Suspense, Mystery, Horror and Thriller Fiction April 2013 Take a Thrill Ride with Joshua Graham Jeremy robinson adam baker andrew Gross T. Jefferson Parker 2012 Contest Winners Announced HugH Howey A TAle of SucceSS John Gilstrap Meet Joins Anthony J. FrAnze Charles Colyott on WritinG A NeW VOICe From the Editor C r e di t s John Raab President & Chairman Ghosts, vampires, zombies, and demons: Shannon Raab What do they have in common? Creative Director All are popular in our writing today. Why do we find them so fascinating, since it seems that we Romaine Reeves CFO are afraid of them? I know that Stephenie Meyer made vampires more romantic than scary. Her Starr Gardinier Reina Executive Editor depiction of vampires was more about fueling teenage fantasy than about portraying them in Jim Thomsen accordance with fictional history. But all of them Copy Editor feed off the emotions of the living, and even Contributors though many people feel they don’t exist, and that would be why we do find them Donald Allen Kirch fascinating. Anything that is part of the unknown, including aliens and spirits—we Mark P. Sadler Susan Santangelo simply can’t get enough of hearing about them. DJ Weaver CK Webb But what is the next big thing? At any given time you find a ghost story or ghost hunt Kiki Howell on TV. Demons are all over the horror genre and now becoming a lot more mainstream. Kaye George Weldon Burge Vampires have been around before Dracula and will continue to be around. The young Ashley Wintters adult genre is the fastest-growing genre in books. Adults and children are flocking to Scott Pearson D.P. Lyle M.D. buy these books. Most of the popular titles have at least one of the paranormal entities Claudia Mosley above. Christopher Nadeau Kathleen Heady So, I have to ask, is the paranormal the new police book? Does a thriller or suspense Stephen Brayton book have to have some sort of paranormal activity, along with some type of romance Brian Blocker Andrew MacRae to be popular? My answer might surprise you, but I don’t think so. I think that all Val Conrad books and genres go through fads. Remember “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown? Laura Alden Melissa Dalton Historical thrillers were all the rage—just ask Clive Cussler and Steve Berry, who saw Elliott Capon their popularity skyrocket because that genre was all over the place. Hollywood does J.M. LeDuc Holly Price the same thing by putting out the same type of movies; heck, Disney and Dreamworks Kari Wainwright for a couple of years would basically put out the same movie, just change the voices and David Ingram Bill Craig the title. Jodi Hanson As an author, you shouldn’t get caught up in the fads of readers, because they end as Amy Lignor Susan May fast as they came in. If you are writing a book with vampires, zombies, or demons, stop. J.S. McCormick You are too late to probably make a mark in these saturated markets. Ghosts, however, Kestrel T. Andersen Cassandra McNeil will always be popular, because they have proven through time that they continue to Jenny Hilborne dazzle readers. Reviews make readers aware of what’s out Tanya Contois Sharon Salonen there, but sales figures make authors aware. Anthony J. Franze Most authors should stay with what they are good at, Jeanine Elizalde Kristin Centorcelli which could be incorporating a little of the paranormal Jerry Zavada if that is something new to them, but not jump in head Customer Service and first and change their style all at once. Keep to your Subscriptions: For 24/7 service, please use our website, strengths and write the best books you can, because in www.suspensemagazine.com or write to: the end what you put on the page is a little piece of you. SUSPENSE MAGAZINE at 26500 Agoura Road, #102-474 Just don’t chop off your arm or leg. Calabasas, CA 91302 Suspense Magazine does not share our magazine subscriber list to third-party John Raab companies. CEO/Publisher Photographer: http://mleighs.deviantart.com Rates: $24.00 (Electronic Subscrip- Suspense Magazine Model: Wes Ykema tion) per year. All foreign subscrip- “Reviews within this magazine are the opinions of the individual reviewers and are provided solely to provide readers assistance tions must be payable in U.S. funds. in determining another's thoughts on the book under discussion and shall not be interpreted as professional advice or the opin- ion of any other than the individual reviewer. The following reviewers who may appear in this magazine are also individual cli- ents of Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine: Mark P. Sadler, Starr Gardinier Reina, Ashley Dawn (Wintters), DJ Weaver, CK Webb, Elliott Capon, J.M. LeDuc, and Amy Lignor.” SuspenseMagazine.com 1 CONTENT Su Sp E n se M ag a z i n E April 2013 / Vol. 046 Excerpt of “Crucifying Angels” By P.I. Barrington . 