Why I Do Smith’s Monthly?

Bringing Smith’s Monthly Back with Issue #45…

What is Smith’s Monthly? Simple. It is a regular 70,000 word magazine with only my work in it. It has a novel, four or five short stories, and often part of a non-fiction book or a serial of another novel. Monthly.

I did 44 straight months of the magazine (three and a half years) before life rolls got in the way, things like Kris getting sick and moves to Vegas and so on. I put the magazine on pause, knowing the time would come when I would be back doing it. And this is that time, finally.

So with Issue #45, January 2021, Smith’s Monthly will return. And in January I will talk a lot more about this.

But the question I get the most is why?

My first reason, which is mostly the truth, is it is my filing system.

I do a cover for each short story in the issue, have a cover for the novel in the issue and use the cover from the novel for the cover of the issue. I will, eventually, have all my novels in the issues, and I am working on the short stories. I then know exactly where I can find anything.

And many (not all) of the 200 plus short stories already in the issues are up stand-alone, and all the novels and books that were in the issues are as well.

A second reason is because this is like a collection of my work. Four to five stories and a novel and other stuff in one collection. 44 of those collections now out there. The next one is coming.

Third reason. So much talk these days about streaming and other types of subscription services. Well, you can subscribe to Smith’s Monthly and get something new of mine every month. Again, I will talk more about this coming up in January.

But mostly I do it because it is my weird filing system. And it really works for me.

So here is the spread cover of #45. Not totally done yet, but the novel is Heads Up: A Cold Poker Gang Novel I published a few years back while Smith’s Monthly was on pause. Got to get the novels caught up as well. The novel in the February issue (Hot Springs Meadow: A Thunder Mountain Short Novel) has not been published yet. It will be after it is in the issue.