Today we're featuring @raymondbrunell.bsky.social's story "The Black Lung Gospel" in our Short Fiction section. The story has a strong, distinctive voice that combines Appalachian Gothic, Southern noir, & gritty American realism. Check it out below: literarygarage.com/the-black-lu...

AVAILABLE NOW: When the dog makes the heist. When life gives you a chance to make a connection after all these years. One swing of the machete solves all your problems . . . Best eaten cold? Small-town revenge stays hot for years. Order your copy of RHP #15 today: amzn.to/4peTqW6

What starts as a simple convenience-store robbery morphs into so much more in @kmwriter01.bsky.social’s “The Way It Works.” If you’re not reading Michael’s work, you’re truly missing out. His broken characters and gritty settings make for some of my favorite noir stories in recent memory.

This week in #NOLA. If you're going to #Bouchercon, stick around until Sunday AM & check out our panel on "Short Stories- Creating Memorable Characters". Grab your coffee & a few beignets, then settle in for a fun panel #Bouchercon #crescentcity

What a lineup of great authors including friends @libbycudmore.bsky.social @magonzales.bsky.social @kmwriter01.bsky.social @mikemchone.bsky.social and more greats in the new @rhppress.bsky.social

This week’s new short story has a Jim Thompson meets Jordan Harper feel. Gritty, sparse noir with the cold logic of violence from @mikemchone.bsky.social Check it out - we think you'll love it: literarygarage.com/an-american-... #Fiction #IndieLit #NoSafeStories #shortstory

Today’s the day!! It’s release day for WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN, 12 crime stories of heartbreak, violence, and revenge. Now available in ebook and paperback! #releaseday #crimefiction

"The times are tough now, just getting tougher." Springsteen 24 hours left to grab a free copy of SAINTS of the ASPHALT - for readers who like fiction raw, real, & gritty. Basketball too... We’re giving away 50 copies. Enter Here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/ent... #bookgiveaway #Springsteen

Tomorrow: 7/18 is the release of @cwblackwell.bsky.social ‘s WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN…been waiting for this one & I can’t wait to tear into it! Grab your copy!!!

Thanks Gabino- A fallen basketball star. A broken hometown. One last shot at redemption. Saints of the Asphalt is a raw, emotional & unflinching story about redemption, resilience & the fight to reclaim your future when the past won't let go. Amazon: a.co/d/iuksWQ9

Thanks, Gabino! WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN drops in two weeks! “In this gritty collection of crime stories, award-winning author C.W. Blackwell mourns an America lost to the shadows, exploring a broken economic system that has given rise to rampant inequality, violence, and darkness.”

New trailer for SHE RIDES SHOTGUN. The book was fantastic - one of my favorite reads- and the movie looks just as great. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Check out the trailer then read the book again (or the other way around), then go wait in line at the movie theater (if people still do that): youtu.be/U9OkHjOnQPg

Even the dog can’t stop barking about it…SAINTS of the ASPHALT is out now…a story about lost dreams, second chances, love & basketball. Grab a copy today (no bite marks on the paperback copies, promise). Grab it on Amazon: a.co/d/9HDyEDK #saintsoftheasphalt #bookrelease #basketball

Today's the day - Out Now: SAINTS of the ASPHALT A fallen basketball star. A broken hometown. One last shot at redemption. Before you pour yourself another cup of coffee, grab a copy on Amazon for $1.99 a.co/d/a77HtQu #bookrelease #basketball #SAINTSoftheASPHALT

Happy pub day to @kmwriter01.bsky.social Looking forward to his novel, SAINTS OF THE ASPHALT, out today. #crimefiction

Start your Thursday morning with the trailer from the upcoming Springsteen movie (DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE)....as a Jersey guy, Springsteen's music is in my DNA. Gonna be waiting in line for this one. #DeliverMeFromNowhere #springsteen #SAINTSoftheASPHALT #bookrelease

I’m over at that Sub****k place with a brief/not-so-brief excerpt from SAINTS of the ASPHALT. If you’ve got a few minutes to kill, please check it out. #bookrelease #SAINTSoftheASPHALT open.substack.com/pub/michaeld...

In the gritty underbelly of Atlantic City, a troubled basketball prodigy grapples with his past & present as he seeks redemption & self-discovery, racing against time & personal demons to seize his last chance at salvation. Coming 6/24: SAINTS of the ASPHALT #SAINTSoftheASPHALT #bookrelease

Things are heating up at That Noise at 2 AM, where we’re talking to the one and only S.A. Cosby about Southern fiction, funeral homes, and his new novel, KING OF ASHES. jamesdfhannah.substack.com/p/36-five-fo...

THIS JULY from @cwblackwell.bsky.social and @rhppress.bsky.social: Pre-order your copy today: bit.ly/4ifdItV

SAINTS of the ASPHALT. A story about hard choices, broken heroes, and second chances on the streets of Atlantic City summer of 1997. Out June 24th. More to follow....

