Vautrin Magazine

13/11/2023

Today, for The Oswald in Mexico City Dossier: new fiction by Richie Narvaez. "The Domino Room"

By Richie Narvaez / Osvaldo Ortiz, at twenty-six, late because he didn’t have a car, asked if this was the line waiting to clock in at the Book Depository. The thin, nervous-looking man wearing a checked shirt and blue jeans in front of him said, “Yeah. Yeah. This is it.” “Gracias—thank yo...

20/10/2023

"Tal is one of those odd yet strangely plentiful American ducks who carry a thieving gene alongside a puritanical streak." --Elgin Tolliver on the narrator of John D. MacDonald's ON THE MAKE.

River of Sticks

17/10/2023

If you like stories that are accomplished at subtle rhetorical flourishes and put you right in the room with characters caught up in edge-of-the-seat suspense, try Jen Conley's tale in the new Vautrin.

This issue features seedy goings-on at a Spanish Colonial pile, a lawyer’s scrap with a London tabloid, an old guy who’s haunted by a ghost, and a town team baller with a Napoleon complex. These scenarios, a labor strike right out of today’s headlines, and much more in Vautrin Fall 2023. Table...

10/10/2023

Fellow contributor Jeff Esterholm, on what used to be known as Twitter, had this to say about Saira Viola's "Seven Red" in the new Vautrin: "I most certainly dug the hell out of Saira Viola's Seven Red. Hints and glimmers of Martin Amis and a modern Charles Dickens in a story of luck turned upside down and dues to be paid."

This issue features seedy goings-on at a Spanish Colonial pile, a lawyer’s scrap with a London tabloid, an old guy who’s haunted by a ghost, and a town team baller with a Napoleon complex. These scenarios, a labor strike right out of today’s headlines, and much more in Vautrin Fall 2023. Table...

04/10/2023

Whenever a new Vautrin hits the street, not too long after that the great Frenchman, Balzac himself, appears to let us know how we did. (Thumbs up.) Then he lights a cigar that best fits his impression of the issue. This time around, old Honore torched a Flor de Farach Momotumbito. Mellow notes of sweet wood, toasty aroma. (We thought he might break out an El Rey del Mundo Robusto.) But now the great Frenchman wants to know what you think of the new issue, on the shelf at Watermark Books. (Hint: this is one luxurious cigar of an issue, a Belinda Black Epicure No. 5, say, hints of cream, nuts & espresso.)

This issue features seedy goings-on at a Spanish Colonial pile, a lawyer’s scrap with a London tabloid, an old guy who’s haunted by a ghost, and a town team baller with a Napoleon complex. These scenarios, a labor strike right out of today’s headlines, and much more in Vautrin Fall 2023. Table...

27/09/2023

Tim Hennessy on Lou Berney's DARK RIDE.

Dark Ride Lou Berney William Morrow (256p) 9780062663863

21/09/2023

It took a year. (OK, a year and some change.) But, hey, we type it up on the Smith-Corona, remember?

The new Vautrin is out! Ten short stories, a bit of unconventional poetic philosophy, photography, and a review of Lou Berney's new novel, Dark Ride. On the shelf now at Watermark Books & Cafe.

By Todd Robins / Hey everybody. It’s not like I haven’t wanted to steal an Edwardian jacket from a thrift shop, purple crushed velvet with gold braid. But in Jeff Esterholm’s “Tollund Man,” Jack Sogard actually does it. “Tollund Man” presents a trip through the sixties in the light of ...

02/09/2023

Remember Jen Conley ("The Good Witch of the North") from Vautrin Winter 2020? She is back with her best story yet in the forthcoming Vautrin Fall 2023. This is what they call "a good bet." And even a little better than that.

Due out late Sept/early Oct. Mags will be available at Watermark Books & Cafe.

27/08/2023

Vautrin Contributing Editor Susan Gusho's review of Antoine Wilson's Mouth to Mouth.
(This review first ran in the paperback Vautrin Summer 2022.)

Mouth to Mouth Antoine Wilson Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster January 2022

27/08/2023

Elgin meister and his old pal Leo played flawlessly after this, no doubt.

Don't Mind If I Do

31/07/2023

It's been a minute since we put out a new issue of Vautrin. You see, we've been having these daydreams. Which finally wound down over the weekend, paving the way for an issue this fall.

OK, you say. But will there be a dance scene? Guido says, "Yes."

