Exclusive with Shawn Nocher, author of A Hand to Hold in Deep Water By Emily S. Martin TSM: What provided the inspiration for your book? Shawn Nocher (SN): The first chapter was originally a short story written years ago in a workshop. Over the next decade, I spent a lot of time imagining an entire backstory […]
Category Archives: Fiction
The Problem of the Pandemic Novel
THE PROBLEM OF THE PANDEMIC NOVEL Catherine Ryan Howard On March 27, 2020, Ireland went into lockdown having had a total of just over 2,000 coronavirus cases in a population of five million or so. There had already been a rash of restrictions – the government had announced that pubs were to close mere days before […]
Celebrate Harry Potter’s Birthday in Style
Celebrate Harry Potter’s Birthday in Style By Anna Shura July 31st marked the beloved wizard’s 41st birthday. (Yikes, does anyone have an anti-aging spell?) As a self-proclaimed huge Harry Potter fan, I give these items a stamp of approval, and I may or may not have all of them in my shopping cart already. […]
Excerpt From “LOST OASIS” by R Lawson Gamble
Excerpt From “LOST OASIS” by R Lawson Gamble After digging into steaming heaped plates of tangy soul-satisfying Mexican food, the friends leaned back in their chairs to contemplate the possibility of dessert. Zack sipped the dregs of his margarita and eyed his friend. “What else did you learn today? I’ve heard nothing to suggest a reason for […]
Three Sherlockian Poems
Three new selections from our ongoing series of Sherlockian Poems: A Rare Friendship, The Dark Valley of Fear, and Breakfast at 221B Baker Street. A RARE FRIENDSHIP To the Memory of Arthur Conan Doyle All this was a long time ago. They lived together, day and night, in heat and winter, as if […]
Poetry: Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily
The Hound of the Baskervilles Redux A Versification The Baskerville Estate Near the Moors and Grimpen Mire of Devonshire (As Envisioned by Nathalia Mikhalchuk, 1907) Chapter One: Introduction to the Moors:“When the wind blows cold o’er the moors at night” (“Tam Pierce” English Folk Song) The skies they were ashen and sober, […]
Excerpt: Enemy Queen by Robert Steven Goldstein
Excerpt: Enemy Queen by Robert Steven Goldstein It was palpable the moment I entered the North Carolina house. The place felt completely different. I stood, confused and motionless, trying to assimilate how the ambiance could have veered so drastically in so short a time. I’d been gone for two weeks. Sydelle and I had each […]
Poetry: Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily
Is Sherlock Holmes Awake? A dismal night in London town, a world that’s turning upside down, no hope of help from kin or crown – Is Sherlock Holmes awake? For I heard the Professor’s plan, the Colonel saw me when I ran, but Holmes will help me if he can – Is […]
Poetry: Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily
Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily Rev. Alfred E. Critchley, Vicar, St. Swithins BA, MA, Ed.D, DD, D.Min, J.C.D. 1824-1895 Preamble “Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatchbox with my name, […]
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1 This review will cover three newly released Acorn Media UK crime series, two British police procedurals and a Irish family tragedy. Manhunt: Series 1 Based on the memoirs of the police officer at the center of this drama, Manhunt is a three-part […]
Timeless Stories: 9 Favorite Books Inspired by Mythology
Celebrate the release of The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr by (re)discovering some of these timeless stories in Waldherr’s collection of her 9 Favorite Books Inspired by Mythology. Summon your inner god or goddess, and don’t forget to pick up your copy of Kris Waldherr’s debut novel, The Lost History of Dreams. […]
10 Frightening Fictional Homes: Spine-Chilling Thrillers at Their Best
As Vanessa Savage celebrates the release of her debut psychological thriller, The Woman in the Dark, she narrows down her list of spine-chilling homes in some of her favorite novels in this collection of 10 frightening fictional homes. Home. The word conjures up a place of love and security, relaxing in front of the […]