%=====================================================================% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% THE SHORT ORDER %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %==================== Volume ONE Number FOUR =====================% %============================ Sep 1997 ===========================% %===================== A Newsletter From The =====================% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SHORT MYSTERY FICTION SOCIETY %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%=====================================================================%%=========== http://www.thewindjammer.com/smfs/newsletter/ ===========%%=====================================================================%####### Greetings!Saturday, September 6, 1997Death. We must all deal with it in one way or another. Some of us morethan others. Each of our own deaths at least, often those of ones closeto us. Death is a central theme of the majority of Mystery fiction andnon-fiction, usually the death of a victim. Authors will experiment withtheir writing to make it new, fresh, and unpredictable to the reader,especially where victims are concerned. This is the creative perogativeof the artist. It is far too easy to forget that the victims of life arevery often quite real and unique human beings. Truth is stranger thanfiction, as the saying goes.I was surprised to find myself reminded of this with the recent deaths ofGianni Versace, Princess Diana, and Mother Theresa. A violent death, atragic accident, a quiet passing into the arms of God(not everyone is avictim). You never know what you've got until it's gone and you neverknow when death will come calling.Lest we forget the victims of this world, in mystery fiction or in reallife, I would like to dedicate this issue of The Short Order to LadyDiana Spencer, Princess of Wales who died in a tragic accident Sunday,August 31, 1997 in Paris, France. Never was there a more tangible exampleof unfulfilled potential for life. My hope is that the investigation intoher death proceeds with insight, truth, fairness, and justice.And now, on to the current Issue of The Short Order...}}}}}}} R.K.Foster, Editor rkfoster@ix.netcom.com%=====================================================================%The Short Order(TSO) is a quarterly email/web newsletter for fans ofmystery fiction in the short form. Those interested in working on somepart of The Short Order can email the Editor, R.K.Foster(Bob) at{rkfoster@ix.netcom.com} with your ideas, background, and suggestions. -=+=-####### TABLE OF CONTENTS SCAM ALERT by Kate Grilley SHOOT--I MEAN, ASK AWAY... by Jiro Kimura THE SHORT STORY AS A BOOK FORM by G. Miki (Gail) Hayden CLARK LINKSTER, L.I. by R.K.Foster MARKET REPORT: E-ZINES AS SHORT MYSTERY MARKETS by Gail (G. Miki) Hayden SUNNYE'S FABLES by Sunnye Tiedemann####### ANNOUNCEMENTS The current announcements can be found below. If you would like an announcement added to the list on The Short Order website, please email it to the editor, R.K.Foster, at {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}. The website announcements are also included in the next email issue of The Short Order.####### ODDS & ENDS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES BACK ISSUES KEEPING IN TOUCH, SUBSCRIBING, ETC. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION -=+=-The opinions expressed by individual authors are their own and do notnecessarily represent the opinions of the Short Mystery Fiction Societyor its members or the Editor or Staff of The Short Order newsletter. -=+=-The Editor would like to thank the Contributors to The Short Orderfor their submissions and the readership for supporting this fledglingpublication. My thanks also to Margo Power for her advice and support.Please email comments to R.K.Foster(Bob) at {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}%=====================================================================%Scam Alertby Kate GrilleyIn response to a ms submission, from Kelley Culmer of Silver BranchLiterary Agency, Buffalo, N. Y., singing the praises of Edit-Ink. Theletter listed the qualifications of the staff, and invited me to resubmitmy manuscript after editing.Something did not smell right, especially after Bill Apel contacted merequesting $1000, with a discount if I acted quickly.Needless to say, I did not avail myself of Edit-Ink's service.Scam Alert Warning: the following agents/agencies have recommended thebook doctors Edit Ink: Aardvark Literary Agents; Authors Literary Agencyof Dallas, Texas; Elaine Davie Literary Agency; Feigen LiteraryAgency/Brenda Feigen Literary Agency; Literary Bridge; New ScribesLiterary Agency; New Brand Agency Group out of Coconut Creek, Fl; andAlison J. Picard. The following publishers have recommended Edit