The Short Order -- Volume One -- Number Two -- December 1996                              SEASONS GREETINGSWell, here goes the second issue of the SHORT ORDER. This is the officialNewsletter of the fledgling, online organization, the SHORT MYSTERYFICTION SOCIETY(SMFS). In this issue you will find a number of articlesof interest to readers and writers of mystery fiction in the short form.Here's a brief Table of Contents:     SHOOT -- I MEAN, ASK AWAY (Part 2)     by Jiro Kimura     SHORT FICTION MARKETS REPORT     by Gail Hayden     SCAM ALERTS     by Kate Grilley     WHEN THE AUTHOR IS READY, THE STORY APPEARS     by Gail HaydenThis issue of The Short Order is somewhat shorter than the previous onebut that seems in keeping with the nature of short fiction. I'm suremany of us have been busy with the short Holiday season this year. So,For those of you wondering "Where is that Short Mystery Fiction Societynewletter, The Short Order, anyway?", here's the answer to another oneof life's little mysteries.If you wish to subscribe to the ascii/text/email version of thisnewsletter, send an email request to [rkfoster@ix.netcom.com]. Thesubscription request need not be in any particular form, as it is notcurrently an automated process, but please make clear what the purposeof your email is. The Short Order will be sent to your email box as itbecomes available on a quarterly basis. We are publishing the Newsletterquarterly for the time being. Look for the next issue in the middle ofMarch 1997. We hope you'll join us again then. In the meantime, theVirtual Offices of the Short Mystery Fiction Society(SMFS) can be foundat [http://members.aol.com/Mystfield/SMFS/index.html].The World Wide Web location for this Issue of The Short Order is:http://members.aol.com/Mystfield/SMFS/newsletter/v01/n02.htmlPlease send Letters to the Editor at [rkfoster@ix.netcom.com]Here's to a good mystery!R.K.FosterEditor---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                   ######                     SHOOT -- I MEAN, ASK AWAY (Part 2)                               by Jiro KimuraQuestion: Please tell us about the rise and fall of Mike Shayne MysteryMagazine.[--J. Alec West (if I can use the inquirer's name]Answers:If you have a copy of ENCYCLOPEDIA MYSTERIOSA, by the late William L.DeAndrea (which won the Edgar in the biographical/critical category) andlook up the essay by Edward D. Hoch about mystery magazines, you will knowthe histories of several mystery magazines and I don't have to write therise and fall of Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine.Okay, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine started with the September 1956 issueas Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine (first six issues), published by RenownPublications. Publisher was Leo Margulies and editor was Sam Merwin, Jr.The first issue (at 35 cents) contains:"Bring Back a Corpse" by Brett Halliday"The Quiet LIfe" by Craig Rice"Walk Away Fast" by Hal Ellson"Three Wives Too Many" by Kenneth Fearing"Water's Edge" by Robert Bloch"You Wash and I'll Dry" by Charles irving"Unfinished Business" by John E. Hasty"A Pitch for Murder" by Louis Trimble"A Present for Peter" by Carter Sprague"Home Grouond" by Matthew Lee"Rooftop" by Norman DanielsMargulies died in 1975 and his wife Cylvia succeeded as editor andpublisher. She sold the magazine in 1978 and I believe Charles E. Fritchbecame editor. It went defunct in 1985. Every issue has a monthy noveletteby "Brett Halliday." This "Brett Halliday" is not Davis Dresser, but a lotof ghost writers including Dennis Lynds (aka. Michael Collins), JamesReasoner, and Hal Charles. I heard a lot of writers were not paid fortheir stories just before it ceased publication.*********************************************Jiro KimuraKanazawa, JAPANe-mail: jkimura@nsknet.or.jpThe Gumshoe Site (http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~jkimura/)*********************************************---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                   ######                        SHORT FICTION MARKETS REPORT                               by Gail HaydenMarket and marketing suggestions for the short mystery story writer.Guidelines?Sometimes bad things happen to good, that is to say, nice, writers. I haveread many horror stories of stories accepted and not printed or abductedby a cruel editor who wanted to make a coat out of them...no, that'sanother story and Disney owns it. Sorry. But you know what I mean.In fact, such an untoward and