http://www.thewindjammer.com/index.php/nefarious Mystery and Crime Fiction on the Web Since 1999 - Here's To A Good Mystery™ en rkfoster@thewindjammer.com Copyright 2011 2011-02-23T02:45:47-05:00 http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/ebooks_available_-_nefarious_night_press/ http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/ebooks_available_-_nefarious_night_press/#When:01:45:47Z Early on (2001) in the history of Nefarious - Tales of Mystery I decided to create a few ebook volumes. They were fairly new at the time, back when ebook devices were more a novelty than the latest craze.Early on (2001) in the history of Nefarious - Tales of Mystery I decided to create a few ebook volumes. They were fairly new at the time, back when ebook devices were more a novelty than the latest craze. I thought I’d provide them here again on the Nefarious - Tales of Mystery site. Microsoft Reader (.lit) had the most “book like” experience at the time so there are more of those than other formats listed below. The Rocket eBook (.rb) was one of the first book-only devices that ever came on the market. “The Sign of the Four” was a volume I put together to go along with the premiere of a new film of the same name appearing on the “Odyssey” cable TV network. If I remember correctly this channel later became the Hallmark channel. The story is a fairly good one in the Sherlock Holmes canon so give it a read if you can. The Adobe PDF version should be readable on almost any device. The Sign of the Four Adobe PDF (.pdf) Microsoft Reader (.lit) Rocket Ebook (.rb) Other Books - Microsoft Reader Editions Sherlock Holmes (.lit) The Moonstone (.lit) The Thirty Nine Steps (.lit) eBooks 2011-02-23T01:45:47-05:00 http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/sketch_me_if_you_can/ http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/sketch_me_if_you_can/#When:00:31:52Z Sketch Me If You Can by Sharon Pape A Portrait of Crime Mystery First In A New Series!Sketch Me If You Can by Sharon Pape A Portrait of Crime Mystery First In A New Series! COVER QUOTES “A standout mystery.“ — Susan Wittig Albert “Fast-paced and spirited…[A] sure-handed balance of humor and action.“ — Julie Hyzy, author of Eggsecutive Orders “A spirited debut!“ — Cleo Coyle, author of the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries THOUGHTS At the very least, like any novel that manages to be accepted and published by a major publisher imprint like Berkley Prime Crime Mystery, this book is well written. The characters are well thought out and believable, unless you refuse to accept a ghost as a major character in a book. The dialogue is good and the pace of the book keeps you interested through to the end. It describes a world which is pleasant and engaging, albeit also dangerous, to live in and inhabit through the words of the author. The plot of the crime is fairly complicated and is not immediately solved. It certainly did not end up on my waste basket shelf (I find it hard to throw any book into the trash, even when I feel that way), unlike some recent “urban fantasy” books I’ve read. The book first attracted my attention because I am an amateur artist myself. I thought it would be interesting to see how a writer might integrate Art into a crime novel. However, I was somewhat disappointed by the seeming lack of emphasis on the artist angle of the book. That may have just been me as I don’t really know what I could’ve expected. Of course there were scenes of the main character involved in the work of a Police Sketch Artist. But as an artist myself I expected more of the thinking and mindset of an artist within the context of the story. I got the sense that the author may not be an artist herself and so did not write about some aspects of creating art that I might expect. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great idea to have a main character as a Sketch Artist. I’m glad an author made the attempt. The main character of the book is a strong female lead that finds herself dealing with a number of dangerous situations. Her uncle has died early on in the book and she later encounters a ghost living in the home left to her by the uncle. She also inherits the uncle’s private investigation company which presents her with the case of an unsolved murder that has been ruled an accidental death. All in all there’s plenty of intrigue to keep the story going. I also liked the main character’s approach to the difficult situations that she finds herself in. Some protagonists tend to make you want to scream out loud with exasperation and frustration at the personality quirks that the author insisted upon for them. Not so with Rory McCain, the main character. There are personality conflicts between her and the other characters but they are mostly employed in pointing out the motivations behind the various characters. One other unique aspect of the book, for those of you who are fans of Louis L’Amour, are periodic flashbacks to the american west where the ghost that inhabits the house previously lived. These passages were well written and gave me a good sense of the historical wild west. They also served to bolster the character of the ghost and his motivations and experience. It’s very rare and hard to include a character with speech, motivations, and thinking that come from another era. But this story does that well. I will be picking up the next book in the series when it becomes available. It promises to be another good read. Review 2011-02-21T00:31:52-05:00 http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/a_walk_down_memory_lane/ http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/a_walk_down_memory_lane/#When:23:32:13Z So I stopped by this old warehouse of a webzine, cleaned up some cobwebs, and kicked out a few gremlins. It’s nice looking back at past work and better days.So I stopped by this old warehouse of a webzine, cleaned up some cobwebs, and kicked out a few gremlins. It’s nice looking back at past work and better days. I still find a few good mystery novels around to spend my time on. As for TV, how about that “Castle“? ( Castle DVD’s, Castle Books ) Maybe not your cup of tea? What I find interesting about the show—beside the good acting, sense of humor, and good cast chemistry—is the way they have integrated the TV show with an annual published book. Supposedly the book is written by “Richard Castle” who is nothing but a character in the TV show. My money is on Michael Connelly as the real author behind the book. Anybody know for sure? The whole “Urban Fantasy“ (UF) genre seems to have taken off but has devolved, to my thinking, into another resort for romance novels. When I first got interested in that genre it seemed the fantasy elements had more in common with mystery novels than anything else. Now when I look for my first love of the UF genre, Kat Richardson, I find her ensconced in the scifi and fantasy section of the local Borders store. Oh well. Not that I don’t like Fantasy and Science Fiction. So if anyone is out there or comes across this, let me know how things are going. Drop me an email through the link in the sidebar. Here’s to a good mystery! Editor's Blog 2011-01-31T23:32:13-05:00 http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/nefarious_has_moved_to_a_new_home/ http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/nefarious_has_moved_to_a_new_home/#When:20:22:57Z In order to save on expenses we have been forced to move NEFARIOUS - Tales of Mystery to a new web domain.In order to save on expenses we have been forced to move NEFARIOUS - Tales of Mystery to a new web domain. The domain “www.nefarious-tales.com” will now forward to the site you are now viewing. Editor's Blog 2008-12-27T20:22:57-05:00 http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/back_issue_archives/ http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/back_issue_archives/#When:18:20:42Z Information about online resources for previous versions of the webzine and a chronological listing of past issues.You can check the Internet Archive project (http://www.archive.org/index.php), which archives web sites, for previous versions of the NEFARIOUS web site. The URL’s below will give you pages for the two domains NEFARIOUS has used: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/ http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.nefarious-tales.com/ Webzine Back Issue Morgue by Volume and Number Year 1999 Volume 01 Number 01 - December 1999 TALKED TO DEATH By Jeffrey Marks IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR HUSBAND ALIVE… By G. Miki Hayden HOME WRECKERS By M.E. Troy WAITING TO DIE… By Michelle Giles THE FOREST CONNECTION By Lynda Douglas Year 2000 Volume 01 Number 02 - January 2000 THE THREAT By John Broussard JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE PARANOID By