Ink:Amherst Press; Baldwin & Knowlton Books; Crescent Books; and DiscusPublishers.We've discussed Edit Ink in previous Scam Alert columns...again, beware!I have yet to hear of a positive experience with Edit Ink or one thatresulted in a manuscript sale.Heard of any scams? You, too, can win a pocket for your spy coat! Sendyour scam news to me at: Kate_Grilley@compuserve.comHope to see you at Bouchercon in Monterey...I'll be moderating the ShortStory panel Friday, October 31 at noon. And handing out free Pina Coladacandy canes to promote my new short story in the Fall issue of MurderousIntent. Trick or treat!KateForthcoming: "Guavaberry Christmas", Murderous Intent, Fall, 1997You can reach Kate by e-mail at Kate_Grilley@compuserve.com or on the webat http:/ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Kate_Grilley%=====================================================================%SHOOT--I MEAN, ASK AWAYby Jiro KimuraQuestion: Don't know if this is quite the type of question you'relooking for, but as one who writes very short stories, what is theshortest (number of words) mystery story ever published? -- Linda WrightDear Linda: The shortest mystery story may be "The Complete History ofMankind after World War III" by Chester H. Carlfi (Mike Shayne MysteryMagazine, November 1980). The space below the title is completely blank. Yes, it is a no-word "story." Well, I don't think it is what you wantto know. I heard that there was a story in Ellery Queen's MysteryMagazine with only one word. The word is "Bang!" Sorry, I don't knowthe title or which issue. If anybody knows, please let me know."Mistake" (instant novella) by Fredric Brown (Rogue, May 1963) has onlyfour lines. This is reprinted in BEST DETECTIVE STORIES OF THEYEAR--1964 (Dutton) edited by Anthony Boucher. -- JiroQuestion: How many stories by Mickey Spillane, Ross Macdonald, and EvanHunter (Curt Cannon) appeared in Manhunt? Have they all been collectedin book form? -- Doug GreeneDear Doug: The stories by Mickey Spillane in Manhunt are:"Everybody's Watching Me" (January to April 1953; January issue is itspremiere issue)"The Girl Behind the Hedge" (October 1953)and "The Pickpocket" (Anniversary issue; December 25, 1954)These three non-Mike Hammer stories are included in his collection,TOMORROW I DIE (Mysterious Press, 1984).The stories by Ross Macdonald are:"Shock Treatment" (January 1953; premiere issue) as by Kenneth Millar, anon-Archer story"The Imaginary Blond" (February 1953) as by John Ross Macdonald, anArcher story, reprinted as "The Singing Pigeon" (May 1964), alsoretitiled as "Gone Girl""The Gulty Ones" (May 1953) as by John Ross Macdonald, an Archer story,retitled as "The Sinister Habit""The Beat-Up Sister" (October 1953) as by John Ross Macdonald, an Archerstory, retitled as "The Suicide" and "The Missing Sister"and "Guilt-Edged Blonde" (Janurary 1954) as by John Ross Macdonald, anArcher storyThe four Archer stories are included in his collections, THE NAME ISARCHER (Bantam, 1955) and LEW ARCHER, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR (MysteriousPress, 1977)The stories by Evan Hunter are too many to mention here. Hunter (his"real" name, by the way, even though different from his birth name) isalso known as Ed McBain, famous for his 87th Precinct and Matthew Hopenovels, used pseudonyms for Manhunt since he wrote several stories insingle issues: Richard Marsten, Hunt Collins.The following are his eight Matt Cordell stories by Evan Hunter:"Die Hard" (January 1953; premiere issue)"Dead Men Don't Dream" (March 1953)"Now Die In It" (May 1953)"Good and Dead" (July 1953)"The Death of Me" (September 1953)"Deadlier Than the Mail (February 1954)"Return" (July 1954)and"The Beatings" (October 1954)The first six stories are included in his collection, I LIKE 'EM TOUGH(Gold Medal, 1958) as by Curt Cannon, but the name of the alcoholic"de-licensed" private eye has changed from Cordell to Curt Cannon, thesame as the author! Other stories in Manhunt by Hunter and otherpseudonyms are collected in THE JUNGLE KIDS (Pocket Books, 1956) and inHAPPY NEW YEAR, HERBIE (Simon & Schuster, 1963), both by Hunter, as wellas in THE McBAIN BRIEF (Arbor, 1983) by McBain. -- JiroQuestion: OK. I'm still intrigued by Ed Gorman's answer to my interviewquestion regarding movies ... that, in his opinion, novella-lengthfiction is easiest adapted to the screenplay. The question? Whatexamples of short mystery were notable in being adapted to the silverscreen? Wasn't "The Shawshank Redemption" based on a short story, forexample? -- J. Alec WestDear Alec: The movie THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is based on a novella,"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," by Stephen King. STAND BY MEis also based on a novella by King--"The Body." Both novellas areincluded in DIFFERENT SEASONS (Viking, 1982). There is an anthologyentitled MURDER IN THE FIRST REEL (Avon, 1985) edited by Bill Pronzini,Charles G. Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg, which may answer your veryquestion. It has short stories based on which old mystery movies aremade. They are:THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932) based on "The Most Dangerous Game" byRichar Connell (Colliers, January 19, 1924)BROTHER ORCHID (1940) based on "Brother Orchid" by Richard Connell(Colliers, May 21, 1938)SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943) based on "The Musgrave Ritual" byArthur Conan Doyle (The Strand, May 1893)THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) based on "The Body-Snatcher" by Robert LouisStevenson (London Pall Mall Magazine, Christmas 1884)CRACK-UP (1946) based on "Madman's Holiday" by Fredric Brown (DetectiveStory Magazine, July 1943)THE WINDOW (1949) based on "The Boy Cried Murder" by Cornell Woolrich(Mystery Book Magazine, Marach 1947)THE DETECTIVE (1954) based on "The Blue Cross" by G. K. Chesterton (TheStoryteller, September 1910)FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG (1955) based on "Interrutpion" by W. W. Jacobs (TheStrand, November 1925)andPSYCHO (1960) based on "The Real Bad Friend" (Mike Shayne MysteryMagazine, February 1957) and on "Lucy Comes to Stay" (Weird Tales,January 1952), both by Robert BlochNOTHING BUT THE BEST (1964) based on "The Best of Everythin" by StanleyEllin (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September 1952)It also has a selected list of short fiction behind mystery movies in itsappendix. Yes, a film based on a novella or a short story may be verydifferent from the original story, but a director and a screenwriterprefer it so that they can develop their own idea, while in anovel-into-film case a screenwriter has to work very hard in cutting outa lot to push the main plot into a two-hour screenplay. -- JiroDear everybody, if you have questions about short mystery fiction, pleaseask me at {jkimura@nsknet.or.jp}. If you don't want your name used or ifyou want a cute pseudonym used, please let me know. Otherwise, I will useyour "real" name. If your question is too tough for me to answer, Iapologize in advance.***************************JIRO KIMURA is a mysteriouswriter-translator-critic-researcher-collector-whatever, currently holingup in the Far East. He manages The Gumshoe Site at{http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~jkimura/}%=====================================================================%The Short Story as a Book Formby G. Miki (Gail) HaydenWhen last I saw my agent, I told him I was finishing a book ofinterconnected short mystery stories. "Oh good," he said, "if it's truethat readers can no longer concentrate long enough to finish a novel,short stories may be the up-and-coming book format."Readers can no longer concentrate? Well, possibly. I thought about thatone.I had heard that the MTV style of rock video--comprised of small snippetsof information never fully explored--is either the result of, or causeof, the x-generation's inability to focus for more than a second or two.A close friend, however, insists the reason why young people are losingtheir capacity to pay attention is that the nutritional quality of foodhas degenerated--too much Red Dye Number 9 or something. At any rate,there is somewhat of a growing consensus that the potential readingaudience has a shorter attention span nowadays.All the better for us short story writers, I say, rubbing my hands inglee. We'll take over book sales!It could be. Not that I want to see Anna Karenina left on the shelvesunread, of course. But who can better use those royalties? Me, or CountTolstoi?That was a rhetorical question and a digression.Now, I want to pontificate momentarily on the short-story book as anartform. (Author's note: For anyone under 40, I won't take up too much ofyour time.)I think there are advantages to the short story as a form, when writtenspecifically as a collection for a book. I realized this after finishingmy nine intertwined stories (Pacific Empire), while contemplating my nextproject. I might write a novel and I have several settings/themes inmind. But, all of a sudden, it occurred to me that the short story formathad been, well, intense and exciting. My plot and characters had to beexpressive enough to get a point across in from 3,500 to 12,000 words.All the color and action of my tale had to be packed into just that muchlength.I have written novels--many, in fact, although none have been published.I have tried to make them as thrilling as I was capable of, butinevitably within the novel form there are calm spots of narrative andtransition--deliberate oases in which the reader may rest. This, in thenovel structure, is