Rock and a Hard Place [v1 #5, Winter/Spring 2021] eic. Roger Nokes, mgn ed. Jay Butkowski (Rock and a Hard Place Press, $12.95, 190pp, digest, $2.99 ebook, cover by Ron Santee) Foreward: Looking Straight at Bleakness • Roger Nokes • ed 1 • A Son Needs His Mother • Deb Merino • ss 15 • Downtown Rises • J. Rohr • pt 17 • Falling and Catching • Claude LaLumière • ss 23 • A Bad-Hearted Man • Travis Wade Beary • ss 37 • Sea, Grass, Sky • Jerry Bloomfield • pt 39 • From the Dark Ages • C.A. Cole • ss 51 • Quarrels from All Sides • John Joseph Ryan • ss 63 • From the Rock, Looking Toward the Hard Place or Hudson River Sunset • B.J. Rozan • pt 65 • Beautiful Jena • R.D. • ss 75 • The Waiting Room • Richard Risemberg • ss 81 • Saddest Recipe Cookbook • S.J. Rozan, Lindsey Heatherly, J.B. Stevens, Paul J. Garth • ms 89 • Bring Me a Pint of Cherry Garcia • Thomas Pluck • ff 93 • The Value of a Dollar • Adrian Ludens • ss 103 • Nursery • Jeff Maschi • ff 105 • Nursery • Jeff Maschi • pt 107 • Drying Out at the Shelter • Braxton Younts • mm 121 • Gone • Don Stoll • ss 129 • A Lone Light • J. Rohr • pt 131 • The Bust Out at Tomato Farm No. 7-1 • Tim P. Walker • ss 141 • The Ocean at Their Shoulders • James D.F. Hannah • ss 153 • How to Love • Michael J. Moore • ss 157 • Requiescat En Pace • Jerry Bloomfield • pt 159 • Mrs. Gotobed • Bill Davidson • ss 170 • Contributors’ Biographies • bi
Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website. FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.
Rock and a Hard Place [v1 #4, Fall/Winter 2020] ed. Roger Nokes. mng ed. Jay Butkowski (Rock and a Hard Place Press, $12.95, 184pp, digest, cover by Peter Rozovsky) Contents Pages 1 • Forward: Moving Four-Ward with Empathy and Hope • Jay Butkowski 4 • Room with a View • Peter Rozocsky • pt 5 • 7-11, True and Just • Jane Young • ss 17 • Black-Hearted Woman • Russell W. Johnson • ss 28 • Tough Commute • Richard Risemberg • pt 29 • 88 Lines About .44 Magnums • Thomas Pluck • ss 34 • Orbit • Jay Butkowski • pt 35 • Pink Aviary • Barbara DeMarco-Barrett • ss 47 • Hereafter • Stephen J. Golds • ss 53 • We Are Not Publishing Cop Stories • Roger Nokes • es 57 • Red of Tooth and Claw • Paul J. Garth • ss 67 • Drilling • Bruce Harris • ss 70 • Apex Theater • Andrew Novak • pt 71 • Fingerprints on the Razor • N.B. Turner • ss 79 • Day of the Dead in D.C. • Diane Krauthamer • pi 85 • Gator Baiter • Susan Kuchinskas • ss 94 • Ready When You Are • Richard Risemberg • pt 95 • The Limo • Stefen Styrsky • ss 109 • Water • Jeff Maschi • ss 112 • Water • Jeff Maschi • pt 113 • Off the Furrow • Jay Bechtol • ss 124 • Message in the Maze • Anon • pz 125 • The Andrew Devon Logbook • Dan Georgakas • ss 131 • Dream Catcher • Jess Messier • ss 141 • Trap City • Wilson Koewing • ss 149 • Wedlock • Michael Chin • ss 159 • Even the Monstrous • Jason Mykl Snyman • ss 172 • Untitled • Laura Dizon • pt 173 • Contributors’ Biographies • bg
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 WebsitePatreon
Digest Magazine Reviews Kevin Tipple reviews Crime Syndicate Magazine No. 1 at Kevin’s Corner.
David Levinson reviews Worlds of If Sept. 1965 at Galactic Journey.
