by Paula Gail Benson I’m incredibly proud that Carol Puckett and Kendel Lynn of the Bouchercon Dallas committee asked me to help with the inaugural Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction that will be awarded by Hank Phillippi Ryan at Bouchercon in Dallas this October. This contest will recognize excellence for short story writing with […]
by Paula Gail Benson I grew up in a home where reading was encouraged. No book was off limits, although some with graphic battle photos were not placed in my hands. However, they remained on the shelf where I had access, if I wanted to look. If I had questions, I could ask my parents […]
by Paula Gail Benson D. Reece Williams, III I met Reece Williams when I had the privilege of working with him on a federal court of appeals case. He immediately impressed me as being the quintessential lawyer and Southern gentleman. As we sat waiting for the judges to enter the courtroom and the arguments to […]
by Paula Gail Benson On the day before Thanksgiving, Dru’s Book Musings featured Sleigh Bells and Sleuthing, an anthology of 16 cozy mystery novellas to celebrate the season. Here’s a link to Dru’s post. One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of the anthology will benefit Good Fortune Farm Refuge, a non-profit ranch located in Semmes, Alabama, […]
by Paula Gail Benson My mother told me when I was a baby, I was fascinated by words. She said, as I rode in the car, if I saw a sign with a message, I would point to it and say, “Read.” I remember having many favorite Little Golden Books (including retellings of Walt Disney […]
by Paula Gail Benson Toni L.P. Kelner and Dr. Stephen P. Kelner, Jr. I’ve read books about and spent time in a number of writing classes where story structure and character motivations were explained by using examples from The Wizard of Oz. One example would be Debra Dixon’s excellent text, GMC: Goal, Motivation, and […]
by Paula Gail Benson During this time when we are celebrating our new red stilettos logo, I thought it might be fun to seek out some “red” mystery short stories. Thanks to the internet, I quickly located three–two familiar and one new to me–with the word “red” in the title. The earliest is Sir Arthur […]
by Paula Gail Benson My dear blogging partner, Linda Rodriguez, I’m thinking of you and the lessons in courage you have taught me as I write this post. It’s always fascinating when the universe seems to have found a common thread, sending multiple messages along the same wavelength. Carl Jung called the […]
by Paula Gail Benson What a true pleasure to host the 2018 Anthony nominees for best short story! Here for your reading pleasure is the list with links to each story. [Please note: You’ll need to scroll down at some of the links below to get to the stories.] “The Trial of Madame […]
by Paula Gail Benson Today, I wanted to feature the online publication, Shotgun Honey, which since 2011 has been offering a forum for crime, noir, and hard-boiled shorts of 700 words. It has featured over 400 authors, compiling contributors by photo, bio, and published stories. It offers a great place to find work by favorite […]