what is known as "pacing." The hero takes out thetrash and writes a letter to mom, all the while pondering the solution tothe mystery. Then, bingo, and we're off again.Although my 12,000 word lead story for Pacific Empire took suchliberties, in order to set the scene for the rest of the book (think'intertwined'), this was the exception. Short stories are generally muchmore undiluted. The pacing is less leisurely.It is an enjoyable, challenging, colorful way to write, and I am hopefulthat readers will be exhilarated as well by the stories in my book.But in extolling the story collection as one possible direction forpublishing to take, I want to expand also on the 'interconnected' aspectof the stories I wrote. That's what made writing a short story"collection" really fun. If the stories had been simply thrown togetherwithout a unifying theme, characters, and conjured history, I would havenot had the satisfaction writing them that I did. What I got a true kickout of, as author of these things, was the fact that down the line, thereader could delve into the next story and have the novel reader'sadvantage of having seen what went before. "Ah ha," the person who hasbeen following the stories can say, "I remember his father..." And forthe reader who has lost the ability to track anything over 30 pages, nogreat loss--nothing integral is really missing. Each story stands on itsown.I feel in writing the intertwined short stories, in other words, that Ihave had the novelist's pleasure of dwelling on particular characters andthemes, without the obligation to pack everything into one giantsuperstructure that rises or falls with one great last push at the end.If civilization will hold together a couple more years, I think I havecome up with literature's answer to the dwindling human intellect and canresuscitate reading.Probably not.And as to whether my next effort will be a necklace of stories or aone-piece (novel) remains to be seen. Whatever I write, however, no doubtI will invent a theory as to why it works terribly, awfully well.Pacific Empire from JoNa Books, ISBN 0-9657929-1-9 will be available thisfall. You can reach G. Miki Hayden at MaraWayne@aol.com.%=====================================================================%Clark Linkster, L.I.by R.K.FosterFidgeting around the office one day(Linkster Link Investigations - Wefind the Links), Clark was brought out of his reverie by the emailerbleeping at him annoyingly. He set down the nicked ceramic mug of spikedcoffee hoping by chance that a good job had come his way. Sure enough,there it was. A link. Buried in his email like he couldn't see it. OtherLink Investigators might have missed it. Not the Linkster!The Internet could be a dangerous place. But not for this short orderL.I. It moved fast. But not faster than he could. He was on the case...The first order of linkness was this little tidbit from Brett Wilcox(mailto:brettbeat@earthlink.net):First Degree Burn is the first-in-a-series of thrillers featuring FDNYFire Marshal Eddie Burke. First Degree Burn begins when an art restorerin Soho is killed while bringing a lost WPA mural back to life. As hebegins to peel back the layers and more people die, Eddie discovers thatthere's a dirty little secret buried.Link Solved: {A HREF="http://www.firstdegreeburn.com"}First DegreeBurn(http://www.firstdegreeburn.com){/A}Surfing on he decided to make a quick stop at J. Alec West's Lean MeanResearch Machine and surf up on a few choice links. (Psst. check out thatlittle asterix at the bottom of the main home page.) You thought Icouldn't see it, huh?Link Solved: {A HREF="http://www.pacifier.com/~alecwest/"}J. Alec West'sLean Mean Research Machine(http://www.pacifier.com/~alecwest/){/A}Of course J.Alec had a little something that a professional linker likeClark could really link into. The Bouchercon 29 World MysteryConvention(that's next year folks) website was just a short hop away. Ittook a while to download but, hey, Clark was still using that old 14.4issued to him back when he first joined the Net. Anyway, each page of thewebsite had an appropriate sound file, for those who can do the soundthing with their browser, plus lots of info on Bouchercon 29.Link Solved: {AHREF="http://www.pacifier.com/~alecwest/bouchercon/PHILLY.HTM"}Bouchercon29 World MysteryConvention(http://www.pacifier.com/~alecwest/bouchercon/PHILLY.HTM){/A}After soaking up a few tunes at the pre-Bouchercon fest Clark moved on. Agood linker always knows when to surf. He came across the MysteryConnection and found a few good menu items.Link Solved: {A HREF="http://emporium.turnpike.net/~mystery/"}MysteryConnection(http://emporium.turnpike.net/~mystery/){/A}This annoying pain in his gut started creeping up on Clark. What was it?Realizing he hadn't eaten his evening meal he decided he only had