Well, kids, we’re in the home stretch. I hope you all are staying warm and preparing as well as can be expected for the next few weeks. Keep your goals attainable! It does not have to be the end-all, be-all holiday season this year! The goal is SURVIVE. Take it from Comedians’ Favorite Comedian, Maria Bamford:
Upcoming Silver Screen Sleuths
Thanks for sticking around through Noirvember! The movies discussed were not dyed-in-the-wool detective movies, but the crime element made the themes a lot more fun to explore. This month, we have four movies coming up!
- 12/9- Home Alone. I saw someone on Bluesky recently refer to Kevin as a trickster god, and I love the kind of perspective that puts on a movie that came out when I was a child, I did not really love as a child, and haven’t watched too many times since I was a child. Bear in mind: we shan’t acknowledge the sequels in this house for many reasons!
- 12/16- The Long Kiss Goodnight. Our first of two Shane Black movies about Christmas and crime. I have… never seen this movie. But it has Sam Jackson and Geena Davis in it, so can it be a bad time? No, it can’t. This was suggested by the author Gwenda Bond over on Bluesky, and I’m excited to get into it!
- 12/23- Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. It would only be correct that the day after my birthday, I dig into everyone’s favorite Christmas crime movie, directed by Shane Black, and starring Robert Downey Jr. and the late Val Kilmer. This movie should have been a series, is my humble opinion, and I’ll reveal to you which punchline from the film has wormed its way into my everyday lexicon.
- 12/30- The Thin Man. The perfect segue from Christmas into the New Year, we’ll be hanging out with Nick and Nora and all their ne’er-do-well friends. Is this movie a mess? YES. Do I care at all? NO. Line me up five martinis!
Short Stories + Links
November was quite the month for me getting into the short story game– I had three published across various noir journals online!
First, Never Wear Heels On A Date went up at Punk Noir, based on their theme “Tightrope.”
Then, Pistol Jim Press published my micro-fiction, Polished, based on the theme “Nails In the Coffin.”
Third, Bristol Noir, over in England, published my longer short story, To Avoid the Near Occasion of Sin. No theme on this one, just my mind grapes going into overdrive!
I’ll be subbing many more short stories in the coming weeks, so I’m excited to keep you all in the loop!
Want to get a jump on New Year’s?
Don’t forget: Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock starts on December 31st, 1950. If you want to skip Christmas altogether (and, fun fact: I usually do), get a jump on Times Square with a healthy dose of murder.
msemilyedwards.com 
Leave a comment