disturbing event happened to me recently.Using information in a certain reputable market report, I sent a shortliterary story to a publication, not really knowing it. Several monthslater--after I had withdrawn the story--I received a copy of the magazinewith my story right there in print. What a shock! I had signed nocontract--had only offered my story to the market for the editor's perusaland had then withdrawn it.Oh well, you might say, at least you were published--save for twocomplicating factors: One, I had sold the story elsewhere, and two, thiswas a blatantly, stomach turningly anti-Semitic publication with somenormal fiction pieces appended. Yipes. I tried to track the editor inColorado, but come to find out there was no listing for the pub oreditor. No wonder the responsible party was trying to hide. The magazinewas disgusting. I called the editor of the market report in which I hadseen the listing and she was very, very helpful. To her surprise, therewas no phone number on the form submitted by the errant publication.After I faxed her samples of the editorial writing in the magazine, shepulled the listing in her next issue and sent a warning memo to othereditors at her company.All's well that ends well, I suppose. The editor to whom I had actuallysold the story was very understanding and my Miss Invisible appeared inher publication (Calliope) soon after.The moral of the story may be: Send for guidelines--even sampleissues--before sending out your story. I'm not certain if that's what awriter needs to do. I still don't do it due to time and costconsiderations. But you may be more prudent than I and may want to do so.Either way, best of luck. Here are some new listings of markets for shortmystery writers.           ******************************************************I sent for guidelines to Hardboiled and got back about a 100th generationcopy of the gls. I find that a little uninspiring, especially since Inoted in my cover letter that I was compiling a listing for an onlinedigest of authors. However,"I'm looking for very hard, cutting-edge crime fiction, usually under3,000 words (longer would have to be extraordinary) and with impact. Thekind of story that stays with a reader, that just might change thatreader. The competition is rough, you're up against some of the best ofthe Pros, so only send me your best, but there is room for newcomers.Each issue of Hardboiled is 100+ pages, typeset, with color covers, andhas many stories by unknown and first-time writers. Your work is what'simportant, not your name. Payment is in two free copies of the issue youappear in and a nominal cash payment by contract upon publication."Apparently, it's a quarterly.Gary LovisiGryphon PublicationsP.O. Box 209Brooklyn, NY 11228Lovisi also is looking for articles regarding paperback collecting for hispub Paperback Parade. Query first.Vermont Ink is a quarterly small press magazine that publishes poetry andvarious types of fiction, including mystery. It has specific requirementsfor submission, so anyone wanting to submit should request guidelinesfirst. VI has a website at http://www.selectvermont.com/vtinkSubscription price is $16.00. Current issue price is $5.00.Vermont InkP.O. Box 3297Burlington, VT 05401-3297Editor: Donna LeachDaniel Roberts, EditorPress2124 BroadwaySuite 323New York, NY 10023Pressltd@aol.comShort fiction and poetry. Responds in two months. Stories to 25 pages. Thelisting is originally from Writer's Digest.Charlie BradleyManaging EditorThe Cozy Detective Mystery Magazine686 Jakes Ct.McMinnville, OR 97128Quarterly to 5,000 words Response six weeks. Likes disk submission inASCII or Mac Word but letter quality ms is okay. The listing is originallyfrom Writer's Digest. Pays $15.I received guidelines fromOver My Dead BodyFiction EditorP.O. Box 1778Auburn, WA 98071-1778Pay is one cent a word. The editors are overstocked in the 2,000 to 4,000word category, which seems to leave 750 words to 2,000. They acceptnon-fiction, too.Guidelines from Woman's World. (Warning this is an ultra-tough market--thegood news is they read very fast.) Mysteries are 1,200 words (they meanthat exactly). Nothing icky. They want whodunits. Pay is $500 for firstNA serial rights. (That's why it's a tough market.) You can buy a sampleissue of the magazine in any supermarket.Fiction EditorWoman's World270 Sylvan Ave.Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07832-------------------------------------------------Gail Hayden--MaraWayne@aol.com--contrary to her reputation--is NOT thepoet laureate of the American Nazi Party. Her short story Like StuffHappens, You Know is slated to appear in the next issue of MurderousIntent.