timefor one more surf. His favorite food being Chinese, he was reminded of anauthor's website that he hadn't swung by in awhile over on AOL. Anasian-american of Japanese descent, the guy had a website covering hiswhole mystery author gig. Plus some info on Japanese culture. Clarksurfed on over to Dale Furutani's Website.Link Solved: {A HREF="http://members.aol.com/dfurutani/index.html"}DaleFurutani's Website(http://members.aol.com/dfurutani/index.html){/A}Back in the office Clark put his feet up on the desk and tried to relax.Five links wasn't too bad a haul for a quick surf round the Net. Butsomething was nagging at the back of his mind. Was it the territorysquabble between Ned Scapi and Mister Soft? Or maybe the recent crop ofnetizen complaints about the unsolicited email bombs jamming people'semail boxes. Swirling the ice in his tumbler Clark tried to work out thesource of this uneasy feeling...***Clark Linkster is a busy LI, what with brewing his coffee and checkinghis email, but if you've got a tip for him on a special link of interestsend the info along to his "Partner in Crime" R.K.Foster at{mailto:rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}. If Clark's got the time, he'll be on thecase before you can say "Just The Links Maam"...%=====================================================================%E-zines As Short Mystery Marketsby Gail (G. Miki) HaydenI have been trolling the Web, to the point that my right shoulder hasdeveloped a repetitive stress injury. I would stop and take an extendedtrip to Hawaii to rest up, but I owe you guys a markets column.So, clutching my elbow next to my side, I will tell you what I have seen.There are short mystery markets on line, a natural venue for the Internetaddict and short mystery writer.On the other hand, some of us remain leery of posting our work out therefor anyone to copy and download, then re-submit elsewhere as his/her ownstory.But would anyone perform such a dastardly deed?I cannot believe I'm going to digress so early-on in this column, but Iam. Here goes. I'm quoting from a private email by the way. You'll nevertell on me though, will you?{{I went to the meeting of the (note: deletion here in an attempt to bediscrete) Writers today, and at one point we all introduced ourselves andtalked a bit about what we write etc. There was a lovely blonde womansitting several seats down from me, and when she introduced herself shesaid she was a (note: discretion intervenes) writer. I, in turn, said thesame thing, and on the break she approached me to chat. Her name was (noway would I leave this in). I got weird vibes from her because she madeherself out to be a prolific writer, but didn't know much at all abouthow the (note: type of magazines) work, etc. You know, all the normalstuff we always talk about. She didn't even know the editors' names oranything. Suddenly she starts telling me about her "favorite" story she'dwritten in the past year which was about (note: you'll never find outfrom G. Miki). She said it was in (note: don't even dare wonder) inDecember ------ you guessed it, MY STORY!!!!!! Is that notunbelievable?!?!?! The woman was claiming to have written MY story andeven said it was based on her friend's experience!!! I was so stunned Ididn't even say anything to her! Now I wonder if she is published at all!What are the odds of that happening? Needless to say, I won't beexchanging ideas and/or manuscripts with THAT woman for critique!!!}}See, I digressed, but it was for a good cause. I proved that people areloonies, which, otherwise, you never might have guessed. Anyway, that's acautionary tale for the benefit of those who don't have a grandmother.Now, back to the main topic--e-zines that seek mystery submissions.While surfing (serfing, perhaps), I proceeded in the usual fashion, doingsearches and then following possible lines of information. Guess what.Although Web zines are so utterly accessible, they are not unlike thereal world of print magazines.They seem to be alive, for instance, but when you follow their trail, thelast time the magazine(s) published was in 1995. Web zines, apparently,are also subject to the time/money/marketing dilemma that is the downfallof perennially growing numbers of print magazine publishers.Furthermore, I see that many e-pubs are behind schedule, much like someprint publications we know, due to computer glitches in which entiredatabases are lost, email is creamed, and submissions deleted. Such anevent often saps the publisher/editor's energy, and results in promises,promises, but no actual issues. How like print publications that can be!And, as for pay--again, like the real world, there are more onlinepublications that pay with praise and exposure (remember my earlierwarning and tremble) than cold hard cash. (For a cash-paying listing,backpeddle to