I think that statement would be more effective if it ended in a question mark, but we’ll call it even. (Image via sxc.hu)

(Photo by Dietrich Gesk Photography)

Since it’s Christmas Eve and all, but also my usual day of the week for new blog posts, I figured I’d go a little lighter with the content. You’ll get your fix of guns and knives at your various holiday family gatherings, especially if crazy Uncle Eddie shows up again loaded on torpedo juice and a bad attitude. Merry Christmas!

In all honesty, 2015 was a terrific year for me, and I have much to be thankful for in life. Our son celebrated his first birthday, my Writer’s Digest book on guns and knives in fiction found wonderful success, many new writing projects got underway and I’ve made some terrific friends through this blog.

On the other hand, all that attention brought out some unusual requests about guns and knives. I’ve summarized them below. Sarcastic replies are free of charge.

Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is the real deal when it comes to mystery fiction mags. It’s been in print since 1941, and it continues to maintain a newsstand presence to this day, along with digital editions. Stephen King even called it the best mystery magazine in the world. In the mystery/crime fiction universe, this is as top dog as it gets.

I was thrilled to receive a mention in the Blog Bytes column by Bill Crider, himself a cornerstone of the genre, in the September/October 2015 issue. Crider graciously highlights this website, CrimeFictionBook.com, writing, “Everything is presented with clarity and precision, so you don’t have to be an expert to understand it, although you might feel like one after you read it.”

This is an incredible honor, and I thank Crider for his kind words. I put a lot of time into this website and the book published by Writer’s Digest. This recognition means a lot to me.

I’ll be swinging by a bookstore to pick up a copy of the issue. Here are the pages I screen-grabbed from a digital edition with the comments. Be sure to show your support to EQMM by picking up an issue for yourself, too.