---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                   ######                                 SCAM ALERTS                               by Kate Grilley"A fool and his money are soon parted." Keep your wallets/checkbooksfirmly shut when these folks come calling.COMMONWEALTH PUBLICATIONSMany complaints from Canadian writers about Commonwealth Publications,Inc. (9764-45 Ave., Edmonton, Alberta T6E 5C5). The Writers' Union ofCanada is warning its members not to deal with the company, and the BetterBusiness Bureau of Central and Northern Alberta says the company has an"unsatisfactory record" based on its "failure to eliminate the basic causeof customer complaints" brought to the attention of the BBB.Commonwealth subsidy publisher offers co-publishing deals to new writerswith no track record, but offers real contracts to writers with a trackrecord. Also soliciting writers via the Internet and flyers sent toliterary journals.EDIT, INC. -- Book Doctors!Edit, Inc. a/k/a Edit, Ink (previously known as Editcetera), book-doctorWilliam Appel and Denise Storrs. Edit, Inc. offers 15% kickbacks toeditors or publishers referring writers to them.Agents known to use Edit, Inc. are: Author's Literary Agency, CharlesNeighbors, Aardvark Literary Agents, Genero Capshaw, The Literary Bridge,Elaine Davie, Neil G. McClusky, The Westchester Literary Agency, andAllison J. Picard.Publishers include: Baldwin and Knowlton Books, Crescent Books, and DiscusPress.Aanvil Press sends the same sort of letter as Crescent Books and NewScribes Literary Agency recommending Edit, Inc. as a book doctor.PAGER/VOICE MAIL SCAMS...This appears to be a variation on a theme...you'll receive an urgent typemessage telling you to return a call to a phone number in area code 809.Don't DO IT! You'll rack up a monster phone bill for nothing. I gottaconfess this scam hurts me personally, because 809 is MY area code. Butalso keep in mind, I seldom call anyone...so if you get a message tellingyou to call area code 809, it isn't from moi!Here are some additional area codes to watch out for before returningunsolicited, unexpected calls: (Info from AT&T along with their effectivedates.)Country Code Effective Date======= ==== ==============Bahamas 242 October 1, 1996Barbados 246 July 1, 1996Antigua 268 April 1, 1996Cayman Islands 345 September 1, 1996Monserrat 664 July 1, 1996St. Lucia 758 July 1, 1996Puerto Rico 787 March 1, 1996St. Kitts/Nevis 869 October 1, 1996Jamaica 876 October 1, 1996(may still be 809)Bermuda now has the area code of 441.A few more countries will be changing their area codes in 1997:N. Commonwealth of Mariana Is. 670 July 1, 1997Trinidad & Dominica 767 October 1, 1997Tobago 868 June 1, 1997Several countries are keeping the 809 area code, such as the DominicanRepublic, Grenada, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Martinique.BIG BROTHER IS WATCHINGI've heard that Lexis-Nexis is building a P-Trax data base that willcontain at a minimum the following information on just about everyone inthe U.S.Your NameYour Social Security NumberYour Mother's Maiden NameYour Previous and Current AddressI've also heard that the data base will be available, at the very least,to all attorneys subscribing to Lexis-Nexis. If you want to be includedOUT of this data base, call 1-888-965-3947 or fax to 1-800-470-4365.WOODSIDE LITERARY AGENCYThe pitch runs along these lines:If you've written a book and would like to get it published, you're at theright place. No one knows the publishing world better than we do. Comevisit our web site. You won't be disappointed . . . and that's a promise:http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/James_Leonard_3I've warned about groups like this. This one is considered by many to be ascam. It has appeared under the names of Woodside, Oakwood, James Leonard,and Susan Day. Should you decide to submit material to them, consider thisfirst:  1. No legitimate agency charges fees to writers. Agents make a     commission off of the material they sell. Should Woodside request     money from you, well, that's how illegitimate they are.  2. Oakwood, James Leonard, Susan Day, are unknown beyond their attempts     to solicit writers on the internet. Their cyber-notoriety resultsmore     from people accusing them of being a scam than from any legit     advertising.  3. They may already be under investigation by the New York District     Attorney for fraudulant business activites.  