer Ed Roberson (Poetry)
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
Ed Roberson is the author of numerous books of poetry, including To See the Earth Before the End of the World, which was a runner up for the Los Angeles Times Poetry Award; The New Wing of the Labyrinth; City Eclogue; Atmosphere Conditions, which was chosen for the National Poetry Series and was a finalist for the Academy of American Poets’ Lenore Marshall Award; Just In: Word of Navigational Change: New and Selected Work; and Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In, which won the Iowa Poetry Prize. His most recent publication is the chapbook Closest Pronunciation.
Roberson’s honors include the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 2016, the Lila
Wallace Writers’ Award, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Award,
and the 2016 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry.
TUESDAY, APRIL 9
7:30 p.m. — Mason Professor Susan Tichy and MFA Alum J.K. Daniels
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
On
the eve of her retirement, Mason’s Creative Writing Program celebrates
one of its longest-serving and most celebrated professors, Susan Tichy. Tichy’s most recent collection, The Avalanche Path in Summer,
takes her “life-long experience of walking in mountains and stirs into
it a mix of ideas about mountains from the European and Chinese
traditions.” She is also the author of five additional collections of
poetry, including A Smell of Burning Starts the Day; The Hands in Exile, which was selected for the National Poetry Series; Bone Pagoda; Gallowglass; and Trafficke. Tichy will be joined by J.K. Daniels, whose book Wedding Pulls wasselected
by C.D. Wright for the New Southern Voices Poetry Prize and published
by Hub City Press. A Mason MA and MFA graduate, she serves as the
College Dean of Languages and the Annandale Campus Dean of Languages,
Arts, & Social Sciences for Northern Virginia Community College.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10
7:30 p.m. — Visiting Writer Jane Brox (Nonfiction)
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
Jane Brox’s fifth book, Silence, was published in January 2019. Her previous book, Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, was named one of the top ten nonfiction books of 2010 by Time magazine. She is also the author of Clearing Land: Legacies of the American Farm; Five Thousand Days Like This One, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction; and Here and Nowhere Else, which won the L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award.
THURSDAY, APRIL 11
1:30 p.m. — Workshop: Pitching and Querying
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
Writing
a query letter for your novel. Pitching articles to publications.
Crafting a book proposal. If you want to publish your work and get paid
for it, these skills are non-negotiable. Mason alum Sam Ashworth—whose
fiction and nonfiction have appeared in the Washington Post Magazine, Catapult, Nylon Magazine, Hazlitt, the Time Literary Supplement, The Rumpus,
and more—leads a crash course on all these topics, examining sample
queries, discussing how to engage agents and editors, exploring how to
negotiate payment, and answering frequently asked questions, like, “How
do I figure out who to send my pitch to?” and “What if I don’t have a
bazillion twitter followers?” Attendees should feel free to bring their
own query/pitch letters—at any level of the drafting/submitting
process—for possible workshop, time permitting.
3 p.m. — Panel Discussion: Literary Journals
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
Editors from three literary journals—Tara Campbell, fiction editor at Barrelhouse; Tara Laskowski, co-editor of SmokeLong Quarterly; and Gregory Donovan, senior editor of Blackbird—share
behind-the-scenes stories about their journals, their editorial
processes, and current trends in submissions, and offer tips on
submitting your stories, poems, and more for publication. Moderated by
Sam Ashworth.
7:30 p.m. — Film Screening: A Late Style Of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
Filmmakers Michele Poulos and Gregory Donovan will host a screening and discussion of A Late Style of Fire,
a documentary on the life and work of acclaimed poet Larry Levis, a
California native who spent the last years of his life teaching at
Virginia Commonwealth University. The film explores “his childhood
working alongside Mexican-American field hands, three marriages,
friendships with America’s greatest poets, and his own words”—drawing on
poetry from collections including Wrecking Crew, The Afterlife, Winter Stars, The Widening Spell of Leaves, Elegy, Selected Levis, and The Gazer Within. Co-sponsored by Film and Media Studies and the Undergraduate English Society.
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
5 p.m. — Visiting Writer Jamel Brinkley (Fiction)
Fenwick Library Reading Room (Fenwick 2001)
Jamel Brinkley is the author of A Lucky Man: Stories, a finalist for the National Book Award. His writing has appeared in The Best American Short Stories 2018, A Public Space, Ploughshares, Gulf Coast, The Threepenny Review, Glimmer Train, American Short Fiction, Tin House, and other places. He is currently a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Fiction at Stanford University.
7 p.m. — SmokeLong Quarterly Reading
Epicure Café, 11104 Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia
One
of the world’s leading flash fiction journals—established in 2003 and
now edited by Mason alum Tara Laskowski—hosts a reading featuring
Christopher Allen, Randall Brown, Tara Campbell, and Tyrese Coleman, as
well a trio of other Mason alums published by the journal: Kara Oakleaf,
Michelle Orabona, and Colleen Rich.
April 2, 2019
The First Two Pages: “Tonite” by R.D. Sullivan
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 new anthology Murder-A-Go-Go’s: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the Go-Go’s, edited by Holly West and published by Down & Out Books. After last week’s essay by Bryon Quertermous on his story “Mercenary,” R.D. Sullivan steps in today to discuss her story “Tonite” and larger questions of geography and community and more.
