Say goodbye to Plots with Guns

Alas, the rumors are true. The brand new issue of the much-acclaimed, highly respected and down-and-dirty noir online magazine, PLOTS WITH GUNS, is the last. Though some very cool projects are in the works, most notably a “Best of” Anthology that will be published by Dennis McMillan, editor Anthony Neil Smith explains why it was time to hang it up:

This is the end of the five-year voyage that was Plots with Guns. Why?

Because we’re tired. And we’re busy. And we wanted to go out on top while we were still in love with the magazine and what we stood for.

What did we stand for? Probably something like “No pussies allowed”, I guess.

Anyway, we’ve reached the point where we’d have to turn it into a real business in order to keep going upwards, and the editors, all of us authors ourselves and holding another job that pays the bills, can no longer balance the magazine with other concerns. If we could, then we would keep it going, honestly.

But really, five years is good. We did a hell of a lot of good work in those years, published great authors, made a name for ourselves, discovered Crimedogs who were butting their heads against the more traditional magazines before finding a home in our e-pages, and we kept our souls–we did it our way,and fuck anyone who thought we were wrong.

I’ll say so. On a personal level, PWG published my very first short story, and the editorial insights that associate editor Trev Maviano gave me were not only invaluable at the time, but also stick in my head with every single word of fiction I write now. They also let me take over the joint last summer and prepare the UK issue, which still ranks as one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life.

More importantly, PLOTS WITH GUNS championed quality writing from the very beginning. At a time when the Internet was more or less written off as a vehicle for “just anyone” to throw up bad writing for the world to see, they went the other way, making sure stories were edited, sliced and diced, vetted for the most vital elements of all–does it work, is it any good, and will people dig it? Thanks to their efforts, the answer on all counts was a resounding yes.

Scroll through the archives and you’ll see some of the genre’s brightest stars, like Laura Lippman, Eddie Muller, Sean Doolittle, Victor Gischler, Reed Farrel Coleman, Charlie Stella, and Steve Hamilton, along with up-and-comers like Mark Conard, Paul Toth, Scott Wolven, Louise Guardino, Ray Banks, Duane Swierczynski, Jim Winter, Al Guthrie, just to name a few. Some stories offered up a quick dose of noir, and others went far beyond. No wonder anthologies like the Best American Mystery Stories recognized PWG’s efforts over the last few years.

But there’s no need to mourn just yet, not with new issue contents to peruse. Stories by Crimedogs Wolven, Toth, Stella and Coleman, and a twisted entry from the mother-daughter team of Mary Anna Evans and Lillian Sellers.  Trev Maviano’s final earful is both fitting and heartbreaking. And when you’re done, check in later on for news about the anthology and whatever comes next.

PLOTS WITH GUNS is dead. Long live PWG.