Thrilled for Ray Banks

Noir and P.I. fiction author Ray Banks sends word he's signed with literary agent Marc Gerald. This news is a double pleasure for me, as the agent discovered Ray through Kevin Burton Smith's Thrilling Detective Web Site, where I edit the section of original fiction.

Look for Ray's first novel, The Big Blind, from PointBLANK Press.

I'm happy to consider original P.I. short stories for publication at Thrilling. If you're interested, please read our submission guidelines.

Three quick points to remember:

• My taste runs to stories with definite direction. Know what you want to do with a story, and have a good idea how to do it.


• Proofread your story. Don't let the speed and ease of computers lead you to careless work.


• Most important, put the story above your writerly ego. You may write to please yourself, but you submit to please new audiences.

Good luck and good writing.