Private Eyes and Ears

Bo's story "Private Eyes and Ears" is now up at Crime and Suspense's April 2007 issue. Okay, it's not April yet, but I'm not going to quibble over a few days. Especially since I have a story in it.

Crime and Suspense, April 2007

Many thanks, of course, to Crime and Suspense Editor Tony Burton for letting me hammer a few of the kinks out of this story. It's now a tight tale that reveals more of Bo's character even as she works on a case involving allegedly dirty cop, a allegedly murderous husband, and an alleged affair.

Sometimes listening is the best skill a private eye can have.

All Quiet on The Internet Front

With all the stories I've sent out the last two months, I would have expected to have more to post. For better or for worse, I have heard nothing on the vast majority of stories currently farmed out to various editors.

The only one I've heard back on was a positive rejection. I've been working on this story. A bit. Trying to get across Bo's character better in the story, without clubbing the reader with it. I've done that before . . . of course the other problem is that I spent my entire weekend with my brain in the toaster. I popped out a fifteen page paper on alternative education, but my brain is burnt to a crisp.

I need a vacation. I'll settle for two days off-- one to relax and the other to do fun things, like writing, that have been pushed not to the back burner, but all the way off the stove. Two days off.

When you see the flying pigs get struck by lightnening twice, I'll get my days off.

Story I most want to work on: Francis Thayer Whittacker
Story last worked on: Private Eyes and Ears
Last story finished: Exposure
Excuse for not writing: everything

MuzzleFlash Archives

Since MuzzleFlash added its archives page, I added the links here for the two stories of mine that appeared in January 07. I'd almost forgotten about "Sticky." I like that little story quite a bit-- it's fun.

Crime Scene Clean-Up

Sticky


Story currently poked away at: none
Last story completed: Assortment of Bullies
Story I want to work on next: Death by PI
Excuse for not writing: creating worksheet questions for "Lady in the Lake," "Hitchhikers Guide" and "Double Indemnity."

WHO IS BO FEXLER

A Q&A with the private eye

Name: Bo Alyse Fexler

Birthdate: Sept. 19

Eyes: Emerald green

Height: 5 ft 10.5 inches

Weight: somewhere between 130 and 155 (yes, too thin for my height. Don't say a fucking thing.)

Natural Blond: Most of the time. Unless I had to dye my hair back from being blue or pink or black or something.

Story behind unusual name: You'd have to ask my parents. I never did.

Opinion of name: It fits. I'm not what people expect in a PI. In several ways.

Career: Private investigator since age 21.

State(s) licensed in: Ohio, then Michigan

Reason for becoming a PI: Read too many private eye books as a kid. And, it's fun. I like the challenge.

Story behind accent: It's not. It's a speech impairment. And my mother always told me it was impolite to point out someone's disabilities. You wouldn't ask a blind man about how he ended up blind.

Favorite Drink: alcoholic or not?

Favorite Alcoholic Drink: Vodka

Favorite Non-alcoholic drink: Diet Pepsi

Favorite color: dark

Hobbies: Reading

Favorite Types of Books: ones with text (I read everything)

Favorite Author: Raymond Chandler

Hometown: A Michigan city with a hospital-- no, I'm not going to say which one

Parents: Reid and Connie

Parent's occupation(s): Reid was an ER doctor & Connie a librarian

Relationship with Parents: fine

Best childhood memory: No comment

Noteworthy childhood experience: No comment

Reason for not talking about childhood: Ask a psychiatrist. They'll have several theories to pick from.

Perception of self: Like, body image? Hot. Definitely Hot. I'm not blind-- I can see myself in a mirror, and I can see how people react to me.

Other opinions of self: No comment

Any comments on reputation: As a sharp tongued, misanthropic, bitch? I'm not ashamed of who I am. And I'm not going to apoligize for it.

Goals or dreams: Do well as a private eye, I guess. Give my folks, and my mentor something to be proud of.

Mentor: dead

Final thoughts: I was a fucking fool to agree to this. I hate talking about myself.

(It may be a crappy bitmap I made in Paint, but please don't steal my pic of Bo, please. =)

Powder Burn Flash

Powder Burn posted another of Bo's stories, titled "Lord of His Domain."

Here's the link for the story:
http://powderburnflash.blogspot.com/2007/03/powder-burn-flash-16-clair-dickson.html

Raymond Chandler wrote stories that were a product of him time. Bo Fexler is a product of my time-- complete with internet gaming, Metallica, and cell phones. And it brings with it a whole different set of possibilities for crime and detection.

Like this blog, for instance. Not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it beyond posting updates on Bo's whereabouts. Only time will tell.

(And time, I recently found out, it more squeezed that originally thought-- stupid fifteen page paper. It's going to serious cut into my time playing Civ3.)

Novella Title: Death by PI
Story currently poking away at: LEDA v2 (working title)
Last story finished: Assortment of Bullies
Excuse for not writing: I finally won a game of Civ3

Game Over (Previously published Flash)

GAME OVER
by Clair Dickson

"Hey!"
"What?"
"You're cheating?"
"How am I cheating?"
"I don't know. But you are."
"K.O. I win."
"How? I don't believe it."
"What? That a girl can play?"
"Not just a girl. A pretty one. A pretty woman."
"Thank you. Now, you're gonna tell me where the loot is."
"I didn't rob that place."
"Robbery requires a gun. You burglarized it."
"I didn't say it was me. It's my friend."
"Then I'll just do to you what I did in the game. Until you give him up. And the loot."
"You can't do that."
"Are you willing to lose another bet?"
"But - but, that's not fair. I didn't win."
### © 2006 - Dickson Published at Quiction Online March 2006.
It *is* a Bo Fexler short.

Here I am.

Well. I've been kicking around the idea of putting up some sort of page for Bo Fexler, especially as she's been spotted more and more, lurking in corners of the internet. So, now that my computer-- my Precious-- is finally returned in working order, I've decided to do it.

My computer was gone for the last week. And before that it was in limbo because it needed a new motherboard, but I needed to get a proccessor . . . it was horrid. Then I managed to get a virus that reproduced like Tribbles in my exe files. That was pretty cool. But, now my Spud is back. And hubby and I can share our internet connection. (My internet connection.) And for Valentines Day hubby got me a *REAL* office chair. After some thirteen years of personal computing, I have an actual office chair. With cushions and armrests. Took some getting used to.

Now, if my freshly ordered toner cartridges get here, my office will be fully functional. It's a good feeling. And I can finally get some serious work done on a couple stories. Wordpad just doesn't cut it when I've been spoiled with MSWord for those thirteen years.