The best

07/05/2023

At Vautrin, we have better luck with this Smith Corona 2200 than with assorted computer printers we've bought recently. That is, if you like to actually read a little something on the page from time to time. The 2200 came with a durable build and easy ribbon installation on the right side, there. Excellent keys.

09/04/2023

We already featured Jacqueline Freimor's short story, "Foreword," in a post below. Because it's so damn good. A savvy pick for discussion in a short story group. And now? Well...let's just say Jacqueline recently found out the story will be appearing in the 2023 Best American Mystery & Suspense! Congrats Jacqueline! And yes, this is the second year in a row she's getting a story in that coveted collection. "Everything she touches turns to gold." Etc.

"Foreword" ran in the summer 2022 issue of Vautrin. It's on the shelf at Watermark Books & Cafe.

Gritty urban fiction. Crime Fiction. Or gritty urban fiction with crime fiction elements. A touch of mythology, the supernatural. While laughing at the absurdity of it all. That’s the Vautrin mojo. In this issue: Fiction C. R. Resetarits, Quem Quaeritis? Eli Cranor, Mussel Dennis Tafoya, Last Nigh...

13/03/2023

Episode 1 posted January 21, 2023 Episode 2 posted February 26, 2023

12/03/2023

We love Paul Fecteau's prose in this, his esoteric take on the assassination of JFK. The 6-part series will update on the last Sunday of each month until complete.

Episode 1 posted January 21, 2023 Episode 2 posted February 26, 2023

29/07/2022

VAUTRIN's Summer issue will supercharge your weekend reading. Jacqueline Freimor's "Foreword" bends a genre and contains an entire world of mystery. Writing this fresh is well worth the price of admission!

Here's more detail on what you'll discover within Vautrin's pages:
https://vautrin.pub/2022/07/the-vautrin-summer-2022-dossier-what-kind-of-mojo-do-you-seek/

Link to order below in Comments.

This adventure begins with a wasp. It’s sunny and hot. You’re standing in the driveway, trading stories with the neighbor, who’s watering his flowers. But a wasp keeps hovering. Maybe two. Just above the line of sight. You’re wearing some kind of sombrero, which reminds you of your uncles ba...

27/07/2022

HOT DROP: VAUTRIN's Summer issue is in! Available for mail order or in-store pickup:
https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679967.

What can you expect in the most sizzling issue to date? The VAUTRIN DOSSIER gives you a sneak peek, here:

This adventure begins with a wasp. It’s sunny and hot. You’re standing in the driveway, trading stories with the neighbor, who’s watering his flowers. But a wasp keeps hovering. Maybe two. Just above the line of sight. You’re wearing some kind of sombrero, which reminds you of your uncles ba...

23/07/2022

Vautrin's Summer 2022 issue is almost here -- and it's cooler than a summer shandy in a shady nook. Available for pre-order at Watermark Books, below.

https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679967

Gritty urban fiction. Crime Fiction. Or gritty urban fiction with crime fiction elements. A touch of mythology, the supernatural. While laughing at the absurdity of it all. That’s the Vautrin mojo. In this issue: Fiction C. R. Resetarits, Quem Quaeritis? Eli Cranor, Mussel Dennis Tafoya, Last Nigh...

25/02/2022

Saira Viola's short story, "Monkey Fizz," appears in the Winter 2021 issue of Vautrin. We preview her new Hollywood novel, "Smoke Show," here:

https://vautrin.pub/2022/02/a-preview-of-saira-violas-new-hollywood-novel-smoke-show/

By Todd Robins / Think of what’s compelling about literary noir.  It depends on the writer’s approach.  Patricia Highsmith differs from James Crumley, who differs from Chester Himes, Elmore Leonard, or James Ellroy.  The latter three mirror one another in that the language of the street is to...

18/11/2021

One fine day in November, the truck came to a stop out front. The Vautrin Winter 2021 has arrived. On the shelf now at Watermark Books & Cafe.
https://vautrin.pub/2021/11/the-vautrin-winter-2021-dossier-available-now-order-it-here-trip-on-contemporary-noir/

Guy walks up to you in the potato chip aisle. Looks like he’s had a rough week. He starts in that he was throwing bread to the ducks when someone snatched his va**ng pen. He gave chase but tripped on a small lizard. Hit his head on splintery plywood. Which is when… it’s like he …

23/02/2021

We are thrilled to announce that Nikki Dolson's short story, "Neighbors," which is in our latest Winter 2020 issue, has been selected to appear in Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021, edited by Alafair Burke and Steph Cha.

https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

A good short story grabs you with a compelling voice while going where you’ve never been. In the Winter 2020 issue of Vautrin, you’ll attend a wild early 20th century soiree, hang with grifters, eavesdrop on a prison writer’s workshop, and tough it out with hard luck characters on the brink of...

