Monday, February 10, 2020

NEW RELEASE and STORY SALE: "We Suffered Such a Man as This" via Mystery Weekly Magazine


One of the short stories that I wrote in Japan, about an eccentric old west detective in Calaveras County, now has a home at MYSTERY WEEKLY MAGAZINE.

Here's the synopsis of "We Suffered Such a Man as This":
Arriving in the small mining town of Copperopolis in fall of 1899, Georges Armadale, self-proclaimed detective extraordinaire, has taken it upon himself to solve a murder recently committed in a local church. At the standard rate, of course.
As part of my ongoing fight to write more stories around or near the San Joaquin Valley in California, I decided to try my hand at detective fiction and set it in one of my favorite little towns in the foothills at the turn of the century. Copperopolis is a small town wrapped around Lake Tulloch with a long history of mining for, as one would imagine, copper. Much of what was mined during the 1860s was sent east to be smelted for ammunition during the Civil War.

Copperopolis is also located in Calaveras County, where Mark Twain spent much time working with family and friends during the Gold Rush. His time here inspired the story, published by Bret Harte, that would become his first real success: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" Nearby Angels Camp is, as the story goes, where the story's narrator first heard of this frog competition. And Jackass Hill, where Mark Twain spent his time working, can also be visited and plays host to an old replica of what his cabin would've looked like (and is old in its own right, despite being a replica).

Hope you'll consider checking out this month's issue for the story!

Mystery Weekly Magazine | Amazon

And I can also announce that I've sold another story! Can't get into details, but it's one that I really enjoyed writing. Will drop more details the closer we get to publication.