Michael Mallory THE LOVE BOAT By Charles Hustmyre MURDER ON THE LEAVENWORTH EXPRESS By Patricia Harrington Volume 01 Number 03 - February 2000 MURDER UNDRESSED By David Scott HAPPY LAST BIRTHDAY TO YOU By Pat Fish BETTER THAN HOUDINI By Larry Cohen THE LAST GASP By Marianna Heusler Volume 01 Number 04 - March 2000 DANCING WITH SCORPIONS By George M. Scott DOCTOR OF DEATH By Marcia Kiser FREELANCER By Richard B. Schwartz DEAD MAN’S CHEST By Jeffrey Marks Volume 01 Number 05 - April 2000 THE WINNING By James S. Dorr ONE BIG SCORE By Charles Hustmyre A GOOD SUMMER JOB By Anthony Neil Smith VISITOR By Cynthia Hendershot Volume 01 Number 06 - May 2000 THE BELT By Anand Rainman HARD UPBRINGING By J. Vandersteen THE UNBORN By Serita Stevens THE RUBY ROBBER By Michelle Giles FILM NOIR By Larry Tyler Volume 01 Number 07 - 2000 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 01 Number 08 - 2000 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 01 Number 09 - 2000 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 01 Number 10 - 2000 Contents Listing Unavailable.   Year 2001 Volume 02 Number 01 - 2001 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 02 Number 02 - 2001 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 02 Number 03 - 2001 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 02 Number 04 - 2001 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 02 Number 05 - 2001 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 02 Number 06 - 2001 Contents Listing Unavailable. Year 2002 Volume 03 Number 01 - 2002 Contents Listing Unavailable. Volume 03 Number 02 - March 2002 Contents Listing Unavailable. (No Issues between March 2002 and October 2006)   Year 2006 Volume 04 Number 01 - October 2006 Author Patricia Harrington Hidden Thoughts [55 Word Fiction] by Judy Saul A Step at a Time [Short Story] by Judith Post The Legend of the Woman [55 Word Fiction] by Christina R. Floe The Silver Cord [Short Story] by Christina R. Floe Unfinished Business [55 Word Fiction] by Michael Varma The Ordeal [55 Word Fiction] by Michael Varma Registration Problems (AOL Users) [Website News] by R.K. Foster Et Tu [55 Word Fiction] by Michael Varma First Time [55 Word Fiction] by Michael Varma The Vincent Zandri Web Page [Web Link | Author/Artist Website] by R.K. Foster Helix :: a Speculative Fiction Quarterly [Web Link | Online Magazine] by R.K. Foster Free Book Zone [eBooks | Web Link] by R.K. Foster World eBook Library [eBooks | Web Link] by R.K. Foster Volume 04 Number 02 - December 2006 Revenge [55 Word Fiction] by Michael Varma Faster than a Speeding Bullet: 6 Steps to Writing Flash Fiction [Writing] by Paul Alan Fahey Film: Children of Men [Film | Web Link] by R.K. Foster 55 Nefarious Words [55 Word Fiction] by R.K. Foster The Weight of Words [Flash Fiction] by Harriett Fjaagesund   Year 2007 Volume 04 Number 03 - March 2007 The Butler Did It [55 Word Fiction] by Stephen D. Rogers CRAZY [Flash Fiction] by Paul Alan Fahey Mystery Chips [55 Word Fiction] by Christina R. Floe QUACK [Short Story] by Jan Christensen Poisson [55 Word Fiction] by bluvelvet Who’s Afraid of the Morning After? [55 Word Fiction] by Paul Alan Fahey NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery Book Store [From The Editor | Website News] by R.K. Foster Holster [55 Word Fiction] by BJ Bourg Time Waits For No One (March 2007) [Editorial] by R.K. Foster HEY, THERE’S A DEAD GUY IN THE LIVING ROOM [Web Link] by R.K. Foster Out of Control [55 Word Fiction] by Shannan A. Gros 2007 Edgar Award Nominees List [From The Editor | Web Link] by R.K. Foster TCM Mystery Movies in March [From The Editor | Web Link] by R.K. Foster eBook Formats Primer [eBooks] by R.K. Foster Renaissance E Books Inc. [eBooks | Web Link] by R.K. Foster Fictionwise - Excellence in Ebooks [eBooks | Web Link] by R.K. Foster Newpages.com - Good Reading Starts Here [Web Link] by R.K. Foster Volume 04 Number 04 - April 2007 A Mound of Pressure [55 Word Fiction] by Michael Varma Moscow Times [Short Story] by Elena Clark INTERNAL AFFAIRS [55 Word Fiction] by Shannan A. Gros From Out of the Darkness [55 Word Fiction] by BJ Bourg A Sad Surprise [55 Word Fiction] by jvimawriter Everything Has Its Place [55 Word Fiction] by drourso Oops. [55 Word Fiction] by r2 The Wraith of Wendy Wilkerson [Short Story] by Daniel B. Young Corpus Deli [55 Word Fiction] by Teel James Glenn Volume 04 Number 05 - May 2007 True Love [55 Word