31/01/2021

Have you had a chance to grab the latest Vautrin yet? 9 great stories, several of which were nominated for awards. Noir, wit, the search for truth ~ start February with some fresh takes, and help keep the Vautrin press churning future magazines.

Buy here (or pick up in store): Watermark Books will ship to you.
https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

24/01/2021

In Jen Conley’s “The Good Witch of the North," a woman searches for a missing cat in the strange-but-familiar suburban locale of Pine Barrens, New Jersey. It’s at once a mother-daughter tale that becomes a search for truth about the self. And since our narrator is pregnant, the clock is ticking.

Enticed? Pick up Vautrin’s winter issue in store at Watermark Books & Cafe, or online at https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943.

17/01/2021

Nikki Dolson’s superb story “Neighbors” is a master class in suburban noir. As author Megan Abbott once told the Wall Street Journal, “The suburbs are very noir places — everything is hidden.” In Dolson’s story, the orderly lines of backpack bouncing Montessori kids give way to something much seamier. Dolson nails the voice, a dark thrill.

Edited by Wichita native Todd Robins, you can pick Vautrin up in store at Watermark Books or order online: https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

07/01/2021

New year, new noir.

Pick up the latest Vautrin at Watermark Books and Cafe, or order online (link below). Featuring fresh work from Scott Phillips, Nikki Dolson, Thomas Pluck, Nick Kolakowski, Jen Conley, Bruce Jacobs, Paul Fecteau, Stanton McCaffery, Peter Blauner and Jay Butkowski. Order back issues and find more Vautrin voices at https://vautrin.pub

The newest issue of VAUTRIN is on our shelves now! Grab yours at https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

23/12/2020

The planets and stars aligned this week to conjoin, between the covers of the latest Vautrin, the enchanting voices of writers Scott Phillips, Nikki Dolson, Thomas Pluck, Nick Kolakowski, Jen Conley, Bruce Jacobs, Paul Fecteau, Stanton McCaffery, Peter Blauner and Jay Butkowski. If gritty urban fiction is your bliss, stop by Watermark Books & Cafe to pick yours up today. Or order online from Watermark, and you’ll soon be set up with a crackling fire, a holiday libation, and a fine winter’s evening.



https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

A good short story grabs you with a compelling voice while going where you’ve never been. In the Winter 2020 issue of Vautrin, you’ll attend a wild early 20th century soiree, hang with grifters, eavesdrop on a prison writer’s workshop, and tough it out with hard luck characters on the brink of...

21/12/2020

No need to dream of literary crime fiction sugarplums. It's here! Vautrin's latest issue is on the shelves today at Watermark Books & Cafe. Featuring scintillating new work by: Scott Phillips, Nikki Dolson, Thomas Pluck, Nick Kolakowski, Jen Conley, Bruce Jacobs, Paul Fecteau, Stanton McCaffery, Peter Blauner & Jay Butkowski. Stop in or order online.


https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

A good short story grabs you with a compelling voice while going where you’ve never been. In the Winter 2020 issue of Vautrin, you’ll attend a wild early 20th century soiree, hang with grifters, eavesdrop on a prison writer’s workshop, and tough it out with hard luck characters on the brink of...

17/12/2020

Hey, Wichita ~ You can pick up the latest Vautrin issue in your own backyard. On sale very soon (available now for pre-order) at Watermark Books & Cafe, it's the sharp, gritty, crime-y, noir-ish twist your holiday season's been missing.
https://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9780983679943

A good short story grabs you with a compelling voice while going where you’ve never been. In the Winter 2020 issue of Vautrin, you’ll attend a wild early 20th century soiree, hang with grifters, eavesdrop on a prison writer’s workshop, and tough it out with hard luck characters on the brink of...

15/12/2020

Landing in the next few days: the latest Vautrin issue. Featuring nationally recognized writers, it's the most entertaining and provocative yet. Stay tuned for details . . .

27/11/2020