Great post about book selling and “moving the needle.” Refill that coffee cup, put down that pastry, and give this stack by @robwhart.bsky.social a read. “Luck happens with preparation meets opportunity.” #writing #bookselling

Happy Book Release Day for @keithroysdon.bsky.social and THAT OCTOBER! Grab your cup of coffee, take a bite of the bagel or pastry, and pick up a copy! Going to be a terrific read! #writingcommunity #bookrelease

Been 50 years since Steve Prefontaine was killed - probably one of the greatest (if not the greatest) USA distance runner. As a kid, I loved watching him run on Wide World of Sports.... "Somebody may beat me, but they're going to have to bleed to do it..." #PRE www.oregonlive.com/trackandfiel...

THAT OCTOBER, my 1984-set high school crime novel, comes out in two days! My friend and cover artist Sara McKinley did such an incredible job visualizing four of the main characters and the mood of the book. She took her cue from these photos, the actors I had in mind when I was writing. (more)

I think to be truly great at something, to be truly special, yes u have to sacrifice, yes u have to work hard but the thing u have to do. The hardest thing...is not quit. You can feel like quitting, u might want to.. But u cant Not if u want to great. U can cry U can curse But Do Not Quit

Start your day with this excellent story from @cwblackwell.bsky.social in @reckonreview.bsky.social - fill up your coffee cup, grab a donut, & check it out. The kind of writing that packs an emotional punch from beginning to end. #writing #writingcommunity

I'm attending Black Voters Matter's event, “MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Prophetic Guide to Power, Love, Protest, and Liberation www.mobilize.us/blackvotersm...

Before Monday gets away from you, take a break and check out the latest interview at The Dossier, this time with @curtisippolito.bsky.social. Great interview with an excellent writer (nice to see there are still some of us who write in longhand)! #writing #writingcommunity

If you're looking to fill a few minutes on a Saturday afternoon, my story "StillFire" is up at Six Sentences. Almost 20 years ago Six Sentences was one of the 1st to publish my work & I've been forever grateful & appreciative. #writing #writingcommunity

Grateful that my story "The Cheater" has been published this morning at The Yard:Crime Blog. If you've grabbed your coffee, tea, or morning beverage & want something to read while you're reaching for the pastries, please give it a read. #crimefiction theyardcrimeblog.com/2025/05/08/t...

Excellent story in @shotgunhoney.com from @keithroysdon.bsky.social -take a few minutes to give it a read!

Coming this July from @cwblackwell.bsky.social and @rhppress.bsky.social: Pre-order your copy today: bit.ly/4ifdItV

Give a huge shoutout to @caseystegman.com whose story “EFFIE’S OASIS” has been selected to appear in the BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR 2025! He is one hell of a writer- well-deserved honor!!!!

It’s Saturday morning- get your weekend started with this excellent & thoroughly enjoyable story from @tammywritesbooks.bsky.social in this month’s Stone’s Throw. Definitely don’t mess with mama! #crime #crimefiction

Just started reading this last night- if you haven’t picked up your copy yet, please grab one. It’s a “yeah, I know it’s late but I just want to read one more chapter…maybe two”kind of book.

If you missed it over the weekend - what, have you got a life or something? - pre-orders are now underway for THAT OCTOBER, my 1984-set crime novel about high school friends who investigate when a classmate is killed and another is taken. Some links: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/that-octob...

I’m a Springsteen guy from way back in the early 70’s, but when it comes to killer lyrics & musical influence, Zevon is one of the best. Induction into the Rock and Roll HOF is well-deserved & long overdue. Maybe this will get my Zevon screenplay the juice it needs to roll into production… #zevon

Just sent someone a “Happy Waster Day” (because…you know, proof reading), and I realized my phone knows all about my misspent youth. Happy 420! #420day

Incredibly honored to learn that my short “The Way It Works” will be included in A Rock and A Hard Place Issue 14 - killer group of writers in this issue & Issue 15. @rhppress.bsky.social is one of the best around and I’m humbled to be included.

Coming soon from Rock and a Hard Place Press The day one bestselling collection from award winning author @cwblackwell.bsky.social: WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN available for preorder right now, coming July 18th.

It's the middle of the week on a Wednesday afternoon. If you've got a few minutes to spare, grab a tasty beverage and check out my latest Subs***k. And as always, thanks for checking it out! michaeldowning3.substack.com/p/nobody-ask...

It’s a quiet Monday afternoon. If you have a few minutes, I’ve posted my 1st Stack. Nothing that will change the world one way or another - just random thoughts on the writing world, and as we go forward, interviews, essays & reviews..please check it out if you can open.substack.com/pub/michaeld...

COMING SOON (a little late to the party but you can find me over at Substack)

The institutional Democratic Party is guided by an almost pathological level of conflict avoidance in almost every direction. “What can we do to make the least number of people mad?” is just a bankrupt way to operate.

Ready for the state of the union address….pre-gaming…

You might’ve missed this one yesterday- take a few minutes to read this excellent story from @smccaffery.bsky.social in the latest issue of Tough!

RIP Gene Hackman. A lot of great tributes saluting his incredible career as well as the depth of so many of his performances. One of my personal favorites was HEIST- great little crime caper with an incredible cast (Delroy Lindo- DeVito - Ricky Jay). Great flick. #genehackman

“If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” A classic quote from Malcolm X, who was assassinated 60 years ago today.