4. James Leonard is continually changing e-mail addresses. It appears     that ISP's investigate his activites, then terminate his account.JOHN HONEA PUBLISHERS a/k/a RENAISSANCE LITERARY AGENCYJohn Honea Publishers is writing a letter to people that sounds somethinglike :An editor has informed me you have a book-length manuscript of goodquality. Have you thought of entering it in our contest?It goes on to say send the first 2 chapters and synopsis, and that theprize is $25,000!!He claims to be located in Alpharetta, GA, but there is nolisting--surprise, surprise! According to my source at the top of theletter was a warm-and-fuzzy logo of a family looking into the sunset,with 'Save The Family' written below it.There was no mention of contest entry fees, but somewhere in here I'll betthere is a reading fee ranging from $150-$300. That is money you can kissgoodbye.This sweetheart also goes by the name of the "Renaissance Literary Agency"in Atlanta GA, John Honea, or Leon Jones. Stay away.RADIO TALK SHOW SCAMMargo Power reported this one:{{ An author received a call from a Musa Kalimullah of radio station WALEin Providence, RI.He wanted the author to host a drive-time Friday radio show on WALE, a50,000 watt station in Providence, serving a population of 3.5 million.The facts, as he told me, are as follows:  1. He was "looking for" a political talk show host.  2. The author would commit to a weekly (Friday) show for a minimum of 13     weeks.  3. It would only cost the author $300 per week, or $3,900 - paid in     advance. This pays for 3 minutes of advertising, at $100 per minute.  4. The $300 would be a good-faith payment to cover initial production     costs, even though the author would receive 75% of all advertising     dollars to cover the $300, and even make a huge profit.  5. When asked for printed material on radio station WALE - he had none.  6. When asked for ratings on his station (audience size, etc) - he had     none to give me, even thought the station is over 5 years old,     according to him.  7. If the author said yes, he would Fed Ex a short contract, and the     author would return it by Fed Ex with a check for the $3,900.Whadya think??? Sound like a good deal to you??? }}SOUTHEAST LITERARY AGENCYSoutheast Literary Agency (Debbie Fine, POB 910, Sharpes FL 32959)charges a $150 fee to cover the costs of postage, phone calls, etc. andtakes a 10% commission. Not standard agent practice.THE BOOK READER - book review paperThe Book Reader, ed: Jay Bails. Allegedly a book review paper out of theSan Jose-area in California. Those who are reviewed in the Reader aretoldit's profitable to buy ads; sounds more like a scam than a real deal.----------------------Know of any scams you want to see in future columns? You, too, can win apocket for your spy coat! Post me the details at 71764.3206@compuserve.comHappy, scam-free, holidays to all!KateKate Grilley's first short story, "Taking Prisoners", appeared in theSummer, 1996 issue of Murderous Intent. You can reach Kate by e-mail at71764.3206@compuserve.com or on the web athttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Kate_Grilley---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                   ######                 WHEN THE AUTHOR IS READY, THE STORY APPEARS                               by Gail HaydenHow does a short story writer ply his/her/its craft? Well, the process isa little like any creative act such as cooking a delectable meal for 500,or running the two-minute kilometer. That is, it's difficult. (Don't letanyone tell you otherwise.) But I can only offer a description of how I doit.Here's my approach, in five complex moves:Step 1--Think up a concept. Well, no, scratch that sentence. You don'thave to conjure up a storm, just prepare to let the plot outline overtakeyou. Brisk exercise, a reflexology treatment, and two pieces of finechocolate* have been known to work wonders. Remember though, don't skimpon the chocolate. Take three deep breaths. Voila! The story springsfull-blown into your head. Well, maybe not completely outlined, but youmore or less have a germ of a beginning, don't you? One more piece ofchocolate might help. Maybe go online and check your mail, mess around onthe boards for a while...Step 2--Empty your mind. This is hard for meditators, but simple for thoseengaged in the act of writing. Again, the seasoned professional sits downwithout an idea in the world of what he/she/it is going to say next. Donot listen to those