May 2026
Mark Coggins – My August Riordan short story “Bread and Hanabada” appears in Issue 12 of Dark Yonder, which will be published in May.
Also, my Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Baker Street Vampires” appears in House of Long Shadows No. 63, which was released on April 25.
Michael Cooper – I just returned from the 2025 Chanticleer International Book Awards Ceremony in Bellingham, Washington, and I’m happy to report that I won the Overall Chanticleer Best Book of 2025 Grand Prize Award for my historical novel, The Rabbi’s Knight, which had already won the divisional 2025 Chaucer Grand Prize Award for Historical Fiction. Additionally, I won the 2025 Chanticleer Book Series Grand Prize Award for my series, Seasons of Empire, which includes three of my historical novels; The Rabbi’s Knight, Wages of Empire, and Crossroads of Empire.
Altogether, a GREAT evening!
Bill Crider – I’m happy to share that my Derringer Award-winning short story, “Cranked,” is included in the SMFS’s anthology, Hot Shots: Celebrating Thirty Years of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. You can pre-order the Kindle version on Amazon here. Pre-order for the print version will be coming soon.
Carmela Dutra – I am celebrating the release of my second cozy mystery, Hot Wings and Homicide, publishing May 12, 2026, from Crooked Lane Books.
In this follow-up to A Murder Most Fowl, twins Beth and Seth Lloyd are on the chopping block when a prime spot at the Flavors of the Bay Food Festival turns deadly. When infamous food critic—and Beth’s ex—Brad Dawson is found murdered, suspicion falls squarely on the twins. To save their names and their food truck, Beth must crack the case before she’s the next one cooked.
“A mouthwatering mystery for fans of Joanne Fluke, Hot Wings and Homicide serves up humor, heart, and plenty of Bay Area flavor.”
I have an extensive Bay Area tour scheduled.
May 16 – Release celebration at Barnes & Noble in San Mateo (1-3 PM), featuring free bookmarks, stickers, recipe cards, and hot sauce packets while supplies last.
May 17 – SinC NorCal Spring Showcase at Book Passage in Corte Madera (1-3 PM), alongside a group of talented authors.
May 30 – Small Business Saturday signing at Recycle Bookstore in Campbell (11 AM-1 PM), featuring special giveaways and a guest appearance by the real-life inspiration for Rylie Cortes, dressed as a giant chicken.
Jack Erickson – I leave for Roma May 7, will be in Italia for 5 weeks, Roma, Puglia, Firenze, Siena, Montepulciano, Milano and Stresa.
I’ll study intensive Italian in Firenze for a week,visit friends in Milano and Stresa, and meet with the anti-terrorism police DIGOS in Milano at the Questura (police HQ).
I’m working on book 5 in the Milan Thriller Series, tentative title A Dangerous Friend.
You can find all my books here.
Dwight Holing – The Yellow Hair, the tenth book in my Silver Falchion Award-winning Nick Drake Mystery Series, launched on April 30.
Nick Drake trades his past as a fish and wildlife ranger for the Sheriff’s star, but Harney County doesn’t do election honeymoons. His tenure kicks off with a double homicide and as he digs into the crime’s rotting core, he finds himself fighting a war on two fronts: a lethal learning curve with unproven deputies and a political recall designed to bury him.
And, on May 15, I’ll be at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Awards Ceremony in Portland as one of three finalists for Best Mystery for the ninth book in my Nick Drake series, The Thunder Head.
Claire M. Johnson – The third book in my Fog City Noir Series featuring Maggie Laurent, Crookedest Street in the World, will be available for sale June 3, 2026, from Level Best Books.
Maggie Laurent, P.I., is slowly making a name for herself in San Francisco, but it’s slow going. She is keeping the office open, but just barely. Her best friend, Maureen Dunleavy, who is on the verge of taking her final vows to become a nun, asks Maggie for her help. This entails Maggie confronting the former principal of her high school—a woman Maggie despises. At stake is the life of a young Chinese novitiate. Maggie braves San Francisco’s underworld to keep her safe, bringing down the wrath of the mayor and police chief of San Francisco, and the kingpins of the prostitution, gambling, and drug trades operated by Chinese gang lords down on her head.
James L’Etoile – I will be attending ThrillerFest from May 4-9 where I will participate in several events, as the Director of QueryFest, teaming up writers with agents and editors, and two panels during the week:
On May 12, I will present a workshop for the Mystery Writers of America – Mid-Atlantic Chapter on “What Authors Need to Know About What Really Happens in Prison.” Writers will come away with tips on how to add a degree of authenticity to their crime fiction.
On May 13, I will be in conversation with book reviewer and blogger Janie Siess on Instagram Live—live, so who knows what could happen…
Claudia Long – Sisters at an Exhibition, a Zara and Lilly mystery, is now available for pre-order. It comes out August 18, 2026.
Zara and Lilly, sisters of a certain age, chase a dubious Caravaggio sketch, its dubious curator, and a devious museum donor, across San Francisco, New York City, and into the ruined memories of World War 2 Alsace, France.
Available wherever and however you buy your books, but now on preorder here.
Ann Parker – My “All in a Night’s Work: A Time Walker Detective Short Story” is available through the usual e-venues. This story is my first venture into HistMyst-asy (historical-mystery-fantasy) and the world of self-publishing.
Kelli Stanley – The Reckoning, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist, is available now, wherever books are sold.
“Standout” … “New and Noteworthy” – New York Times
Ask for it at your library!
Michal Strutin – Work on my three-book contract with Sibylline Press for my 16th-century mystery trilogy is rolling along. Deceit in the City of Masks is in final edit, cover art design, front and back matter done. A Spy in the Sultan’s Harem, Book 2 working title: first draft close to completion. Book 3 brings my two sleuths to Spalato (now Split), Croatia. A research trip is planned for late summer.
Rob Swigart – The Rune Harmonic, #4 in The Lisa Emmer series of historical thrillers, was just released in eBook on Amazon. Find it here. Paper book should be available soon.