an earlier issue of The Short Order and our guidelines forThe Case.) Or those e-zines that do pay in money, either don't pay much,or will pay on a royalty basis after they receive a number of hits on astory divided into two parts. You have to decide yourself on how you wantto go on this.Moreover, and this is like the print world, too, most of the magazines onthe Internet are "literary" rather than genre. Yes, sadly so. Better towrite a vignette than a properly plotted thing, if you want to see yourstory published. And of the magazines that are genre, again, much likeprint, most of them are science fiction and/or fantasy... Does no onelike a short mystery anymore?There, there, of course they do, and here are a few places you cansubmit--without any guarantees, of course. Next week, the editor of themystery publication may develop a repetitive stress injury (poor thing)and never go online again.Here are a couple of markets, but you can spend your own shoulderrustling up other possibilities as well:The Five Minute Mystery on SalonSalon, which is pretty well known and a class act, generally askspublished writers to submit short pieces on speculation. Terms of paymentare negotiable after acceptance of the piece.The Five Minute Mystery is located in the Games section of Salon. Thewriter submits the story in two parts: Salon runs the first part withoutthe solution. The reader who is first to figure out the solution iseligible to win a gift certificate to Borders Books & Music. Salonannounces the winner and runs the solution in the following Mysterycolumn.The length of the piece should be around 2,000 words. It should containseveral inobvious clues for the reader to assist in the attempt to reacha solution. For samples, go to the archives, located at{http://www.salonmagazine.com/archives/mystery.html}Submit a brief biography (two sentences) with your submission and includeclips of previously published work. You may send submissions by e-mail orby post at:Salon MagazineAttn: Suzette Lalime185 Berry StreetSuite 4811San Francisco, CA 94107suzette@salon1999.comInterText Bi-monthly Online MagazineInterText is a free publication that does not pay its contributors. Ithas been publishing on a strict bimonthly schedule since early 1991. Allgenres are considered, as are stories that cross between traditionalgenre boundaries. Stories should be under 15,000 words.Submissions can be made in several formats: plain ASCII text is preferred.Send submissions to submissions@intertext.com.InterText does not require first serial rights, but cannot considermaterial currently accepted by another publication or to which an optionis retained by another publisher. InterText will accept clearly indicatedsimultaneous submissions and consider stories published previously insmall-run print publications.Electronic Writers Group PresentsEWG does not pay for stories. A brief bio should be included with eachsubmission. Responses will be made within thirty days on all submissions.Submissions should be in ASCII format within the body of an e-mail. Donot send attached files; they will not be opened. Material longer than6,000 words must be exceptional to be considered for publication.Ownership of rights reverts back to author upon publication. EWG Presentswill maintain an archive of past issues in which your work will beavailable (with copyright properly attributed to you) and will retain aone-time world-wide reprint right. EWG Presents will attempt to contactthe author before initiating this one-time right.The mystery editors of EWG presents are looking for quality fiction inany sub-genre of mystery: police procedurals, Sherlockian, historical,private detective, cozy (and all sub-genres), thriller, suspense, orlegal. Short stories or novel chapters will be considered.For complete guidelines and contact names, go to:http://cham.master.com/mirror/members.aol.com/ewgroup100/guidelin.htmWebDreamerSubtitled, "The Logon Las Vegas Magazine" for some obscure reason(perhaps the editors meant `log-on,' but why be finicky), WebDreamer is a"quality fiction" magazine open to all genres and forms--traditional andexperimental. The preferred average length for stories is 3,000 words.The pay scale is: $10 500 to 1,000 words $20 1,001 to 2,500 words $30 2,500 plus wordsFirst submission must be via snail-mail. Include your e-mail and/or webpage address with the usual name (one's own, presumably), address, phonenumber.Send original submissions to:WebDreamerP.O. Box 93026Las Vegas, NV 89193-3026.Gail HaydenMaraWayne@aol.com%=====================================================================%Sunnye's Fablesby Sunnye Tiedemann(with thanks to J. Alec West)Modern fables about publishing problems, writer's weaknesses, scribbler'ssnags. True tales with a tail...Once upon a Bouchercon, Mr. Mystery Writer raided