Sleuthsayers: Talking About Historical Mysteries...

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I love reading tales in which real-life people are placed in fictional situations. The classic example of this is the novel Ragtime, which featured an ensemble cast of people such as Harry Houdini, JP Morgan, Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, and ton of others.

It’s a tricky thing to get right, and until now I’ve resisted playing in that particular sandbox. But that changes with the publication of my new short story in Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine this month. In that story, two real-life people—Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain—become the detectives in a case of commercial sabotage in 1893 New York.

I hope you’ll take the time to check it out.

You can check out the post here.

If you like my work, kindly consider bookmarking Sleuthsayers. The next post will be in three weeks, when I’ll be talking about Mother’s Day.

If you’re looking for reading material during your pandemic down-time, I hope you’ll consider one of my books or my wife’s. If ever there was a time for escapism, it’s now!

Check out Denise’s book here: We Gather Together.

The e-book versions of both of my two most recent books, Murder on Book Row and the fantasy novel, Sorceress Kringle, are available at almost every online retailer. You can order print copies at the usual suspects online, or autographed copies from Malaprop’s, the bookstore in my nabe. Yes, this wonderful bookstore is still operating, and shipping books all over the world.

Murder on Book Row and Sorceress Kringle, by Joseph D'Agnese


Credit: Bookshelf image at top by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

See My New Story in Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine!

May/June 2021 issue Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

You’ll find a new short story of mine, “Mr. Tesla Likes to Watch,” in the May/June 2021 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (AHMM). The hard-copy issue hits newsstands today, April 20. Digital issues are already available.

“Mr. Tesla” is set in New York City in 1893. Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla—who were friends in real life—are presented with a strange mystery concerning a flower shop that they attempt to solve independently. The “winner,” i.e., the one who cracks the case, must buy the other dinner at Delmonico’s, a popular restaurant of the era. I’ve wanted to do something with these two real-life figures ever since I learned that they were unlikely friends.

You can buy digital issues via B&N, Kindle, Apple, Magzter, and Kobo. All the links are here at Hitchcock’s website. If you want to check out my story, make sure you are downloading the issue shown here.

Submission stats: I finished this story sometime in October 2018, but it did not find a home until Hitchcock’s bought it in February 2020. They took 309 days to say yes, and the story is appearing about 14 months from acceptance. Payment was $480.

Yes, I will someday release an e-book version of of the story, which I’ll offer free to readers on my list. If you’d rather wait for the free copy, please join my e-newsletter. (See bottom of this page.)

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Flower shop image by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

Sleuthsayers: Giving It Away for Free

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If you’re a writer, friends inevitably ask for advice on how to get published. It’s a tricky situation, because not everyone has what it takes to go the distance in what has always been a difficult profession.

I’m talking about this over at the Sleuthsayers mystery writers blog today, and I’m finding that the comments alone are fascinating. LOTS of writers go through this in their careers.

I hope you’ll take the time to check it out.

You can check out the post here.

If you like my work, kindly consider bookmarking Sleuthsayers. The next post will be in three weeks, when I’ll be talking about one of my new short stories.

If you’re looking for reading material during your pandemic down-time, I hope you’ll consider one of my books or my wife’s. If ever there was a time for escapism, it’s now!

Check out Denise’s book here: We Gather Together.

The e-book versions of both of my two most recent books, Murder on Book Row and the fantasy novel, Sorceress Kringle, are available at almost every online retailer. You can order print copies at the usual suspects online, or autographed copies from Malaprop’s, the bookstore in my nabe. Yes, this wonderful bookstore is still operating, and shipping books all over the world.

Murder on Book Row and Sorceress Kringle, by Joseph D'Agnese


Credit: Bookshelf image at top by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

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