C.W. Blackwell

Good Heavens, what a cover. Thank you @frankvatel312.bsky.social. This latest collaboration between me and @meproctor.bsky.social bursts out of the stables @cowboyjamboree.bsky.social on April 17th. It's a sometimes brutal road trip for our two heroes.

Wow! Great artwork @frankvatel312.bsky.social!

Cover of the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of EQMM depicting a watercolor painting of a man in a fedora and trench coat

The table of contents of the Jan/Feb 2026 EQMM issue: Santa Dash in Blue By PAT BLACK Lord of Misrule BY THOMAS K. CARPENTER Season of Giving BY ANNA SCOTTI Aurora Australis BY MANDY LANGE Crumbs BY LATOYA JOVENA 123 The Adventure of the Belgravian Banshee BY MICHAEL MALLORY 128 Sherlock Holmes Has Domestic Trouble BY ANDREW ARMSTRONG 142 The Great Almond Heist BY SMITA HARISH JAIN .. 147 221C Baker Street BY DAVID FRYER .. 158 Coins in the Box BY KATE HOHL 172 DEPARTMENT OF FIRST STORIES Death in Little Village BY WALID TUERINA ..13 Skeleton Crew By V.G. BURKE 160 PASSPORT TO CRIME The Yellow Dog By TAPANI BAGGE... 39 BLACK MASK Murder Me in the Neon Lights By C.W. BLACKWELL, 72 POETRY 106

The first page of my story: MURDER ME IN THE NEON LIGHTS.

**BlueSky Giveaway**

My Jan/Feb 2026 EQMM author issues came, featuring my Black Mask story MURDER ME IN THE NEON LIGHTS.

Like and repost and I’ll pick a random account for a free autographed copy!!

Thanks for putting this together, Gabriel!

#Bouchercon2026 Eligible Titles #Calgary

>> tinyurl.com/2w8aywne | @sincworldwide.bsky.social @crimewoc.bsky.social @thecwa.bsky.social @mysterywriters.bsky.social #Canada

It's PUBLICATION DAY for my debut novel, IN THE DESERT!
I've been writing for decades (many) and this is such a hugely big day for me.
Thank you so much to my publisher @cowboyjamboree.bsky.social for believing in this book and to everyone who has helped along the way!
Links to buy in thread 1/

A killer collection—definitely worthy of your consideration. Curtis is a remarkable editor and talented author in his own right.

Bouchercon folks! Voting for the 2026 Anthony Awards? Please consider WHERE THE BONES LIE for paperback original! Meg Gardiner called it “a road trip into California’s gleaming, seething underbelly… a heady ride!”

Me at an outside restaurant patio patiently waiting for a beer.

San Francisco’s skyline encoiled in fog.

The Condor’s vertical neon sign in North Beach at night.

Sam’s Pizza and Hamburger sign in North Beach at night.

Had a great time at Left Coast Crime in San Francisco! See you all in Santa Fe next year 😎

For the entire month of March, you can get the Kindle version of my sexy thriller Hurt for Me for only $2.49! Go grab this deal while you can!

Image of the novel in a bookshop titled La Promesa de los Lobos de la Plaga by Coy Hall. Cover features a cottage and a white wolf.

The Spanish edition of The Promise of Plague Wolves is out today from Dilatando Mentes!

dilatandomenteseditorial.com

Thanks so much, Curtis 🤘

Anthony Award ballots are live. Here are 2 worthy books for Best Anthology/Collection:

“Crime Ink: Iconic,” by @johncopenhaver.bsky.social and Salem West. Excellent & necessary stories written by queer writers.

“Whatever Kills the Pain” by @cwblackwell.bsky.social. Beautiful and heart-wrenching.

ANTHONY AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN: If you're a Bouchercon voter, please consider nominating either or both of RHP's 2 eligible collections! Thanks again for your support.

It’s pub day for SAVAGE WAVES OF SPRING! Check out this killer anthology of coastal crime tales from editor @nikxandirwolf.bsky.social!

WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN: Derringer Award-winning author @cwblackwell.bsky.social mourns an America lost to the shadows, exploring a broken economic system that has given rise to rampant inequality, violence, and darkness. Take it from @curtisippolito.bsky.social: bit.ly/4runwWU

Post your favorite copaganda

OPEN FOR SUBS MARCH 1-4: We want flash stories (<2K) about the real gamblers, the people who put it all on the line, and lost (or won) big, and the effects on those around them. Make it dirty. Make it seedy. Remind everyone what it can mean to lose it all. More info: bit.ly/4fQLeGx

Consideration request for the 2026 Anthony Awards, including Whatever Kills The Pain, Stories by C.W. Blackwell and On Fire and Under Water edited by Curtis Ippolito

Anthony Award nominations are available to submit, and boy do I have a couple suggestions for you in the BEST ANTHOLOGY category if you are so inclined 👇👇👇

Looking forward to @marythor.bsky.social’s collection!

San Francisco noir at #leftcoastcrime

A copy of Whatever Kills the Pain at the LCC bookshop

We’re down to the last copy of WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN at the LCC Bookstore. Grab it while you can!!

WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN: Derringer Award-winning author @cwblackwell.bsky.social mourns an America lost to the shadows, exploring a broken economic system that has given rise to rampant inequality, violence, and darkness. Take it from @curtisippolito.bsky.social: bit.ly/4runwWU

If you’re going to Left Coast Crime, come listen to us read our stories from this dope anthology!

WHATEVER KILLS THE PAIN: Derringer Award-winning author @cwblackwell.bsky.social mourns an America lost to the shadows, exploring a broken economic system that has given rise to rampant inequality, violence, and darkness. Take it from @curtisippolito.bsky.social: bit.ly/4runwWU

Heads up—Left Coast Crime coincides with SF Beer Week. There are no coincidences 🍺

My latest story Burning Shadows came out this week in Dog Named Dog Quarterly. Lot of creative fiction inside. You can pick it up here.
a.co/d/0dRvqR7Z

EVER REGRET TAKING A JOB? It's happened to all of us. Like this tidbit? Read the full story: bit.ly/47ckjkr #humor #flashfiction

Logo for Left Coast Crime 2026

Heading to Left Coast Crime in San Francisco at the end of the month? Join me and @mindycarlson.bsky.social along with a special guest for a chat about dark humor on Friday, February 27 at 4 pm! This is the happy hour show, no moderator, no rules, so bring a drink and let's have some (dark) laughs.

Glad you liked it, man. Sorry it took awhile!