his bank account andpaid in advance: plane ticket$, room re$ervation$, incidental ca$h sta$h;in all, a rather $izeable amount. "Everything was paid way in advance,"says he, "since I didn't want to worry about anything except meal/bookpurchases while I was there."Now in his day job, Mr. Mystery Writer works as part of a three-personteam. Two weeks before Bouchercon, he arrived at the workplace as usualto greet a fellow team member with a cheery "good morning.""I can't talk....I can't talk," the woman croaked, patting her chest andcoughing.Appalled, Mr. Mystery Writer beat a fast retreat to his boss, advised himof the poor lady's condition and pointed out the danger of infection tothe rest of the employees. But the boss refused to either send the ladyhome or put Mr. Writer on another team. As a result, the next week Mr.Writer and the other partner of the three-person team came down withbronchitis."I had to take 3 days off work, my other partner had to take 1 (but wassick on his days off)," says Mr. Writer. "When it became apparent I wasgetting worse, not better, I visited a doctor who put me on twoheavy-duty antibiotics. My fever didn't break until _hours_ before I hadto leave for the airport."Disaster averted. But Mr. Writer was a mere shadow of the man he shouldhave been, at least at the beginning of the conference. And had hemissed it because of illness, he'd have forfeited $1,000 in prepaidexpenses -- no mere trifle to a Starving Artist of Literary Ilk. And thetail?"What do writers do when something pisses them off? They write, ofcourse {grin}. I'm almost completed with an article I did someformidible research on. The title is THE TYPHOID MARY PARADOX."Our moral: When you come upon disease and disaster (otherwise known aslemons), forge ahead and don't forget to write (otherwise known as makinglemonade).Sunnye TiedemannSunnyeT@aol.com%=====================================================================%####### ANNOUNCEMENTSMargo Power (madison@teleport.com) announces:IMAGE OF CONSPIRACY a novella by Margo Power, $5.99 ISBN 1-886199-02-7Available October 1, 1997(TP)When freelance photographer Maggie Flynn setout from Seattle that October morning, she never dreamed she'd spend thenight running from Iraqi agents who wanted her dead. Nor would she havebelieved it possible she could welcome the company of the man who hadkidnapped her from the parking lot of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver,British Columbia. Survival was the name of the game in more ways thanone. Maggie realized Jonathan could be as deadly as the threat thatfollowed them."The next time an apparent drunk lurches up against you in a hotel lobby- watch out! Your whole life could be disrupted. Margo Power shows usexactly how it could happen."Barbara Paul - author of FULL FRONTAL MURDER"Very inventive. Extremely high suspense maintained. I couldn't stopreading."Polly Whitney, author of UNTIL IT HURTS***Barbara Paul (bpaul@genie.com) announces:Her current publications: "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Corpse" in CRIME THROUGH TIME,Berkley (July 1997) "Earth Surrenders" in FIRST CONTACT, DAW (July 1997) "Sic Transit Gloria" in EQ (August 1997) FULL FRONTAL MURDER, Scribner (September 1997) [available now]***Steve Schaffer (steve@newfront.com) announces:We are actively seeking a variety of mini- and short mysteries for thewebsites we publish and produce, as well as future mystery sites. We arecurrently in need of TheCase.com Twist and Solve-it mini-mysteries,famous author profiles, and mysteries for kids ages 8-12. http://www.newfront.com The Leader In Online Mysteries http://www.MysteryNet.com The Online Mystery Network http://www.TheCase.com The Fun and Challenging Mystery Website http://discuss.MysteryNet.com The Hangout for Mystery Fans http://www.MysteryNet.com/TV/ The Place Online for TV Mystery Fans Newfront Productions, Inc. 699 Eighth St #5112 San Francisco, CA 94103 writers@newfront.com 415-575-4740 415-575-4741 (fax)Writers that are interested should send email to: editor@newfront.com***Dan Sontup(EQ451@ix.netcom.com) announces:His recent publications: "Stop Thief!" -- AHMM, July/Aug. 1997 "The Bad Guys Out There" -- Hardboiled #23, Sept. 1997***Jeffrey Marks(jeffrey.ja.marks@ae.ge.com) announces:He has sold a short story anthology concept to Ballantine Books recently.The theme is dog-related mysteries and the volume is due out at the endof 1998. Anne Perry, Steve Womack, Deb Adams, Lillian Roberts, LaurieBerenson, SJ Rozan, Brendan DuBois, and others will be participating. Healso won the Green River Writers Barnes and Noble prize for Best MysteryShort Story for his short story "Talked to Death".