Candace's Homeworld

It's ALIVE!!!!/Apollos Lyre Column

2005-06-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

28 June 05

Yes, indeed. Like a bad penny here I am. If you bop over to Apollos Lyre http://www.apolloslyre.com in the next day or so you can read my June COLD HARD FACTS column, my second for that quite fine ezine. The subtitle for this column is: "Why Write?"

Mmm. Why indeed? It's been a tough few weeks, one of the tougher spots being I couldn't make it out of the gate in time to contrib to Dave White's blogstory cycle. Those stories are top of the morning, Ma. Check them out!

Thanks to everyone who emailed me wondering what the --?? Appreciate it and while I NEVER keep my sunny side up, up... I'm not letting the bastards get me down either. Later!

Computer Problems and That's Life

2005-05-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Gang.
I have tried posting but again, computer problems. I hope I can get this one to take. I've not forgotten any of you but -- I go so long and this baby shuts down in the middle of replying to emails, blogging, writing...

Saw Sarah Vowell on the tube -- God, she is a deadpan hoot, in't she? Plugging "Assassination Vacation" at the Festival of Books and being great during Q&A. Droll is a word possibly coined for her. The sting of missing Harlan Coben at a nearby book signing was slightly assuaged by watching Sarah and a panel at the L.A. Book Festival including Hugh Hewitt ("Blog") having a go at Arianna Huffington and others. One guy in the audience said "HIS" generation was more concerned about Britney Spears' baby's name than what was going on in the world. I noticed members of "HIS" generation were pretty disgusted with this remark of his, which cast them -- I guess -- in a bad light which was already shaky to begin with.

Slogging thru "TRANSGRESSIONS". It's worth it, altho I found myself surprised with a couple so far. And HEY, where is Bob Tinsley??? He's not posted for two days now...

Time Management/Harlan Coben

2005-04-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

29 April

Mmmm. I have two short stories to write, I have till summer's end to finish up my novel plus I have a chapter in another book to write, AND the anthology is about to wrap up. Excitement? Sure. Fear and terror in Las Vegas -- Most Certainly!
Lot on the plate plus earnings season at the day job is causing spillovers onto the floor.

Harlan Coben will be in my town for a book signing at one of the Chapter 11 bookstores; and all that good stuff in two weeks. So you know I will be there --

Well, gotta go. I'm out of time.

Transgressions--Apollo's Lyre--Gay Shorts

2005-04-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

25 April

Okay, okay, it's good to see you too. I have been gone from the blog far too long but have decent news to report. My essay, "COLD HARD FACTS" is up on the April issue of the very fine ezine for writers, Apollos Lyre. This ezine just won a slot in Writers Digest Best 101 Websites for Writers. And it's well deserved whether my stuff is in it or not. Of course, it's nice when it is.

What I am really excited about is my copy of TRANSGRESSIONS is on its way. I should have it by Wednesday and then, day job notwithstanding, will give regular progress reports. Also have the full Moe Praeger series now and am totally enjoying!

Also a little gay male erotica never hurt anybody I know. I have a friend who has sworn the short stories collections by the late John Preston were some of the best ever written. So what the hell? I checked out "I Once Had A Master" and was astonished over the craftsmanship of most of the stories. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. "Mr. Benson" is a short novel by Preston and is, TA DA!, an erotically charged mystery, of all things, set in the leather community in the '80s. Preston has a piece at the end of "I Once Had..." about the closed mindedness of folks with his choice of writings, even among the leather community. "When are you going to write some REAL stories?"

Yeah, I think we all get that, no matter what our personal agenda is.

So, I am evidently writing a regular column now over at "Apollo's Lyre". Check them out, if you haven't already.
http://www.apolloslyre.com

Have a good one.

Short and Sweet Down

2005-03-31T16:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, someone's screwing around w/ my blog, I bet. I bet it's the government. I bet it's James Patterson, miffed over the fact that I didn't much give a stellar review of "Honeymoon". Mmm, could be worse.

Okay. I am enjoying the Mo Hayder books a LOT. Have two short stories to submit, and I cannot pull myself away from Hayder long enough to even look busy, let alone be...
One is due April 1, the other April 15.

Check back later for http://candacewiggins.blogspot.com/ for Short and Sweet. Dammit -- just when I was getting a head of steam worked up, too.

James Patterson's Honeymoon

2005-03-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

29 March '05

"Honeymoon", James Patterson & Howard Roughan. Copyright 2005. 390 pages.