3 Lisa Gardner on Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis: Part Three. 5 A New Voice: An Interview with Charles Colyott by Weldon Burge. 8 Rules of Fiction with John Gilstrap By Anthony J. Franze. 10 Terri Ann Armstrong Short Story Contest Winner Announcement. 13 We Never Speak About It By James Todd. 14 What Lies Beyond By Patrick Gallogly . 20 No Reservations Required By Laura Kathryn Rogers . 23 Inside the Pages: Suspense Magazine Book Reviews. 31 Suspense Magazine Movie Reviews. 38 Featured Artist: Paulina Januszek . 40 Hugh Howey: A Tale of Success By Susan May. 44 Spell By Sean Hunter. 47 Easy Mark By I.R. Griffith. 56 Star-Crossed By Tim Smith. 65 Stranger Than Fiction: An Unusual Shroud By Donald Allen Kirch . 74 Interview with a Monster: The Dracula File By Thomas Scopel. 83 Special Preview from Author P.I. BarrIngton Crucifying Angel Book One: Future Imperfect “Don’T make me get A warrant,” he told Ernesto Calderon as they both stood in the surveillance bay. Alfonso was gone for the day and Calderon drew the swing shift. “I really don’t think you want Garcia dragged away from his wife at this late hour. All you have to do is make me a copy of the footage I looked at the other day.” Ernesto looked askance at Gavin, as if the detective wore a set of horns. He moved along the inside of the monitor station backing away and running a hand along the underside of the console. “I advise against that.” Gavin reached into his holster. “I can put you down before your fingers touch the button. Make me the copy.” “What format?” Ernesto played for time. “All of them. And please put a rush on it.” He smiled and pointed his tricked out Glock at the man. “I have a deadline to meet. One I cannot miss.” Ernesto did as he was told and Gavin knew Calderon would hit the panic button as soon as Gavin walked out the door. He prevented that by walking around and shooting the wiring to shreds. “Thank you, Ernesto,” Gavin told him as he took the chip, stick, and a cylinder from him. “You have my permission to blame everything on me. I should think you’d make a point of that to Garcia. Again, thanks.” He backed out the door in case Ernesto possessed any weapons and all the way to the elevators. His bio-identification still held and he smashed a finger against the express button that shot him to the casino floor. He broke into a run out the front doors and leaped into the patrol car as the on-duty security force exploded out the front doors of the casino. The unit’s tires slammed down onto the pavement under Gavin’s foot and fishtailed as it flew off the premises and down the highway. He got a last glimpse of them taking aim and popping off a few rounds before they scattered like ants without a pheromone trail. ***** Alejandro Jesus Garcia Slammed down the phone in his penthouse bedroom “I am not happy,” he announced to the group of guards who stood just inside the penthouse suite’s front doors. Garcia untied the silk belt at the waist of his robe and tugged on a shirt. “Bring Calderon to my office. I’ll deal with him there. Sergeant, stay with me. We will discuss how to handle this…breach of security on the way down.” Garcia buttoned the collar of a newly pressed shirt and then buttoned the cuffs. He picked up his gun in its holster and slung it over his shoulder, finally pulling a jacket over it all. The clock on the wall read 10:30 p.m. but no one looked at it. The time was of no concern to anyone in these matters — matters that they must now take into their own hands and resolve. Garcia arrived at his office at exactly 10:39 p.m. and looked into the pale face of Ernesto Raul Calderon without pity. They SuspenseMagazine.com 3 had extracted the details of Gavin’s visit and his possession of the footage of the Amazon’s casino floor and rooms from Calderon and now Garcia made his decision. “Take him out,” he told the mini-troop of soldiers. “Have him write a note of suicide and then shoot him. Make it look like he pulled the trigger himself. Get him away from my sight.” Calderon barely squeaked out a faint protest as they lifted him off the floor and carried him by the armpits out of the office.