Black Cat Weekly 52

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #52. This week, our acquiring editors have outdone themselves—Michael Bracken has an original story by William Burton McCormick, “House of Tigers,” which was a Black Orchid Novella Award finalist. Though it didn’t win, it’s a great story. (Competition is fierce for this particular award, since it judged by Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. I won the first Black Orchid for my story “Horse Pit,” and I haven’t dared enter since—I try to read all the winners, and they keep getting better and better. These days I probably wouldn’t stand a chance!) Barb Goffman also has an original, “It’s Not Tennis” by Shannon Taft, another good one. And Cynthia Ward has selected the modern classic “Whiter Teeth, Fresher Breath” by Tom Marcinko, which proves aliens do have it all. Even better oral hygiene! Plus we have a mystery novel by David Goodis (author of Dark Passage and Shoot the Piano Player), a space opera by E.E. “Doc” Smith, and science fiction from Arthur Leo Zagat and Stephen Marlowe! Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “House of Tigers,” by William Burton McCormick [Michael Bracken Presents, Novella] “Mailed It,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “It’s Not Tennis,” by Shannon Taft [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Cassidy’s Girl, by David Goodis [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Whiter Teeth, Fresher Breath,” by Tom Marcinko [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Picnic,” by Stephen Marlowe [short story] “The Cavern of the Shining Pool,” by Arthur Leo Zagat [novella] Galactic Patrol, by E.E. “Doc” Smith [novel]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #15—enjoy our holiday cat cover! The magazine is coming more sharply into focus, as our acquiring editors spread out through the mystery and science fiction fields and bring new stories to our lineup. This issue, we officially welcome Cynthia M. Ward to the editorial staff. She comes bearing a gift—Nancy Kress’s excellent science fiction story, “The Art of War.” Darrell Schweitzer was supposed to be back with his second acquisition this week (a comical Esther Friesner tale) but there were problems with the text and I’ve made a last-minute executive decision to push it back an issue or two, while it’s being fixed. I’ll slip in a replacement from my own backlist, another entry in my “Slab’s Tavern” series of fantasy bar stories. Barb Goffman and Michael Bracken have acquired a pair of original tales for us. First, Barb presents “The Importance of Being Urnest,” by Eleanor Cawood Jones. Then Michael selects “Romeo and Isabella” by John M. Floyd. Great stories, both. Thanks, everyone! Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Westerns “The Writing Workshop,” by Janice Law [short story] “Romeo and Isabelle,” by John M. Floyd [short story] “Secret Santa,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself mystery] West of Quarantine, by Todhunter Ballard [novel] “The Importance of Being Urnest,” by Eleanor Cawood Jones [short story] “Dr. Kreener’s Last Experiment,” by Sax Rohmer [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy “Serendipity,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “The Art of War,” by Nancy Kress [short story] “Well Bottled at Slab’s,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] Forever We Die! by Stephen Marlowe [short novel]

The Black Cat web site has been around for almost four years now, serving up a weekly buffet of new and classic mysteries—and more recently science fiction—to thousands of readers each week. Rather than continue to release all these novels and stories as individual ebooks, we have decided to bundle them up into a convenient weekly magazine…which is a lot more fun to work on! So here is Black Cat Weekly #1, for your enjoyment pleasure. To make the first issue memorable, we are including a lot more content than usual—double the usual word count, in fact. This time we have no less than three complete novels and 7 short stories—and even a “true crime” feature by Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason! There’s something here for everyone to enjoy, whether you’re a fan of traditional mysteries, psychic detectives (in the case of Frank Lovell Nelson’s story, a telepathic detective, the first of 12 stories featuring Carlton Clarke from 1908, all of which will run in the Black Cat’s pages). Looking for modern detection? We have that, too. And if your taste runs to the fantastic, we also have adventures across parallel worlds and well into the future. (And monsters. Did I mention monsters?) Included are: REMISSION, by Michael Bracken A KEY FOR REBECCA, by Hal Charles AUROVIA’S FAMOUS LODGE CASE, by Frank Lowell Nelson THE CASE OF THE KNOCKOUT BULLET, by Erle Stanley Gardner HAND IN GLOVE, by James Holding THE SKULL OF THE WALZING CLOWN, by Harry Stephen Keeler HAVER, by Brian Evenson A ZLOOR FOR YOUR TROUBLE, by Mack Reynolds VALLISNERIA MADNESS, by Ralph Milne Farley LAST CALL FOR DOOMSDAY! by S. M. Tenneshaw WORLDS OF THE IMPERIUM, by Keith Laumer