I like James Patterson's Alex Cross series. Let me say this up front. I like the characters, the situations and Patterson's handling of it all a lot. I read them in a few hours' time. I think Morgan Freeman has done a swell job of bringing Alex Cross to life -- but I've not seen any movie Freeman is in that hasn't benefitted from his presence.

So. With that out of the way, let's begin. "Honeymoon" is written w/ a coauthor, Howard Roughan, and between the two, they managed to hook me in what was going on around page 101 thanks to a very crooked twist in the plot.

In a nutshell, "Honeymoon" is a story of a Black Widow and the P.I. determined to catch her. Of course, he does the 'unthinkable'. He becomes obsessed with catching her -- and then, with the woman herself. And of course, why wouldn't he? Nora -- like most of Patterson's female characters is GORGEOUS. She is BRIGHT. She has IMPECCABLE MANNERS and DRESSES WELL. And get this, she is a FABULOUSLY SUCCESSFUL INTERIOR DESIGNER.

Well, shit, guys. No wonder she turns to crime. Her life is too fucking perfect, her habit of murdering fiances and husbands notwithstanding.

And the story is neither fish nor fowl. Told from first person as well as third, "HONEYMOON" is not a murder mystery. We know who is doing what and so does everyone but her victims. It's not a procedural, so to speak. It's not an intense knucklebiting rollercoaster of a read. It's not drama, nor is it -- despite the witticisms of a couple of characters -- a comedy.

I usually read the Alex Cross novels in a couple of days, or if I have time, at one sitting. A couple or so hours. I do this with most novels. So consider this. I became interested as I mentioned at page 101 and decided to stick it out. Page 283, I put the book down for a couple of days. Then I picked it back up. Then I finished it and on page -- the last one -- 390, I put the book down, feeling like I'd been had.

Mmmm. I think Patterson should keep his own counsel. It would've been interesting to see where he alone would have taken this -- then again, Howard Roughan may have been Honeymoon's saving grace. We'll never know.

Dead Car, Wild Ride

2005-03-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

19 March

Nothing like the transmission going on a car you totally depend on. So instead of the 1100-1300 to fix it, I am hanging on to that, riding to work et al w/ the Greek Freak, adding all my silver to the already tidy sum and going for a new car. By new, you do realize I do not mean a 2005 model but a reliable dependable used car, not more than 3 years old? Great. I knew you were smart.

However, the Puma gave me quite a wild ride today out at Claud's. I thought trees were our friends until I drove the bike right into a stand of them. Yeowch. Of course, they probably did not appreciate a motorized vehicle disturbing them. The choice was a toss up. Avoid the fresh deer shit. Avoid the tree. Oops. Maybe the wrong decision. Hey, wait -- what's up with this steering? What's up with the brakes? Nice hard eggplant bruises. Ah. The war wounds of the neophyte biker babe ...

Just ordered a couple of short story anthologies. One is a pre-order, Transgressions, ed. Ed McBain. I mentioned it on "Short and Sweet" (http://www.candacewiggins.blogspot.com/)
a couple of months ago as soon as I'd read about it.

Looks like I will be going to Writers Week in early June. More on that later.

Shred of Evidence '04 Awards

2005-03-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

Shred of Evidence's Megan Powell has just announced the 2004 Readers' Choice Awards. This award is like any industry award in that the readers have spoken, thus making the choice.

1st Place (tie): "Game On" by Iain Rowan
1st Place (tie): "Officer Down" by Stephen D. Rogers
3rd Place (tie): "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Murder" by Tim Wohlforth
3rd Place (tie): "A Little Trouble" by Gerald So
3rd Place (tie): "Seductive Barry" by Ray Banks

Congratulations to the winners and a Short and Sweet award to Megan Powell her own self for this grand site.

Then again --

2005-03-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

14 March, Part the Second

Bob Tinsley on his blog site, The Short of It, a more or less daily ode to the short story mentioned my short "NICE TIE" as one of those "how'd they do that?" shorts that stayed with him.
The column overall for today, 14 March, is a better than usual love poem to the genre. Well, everyone knows why we read them for the obvious reasons, one of the most important per Bob and others, "They're short." But then he strips back the layers like so much onion to get to the part that's hot and sweet --

That Bob! He also mentioned one of my all-time fave writers, Dave White. Just a spectacular shortist. (Howzzat for a made-up word?)

Go to http://www.theshortofit.blogspot.com/ for this column and a true treasure trove of others, all devoted to short stories, reviews, kvetching, boondoggling, et al.

