Monday, April 8, 2013

Cover Reveal - Flights of Fiction

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.)

33 comments:

mooderino said...

That's awesome news. Well done!

mood
Moody Writing

Stacy McKitrick said...

That book is certainly a long time coming! Whoo hoo!!

Maria Zannini said...

Congratulations!! Welcome to the land of the published. There's no going back now. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations!!!! I'll make an announcement next Monday.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Wait, how about tomorrow? Monday is already overflowing and someone will lynch me for a long post.

LD Masterson said...

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!

E. B. Davis said...

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?

mshatch said...

woohoo!!! Congratulations :)

Nancy Thompson said...

WOOHOO! Congrats and well done!

PK HREZO said...

Wow what a mess. lol
Big congrats on the publication! It's so exciting, isn't it???

Linda G. said...

WOO-HOO! Congrats! Can't wait to hear more about FIGHTS OF FICTION. :)

And, boy, that is the most bizarre "suicide" ever!

LD Masterson said...

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.)

Lydia Kang said...

Yay, yay! Congratulations, you!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Love the cover. When will it be released?
What a mind-blowing puzzle.

Carol Kilgore said...

WOO-WOO!!!
Congratulations!

I'm looking forward to reading your story. Hope you're celebrating!

Al Diaz said...

Woo hooo! Congratulations, LD!! Enjoy the feeling and celebrate. I'll be checking for those news next Monday.

Kaye George said...

Yes, to the cover! AND to your publication!!! And that story is too twisted and bizarre to even think about using for fiction. Wow.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That is wonderful!!! I am so happy for you.

LD Masterson said...

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.

LD Masterson said...

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.

Mark Means said...

Wow..what an odd way to die and just a wild story all together.

Congrats on the book! Woo wooo!! :)

Mason Canyon said...

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

Unknown said...

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.

Margo Kelly said...

CONGRATS on your story being published. WOO HOO! :)

Unknown said...

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.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Congratulations LD!!!

Julie Flanders said...

This is such exciting news, congratulations!! I can't wait to read your story. The cover is amazing!

LD Masterson said...

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.

Patricia Stoltey said...

A most definite woo-woo (and a wow) from me! Congratulations!

judyalter said...

Congratulatons! Your first publication is a big deal, and I'm happy for you.

Jeff Hargett said...

Congratulations on that story getting published! It's an excellent feeling!

Kimberly Gabriel said...

Congrats!! I love the cover! How exciting!

LD Masterson said...

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.