. . . was Mystery Scene #11, which could be had at Maggie Mason's table in the dealers' room for a measly two bucks. It's from 1987, and I'm surprised people didn't snap up all the copies just for the photo on the cover alone. But it's the inside that's the real nostalgia trip. There's an interview conducted by the late Ellen Nehr, one of the great fans and a unique personality if ever there was one. There's a letter from Stephen Wright in which he cancels his subscription because he claims that editors Randisi and Gorman won't review his books in the magazine because they aren't published by "the commercial press." There's a letter from Michael Avallone (speaking of unique personalities) in which he rants about Stephen King, among other things. A book review by Charles Willeford. A short article by Willam R. Cox. There are columns by Max Allan Collins, Clark Howard, William Campbell Gault, Richard Laymon, Charles L. Grant, Jan Grape, and others. Book reviews, ads, photos. And lots more. I'm sure some of the names above aren't familiar to the whippersnappers, who also don't remember the famous magician who appeared at the Bouchercon banquet in 1987. He's not mentioned in the article touting the convention, but I remember him well. At that banquet, I was awarded the Anthony for Best First Novel. Like a lot of the people I mentioned above, I used to be somebody. It seems like only yesterday.
My original copy of this magazine is at Texas A&M now, so I had to have this one just to read and remember. Great stuff. Maggie had a lot of copies that weren't sold. Too bad so many people missed out, but at least I'm giving you a look at that cover.
