What's New

So, today an official announcement appears in my "inbox" from Pam Skochinski regarding the Derringer Awards Finalists. I open the message and, to my surprise, I find that my story, HELL HATH NO FURY, is a finalist in the Flash Category. This is an immense honor and I need to thank Frank Zafiro for making it possible. You hear people at awards banquets thank their friends and say, "This would not have been possible without you." Well, this truly would not have been possible without Frank, because he nominated the story. So, to Frank, "Thank you!"

I want to thank Joe DeMarco for publishing it in Mysterical-E. Had it not been published in 2005, it could not have been in the running. I'm always honored and excited when my stories appear in Mysterical-E -- especially when I get an illustration by Gin Elf.

I also want to thank all the judges who voted and made my story a finalist.

Finally, I want to congratulate all the other finalists, especially Mary Schenten and Frank Zafiro, and wish them luck.

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2006

I received thrilling word today from Teresa Tunaley that my story HAPPY FIRST was accepted for publication in the April issue of Writer's Post Journal. To say I was excited is an understatement. Does anyone know what I mean by "first time beauty"? It's when a woman is so beautiful that every time you see her, it's like seeing her for the first time. Writer's Post Journal has "first time acceptance" -- every time they accept one of my stories, it's like being accepted for the first time. I highly recommend this magazine for readers and writers of all genres. The link to WPJ is here: Writer's Post Journal

I'm one of the seven "sinners" who have the distinct pleasure of being a contributor to Tony Burton's anthology, "Seven By Seven". It's a book that contains "Seven Deadly Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins by Seven Deadly Authors." The projected release date is April, 2006. My seven stories are INSUBORDINATION, UNTIL DEATH, AN INDOLENT HEART, BAIL MONEY, SHOT OF ANGER, SNIPER'S CHOICE, and UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT. The other six authors are Kimberly Brown, Deborah Elliott-Upton, John M. Floyd, Sunny Frazier, Gary Hoffman, and Frank Zafiro. For information on how to order a copy, click here.

Joe DeMarco has invited me to write a column for his first-class E-zine, Mysterical-E, and I have eagerly accepted. The first column will probably be out in the Summer issue and it will be titled either "The Q&A Project" or "Criminal Element" -- I still haven't settled on one. I will be answering some of the questions that are frequently asked by mystery writers of police officers. If you'd like to have one (or more) of your questions answered via my column, send the question to me at bjbourg@bjbourg.com. I'll post an update when the first column is available.

Until next time, take it easy, and happy reading and writing!