Mystery Melange

New short fiction offerings for you to include in your summer reading: Patti Abbott's story "Father's Day" is up on Spinetingler, and Yellow Mama's latest edition is available online with stories, poems and reviews. Also, Needle Magazine has a special offer for their Spring 2011 issue: use the code "SUMMERBOOK11" to get 20% off on the Lulu download site.

The Writers' Police Academy opened submisions for the Golden Donut flash-fiction contest. To enter, write a 200-word story (including your title) about the photo posted on conference organizer Lee Lofland's Graveyard Shift blog, linked above. The contest winner will receive the prestigious Don Knotts Golden Donut Award (sponsored by the High Point North Carolina Public Library and Krispy Kreme).

There's a new indie e-publisher in town. The folks who bring you Spinetingler Magazine have launched Snubnose Press, to publish the best in short crime fiction, including original anthologies, novellas and short novels. Their first offering, soon to be released, is an anthology titled Speedloader, with new, original stories from Richard Thomas, Nik Korpon, Nigel Bird, newcomer WD County and Spinetingler Award winners Matthew C. Funk and Jonathan Woods.

There is an increasing need for charitable support, especially following the many natural disasters as of late. If you feel a bit overwhelmed about how to help, but are also a fan of stories and poetry, here are some opportunities to consider:

• Shaken: Stories For Japan, is an anthology of Japan-themed stories by 19 different authors including Brett Battles, Cara Black, Hank Phillipi Ryan, Kelli Stanley and Jeri Westerson. One hundred percent of the writers' royalties from the purchase go directly to the 2011 Japan Relief Fund administrated by Japan America Society of Southern California, which has already sent $750,000 to organizations working on the scene. Agent Janet Reid has more info on her blog.

• Bleed Me a River is a print anthology of poetry benefiting domestic violence shelters. Gerald So, an editor of the Thrilling Detective web site, has a couple of poems included. Gerald co-edited The Lineup, an anthology of crime-themed poetry, and one of the other contributors to that effort, David S. Pointer, serves as editor here. Gerald has more information on his blog.

• Paul Levine is donating proceeds from the sale of his legal thriller Flesh & Bones, the 7th book in his Jake Lassiter series, to Four Diamonds Fund, which supports cancer treatment for kids at the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. Omnimystery News has more info.