who advise you to outline. Please! You could write anentire novel in the time it would take you to plan out one measly story.Proceed without a hint of what you intend to scribble, except for anysmidgen of a sketch that you might have derived from following Step 1.You find yourself staring at a blank screen with nothing happening?Type, my children. Type away with all your heart.Step 3--Let the muses gnaw at you. In a quandary at this point? Good, verygood. Ideal, in fact. You have a topic, a character, and even some action,but the protagonist's dilemma is actually your own? The conflict intowhich you have delivered the hero is a genuinely overwhelming situation.Woe is him. How in the heck is he supposed to emerge unscathed? Perhapsyou'll have a dream tonight, offering the solution. Or take a bath; thebathtub is an excellent place to think. Go for a walk: Striding acrosstown will be so boring as to force you to dwell on the disasters facingStudly Dashing, your fictional alter ego. Maybe he can take a mighty leapup from the pit where the bad guys placed him. No one is on guard. Or theguard is distracted by a cup of Starbucks' finest placed there by Studly'sconfederate. "Studly jumped up and fled." That seems lame... Oh well, whatelse have you got? Keyboard it in, anyway.Step 4--Start again from the beginning. So you can't quite come to aconclusion? Yes, Studly has escaped, but how does he convince theRochester magistrate not to arrest him and simultaneously prove that hiscousin Ivan's oldest son Marvin has committed the crime in order to comeinto the family inheritance? When things are going that badly, friend,start cleaning up your magic prose from early on in the story and hopethat something brilliant will occur to you in the meantime. That's right,give Studly a Magnum instead of a Baretta.(How is that calibrated?)These are the important details from which will emerge a clue as to whatthe mighty Studly is capable of in a pinch. I have it! I have it! Studlygoes into the potting shed to find an old rag in order to clean theMagnum--which had fallen into a ditch during the Big Chase. "Could thatbox marked with a red X be the very powder that Aunt Martha had ingestedwith her dram of sherry? Was that the deadly ingredient that hadinstantly killed the feisty ex-chorus girl who had married Uncle Herman30 years before? Studly sighed in genuine vexation. He feared so."Perfect, and it conveys so much powerful emotion, too. Now for the grandfinale itself.Step 5--Obsess over the results until you're sick of looking at the story,then mail it. The more you go over your work, the greater the number ofproblems you will have with what is written there. Good lord, the wordshave lost all semblance of meaning! Will anyone comprehend what youintended? Ignore those doubts, just smooth out the rhythm and spellcheckthe darn thing. Bored with your project? That's the internal signal thatyou're superbly finished. Now fill in your form cover letter with aneditor's name and address--and the name and word length of your story.Apply postage. Send. Hover over your (incoming) mailbox daily, lookingfor envelopes with your imprint on them. Hover, hover. Return to thestore and buy more chocolates. Proceed to Step 1 to engage in yet anotherfierce, courageous act of authorship.Well done, oh marvelous Scribe. Rewards await thee.*Chocolate is both a stimulant (due to its caffeine content) and a lovesubstitute. All real writers swear by it.Gail Hayden's stories have appeared in such publications as MurderousIntent and Kracked Mirror Mysteries. Pacific Empire, her book ofinterlinked mysteries set during World War II, will be released in January1998 by JoNa Books.---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                   ######                                  MASTHEAD             EDITOR -- Robert K. Foster [rkfoster@ix.netcom.com]            ASSOCIATE EDITOR -- Debi Benoit [d.benoit2@genie.com]                ADVISOR -- Margo Power [madison@teleport.com]       The Virtual Offices of the Short Mystery Fiction Society(SMFS)              http://members.aol.com/Mystfield/SMFS/index.html      The Text-only, All-in-one Version of this Short Order Newsletter        http://members.aol.com/Mystfield/SMFS/newsletter/v01/n02.html                                   ######---------------------------------------------------------------------------             Copyright(C)1996 The Short Mystery Fiction Society                  Last Updated Wednesday, December 25, 1996                                 R.K.Foster