June News from the Short Mystery Fiction Society

 In June, the members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society closed out the first half of 2025 with another round of gripping stories for readers of all tastes.  A lot of the highlights are listed here–but if you love reading, writing, or talking about short stories and mystery, why not join the Society?  It’s free, and you’ll get to rub elbows with many of the best writers working today.  Onward to some of the best stuff that came out in June!

It was a fantastic month for anthologies!

MIDNIGHT SCHEMERS AND DAYDREAM BELIEVERS is the fifth entry in the outstanding series of Superior Shores Press anthologies, edited by SMFS’s own Judy Penz Sheluk.  Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution–these twenty-two stories explore how far people are willing to go to make a dream come true.  Among the host of SMFS authors included are Joseph S. Walker (“Quincy and Crow”), donalee Moulton (“Maladaptives Anonymous”), Debra Bliss Saenger (“Checking Out at the Live Free or Die Motel” ), and of course Judy Penz Sheluk herownself (“A Foolproof Plan”).  The previous anthology in this series was just nominated for a Silver Falchion award, and you won’t want to have missed out when the honors start flooding in for this one.  Be sure to check out Judy’s appearances on the Write Focus and House of Mystery podcasts, too!

Another long-running anthology series saw a terrific new entry in June with the release of CRIMEUCOPIA: A LOAD OF BALLS from Murderous Ink Press.  Once again, a host of SMFS’s finest grace the pages of this collection of sports-themed stories that take twists as unexpected as a major league knuckleball.  Check out stellar contributions from Arthur Vidro (“The Purple Figurine Murders”), Robert Petyo (“The Perfect Game”), Wendy Harrison (“Be Careful What You Wish For”), John M. Floyd (“Rules of the Game”), and S. B. Watson (“Dust in the Field”).  As the name suggests, there’s always more great stuff to be found in Crimeucopia!

And now for something completely different!  DESERT OF DREAMS is the first anthology of short stories from the Historical Novel Society North America, exploring all the comic and tragic elements of the fascinating history of America’s city of dreams, Las Vegas.  SMFS member Sally Millikin joins the fun with “Cowboy Justice.”

Of course, it was also a fantastic month . . . for magazines!

The July/August issue of ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE, on shelves now, includes contributions by Joseph S. Walker (“When You Leave This Place”) and Terena Elizabeth Bell (“What Blue Found”), alongside a wealth of legendary writers like Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini.  Decades after its founding, EQ remains, as the cover proclaims, the world’s leading mystery magazine.  No serious reader should be without it!

BLACK CAT WEEKLY shouldn’t be overlooked–every week it brings readers hundreds of pages of mystery, science fiction, and pulp goodness, both classic and new.  donalee Moulton (“Second Line”), Paula Messina (“The Little Girl”) and Veronica Leigh (“Two Against Time”) are just a few of the tremendous writers who graced its digital pages in June.  If you don’t have a subscription to BCW yet, what’s stopping you?  They’re still going strong after 200 issues, delivering the best value any reader could ask for!

The prolific donalee Moulton also appears in the new issue of JOURN-E: THE JOURNAL OF IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE with “Shadowbird,” in which a Halifax PI is hired to find a stalker–and win a candlepin bowling tournament.

Over in THE LOUISVILLE REVIEW, SMFS member Robert Weibezahl delivers a bouquet of “Red Rhododendrons,” in which a forgotten memory of a childhood encounter has an unexpected impact on the present.

The past comes back again when Gregory Meece offers up “Something Lost,” a haunting mystery about memory, love, and the secrets time refuses to keep in the pages of the quarterly PARABNORMAL MAGAZINE.

And of course, it wouldn’t be an SMFS news report without a mention of the amazing John M. Floyd’s latest contribution to WOMAN’S WORLD, “A Case of Names and Numbers,” in which a cashbox goes missing from a local festival.  Another masterclass in the short form from SMFS’s most prolific member!

And it need hardly be said that it was a fantastic month . . . for online magazines!

SMFS members could be found all over the web in June, serving up free reads that pack a punch readers would be happy to pay for.  You can enjoy them on the virtual pages of THE SATURDAY EVENING POST (Billie Livingston’s “Bringing in the Dead”), THE FREEDOM FICTION JOURNAL (Robert J. Binney’s “Ghosted”) YELLOW MAMA (Abe Margel’s “Country Living” and Gregory Meece’s “Lightning Strikes”), GUILTY (James Patrick Focarile’s “The Drop”), SPILLWORDS (Bern Sy Moss’s “The Man Under the Bridge”), and CLOSE TO THE BONE (Gregory Meece’s “Straight Shooter”).  In just a few minutes each, these stories prove that great writers deliver, no matter the length!

Of course, SMFS members don’t only publish short stories in magazines and anthologies.  June was a fantastic month . . . for single-author books!

Anna Scotti’s IT’S NOT EVEN PAST collects her massively popular “Librarian on the Run” stories, many of which appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and three of which were selected for BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR.  Two previously unpublished stories flesh out what is unquestionably one of the great series of stories in the recent history of our genre.  This belongs on every mystery lover’s shelf!

SMFS member Veronica Leigh’s novel THE KEEPER OF LOST DAUGHTERS is a deeply moving story of a woman’s desperate bid for survival in WWII Krakow, and the adopted daughter she’ll do anything to save.  A treat for any lover of historical fiction!

In his collection CRIME FANTASTIQUE: STORIES OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE, short story master David H. Hendrickson shares eight riveting tales combining mystery and suspense with elements of the fantastic.  Includes introductions to each story, for those who want a glimpse behind the curtain!

Finally, a highlight of any month is new work from SMFS master craftsman Steve Liskow.  His collection SWEET LADIES OF DEATH brings together no fewer than 30 of his finest, all delving into crime and mystery but dabbling in romance, science fiction, and the supernatural.  You won’t soon forget Liskow’s ladies!

Looking for still more great reading?  Be sure to check out KEVIN’S CORNER, the blog where former SMFS president and his guests, including SMFS members like Paula Messina, review recent releases and keep you up to date on news.  Always worth a visit!

And with that, the SMFS will see you again in a month.  Happy reading!