SAM Magazine

E170 - C.J.Papoutsis - Murder at the Acropolis

Despite being a captive of the Civil Service for thirty-five years, C.J. has always been a writer. She lives in Victoria BC in a crooked old building on a crooked street where she stares out the window at the sea waiting for stories and poems to smack her on the head. C.J. finds humour in the unlikeliest places. She laughs at the wrong times and says things she probably shouldn’t.  Life has provided C.J. with a palette of strange, wonderful characters and unique situations; many find their way into stories.  
 
Her essays, short stories, and poems have been published in Monday Magazine, Senior Living Magazine, The Victoria Times Colonist newspaper, and online at Commuterlit.com. Her story “Leandra” was accepted by Stories Less Spoken. Her work appears in three anthologies: Dropped Threads 2, Blood on the Holly, and the Sisters in Crime Anthology, Crimewave Two: Women of a Certain Age.  She is currently working on a novel about eccentric people solving life-threatening dilemmas in unique ways.
 
Today, I have the pleasure of reading her short story, Murder at the Acropolis, which is published in the January 2024 issue of SAM Magazine.
 

E169 - Judy Penz Sheluk, Plan D

Today, I have the pleasure of reading the short mystery story Plan D, written by Judy Penz Sheluk. Plan D first appeared in The Whole She-Bang 2 (Sisters in Crime Toronto) in 2014 and was reprinted in The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery & Suspense in June 2020 (Superior Shores Press). 
A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of Finding Your Path to Publication and Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie, as well as two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries, both of which have been published in multiple languages. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited.
With a passion for understanding the ins and outs of all aspects of publishing, Judy is also the founder and owner of Superior Shores Press, which she established in February 2018.
Judy is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors for five years, the final two as Chair. She lives in Northern Ontario. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.

E168 - Mother Always Kept A Gun, C.J. Papoutsis

Mother Always Kept A Gun is a short story written by C.J. Papoutsis in 2007. It was also accepted in the Blood on the Holly Crime Writers of Canada anthology. I have memories of critiquing this story with C.J., in coffee shops and at each other's homes. We still critique each other's work today. It's amazing the work that goes into a short story. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you C.J. for sharing your story with SAM Magazine.
There is some language in this story which may not be suitable for all listeners. 

E167 - The Parrot and Wild Mushroom Stuffing, Joanna Vander Vlugt

The Parrot and Wild Mushroom Stuffing is a short story I wrote under my then pseudonym, J.C. Szasz. It was accepted in the Blood on the Holly Crime Writers of Canada anthology. The inspiration for this story came to me when my youngest daughter, a teenager at the time, worked part-time in the meat department of a grocery store. She would come home and vent about the very stressed shoppers, some yelled at her, while others hug her. I wrote this story in 2007. I'm happy to see that it has stood the test of time. I hope you enjoy it.
Joanna Vander Vlugt

E166 - JP McLean, Scorch Mark

JP (Jo-Anne) McLean is the author of ten books in the urban fantasy and thriller genres. She is an Eric Hoffer and Global Book Award winner and was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and the Independent Author Network Awards. She is a B.R.A.G. medallion honoree and three-time Literary Titan award winner. Reviewers call her books addictive, smart, and fun.
Raised in Toronto, Ontario, JP now lives with her husband on Denman Island, which is nestled between the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking dishes that turn out looking nothing like the recipe photos, or arguing with weeds in the garden. She enjoys hearing from readers. Contact her via her website, jpmcleanauthor.com. Reviews are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

E165 - Natural Consequences, Laurie Wood

TRIGGER WARNING: the fictional short story being read on today’s podcast deals with suicide. If you, or someone you love, need to talk about suicide, please reach out to Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566, and in the United States, please call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 988.
Today, I read Laurie Wood’s short story, Natural Consequences, which is from the Sisters in Crime Canada West anthology, Women of a Certain Age. Laurie is the author of the Heroes of the Tundra series, set in Churchill, Manitoba and available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google+, and Thalia.  Her latest novel in this series, Northern Protector, is out now.
Laurie is also a military wife who’s lived across Canada. She and her husband successfully raised two children with Down Syndrome who are a great blessing to them. Her house is full of rescued cats and dogs.
Laurie is a member of Sisters in Crime International and Sisters in Crime Canada West. She enjoys corresponding with her readers, and she can be found at the following links:
 
https://www.lauriewoodauthor.com
https://www.facebook.com/lauriewoodreadersgroup
https://www.twitter.com/LaurieJeanWood

E164 - The Torchman’s Tale, Edward M. Lerner

Today's short story is from a prolific author of acclaimed short fiction, Edward M. Lerner. I have the pleasure of reading Edward's short story, The Torchman's Tale, which can be found in his anthology, The Best of Edward M. Lerner. Edward has also just released his latest novel, On the Shoals of Space-Time.
On Edward’s website, it is written Edward is the perpetrator of science fiction and techno-thrillers. While you probably know Edward from his SF novels, including the InterstellarNet series and the epic Fleet of Worlds series with Larry Niven, Ed is a prolific author of acclaimed short fiction. The Best of Edward M. Lerner showcases his finest and favorite shorter works.
Edward is a physicist and computer scientist. After thirty years in the industry, working at every level from individual technical contributor to senior vice president, he now writes full-time. In addition to science fiction and technothrillers, he also writes popular science, notably including Trope-ing the Light Fantastic: The Science behind the Fiction. Edward is the recipient of the Canopus Award, a Hugo finalist for best novelette Championship B’tok; Fate of Worlds (with Larry Niven) was a Locus Award finalist, and many more.
Here is the link to my interview with Edward in season 4, Edward M. Lerner interview, as well as Edward's website.

E163 - Herd Maintenance by Winona Kent

Joanna Vander Vlugt reads Winona Kent's story, Herd Maintenance, from Winona's anthology Ten Stories That Worried My Mother. 
Winona Kent was born in London, England and grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, where she completed her BA in English at the University of Regina. After moving to Vancouver, she graduated from UBC with an MFA in Creative Writing. More recently, she received her diploma in Writing for Screen and TV from Vancouver Film School.
Winona’s debut novel Skywatcher was a finalist in the Seal Books First Novel Award and was published by Bantam Books in 1989. Since then, she has written nine more books, including her Jason Davey Mysteries—four novels featuring professional musician / amateur sleuth Jason Davey Figgis. The fifth book in the series, Bad Boy, will be released in 2023.
Winona’s also the author of a number of short short stories, which she’s gathered together for her anthology Ten Stories That Worried My Mother (published in August 2023).
Winona's currently the national Vice-Chair and the regional BC/YT rep for the Crime Writers of Canada, and is also an active member of Sisters in Crime – Canada West. After many decades working in jobs completely unrelated to writing, Winona is now happily embracing life as a full-time author. She lives in New Westminster, BC.
If you would like to learn more about Winona or read Herd Maintenance yourself, you can find her in the September 2023 issue of SAM Magazine, www.sam-magazine.com or Winona Kent's website, www.winonakent.com