Books by Michael Bracken

<i>Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir</i> is a crime-fiction cocktail that will knock readers into a literary stupor. <br><br>Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn''t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century. <br><br>Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you''ve finished reading every story, you''ll know that you''ve been "slipped a Mickey." <br><br>The twenty contributors, some of today''s most respected short-story writers and new writers making their mark on the genre, include J.L. Abramo, Ann Aptaker, Trey R. Barker, Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, David Hagerty, James A. Hearn, David H. Hendrickson, Jarrett Kaufman, Mark R. Kehl, Hugh Lessig, Steve Liskow, Alan Orloff, Josh Pachter, Steve Rasnic Tem, Mikal Trimm, Bev Vincent, Joseph S. Walker, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, and Stacy Woodson.

¿ Interviews with Tony Gleeson (Fantastic, Amazing Science Fiction, Mike Shayne, Personal Crimes) and John Shirley (Weirdbook, Fantastic, The Crow, Constantine, Wetbones).¿ Lester del Rey's Five Ages of Science Fiction by Vince Nowell, Sr.¿ Born of Other Worlds, it's Science Stories, a digest Ray Palmer "tossed in your lap with little or no ceremony."¿ News and dozens of cover previews from around the world of digests, direct from the magazines' editors, publishers, and writers.¿ Mike Chomko and William Lampkin untangle the fate of PulpFest 2020 and The Pulpster.¿ Richard Krauss exhumes the true crime sensation: Fotocrime.¿ Steve Carper rediscovers the remarkable Photoplay Editions.¿ Ward Smith spotlights Digest Science Fiction Novels.¿ New fiction by Michael Bracken, Rick Ollerman, and Joe Wehrle, Jr. with artwork by Rick McCollum, Marc Myers, and Michael Neno.¿ Reviews of Amazing Selects, bare¿bones No. 1, EconoClash Review No. 5, Guns + Tacos Season One, Lake County Incidents, and Paperback Fanatic No. 43.¿ Plus over 100 digest magazine cover images, first issue factoids, cartoons by Bob Vojtko, and more.¿ Cover by Tony Gleeson, 160 pages, published in full color by Larque Press.

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order.Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.Episode 1: “Tacos de Cazuela con Smith & Wesson” by Gary Phillips.Episode 2: “Three Brisket Tacos and a Sig Sauer” by Michael Bracken.Episode 3: “A Gyro and a Glock” by Frank Zafiro.Episodes 4-6 of Season One are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 2.

Black Cat Mystery Magazine is a new journal devoted to the best in mystery short fiction. Crime? Noir? Cozy? Private eye? You'll find all genres present and accounted for-with new tales by the best writers of today! The fourth issue features the following lineup:SOMETHING FISHY, by Michael BrackenINSEPARABLE, INSUFFERABLE, by Alan OrloffUSE OF THE AWKWARD HAND, by Julie LeoUMBERTO SCOLARI AND THE FEAST OF PARADISE, by Dayle A. DermatisMOE'S SEAFOOD HOUSE, by Ramona DeFelice LongMUD SEASON, by Su KopilMESSIN' WITH THE KID, by Steve LiskowASSASSIN'S SCROLL, by Tais TengTROUBLE IN MIND, by Cynthia WardPlus a bonus poem: THE TIMELINE MURDERS, by Janet Fox

In this Read on the Run title, we present eighteen romances. Not love stories, although some of them do include aspects of that. But whereas love stories are often sad, each of the selections in A Wink and a Smile has either a "happily-ever-after" ending, or at least a strong suggestion that this is where the characters are heading. That doesn't mean these tales all sound the same; to the contrary, we've found quite a diverse collection of romances. Yes, there are some traditional romances, and there's a healthy handful of budding romances, but you will also find a story set in the future, and a couple of fantasy tales. You will find stories of pastries, and candies, of young lovers and old. You will meet several matchmakers and you'll see couples reconcile, and there are even a few stories that will make you laugh. As always, each story in the Read on the Run series of anthologies is short, to suit your busy lifestyle.

Black Cat Mystery Magazine is a new journal devoted to the best in mystery short fiction. Crime? Noir? Cozy? Private eye? You'll find all genres present and accounted for -- with new tales by the best writers of today! The third issue features the following:Suburbia, by Michael BrackenThe Sorority House, by Eve FisherTourist Season, by JM TaylorDiversions, by John M. FloydThe List, by Charlie DreesSomething Certain, by Peter W. J. HayesThe Moment of Righting, by Robb T. WhiteBeyond a Reasonable Doubt, by Ashley Lynch-HarrisThe Target, by Charlie HughesWhale Watch, by Charles Roland

Weirdbook returns with another jam-packed issue full of great fantasy and horror tales! Included this time are:• HARLOT ROAD, by Michael Bracken• WITH A POET'S EYES, by John C. Hocking• THE WISHING WELL, by Robert Graves• O KING OF PAIN AND SPLENDOR!, by Darrell Schweitzer• YOU'D DO IT FOR DIAMONDS, by Adrian Cole• DREADFUL APPETITE, by Franklyn Searight• THE HANDMAID OF THE KEY, by R.C. Mulhare• BLUE MOON, by Allen Mark Price• SHE WHO GIVES LIFE, by C. I. Kemp• AN IMPLEMENT OF ICE, by W. H. Pugmire• NIGHT OF THE CIRCUS, by Sharon Cullars• WOLVERS HILL, by Tim Jeffreys• RAFTS, by Lorenzo Crescentini• CLEAN SWEEP, by Edward Ahern• LEAVING MALAGA, by Cynthia Ward• CATTLE CALL, by Gregg Chamberlain• ABOMINATION IS HER NAME, by J.N. Cameron• KACHINA, by Kenneth Bykerk• FLAT IS FLAT AND THAT IS THAT, by David J. Gibbs• DEATH IS NOT MY MASTER, by Scott HarperPoetry:• THE OLD ROCK, by Russ Parkhurst• SLEEPING WITH MAD SHADOWS, by Frederick J. Mayer• THE LIQUID PROFESSOR, by Jeff Barnes• THE TOAD STOOL PEOPLE, by Chad Hensley• THE PROMISE OF A POLIDORI SORE THROAT, by Clay F. Johnson• THIS HUNGRY EARTH, by Andrew Ivey

tales of natural and supernatural noirWhether real or imagined, natural or supernatural, the horrors in these macabre tales of lost love, quiet desperation. These are dark, dark tales -- of lost love, of quiet desperation; painful memories that will linger in your thoughts long after you turn the last page.