Month: July 2014
Writing Challenge 32
Here’s the second of this month’s two writing challenges. The Poisoned Martini features monthly images to spark your creativity. Such images, because of their visual nature, vividly speak to writers and spark ideas for writing. The idea is to view the image below and to write a scene, a short story, a chapter, a novella, or… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
This Friday, take a risk and try Death in the Afternoon. This week saw the anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s birthday. He was born on July 21, 1899. A journalist, a writer, and an adventurer, Hemingway is credited with the creations of this cocktail. In his own words, he advises, “Pour one jigger absinthe into a… Read More ›
The Old Man in the Corner
“There is no such thing as a mystery in connection with any crime, provided intelligence is brought to bear upon its investigation.” An old man sits down at a table beside news reporter Polly and makes this startling observation at the beginning of this collection of twelve short stories. Throughout one may wonder what kind… Read More ›
The Purloined Letter
“He had called to consult us, or rather to ask the opinion of my friend, about some official business which had occasioned a great deal of trouble.” The shortest of the Dupin tales, The Purloined Letter is perhaps the most ingenious. The Prefect of the Parisian police pays a visit to Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin… Read More ›
Mystery of Marie Roget
“The extraordinary details which I am now called upon to make public, will be found to form, as regards sequence of time, the primary branch of a series of scarcely intelligible coincidences, whose secondary or concluding branch will be recognized by all readers in the late murder of Mary Cecilia Rogers, at New York.” In… Read More ›
Murders in the Rue Morgue
“The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis.” Thus begins “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, which first appeared in Graham’s Magazine in 1841 and is widely considered the first true detective story. Although its solution might appear fantastical, Poe’s first Dupin tale lays out the foundation… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
They say that “life is a cabaret, old chum,” so why not enjoy a Cabaret cocktail? This classic gin-based cocktail is an excellent accompaniment to a night at the theatre (or cabaret). It makes for a well-balanced, crisp drink best for after a meal or to accompany light snacks. The cocktail dates back at least… Read More ›
Vera Caspary’s Laura
“Near the door, a few feet from the spot where the body had fallen, hung Stuart Jacoby’s portrait of Laura.” Imagine falling in love with the portrait of a woman who is presumed dead. The life-like representation, however accurate, draws the interest of the detective investigating the case. His job is to learn everything… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 31
This month brings two writing challenges, the first of which includes a trio of images to set the scene… The Poisoned Martini features monthly images to spark your creativity. Such images, because of their visual nature, vividly speak to writers and spark ideas for writing. The idea is to view the image below and to write… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 