***Elena A. Santangelo(ESantangelo@compuserve.com) announces:Her recently published stories: "Ginseng Tea", Potpourri, Summer, 1997 "Swan Song", Red Herring, Summer, 1997 "Cliff-Hanger", Murderous Intent, Summer, 1997And another has been accepted for the fall: "Up On The Housetop", Murderous Intent, Fall, 1997***Robert Iles(rliles@gvi.net) announces:I would like it known that one of my stories recently appeared, and I aminterested in any comment people give me on it. "What the Sheriff Saw" by Robert L. Iles Summer '97 issue of Whispering Willows Mystery Magazine***Margo Power (madison@teleport.com) announces:Everyone going to Bouchercon in Monterey has an invitation to theMurderous Intent High Tea or get together. It will be held on Fridayafternoon between 4 and 5:30 pm in the Los Angelas Room of the MariottHotel. Everybody come -- have coffee or tea and cookies and say hi!Tell your friends.%=====================================================================%####### SUBMISSION GUIDELINESIf you would like to submit material for the Short Order newsletter,or have an idea for material to be included, please email the Editorat {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com} with details, or send the actual material.There is currently no monetary compensation for material selected.The Newsletter is currently published on a quarterly basis.We try to include material directly related to mystery stories in theshort form or related to support of both authors and readers of shortmystery fiction. Here are some further guidelines: * Submissions should not be longer than 2000 words unless the piece can be spread over multiple issues. We will consider anything that is short mystery related including poetry, news about the industry, info on writing, etc. Continuing columns are also possible. * Along with the body of the material, please include the following; The Title of the piece, your full name as you would like it to appear on the piece, a short blurb or intro for the material, an email and website address(if available) for yourself, and a closing "author's bio" type entry to be included at the closing of the article. * Please save a copy of the work in ASCII/text format, if possible, and include it as plain text in your email submission. You can UU encode the document if necessary. * Email your Newsletter Submissions to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}. The Subject line of the email should begin with "SMFS: " * We are currently publishing the newsletter on a quarterly basis. Please have submissions sent via email by the last day of August, November, February, and May in order to be included in the September, December, March and June issues.%=====================================================================%####### BACK ISSUESBack Issues of The Short Order are available on the SMFS website at: http://www.thewindjammer.com/smfs/newsletter/If you would like a listing of the Table Of Contents for each issue, oryou know which issue you want, we can email the text versions of theNewsletter to you. Simply send a request to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}indicating the needed issues.%=====================================================================%####### KEEPING IN TOUCHTo subscribe to the email version of this newsletter, which is currentlypublished on a quarterly basis, send email to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}with a brief note asking to be subscribed. The list is not automatedand is used only for distribution of The Short Order newsletter.If you wish to be removed from The Short Order subscriber email list,also send a request via email to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}. -=+=-The World Wide Web version of this newsletter can be found at: http://www.thewindjammer.com/smfs/newsletter/The Virtual Offices of the Short Mystery Fiction Society(SMFS) can befound on the World Wide Web at: http://www.thewindjammer.com/smfs/ -=+=-To join the Short Mystery Fiction Society(SMFS), it's free of charge,send email to: majordomo@teleport.comwith a blank subject line and a message body of: subscribe shortmystery-l-digest(That is the letter L, not a #1)You will receive the SMFS listserv digest in email almost every day.%=====================================================================%####### COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Copyright(C)1997 Short Mystery Fiction SocietyPermission is granted for the redistribution of this Newsletter, so longas the Newsletter is not edited and is attributed to the Short MysteryFiction Society(SMFS). All Other Rights Are Fully Reserved.Any other use of this information without the express written consent ofthe Short Mystery Fiction Society is prohibited. The Short Mystery FictionSociety expressly disclaims all liability for any misuse of thisinformation by any third party.%========================== THE BITTER END?! =========================%