Fiction] by Shannan A. Gros Smells Like Rain [Short Story] by BJ Bourg Always Keep Count [55 Word Fiction] by Teel James Glenn A Slightly Different Perspective (May 2007) [Editorial] by R.K. Foster Some Things You Just Don’t Do [Short Story] by Ralph Filicchia Seven By Seven [55 Word Fiction] by Larry Tyler Old Adversaries: A Bo Fexler Story [Short Story] by Clair Dickson Volume 04 Number 06 - June 2007 The Grieving Husband [55 Word Fiction] by BJ Bourg Speed Trap [Short Story] by Brian Haycock Punishment [Short Story] by Len Maxwell The Case [Short Story] by g emil reutter Dolphin [Short Story] by Steve Andreorio The Reunion [55 Word Fiction] by Sara Lynn Ryan The Package [Short Story] by gregstephens Familiar Face [55 Word Fiction] by James Mathis Dial B for Burbank [Web Link] by R.K. Foster Other Stories Not Specific To Any One Issue About NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery [Website News] by R.K. Foster Membership Information [Membership News] by R.K. Foster Submission Guidelines [Website News] by R.K. Foster Submission Entry Form Instructions [Website News] by Website Administrator Information For Authors and Artists [Membership News] by R.K. Foster Author and Artist Payment Rate Schedule [Website News] by R.K. Foster Instructions For Submitting A Web Site Link [Website News] by R.K. Foster Webzine Circulation Numbers [Website News] by Website Administrator Member Benefits [From The Editor | Membership News] by R.K. Foster Advertising Rates [From The Editor | Website News] by Website Administrator NEFARIOUS Has A New Look! [From The Editor | Website News] by R.K. Foster 2008-12-27T18:20:42-05:00 http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/about/ http://www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious/about/#When:18:15:26Z NEFARIOUS - Tales of Mystery was created in the spirit of classic mystery stories where the plot, the puzzle, the mystery itself was the key ingredient of the tale. Our online zine included Short Stories, Flash Fiction, 55 Word Fiction, Film Photos and Movie Trailers, occasional Reviews, an Image Gallery, Events Listing, Discussion Forums, Crime News, an E-Book page, and a Book Store.NEFARIOUS - Tales of Mystery was created in the spirit of classic mystery stories where the plot, the puzzle, the mystery itself was the key ingredient of the tale. Our online zine included Short Stories, Flash Fiction, 55 Word Fiction, Film Photos and Movie Trailers, occasional Reviews, an Image Gallery, Events Listing, Discussion Forums, Crime News, an E-Book page, and a Book Store. We were also available on cell phones and other portable devices through a mobile formatted interface at the nefarious.mobi URL. Some History NEFARIOUS - Tales of Mystery began life in 1999 as an online “ezine”, as they were called in those days. Created during the heyday of the “Mystery” series on PBS television in the United States it was intended to extend the mystery genre in short story magazine form onto the Internet. Despite the many shortcomings of web site software, and our web design skills, at the time we managed to get a good number of issues out on the web. In those early days we also had the benefit of being listed on the Excite Web Portal (remember them?) through our RSS feed. Excite was one of the first portals to make use of RSS (which stood for Rich Site Summary when in its infancy). Much of our initial popularity could probably be attributed to the traffic from the Excite portal. Excite was good for us and gave us the proverbial big break. It was a disappointment to hear that they would be shutting down but, by that time, RSS had become more widely used on the Net so there was potential for other syndication. The tag line we used in those days was “A mystery fiction webzine for Readers who love a good mystery and Writers who love to tell one.” We did have a good mix of mostly mystery and crime fiction with the occasional horror story. In September 2002 a new web domain was setup for the Nefarious - Tales of Mystery webzine at www.nefarious-tales.com. March 2002, Volume 3 Number 2 “The Tough Guys and Gals Make Good” Issue was the last issue published on the old web space at www.thewindjammer.com/nefarious . There was a multi-year “hiatus” from 2002 until the Autumn of 2006 in which we discontinued publication of new issues of the webzine. We also discontinued publication after the June 2007 issue. 2008-12-27T18:15:26-05:00