Two New Stories for Sunday

Yes, I've been busy. (Love the long weekends.) Over at Dark Valentine Magazine, I've posted my story, "The Smallest of the Summoner's Bells." It's a story set in the urban fantasy world of my novel, Misbegotten.
The story takes place in Los Angeles, city of the angels and the occasioal demon, vampire and fairy. You can read it here.

Also, there's a new entry in the NoHo Noir series, featuring new character Helen Parrish. This story is a short, transitional one that will take us into some new twists and turns. As always, my partner in crime Mark Satchwill provided the illustration. Read the story here.

Janet Reid Writing Contest

Agent Janet Reid runs periodic writing challenges on her site--offering lists of words you must incorporate into stories of fewer than 100 words. There are prizes (this one is an ARC of Divergent) and she always offers feedback on the top contenders (some of it snarky). There's a contest on today, so if you feel like you need a little poke to get your juices flowing, head on over to her site.

The in-flight drink of choice

As I read this news story about a French smoker whose drunken behavior disrupted his flight from Nice to New York, I couldn't help but be struck by one thing. The man in question had apparently downed a full liter of Bailey's Irish Cream. I have two questions. One, how did he get a bottle of Baileys on the plane when most people can't get a full bottle of shampoo? And two, Bailey's Irish Cream. Really? Not a liter of wine?

Dark Valentine reviews Sympathy for the Devil

Friend of Dark Valentine Christine Pope's book Sympathy for the Devil came out just before Christmas, and was a great Christmas present for fans of paranormal romance. Joanne Renaud, DV art director and noted connoisseur of romance, has reviewed it. Check out the review and click on the Pink Petal Books link to read a tantalizing excerpt.

Free Sample!

Head over to Dark Valentine Magazine where Derek Muk's story Asylum has just been posted. This is a story from his collection, The Occult Files of Albert Taylor, the adventures of an anthropology professor who investigates supernatural cases in his spare time. Very X-Files. If you like what you see, the book is available on amazon.com and the author's own website.

No one ever has enough cookie cutters!

My mother, who knew a thing or two about making cookies (she had a McCoy Pineapple Cookie jar that's now a collectible and it was always filled with cookies) made do with just a handful of cutters--and they were mostly holiday-themed. Not me. If a cookie is worth cutting, I think it should be cut into something more interesting than a crescent moon or a bat. I have dinosaur cookie cutters. I have an entire aquarium full of fish shapes. (Three different kinds of sharks, y'all.) So imagine my delight when I heard about SWEET, a fantastic baking supplies company that has cookie cutters even I never heard of. There's a fleur de lis (because I'm all about the French) and mini-giraffes and so forth. There's a rocket ship and a castle.

Even better than their cookie cutters, though, is is their selection of baking cups. They're just so jolly. I love browsing in cookware stores anyway, so finding this place online (it's physically in Topeka, KS) is a treat. The website features recipes of divine deliciousness and they also offer freebies. Check it out.

Dear Lucky Agent--8th contest for writers of lit fic

Usually these contests are all about genre, but the Guide to Literary Agents is offering a contest just for the "literary fiction" niche. It's free and the only thing the sponsors ask is that you mention the contest on your social media sites. (Note, I don't write anything remotely resembling lit fic, so this is a freebie for them.) Here's where to get all the details.