You won't regret it! And again -- Thanks Bob.

Rejections/Responses

2005-03-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

14 March '05

Well, no go w/ a short for the Thrilling Detectives site. Gerald So gave great feedback and great encouragement and said, he does indeed like my writing in general and to try again with a 'traditional P.I.'. Ah and then I felt better. I go on some of the blogs, like Aldo's (Mystery Dawg) for the whatsgoingons and to Gerald's and Sarah Weinman's for the same only from different perspectives.

Writers groups aside, I feel sometimes totally isolated. Sometimes because of the writers groups, I feel isolated. No one seems to understand, on occasion, that each writer has totally different styles of writing. A couple of folks absolutely have no patience and seem to totally jump on top of each other over things before they even get through the story for that go-round. Unfolding work? god help us in this day and age of sound bites. One of the "Ladies Who Lunch" however has already dropped out of the class when she realized she didn't understand a lot of the vocabulary others were using. Rather than use it as a springboard for improvements or broadening her own horizons, she tucked tail and ran. "You are all just too smart for me."

I didn't know whether to laugh at this absurdity or encourage her by saying, "You are just too stupid for me."

So I just sat there and read the latest offerings by our poet. Why have a poet in a writers group? Not that they aren't writers, too. It's just a writers group. Mystery and suspense. And here are these truly fine poems about life and death, et al and we understand this woman is a notch above most, but also think she should be with other poets to get The Right Stuff for her own self.

Then, again. Maybe she's not getting The Right Stuff -- maybe she's getting all rejections and no responses from the others.

THE JAMES DEANS

2005-03-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

6 March
And what should be waiting for me in the mailbox today than my very own copy of THE JAMES DEANS. A Moe Praeger Mystery, it takes off like a rocket. Set in '83, it deals with a bigwig politico's missing intern. Mmmm, now before you jump to conclusions, please note there is so much more to author Reed Farrel Coleman's killer novel than any "ripped from the headlines" assumption.

I have "Mystery Dawg" to thank for hipping me to this one. Thanks Aldo!

I am reading it with Allan Guthrie's KISS HER GOODBYE cheek to cheek. I love my shorts but both these novels have managed to grab my undivided attention. (Well, okay okay -- two at once can be its own thrill when both are as good as they can possibly get. And yes, I am still on the subject of books.)

Speaking of Aldo, he always amazes me when I go for my weekly visits to his blog. He not only makes it his biz to go to these writers' signings and readings, et al, he takes photos, manages to get the occasional interview (which one can HEAR), has info on the books, back stories involving the books, the writers, whathaveyou. Just a great all-round blog for readers/writers/editors. In other words, people like me -- and probably you, too.

Check him out soon. You won't regret it.
http://acalcagno.blogspot.com/

NOTE: Also am having some blog issues right now (and computer issues) so I appreciate those of you bearing with me while I resolve them.

Lea and the Writing World

2005-03-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

2 March

This is the new blog of Lea Schizas, a writer and editor in Canada. I have known Lea for over a year, have written with and for her at Apollo's Lyre (mentioned here previously) as well as kept up with her site Muse It Up. She is completely devoted to writing, editing and all its forms -- shorts included. Pay her a visit on the addy below soon.

http://leaandthewritingworld.blogspot.com/

And tell her where you saw this. Thx.

Allan Guthrie Ate My Homework

2005-02-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

28 Feb.

Busy weekend editing, erranding. KISS HER GOODBYE arrived and I am already firmly entrenched in it to the point of nothing else matters. I love Two-Way Split. I do. But man... straight up, this is why I love the genre.

So those of you waiting for me to deliver? Here's the song and dance.

Allan Guthrie, you my dog. And you ate my homework...

Check out my review TOMORROW 1 March 2005.

Later.

Kiss Her Goodbye

2005-02-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

24 Feb

HOOHOO... just got word that my copy of KISS HER GOODBYE has shipped as of today.
Check back here March 1 when I return from a work-related editorial jaunt. Hopefully, I will already have it and will have read it and will be ready to review it.

Project Runway and Other Murderous Hijinks

2005-02-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

23 Feb

God, I admit it. I have been watching this show for a month now and now it's the finale and I find it hilariously and murderously maddening.

Miss Jeanne has a lot to answer for, getting me hooked on this. Work is up and down this week so I suppose that is her punishment. Physical therapy for the elbow didn't happen today. Elle had to go pick up an ill child from school so I changed my appt to tomorrow. EARLY. Yikes. And a Near-Live just afterwards. I like living on the edge.

