Erik Arneson's Blog, page 28
March 28, 2013
Off the Record 2 for $0.99
The Kindle editions of the charity anthologies Off the Record and Off the Record 2: At the Movies are now available for just $0.99 (or £0.77 in the U.K.) each.
Both books are packed with great short stories. The original Off the Record features stories sharing titles with classic songs (including “Free Bird,” “American Pie” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), while Off the Record 2: At the Movies features stories which borrow titles from classic films (including “Weekend at Bernie’s,” “Dead Man” a...
March 27, 2013
Kwik Krimes Cover Revealed
When it comes out later this year, Kwik Krimes, an anthology edited by Otto Penzler, will — this is still stunning to me — include my short story “Fortune.” It won’t be available until August 20, but for now check out that amazing cover! (Click on it for an even bigger version.) I love the beat-up look, the the fedora, the seedy motel, the colors, the font… Everything works.
I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands.
If you’re interested in reading ultra short stories (all under 1,000 words) from...
March 12, 2013
Four Questions With… Merry Jones
Few writers will have more novels published in 2013 than Merry Jones.
Winter Break, the third in her series of crime thrillers featuring Iraq War veteran Harper Jennings (following Summer Session and Behind the Walls), was released in January. In it, a pregnant Jennings sees a young man dragged into the woods near her house, but the police write it off as kids playing around — or Jennings’ hormones. She knows it’s something more.
The Trouble with Charlie, a standalone thriller, was released in...
March 6, 2013
My Favorite Five Books of 2012
As is the case every year, there were far more excellent books published in 2012 than I had time to read. And, truth be told, one or more of the books on my list may have actually been published in 2011 (or earlier… I think the first edition of The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson came out in 1999). But these are all incredible books I read for the first time in 2012, and which I recommend without hesitation.
Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm
Sam Thornton is a wonderful protagonist, flawed and heroi...
March 4, 2013
2013 Derringer Finalists Announced
Congratulations to the finalists for the 2013 Derringer Awards! The Derringers were established by the Short Mystery Fiction Society in 1997 to honor excellence in short mystery fiction. All four categories have a strong lineup of authors.
I was especially pleased to see stories nominated which were published by BEAT to a PULP, Grift Magazine, The Flash Fiction Offensive at Out of the Gutter Online, Off the Record 2: At the Movies, and Shotgun Honey, all outlets that have published (or, in the...
February 19, 2013
Four Questions With… Peter Farris
I first ran across Peter Farris’s fiction at Shotgun Honey, a website dedicated to crime-themed flash fiction. (Be sure to check out “Disney Noir”.) His first novel, Last Call for the Living, was published last year (the mass market paperback comes out on March 26) and has been described as a “gritty and fascinating Southern noir gem” and “a debut that demands attention.”
I agree with both descriptions. Last Call for the Living probably shouldn’t be as easy to read as it is. Many of the charac...
February 13, 2013
Five You Can’t Miss: Great Short Stories from 2012
Chris Rhatigan, editor of the great short story site All Due Respect, has been asking authors to post “Five You Can’t Miss” — great short stories from 2012 — at his blog, Death by Killing.
When I started keeping track of his posts and calculating the outlets with the most stories listed, Chris was kind enough to invite me to send in a list of my own.
My list was posted on Monday. It includes pieces published in Blood & Tacos, NEEDLE: A Magazine of Noir, Shotgun Honey, Off the Record 2: At the M...
February 11, 2013
“Just One Moment” at BEAT to a PULP
The e-zine BEAT to a PULP is one of my favorites, so I’m thrilled to be there with a new story, “Just One Moment.”
Published just in time for Valentine’s Day, this story starts with a romantic dinner at a fine restaurant in the City of Brotherly Love…
Angelina’s fingers slow-danced on the backs of my hands and her eyes dove into mine. “Just one moment,” she said. “Let me see if what we are was meant to be.” Her intoxicating smile tickled my brain.
Outside our favorite restaurant, early evening l...
