What can be said except that the death of Elmore Leonard on the 20^th of August was a blow to the crime fiction field felt in every corner and alleyway? The appreciations of his work and life are everywhere. We have little to add, except to say that he’ll be missed.

Oh, and that his oft-quoted ten rules for writing were rules for his own writing, and were not meant to be guides for other writers. By way of proof, please check out this month’s short fiction. “The Lost City of Emory Winters” by  Christina Scholz opens with the weather, and the weather is almost a character in its own right—a clear violation of Leonard Rule #1. (Surely he didn’t only mean “books”; stories must count.) We also have Libby Cudmore’s “Late Night on Route 17,” which…uh, well it probably breaks some rules here and there! At least, it all about breaking the rules, just as a crime story should be.

And we have Barry Graham back with us, with a cool essay on film noir, and we have some capsule reviews. Do send us books; we will look at them and review them! (I used an exclamation point—I won’t be able to use it again for another 50,000 words or so.)

Finally, we’re trying something new. Co-editor Seth Cadin is taking submissions for a forthcoming issue from “proles, people of color, women, disabled folks,[and] immigrants”—do email him your stories at seth.cadin@gmail.com.

Please enjoy this issue of The Big Click and please please tell your friends. Your positive word-of-mouth is what keeps us going and what allows us to continue to be one of the few online magazines that pays its writers.