Jul/Aug 2020 Digests
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.
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.)
James Reasoner, Paul Bishop, and Robert Vaughan discuss writing at Wolfpack Publishing.
Tony Gleeson reviews Paul Gleeson’sScreams 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
New Releases Mystery Weekly Magazine May 2020 Contents Page James Nolan “The Rusted Beetle” Martin Zeigler “Letter Man” Alec Cizak “The Don Juan of Eldorado” Steve Schrott “Paying Your Dues” Bruce McAllister “Creatures of Our Desire” Martin Hill Oritz “The Left-Handed Pistol” Stacy Woodson “Desperate Letters” (A You-Solve-It)
Mystery Weekly Magazine No. 57 May 2020 Publisher: Chuck Carter Editor: Kerry Carter Cover: Robin Grenville-Evans 7.5” x 9.75” 88 pages Print $6.99 Kindle $3.99 MWM Website
Rock and a Hard Place No. 2 Winter/Spring 2020 Fiction, essay, poetry, and art contributors are listed at the Rock and a Hard Place Magwebsite.
Editor-in-Chief: Roger Nokes Managing Editor: Jay Butkowski Producing Editor: Jonathan Elliott Associate Editor: Nikki Dolson Associate Editor: Katrina Robinson Associate Editor: Albert Tucker 6” x 9” 156 pages Print $12.95 Kindle $2.99
The Conan Companion This full-size (8.5” x 11”), full color collector’s guide by Richard Toogood traces the path of Conan from pulps to paperbacks and devotes a chapter to each publisher: Lancer, Sphere, Berkley, Ace, Bantam, and Tor. Complete with an introduction by Roy Thomas, this 107-page volume is available for $14.92 from the usual places.
Storytime Gary Hoffman’s “No Secret Ever Stays Hidden” at Kings River Life. (Thanks, Kevin Tipple.)
Cameron Mount reads “Silo” on the EconoClash Review’s Podclash.
Katherine Hall Page whose “The End of the Line” appears in EQMM May/Jun 2020 discusses mystery and cooking at Something is Going to Happen.
TDE Contributor’s Corner Jack Seabrook and Peter Enfantino review Batman No. 320 Feb. 1980 at bare•bones e-zine.
Jack Seabrook’s The Hitchcock Project: Morton Fine and David Friedkin Part Four adapt “Thou Still Unravished Bride” by Avram Davidson from EQMM Oct. 1958 at bare•bones e-zine.
Readin’ and Writin” Barb Goffman discusses “Where to Start” at SleuthSayers.
Most of my reading this week centered on Will Murray’sWordslingers, which I will recap briefly next week if I’ve finished it by then. Also proofread most of The Digest Enthusiast. Yes, I do proofread every page and caption. Unfortunately, it’s never perfect and I inevitably find typos as soon as an issue is published. Such is the fate of a small-time operator like Larque Press. Going through the whole issue felt great and I hope it will be one our readers enjoy.
As mentioned earlier this year, the print version of TDE11 is printed via IngramSpark. I purchased an “announcement” for it in January for their catalog, Ingram Advance, and just this week received a PDF copy of the May 2020 edition. Their nearly 200-page catalog goes out to hundreds of booksellers every month. Of course, this is a terrible year for booksellers, but I hope it helps raise awareness of my humble efforts.
Vintage Western Digest Zane Grey Western Magazine Oct. 1969 Leo Margulies: They Live Again! (introduction) Contents Page Romer Zane Grey “The Rider of Distant Trails” Frank Gruber “The Store” Joe Gores “Gunman in Town” Talmage Powell “Rawhider’s Woman” Zane Grey “The Horses of Bostil’s Ford” (A Zane Grey Masterpiece) Gil Brewer “The Mountain Kid” Walter Dallas’ Tombstone: Too Tough to Die Wiliiam MacLeod Raine “Doan Whispers”
Zane Grey Western Magazine Vol.1 No. 1 Oct. 1969 Publisher: Leo Margulies Editorial Director: Cylvia Kleinman Advisory Editor: Romer Grey Advisory Editor: Dr. Loren Grey 5.25” x 7.75” 128 pages 50¢ cover price