Looking forward to my copy of "KISS HER GOODBYE". Should be in REAL soon. Have ordered a copy of SINISTERIA (sp?). January '05. Has a story by Peter Ebsworth in it. He can't get it in England so I'm sending it to him. Good story, have already read it. Besides mystery, he writes little chillers like I do.

Also finally FINALLY reading Block's last Bernie Rhodenbarr novel, "THE BURGLER ON THE PROWL". Some folks say it's Block Lite -- like that is a bad thing. Block Lite is better than No Block. Am hoping my review of his latest, "ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING" will be accepted on an ezine I'm asking about.

Also getting deeper into the editing of the anthology. Ms. Brown is solidly in on the letter writing and we are putting heads together on that. Will be up and running like hell as of March 1st, again. Hopefully!

So a few days away from this blog. Check back March 1st.

Birthday Treats

2005-02-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

18 Feb

Yeah, the big day is tomorrow. I don't know how it sneaks up on me every year, but it does. I also don't know how Lawrence Block's new book, "ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING", sneaked up on me -- but it did. I will be getting a copy of that tomorrow before I am wined and dined by The Girls at the four star Imperial Fez. YUMMY... to both.

Looking forward to the Writers Week in Ireland in June. Will be writing about that not only here but on Web Mystery Magazine shortly thereafter. Probably some fotos will go up as well. Trying to get into Block's workshop. Oh yeah. You know I am...

Thrilling Detective is just superb this time out. A tribute to Hammett. The 75th anniversary of The Maltese Falcon is what instigated this treat for us. Thanks, Gerald and Kevin. Check it out at http://www.thrillingdetective.com/

Audible Inc.

2005-02-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

15 Feb 2005

On a call at work today, a company named Audible Inc. was touting the virtues of the self publishing and blogging community, discussing how this was a very viable market that they plan to go after for business as these people (i.e., us) are the movers and shakers, with talent and vision.

This makes me think of the movers and shakers named Bob Tinsley and his blog http://theshortofit.blogspot.com/
where he has mentioned the very much doable audio presentations of short stories, et al. I read The Short of It on a fairly regular basis (along w/ a couple others) in order to keep up esp during 'busy' season when it's all I can do to stay afloat of what's happening let alone read the books, stories, etc. that are out there.

Dave Zeltserman ("FAST LANE", Hardluck Stories) has one of Bob's short stories in the current issue of Hardluck Stories as audio, which is where many writers are either moving or believe they are moving. Go there now -- www.hardluckstories.com -- and look for "Grasshopper" by Robert Tinsley.

Preditors & Editors Poll

2005-02-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

14 Feb
Okay, so even if I didn't win, I am quite chuffed that I was nominated by whomever for the 2004 Preditors and Editors Poll. Thank you. And thank you. And thank you, too.

Work is slowing down somewhat -- earnings season being more or less over -- and I am happy to say I am caught up with most of my critiques of others' short stories or novel installments in my writing groups. I have finished two short mysteries that will be going out soon. Also, sent a non-fiction piece Saturday to Apollo's Lyre -- http://www.apolloslyre.com
-- titled "COLD HARD FACTS" (watch for word of that here). This piece is primarily driven by a remark Karin Slaughter made during a book tour here last summer/autumn. It's the 200 writers statistic and it got me to thinking, why DO we continue to write? I'd simply go off my nut if I didn't write. Getting published is sweet, no doubt about that. But I still write, even after compiling a stockpile of rejections. ("That which does not kill us makes us stronger" -- or some such bullshit.)

Will be starting up a writers' conference column on Web Mystery Magazine. http://lifeloom.com/webmysterymagazine.html. (mmm. That 'l' is just not cooperating for some reason) Will link readers up here when it gets going. Told the Editor I could commit for four columns -- essentially all of 2005, as it's a quarterly. I'm trying to get fotos of all the conferences and whatnots attended plus the thumbnail reviews here and there.

As of now, I will more than likely be in Ireland this June at a writers' conference. The Big One. I will also be attending the Harriette Austin Conference at UGA in July; so those two will be my focus for July/August. HAC is always a good conference for mystery writers, fans, etc.

Have as good a day as you can, all things considered.
Candace

Valloween at Claud's

2005-02-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

13 Feb
T and I are spending the night at Claud's after having spent the day w/ the Entire Committee.
I read where companies can FIRE people (i.e., employees) over blogs. There has been no policy set re: blogs. I thought you could say what you wanted, free country and all, but evidently some take exception to this free speech amendment.

