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Month's Featured Article and Stories... |
Ten
Essential Resources by Chelle Martin.
It is debatable as to
whether writing can be taught. However,
there are certainly books that can enhance the craft of writing and
aid in the quest for publication.
In time, you will most certainly add to your personal library,
but to get started, here is a concise guide.
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The
Chopsticks Clue by Earl Staggs. Can you use
chopsticks? I mean, the way they are really intended to be used? I
can, as long as it's big lumps of food. In this story, the
chopsticks provide more than a way to shovel in the won-ton.
“What are you doing
here?” Lieutenant Sue Twomey was shocked to see her former partner
and her closest friend until that thing with Harry three years ago.
“And you’re in uniform. What gives?”
Millie Walker chuckled.
“If you’d remembered what I taught you about observation, you’d
see I’m a Meter Maid now.”
“Well, forgive me, but
we’re not all blessed with a photographic memory and total recall
like you.”
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| New
release - Under a Raging Moon
Frank Zafiro has
created a gritty, realistic world out of his own years of
experience as a law enforcement officer. In "Under a Raging
Moon", a serial gunman is plaguing River City, Washington,
and becoming progressively more dangerous and violent. The
police are eager to stop him, but internal politics and fate
hamper the investigation and capture. And, the police officers
themselves are dealing with their own personal demons and
crises, which adds both tension and humanity to the mix. This
intriguing, exciting and compelling read is sure to keep you
turning pages.
The projected release
date is June 15, 2006.
To reserve your copy of
this gripping book, click HERE. |
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The
Great Ricardo
by Carole A. Cole. Legerdemain. Sleight of hand.
Magic. A good magician can make the impossible seem possible, and
can fool your eyes and your mind. But when a good magician
goes bad...
Rick
stuffed the crumpled twenty-dollar bills in his pocket and shuffled
out of the pawnshop.
He wrapped the tattered coat around his lanky frame, and headed
for the bus station.
Once out of sight, he turned the corner and sauntered up to the
sleek red Corvette.
Dumping the coat in the back seat, he climbed in and sped away.
“Not
a bad day’s work,” he smiled, steering the car towards Reno.
“Haven’t lost my touch.”
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The
Time of Green Leaves by Judy Copek. Thank
goodness bank robbers and other criminals aren't the smartest folks
around. But a good ol' boy who's crookeder than a dog's hind leg,
ain't necessarily stupid!
Damnation, thought sheriff Dick Leach. Could Lost
Cow Pond really contain the money from that bank heist? The thieves had
tossed the bags of money into a beaver pond? How stupid was that?
With a feeling that several pairs of eyes watched him, he left the
cruiser and slogged along the bank, peering into the murky water. If
this didn’t beat anything! Supposing he couldn’t find that cash from
the robbery right away, they would have to break up the dam and drain
the beaver pond. Of course there was no sign of the money bags. He
wondered if the thieves might be having a joke at law enforcement’s
expense.
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Employment -
with Perks by Gary Hoffman. Here's a
little flash piece to make you chuckle.
“It’s called Rent-a-Thief.
Stores hire people from them to pretend shoplift.
They fake catching me and make a big deal about it.
It’s supposed to scare would-be shoplifters.”
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The
Sorrento Setup by Gay T. Kinman.
Ah, bella Italia! 'E una bellissima compagnia! Oops.
Sorry. Whenever I read about vacationing in Italy, I remember all my
travels there, and get all misty-eyed. But beware! All Italian people are
not wonderful, friendly people - although most are.
Dominic broke Spiro's third finger. Spiro screamed
and whimpered and moaned but the only noise that Carlo heard over it all
was the cracking of the bone. Three times. The espresso he had an hour
ago rose in his throat. He swallowed, trying to force it down.
Carlo turned, not wanting to watch any longer.
"No more holding back! Ever!" shouted
Dominic. "Too many lira stuck to these fingers." He grabbed
the broken ones. Carlo cringed waiting for the cracking sound again but
all he heard was Spiro's cries.
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TO KILL
FOR by B. J. Bourg. Manipulating people,
using what they say against them to achieve your own ends. Is there
anything more destructive to a relationship, no matter what kind of
relationship, than that?
"Jack, do you love me?" Even in the dark
I could see that Susan Dixon's brown eyes were wide. They explored my
tanned face…interrogated my every expression.
I looked down at the manicured park grass that separated our naked
bodies. "You know I do."
"You say you do," Susan's eyes narrowed, "but how do you
know for sure?"
"I just do." This line of questioning made me uneasy. I wasn't
a Hallmark type of guy.
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Silent
Treatment
by Tonya Dunsmore. When you were little, did you have that imaginary
playmate? Little Ricky or Susie, whom no one else could see, but who
was very real to you? Suppose, though, that your invisible friend...
wasn't friendly?
Mary rolled over and opened
her eyes. He was waiting for her, as usual. When he’d first appeared,
she’d been frightened, but since he didn’t do anything but follow
her around and stare at her, she tried to ignore him, figuring that
sooner or later he would go away. He didn’t. He was there every
morning, waiting for her to open her eyes and begin her day. She tried
to talk to him from time to time, but he simply stared at her, refusing
to answer anything she said. She even tried to pretend that he wasn’t
there, but it was no good. She felt the weight of his stare whether she
ignored or acknowledged his presence. Sometimes it seemed like he’d
been there forever.
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Don't
forget the Members' Hall of Fame!
If you have written a crime,
mystery or suspense novel, or have been part of a published anthology of
such stories, or if you have written a book on the craft of writing, we
want to know about it! Send
your information, including your name, book title and ISBN (if
available). We'll give you some free exposure in the Members' Hall
of Fame!
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Wish Upon
A Star by Tony Burton. We all have our
dreams... and we all want them to come true. Maybe your dream is to shoot
par, or to bowl a perfect 300, or to graduate summa cum laude.
But sometimes dreams can cause conflict, when the dreamers clash over
whose dream is more important.
The P-51 banked in the sky and
arrowed down at him out of the sun, its engine crooning a song of
destruction. But William Hedrick stood his ground, hands on the
controls. Just as the plane was about to make a strafing run, its engine
coughed and smoke puffed from the cowling. The pilot cried out in anger
and fear, but managed to pull up the nose before the fighter crashed.
The plane performed a quick Immelmann and once more started its
approach…
“Yo, Hedrick! Will you stop
flyin’ that stupid toy airplane over my back yard? It’s drivin’
Betsy crazy!” Bubba Beaudry yelled from the deck of his home. When the
young man ignored him, Bubba drained the last of the beer he was
drinking and hurled the empty bottle at his neighbor, narrowly missing
Hedrick’s nose.
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