Have a Nice Day By: H.B. FLAY In Have a Nice Day, three New York Telephone Company employees find a briefcase containing 300 (OTB) OFF-TRACK BETTING tickets worth $1,000 each, for a total of three million dollars, which was absentmindedly left behind by a bumbling aid to a Mafia boss. A homeless man finds one of the tickets on the street that one of the Tel Co. guys loses. The homeless man's good fortune becomes fodder for a newspaper reporter's story, since the homeless man wants to use the money the ticket is worth to find his children, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years. Then the story unfolds—there’s the cemetery worker who reveals the secret WW2 formula that is ingested by the racehorses, enabling them to win their respective races; the handsome Mafia lawyer who falls in love with the beautiful Mafia moll; the trail they follow through the New York Public Library computer's database of missing children; the series of unexplained murders connected to one individual; a tenacious N.Y.P.D. Lieutenant; the three New York Tel. wives; and of course, the poor unsuspecting robber that foolishly decides to mug one of the New York Tel. guys and inadvertently pulls the entire tale together.
Have a Nice Day By: H.B. FLAY In Have a Nice Day, three New York Telephone Company employees find a briefcase containing 300 (OTB) OFF-TRACK BETTING tickets worth $1,000 each, for a total of three million dollars, which was absentmindedly left behind by a bumbling aid to a Mafia boss. A homeless man finds one of the tickets on the street that one of the Tel Co. guys loses. The homeless man's good fortune becomes fodder for a newspaper reporter's story, since the homeless man wants to use the money the ticket is worth to find his children, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years. Then the story unfolds—there’s the cemetery worker who reveals the secret WW2 formula that is ingested by the racehorses, enabling them to win their respective races; the handsome Mafia lawyer who falls in love with the beautiful Mafia moll; the trail they follow through the New York Public Library computer's database of missing children; the series of unexplained murders connected to one individual; a tenacious N.Y.P.D. Lieutenant; the three New York Tel. wives; and of course, the poor unsuspecting robber that foolishly decides to mug one of the New York Tel. guys and inadvertently pulls the entire tale together.
This is a special issue—our 50th, as you may have noticed from our cover. To celebrate, all past and present editors were to contribute a story. (It helps that they are also amazingly talented writers.) So we have stories from Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, Paul Di Filippo, Darrell Schweitzer, and Cynthia Ward in addition to our other fare. But wait! There’s more! This issue features four original tales—Elizabeth Zelvin has a fantasy/mystery stories, Phyllis Ann Karr has a weird western, and Cynthia Ward has a gonzo science fiction crowd-funding story. And I have completed a story by the late H.B. Fyfe, who was best known for his science fiction stories, though this one is a revenge tale that most closely fits the mystery genre. And the good stuff doesn’t stop there. We also have a superhero story from Darrell Schweitzer. Space Opera from Algis Budrys and E.E. “Doc” Smith. A historical mystery novel by western author B.M. Bower. A historical investigation from Charles Todd. A Mallworld story from Somtow Sucharitkul (who also writes as S.P. Somtow). And no issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself mystery by Hal Charles. All in all, this is an probably our best Black Cat Weekly yet. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Ladies of Wednesday Tea” by Michael Bracken [short story] “Hidden in Plain Sight” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Ice Ice Baby” by Barb Goffman [short story] “Flayed” by H.B. Fyfe and John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “Blood Money” by Charles Todd [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The House of Marble” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] The Eagle’s Wing, by B.M. Bower [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The House of Marble” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Rise and Fall of Whistle-Pig City” by Paul Di Filippo [short story] “Rabid in Mallworld” by Somtow Sucharitkul [short story] “Fighting the Zeppelin Gang” by Darrell Schweitzer [short story] “Winona of Bleeding Kansas” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] “The Campaign Is Now Officially Complete” by Cynthia Ward [short story] “Blood on my Jets” by Algis Budrys [short story] The Skylark of Valeron, by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D. [novel]
H.B.'s sporting trips and work travels have led him on many adventures, from Costa Rica to British Columbia, from Florida to Alaska. When circumstances led H.B. to retire to The Orchard, alone save for his trusted Springer Spaniel Jack, he balked at settling back into small-town life. H.B. did everything he could to avoid being at his hometown. If friends called for him to join a hunting expedition, he was ready. When work called with a new consulting job, even in a backwoods southern town, he was there. Anything to get out of The Orchard. The Orchard is a story of bird dogs, fly-fishing adventures, venerable characters and loves lost and found. West's unique writing style, sparse yet full of emotion, takes the reader on a slew of adventures as well as an emotional journey. We're right there with him while driving through the colorful streets of Costa Rica, we feel the crisp cold of a day fly-fishing in Maryland, and we get an inside look at the trials of training a bird dog. But The Orchard is also a story of relationships and community. While he writes of doing all he can to escape The Orchard, the truth is that the place is as much a part of H.B. as his love for a day knee-deep in waders, a good gun dog, and a strong drink. Sprinkled with just enough history to make you feel at home in The Orchard, H.B. takes the reader along on his own journey as he explores changing friendships and new relationships and falls in love again.
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