Blogs are akin to shouting "Fire" in a crowded theatre, I suppose. Of course, only a numbnuts would badmouth their company or co-workers or manager in such a public forum but still...

We went over our Motorcycle Lessons and the Baby Bike ALMOST took us up up and away. But alas, she sputtered and except for a couple of walkabouts wouldn't cooperate w/ us. We're charging up the battery tonight -- the cold weather has wreaked a bit of havoc on her.

No heat, no problem. There are space heaters -- careful, kids. There are blankets, and fireplaces w/ fires, there is sushi w/ wasabi and there are dogs. Lots of big warm dogs.
Finishing up GONE FOR GOOD by H. Coben this week.

I missed not having Valloween. I miss Regan. She intro'd me to V'ween so the two are linked together forever.

Sent Lea S. an article on writers/writing called Cold Hard Facts for Apollo's Lyre. More on that later.

Later.

Ig a Jig Jig

2005-02-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

7 Feb
Well, Groundhog Day has come and gone. I am back in Atlanta safe and sound. Am in the middle of a couple of books and am doing the good deed of introducing friends and loved ones to other adventures in good reading.

Handed off my copy of "LIKE A CHARM: A Novel In Voices" to Miss Jeanne. Reading Harlan Coben's "Gone for Good" . Looking forward to seeing how he's going to resolve all the loose ends, etc. Then again, I am only up to the fourth third chapter. I enjoy the way Coben slices real life references in his writing... shows like 20/20, Court TV, things like that. Also the very subtle anger people expose each other to, not the big explosions that basically chew up the scenery and give no real complexity of purpose in the written scene. My experience is people gnawing their guts out when they're really upset. They internalize, growing tumors instead of brandishing firearms at Joe MacPunk ...

My writing/editing is slowly but surely catching up to the IMPOSSIBLE schedule I have -- along with others -- set for myself. Visited my relatives this weekend, getting our dad settled into an ALC. He just wants to go home, not able to grasp that the "home" he wants to go to is gone, baby, gone -- even if the structure were still available to him.

What was it Tennessee Williams said? "Time is the greatest distance between two places."

MEDIUM is on tonight. Looking forward to it, it's the fifth outing, it seems to have its legs under it pretty well now. And this one is a serial killer... ah, my favorite monster. Second only to Dracula, a different kind of serial killer.

Reading AHMM for March. Reading EQ for February. Trying desperately to keep all the plates in the air, juggling wildly, not dropping a one...
See you later.

Going Fast While Standing Still

2005-01-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

28 Jan
I am really -- let me repeat -- REALLY backed up. I have a ton of stories, etc, to re-read for the 'final final' anthology edits. I have to finish up two writers' groups' stories, am giving a looksee to two friends' stories (1 horror, 1 action mystery) and have to get out three (count 'em, 3) of my own shorts by next Friday.

Oh yeah and Lea Schizas of Apollo's Lyre tapped me for a chapter (on editing, imagine that) on a Writer's Common Book of Prayer (just kidding. That's not the name. Maybe it should be.).

And I am in the midst of the first black week at work. Yummy.

Sleet and ice predicted for manana, i.e., Saturday, and with it the possibility that Jenn's B.D. party at Dante's Down the Hatch will be totally fucked. I've not been to Dante's and am really hoping the ice goes elsewhere but it doesn't look like it right now.

Getting a new modem and signing on w/ another server. BS (aka BellSouth) just hasn't been doing it for me for a L-O-N-G time. And they cost soooo much more than they're worth, let alone what they're not doing!!

Saw "The Life Aquatic". It's fine, I mean it's Wes Anderson for all of that, and we know "The Royal Tenenbaums" was great. But Oscar noms? I don't think so. Read Del Tinsley's short short "Health Hazard" in AHMM's March '05 issue. Cute. A bit of a groaner, but decidedly punny.

Weather permitting, motorcycling Sunday. Or at least a trip to Claud's.

Later.

Biker Gang of Four

2005-01-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

25 Jan
Well, we trekked our way in subfreezing temps Sunday to a H-D swapmeet and bikeshow past the airport. Great. Found "British in the City" and volunteered to be Miss December 2006. "Yeah!" Beautiful Norton bike from '72. $5500. Got my Union Jack patch and a black tee, size small, adverting their establishment. Lovely folks all 'round. Also had a shot of bourbon. That was $4 but worth it. Colder than day old shite out there! Beautiful bikes, rat bikes and all. Just watching the people was worth the $8. Claud got a pair of gauntlets that flared up and over the ends of the jacket. Leather, $35. Nice softies instead of those washboard grubbers yet well lined so they will hold up as long as they're worn. Mike was there and is still looking for the rat 650 Savage for me. Since I'm a short shanks, I have to have the 26", smaller seat so I don't have to rely on telepathy to manuver the bike. Like the Professor and I were saying, be comfortable, it only adds to your feeling of competence.