Sullivan lives in Northern California. In addition to her story here, her work has also appeared in Fireside Fiction Magazine, Shotgun Honey, and Killing Malmon, and her most recent novella is Hotties and Bazingas and the Murder Cult Murders. You can find more about her work at her website here and follow her on Twitter at @RDSullyWrites.
And stay tuned next week for Jessica Laine on her story “Lust to Love”!
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.
Sullivan-Tonite
March 31, 2019
Images: Moving and Still
At the request of Mystery Writers of America, I recorded a short excerpt from my Edgar-nominated story “English 398: Fiction Workshop”—and I’ve appreciated the attention it’s gotten on MWA’s Twitter and Instagram sites. Here’s the clip below.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Mystery Writers of America (@mysterywritersofamerica) on Mar 26, 2019 at 9:19am PDT
Additionally, last weekend my wife Tara Laskowski and I had a new set of author photos taken, and we’ve narrowed down some of our favorite shots! I’ll leave her to share hers, but here’s a sample of my own finalists. Hope you enjoy—and thanks to photographer Ron Aira for his great work!
Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Art Taylor
March 26, 2019
The First Two Pages: “Mercenary” by Bryon Quertermous
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.
Holly West has hit a home-run with the first anthology she’s edited: Murder-A-Go-Go’s: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the Go-Go’s, released just this month by Down & Out Books. Here’s an glimpse at the project from the collection’s description at the publisher’s website:
The Go-Go’s made music on their own terms and gave voice to a generation caught between the bra-burning irreverence of the seventies and the me-first decadence of the eighties. Anthems like “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and “Vacation” are an indelible part of our collective soundtrack, but more than that, they speak to the power and possibility of youth. Inspired by punk but not yoked to it, the Go-Go’s broke important musical ground by combining cheeky lyrics, clever hooks, and catchy melodies, perfectly capturing what it feels like to be young and female in the process.
But beyond the Go-Go’s effervescent sound and cheerful pop stylings, a darkness underlies many of their lyrics and melodies, hinting at the heartache and frustration inherent in growing up. In other words, plenty to inspire murder and mayhem.
I’m pleased to host a series of contributors to the anthology, beginning today with Bryon Quertermous talking about his story “Mercenary.”
Bryon is has two novels under his belt—Murder Boy and Riot Load—as well as a number of short stories. In his essay here, he looks not only at his current story but also back at his earlier novels and ahead toward his goals for his future work. Read more about him and his work at his website here.
I hope you enjoy his reflections below, and stay tuned for two more essays in the weeks ahead: Jessica Ellis on “Lust to Love” and R.D. Sullivan on “Tonite.” And thanks to editor Holly West for helping to organize these essays!
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.
Quertermous-Mercenary
March 19, 2019
The First Two Pages: Dominic by Mark Pryor
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.
Mark Pryor has worn—and still wears—many hats. He’s the author of the Hugo Marston mystery series—the series’ 8th novel, The Book Artist, was released last month—and of the thrillers Hollow Man and Dominic, and he also created the true crime blog “D.A. Confidential.” A former newspaper reporter from England, he’s now in Austin, Texas with the District Attorney’s Office. And as a prosecutor, he has appeared on CBS News’s 48 Hours and the Discovery Channel’s Discovery ID: Cold Blood. He’s also a board member at-large at the national level for Mystery Writers of America—which is in part how he came to contribute the essay here today.
While Mark and I were at the MWA board orientation in late January, we started talking about our lives and work, and the topic of boarding schools came up—Mark having attended one just as I did and having drawn on those experiences for the opening of his second Hollow Man book, Dominic, just as I’m drawing on my boarding school years for my own work-in-progress. As you’ll see from the essay here, Mark reveals how those years can be formative to later experiences and decisions, something that I’m exploring as well.
Though Mark’s latest novel is from his other series, he generously agreed to write on Dominic, which was released last year. I’d encourage you not only to enjoy the essay here but to check out all of his books. Enjoy!
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.
Pryor-Dominic-1
March 15, 2019
My March Newsletter
Most of the news in my March newsletter has already been posted here and then pretty widely on social media—Edgars! Agathas! Articles! More!—but this issue also includes some recent reads and a glance at upcoming events.
March 12, 2019
The First Two Pages: The Blood Runs Cold by Catherine Maiorisi
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 last time Catherine Maiorisi appeared at The First Two Pages, she was writing about A Matter of Blood, her first full-length novel and the first book in her new series featuring NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli. Last week, Lambda Literary named that book a finalist for the Lammy Award for Best Lesbian Mystery. And in today’s post, Catherine offers a preview of the second book in the series, The Blood Runs Cold. Needless to say, the past year has been a fine one for Catherine, and I’m thrilled to help celebrate her success and to host her here today!
Catherine has also published short fiction fairly widely; when B.K. Stevens hosted several contributors to the anthology Where Crime Never Sleeps: Murder New York Style, she wrote about her story “Love, Secrets, and Lies” here. And crossing genres, Catherine write romance too. Check out her website for more information on all her work.
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.
Maiorisi-Blood