Black Cat Weekly #7 showcases new and classic science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries. Included in this issue: Mysteries “Death of a Light-Hearted Lady,” by Ruth Malone [short story] “The Soul of the Blue Bokhara,” by Frank Lovell Nelson [short story, Carl ton Clarke #7]] “Keys to Success,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Mysterious Blues,” by Adam Meyer [Barb Goff man Presents Mys tery] A Killing in Swords, by Reginald Bretnor [novel] The Secret of Shangore, by Nicholas Carter [novel, Nick Carter series] Science Fiction & Fantasy Charlie Tells Another One, by Andy Duncan [short story] Cat in the Box, by A.R. Morlan [short story] Sympathy for Mad Scientists, by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] Guaranteed—Forever! by Frank M. Robinson [short story] Tyrants of Time, by Stephen Marlowe [pulp science fiction novel] The Ghost of Guir House, by Charles Willing Beale [Victorian horror novel]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #46. This is one of our longest issues to date, thanks to no less than 3 novels! Not only is there a Nick Carter mystery novel, but we also have a classic time-travel novel from Edmond Hamilton, plus We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin—one of the most important dystopian novels of all time, influential on generations of writers, including Ursula K. Le Guin and Kurt Vonnegut. Not to mention George Orwell! Of course, our acquiring editors have also selected great tales by S. Phillip Lenski (an original mystery), Stephanie Jaye Evans (a remarkable crime tale, as a mother plans to commit murder for her son), and a science fiction story by Hugo Award-winner David D. Levine. Great Stuff. Plus we have stories by James Holding, Larry Tritten, and Murray Leinster...and what issue would be complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles? Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Four Dead Bodies in a Cornfield,” by S. Phillip Lenski [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Bottled Up,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Jamie’s Mother,” Stephanie Jaye Evans [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Baby Bit,” by James Holding [short story] The Call of Death, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Wreck of the Mars Adventure,” David D. Levine [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “A Science Fiction Readers’ and Writers’ Guide to the Universe,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Trouble,” by George O. Smith [short story] “Skit-Tree Planet,” by Murray Leinster [short story] The Time-Raider, by Edmond Hamilton [novel] We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin [novel]

Our 78th issue features another lineup sure to please. We have an original mystery by Tom Milani (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken). Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has selected a great mystery by Brian Cox. Our other two Acquiring Editors, Cynthia Ward and Darrell Schweitzer, are still on break, but we hope they will be back soon. I’ve balanced out the mystery side of this issue with a Sexton Blake story and a Hulbert Footner novel. For the fantasy side, we have three tales: a Frostflower & Thorn short story from Phyllis Ann Karr, a Jules de Grandin occult detective story from Seabury Quinn, and a ghostly tale by Grant Allen. On the third side, we have three science fiction stories—tales by Joe Bigson, Bill Venable, and Lester del Rey. Fun stuff. I hope you enjoy it. Here’s this issue’s lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Night of the Laundry Cart,” by Tom Milani [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Valentine by the Numbers,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Frozen Fiske.” by Brian Cox [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The White Mouse,” by Hal Meredith [Sexton Blake novelet] Cap’n Sue, by Hulbert Footner [novel] Fantasy & Science Fiction: “A Night at Two Inns.” by Phyllis Ann Karr [Frostflower & Thorn short story] “Pallinghurst Barrow,” by Grant Allen [novelet] “The Man Who Cast No Shadow,” by Seabury Quinn [Jules de Grandin novelet] “I Like You, Too—” by Joe Gibson [short story] “If At First,” by Bill Venable [short story] “Moon-Blind,” by Lester del Rey [short story]

For this week's Black Cat Weekly, Michael Bracken has acquired an original mystery by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier, Barb Goffman found a tale by SJ Rozan that will surely satisfy crime fans, and Cynthia Ward tracked down a Matthew Hughes story. Plus, for the sheer silliness of it all, there’s a Mickey Spillane parody from 1954 (which manages to be both a mystery and fantasy…but wasn’t everything of Spillane’s?) and classics from R. Austin Freeman (a Dr Thorndyke story), a Nick Carter novel, and the first Skylark of Space novel by E.E. “Doc” Smith. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Ripen,” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Death Takes a Swing,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “E-Golem,” by SJ Rozan [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Case Of Oscar Brodski,” by R. Austin Freeman [short story] A Human Counterfeit, by Nicholas Carter [novel] “The Shaky Undertaker,” by Ed Cox [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Shaky Undertaker,” by Ed Cox [short story] “To the Sons of Tomorrow,” by Irving Cox, Jr. [short story] “Mastermindless,” by Matthew Hughes [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Problem In Solid,” by George O. Smith [short story] “Sequel,” by Ben Smith [short story] The Skylark of Space, by E.E. “Doc” Smith [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #18 is another great lineup of novels and short stories this time, so without further ado—on to the stories! Mysteries / Suspense: “Rediscovery,” by James Holding [short story] “Staying Cool,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Ghost Who Read the Newspaper,” by Vicki Weisfeld [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Mr. Clackworthy and the Auto Rim,” by Christopher B. Booth [short story] “Kane and Averill,” by Bev Vincent [short story] The Merchant of Murder, by Spencer Dean [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Deeps of the Sky,” by Elizabeth Bear [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Spanish Vampire,” by E. Hoffmann Price [short story] “The Potable Zombie,” by Larry Tritten [short story] The Giant Atom, by Malcolm Jameson [novel]