T bought a wolf's head patch, small but nice. Colourful. Weirdly enough, almost 40 percent of those there were from the CMA/Tribe of Judah. (Christian Motorcycle Association.) I told them if they were smart and for real, they'd put the image of the Returning Apocalyptic Christ they had on a teeshirt (as usual, on a magnificent steed) on a Screamin' Night Hog. The coffee was good and thank Dog they didn't proselytize. I say, 'let Bike sort 'em out'.

Saw Sideways. What a great little movie. I laughed my arse off. Will be reviewing "Grifter's Game" by Block this week on Short and Sweet. Okay, it's not short and of course it isn't sweet. We all know what Larry Block writes but the review will be shorter than usual.

later.

"Grifter's Game" aka Bush's Second Term

2005-01-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

20 Jan
All right, okay! I know there are some Bushovites out there. Can't you take a joke?

Anyway, I am reading "Grifter's Game" by Lawrence Block and wow, am I enjoying it. Written in the early Sixties, it still holds up. Sex, drugs, murder for money and honey -- these are timeless topics of interest to someone with a decided bent for the Darker Places. Some of you may know this book by its other title of "Mona".

It will be on http://www.candacewiggins.blogspot.com on the Short and Sweet side hopefully by the weekend.

Speaking of which, the new Hardluck Stories is up. Winter '05 issue. Robert Tinsley (The Short of It) has a short up called "Grasshopper" via audio, read by Tinsley himself. 14 minutes and a few seconds long. I'm impressed. We should all give this a go at some point. The photography is great as are all the stories, and Pat Lambe's contrib is -- well, read it for yourselves at http://www.hardluckstories.com.

Have a good rest of week.
CW

Preditors&Editors, et al.

2005-01-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

18 Jan. '05

My review of "LIKE A CHARM" is up now at http://candacewiggins.blogspot.com, the Short and Sweet blog. Remarks on MEDIUM will be up tomorrow on that same blog.

The site where I am nominated for Short Story and -- Best New Author Published in '04 (I nearly fell over) -- is Preditors & Editors at http://www.critters.org/predpoll/author.shtml . Theirs is a great site, my nominations notwithstanding, full of all sorts of info, websites, stories, tips, caveats and whathaveyou. You can go there and -- ahem -- vote of course; what's even better is you can go there and read much of what is going on in the writing community per se.

And as I said, for those of you who missed "Nice Tie" , it's in the Best Short Story listing. Just click onto the hardluckstories site. I enjoy sites like P&E, Hardluck Stories, Thrilling Detective and many others as they go WAYYY beyond just being a site and turn into a forum, information center, directional, and can help, as well as guide, wouldbes and wannabes to the right location in this vast e-world. I have more hope than ever when I go to these sites that the short story is indeed not lost at all to us; that thanks to folks like Bob Tinsley, Gerald So, Dave Z, Sarah Weinman, Ray Banks, Megan and *so* many others I cannot list (as I can't type that long or that well), that the short story may actually be on an upward swing.

However, I am still working on "SMOKE AND MIRRORS" , the Jo and Grace mystery series. Book 1 should be finished by summer's end. And "HOMEWORLD" (the grand poohbah SF thingamabob) is still a go. But wow, is it monstrous...

Later.

Best Short Story Nomination

2005-01-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

17 January '05

Nothing like being nominated for Best Short Story in 2004 in a poll (Preditors & Editors) to make you feel good. While I would of course like to win, just knowing a few people have read my work and feel it should be up for some type recognition is more than enough to feel chuffed over.

Well, let me see. Here's the deal. The home 'puter is on the fritz, still. So on my one day off this month, here I am at the office, playing catch up. The elbow feels better, thank Dog.

Finished "Like A Charm", edited by Karin Slaughter. I will have that up on my SHORT AND SWEET site at http://candacewiggins.blogspot.com Tuesday A.M. for those of you who want to give it a looksee. And now I have to make THIS short and sweet as I actually have to edit one of my other shorts and post it for my writers group. (Hi gang!)

Best.