New Releases
Pulp Modern Flash debuts with C.W. Blackwell’s “Memories of Fire.”
Rock and a Hard Place No. 3
Contents Page
Albert Tucher’s The Rule of Three (Foreword)
Jeremiah Kniola “Chicken”
Claude Lehumiere “Off the Road”
RHP Editorial Board: Far from Noir: A Tribute to Jonathan Elliott
C.W. Blackwell “Dig Deep the Midnight Furrows”
Jen Conley “He Will Kill You”
Alexandros Plasatis “Made in China”
Richard Risemberg “The Parking Lot”
L.R. Casazza “Repeat Offender”
Todd Robinson “Mr. Important”
Robb T. White “Barn Find”
Alison Garsha “In Real Life”
Mark Krajnak “Between a Habit and a Dream”
Gabrielle Nelson “Lost Dog Dreams”
Donald D. Shore “Portrait of Temptation”
Tammy Euliano “In Need of a Heart in Texas”
David Rachels “Oscar Montoya Leaves”
Contributors’ Biographies
Rock and a Hard Place No. 3 Spring/Summer 2020
Editor-in-Chief: Roger Nokes
Managing Editor: Jay Butkowski
Producing Editor: Jonathan Elliott
Associate Editors: Nikki Dolson, Katrina Robinson, Albert Tucher
Production: Christopher Nokes
Visual Artists: Richard Risemberg, Andrew Novak, Jay Butkowski, Stephen J. Golds, Rob Tucher, Mark Krajnak, Diane Krauthamer
Cover: Andrew Novak
6” x 9” 176 pages
Print $12.99 Kindle $2.99
Website Patreon
Digest Magazine Reviews
Kevin Tipple reviews Crime Syndicate Magazine No. 1 at Kevin’s Corner.
Gideon Marcus reviews Analog Aug. 1965 at Galactic Journey.
Kevin Tipple highlights stories in Mystery Weekly Magazine August 2020 at The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog.
David Levinson reviews Worlds of If Sept. 1965 at Galactic Journey.
Digest Magazine Writer News
The August Fate Monthly Newsletter reports the next issue of Fate is underway. Until then, read about other Fate productions available now.
Rati Mehrotra on her story “Knock Knock, Said the Ship” from S&SF Jul/Aug 2020 at Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine looks back at gatherings past at Something is Going to Happen.
Richard Schiffman discusses his poem “Planets” from Asimov’s Jul/Aug 2020 in his Q&A at From Earth to the Stars.
D.M. Barr interviews Ann Aptaker about her novella “A Taco, a T-Brid, a Beretta, and One Furious Night,” from Guns + Tacos Season 2 at Novel Concepts. (Fast forward to 19:30 if you’d like to skip the intros.) Thanks, Michael Bracken.
Storytime
Alec Cizak reads his five of his L.A. poems at ACTV.
TDE Contributors’ Corner
Uncle Jack (Seabrook) and Cousin Peter (Enfantino) review Vampirella No. 21, Eerie No. 44, and Creepy No. 50—and pick Warren’s Best (and Worst) from 1968–1972 at bare•bones e-zine.
Paul D. Marks interviews about his novel The Blues Don’t Care at Mystery Playground. (Thanks, Kevin Tipple.)
Steve Carper explains “How the Zap Gun Got It’s Name” at Flying Cars and Food Pills.
James Reasoner, Paul Bishop, and Robert Vaughan discuss writing at Wolfpack Publishing.
Tony Gleeson reviews Paul Gleeson’s Screams From My Father on Goodreads.
Jack Seabrook’s annual update (2020) of The Hitchcock Project at bare•bones e-zine.
Readin’ and Writin’
Robert Lopresti, author of more than 70 published short stories, shares insights on how to write, edit and sell a short story via Zoom.com on August 8, 2020 at 10:00 AM (CST). Click on “Join a Meeting” and enter Meeting ID: 841-5192-7887.
Spent a fair amount of time retouching cover images for TDE13 this week.
Began reading Occult Detective Magazine No. 7, but several pages came loose during the process. I’ve purchased a lot of books printed by CreateSpace/KDP and this is the first time I ever saw this problem. Poor bindery work from the Coppell, Texas operation. Amazon agreed to accept the return, but I had to send the copy back before I finished reading it. Hope the next copy is back to KDP’s usual quality.
The follow-up was Nostalgia Ventures’ The Shadow No. 3 with “The Red Blot” and “The Voodoo Master.” “Blot” was good, but not one of the stronger entries in the series (3-stars). “Voodoo” on the other hand was voted the all-time favorite in 1937 by the original magazine’s readers. No wonder, it’s a 5-star Shadow adventure with supernatural elements, mystery, lots of action, twists, and plenty of ink for The Shadow’s supporting cast of Harry Vincent, Hawkeye, Cliff Marsland, Burbank, and Rutledge Mann.
For those looking for more digest magazine history, consider Vince Nowell, Sr.’s piece on digest-size Science Fiction Novels in The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 (June 2020). The issue is available in print from Lulu.com (or amazon) and in digital formats for Kindle and Magzter.
I should also mention amazon has slashed their margins on issue No. 11, so if you suffered sticker shock on our first full color print edition, now is a bargain-bustin’ time to buy.
Vintage True Crime Digest
Unsolved Murders June 1954
Contents Page
Editorial
Eleanor Taulman “Atomic Murder”
Justin Gilbert “In Shadow of President”
Paging the Mikado
Arthur Wiesen (contents page) Don Porter (page 24) “Fallen Star”
Beating the Rap
Joanna Gershonoff “Stalin’s Bloody Boudoir”
Yosh Witorff “Death in the Dimout”
How G-Men Disarm ‘Em
William T. Brannon “$2,000,000 Torture”
Jose Schorr “Be Your Own D.A.”
Jonathan Lord “Locked Out of Life”
Louis I. Freed “His Number Was Up”
Douglas Larsen “26,000 Suspects”
Crime Fighter Hall of Fame
Craig Rice “Voodoo Doll”
Elgar Dolson “Not Big Enough for His Hat”
Unsolved Murders Vol. 1 No. 1 June 1954
Editor & Publisher: Lou Shainmark
Managing Editor: Don Porter
Art Director: I.S. Mann
5” x 7.25” 128 pages saddle-stitched
35¢ cover price