Okay, I'm excited.
Next Monday is the release day for FLIGHTS OF FICTION, published by Handcar Press.
Why am I excited? Because one of the eleven stories in this anthology is "Motive" by LD Masterson.
It's my first real honest-to-gosh publication.
Here's the cover.
I'm saving the details for next Monday's post but I had to show off the cover.
Can I get a woo woo?
Mind Boggler for Today: Since this was a short post, I offer this...
At the 1994 annual
awards dinner given for Forensic Science, (AAFS) President Dr. Don Harper Mills
astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre
death.
Here is the
story:
On March 23, 1994
the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died
from a shotgun wound to the head.
Mr. Opus had jumped
from the top of a 10-story building intending to commit
suicide.
He left a note to
the effect indicating his despondency.
As he fell past the
ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a
window, which killed him instantly.
Neither the shooter
nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the
eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would
not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had
planned.
The room on the
ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man
and his wife.
They were arguing
vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun!
The man was so
upset that when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife and the
pellets went through the window, striking Mr. Opus.
When one intends to
kill subject 'A' but kills subject 'B' in the attempt, one is guilty of the
murder of subject 'B.'
When confronted
with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant that they thought the shotgun was not loaded.
The old man said it
was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded
shotgun. He had no intention
to murder her.
Therefore, the
killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had
been accidentally loaded.
The continuing
investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the
shotgun about 6 weeks prior to the fatal accident.
It transpired that
the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the
propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with
the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.
Since the loader of
the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't
actually pull the trigger.
The case now
becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald
Opus.
Now for the
exquisite twist...
Further
investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald
Opus.
He had become
increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's
murder.
This led him to
jump off the 10 story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun
blast passing through the ninth story window.
The son, Ronald
Opus, had actually murdered himself.
So the medical
examiner closed the case as a suicide.
(I said it was mind boggling.)
(I said it was mind boggling.)
33 comments:
That's awesome news. Well done!
mood
Moody Writing
That book is certainly a long time coming! Whoo hoo!!
Congratulations!! Welcome to the land of the published. There's no going back now. :)
Congratulations!!!! I'll make an announcement next Monday.
Wait, how about tomorrow? Monday is already overflowing and someone will lynch me for a long post.
Thanks, Mood.
Stacy - Yeah, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever be released.
Maria - Who wants to go back?
Karen - Thanks.
Alex - Being mentioned on the Ninja Captain's blog would be great anytime. Thanks!
It's an eclectic cover LD, but since it is for an anthology, it's appropriate because it's intriguing. Congratulations, what fun! Will you have a release party? What group is this with?
woohoo!!! Congratulations :)
WOOHOO! Congrats and well done!
Wow what a mess. lol
Big congrats on the publication! It's so exciting, isn't it???
WOO-HOO! Congrats! Can't wait to hear more about FIGHTS OF FICTION. :)
And, boy, that is the most bizarre "suicide" ever!
mshatch and Nancy - Thank you both.
Pk - I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on that mess of a murder. And, yes, very much so.
Linda G. - I'll tell you all about it on Monday. (Okay, maybe a little bit before then.)
Yay, yay! Congratulations, you!
Love the cover. When will it be released?
What a mind-blowing puzzle.
WOO-WOO!!!
Congratulations!
I'm looking forward to reading your story. Hope you're celebrating!
Woo hooo! Congratulations, LD!! Enjoy the feeling and celebrate. I'll be checking for those news next Monday.
Yes, to the cover! AND to your publication!!! And that story is too twisted and bizarre to even think about using for fiction. Wow.
That is wonderful!!! I am so happy for you.
Lydia - Thanks!
Carol - Official release date is Monday, April 15, with local launch party to follow.
Al - Thanks. It's an interesting mix of stories.
Kaye - As the saying goes, "You can't make this stuff up."
Diane - Thank you.
E. B. - Silly Blogger stuck your comment in the spam folder, I just rescued it. (Sorry.)
It's an eclectic collection of stories. The tie in is they are all set in Southwest Ohio by Southwest Ohio authors. We're all members of the Western Ohio Writers Association.
Wow..what an odd way to die and just a wild story all together.
Congrats on the book! Woo wooo!! :)
Congratulations and WOO WOO. I'm so excited for you. This is wonderful. Great cover, BTW.
Love the Mind Boggler. Just goes to show Karma gets you every time.
Congrats again.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Woo Woo on the cover. Congrats.
I read the story there and what a story it was. I can't believe that a suicide turned into a murder which turned into a suicide. You have the best jokes and stories.
CONGRATS on your story being published. WOO HOO! :)
love the cover and congratulations on the anthology. OK, that story was just too weird. What a series of domino coincidences that had to line up precisely right with exact precision. Wow.
Congratulations LD!!!
This is such exciting news, congratulations!! I can't wait to read your story. The cover is amazing!
Mark - I think that's the weirdest one I've ever come across. And thanks.
Mason - Thanks all around.
Clarissa - If someone tried to write that as fiction they'd be told it was too far-fetched. Thanks.
Margo - THANKS!
Julie - Thanks. And, yes, I think that story deserves a "wow".
Elizabeth - Thanks.
Julie - Thanks so much.
A most definite woo-woo (and a wow) from me! Congratulations!
Congratulatons! Your first publication is a big deal, and I'm happy for you.
Congratulations on that story getting published! It's an excellent feeling!
Congrats!! I love the cover! How exciting!
Patricia - Thanks for the woo and the wow.
Judy - Thanks, I kinda am, too.
Jeff - Very much so. Thanks.
Kimberly - Thanks. It is kind of cool. One of our writers' group signed it and the publisher liked it.
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