Welcome!

This is a site for readers and writers (aspiring, rising, established, or otherwise) of genre fiction. There are plenty of sites for just one or the other (and, sure, lots that welcome both), but we wanted to create a site deliberately devoted to readers and writers who gain from talking to each other. We're going to read a story, meet in person with a few friends if we want to first, then talk about it here where all the world can share its thoughts.

Our choices are made with one thing in mind: to learn from the best. That way, the readers can be sure they'll have a good time and the writers will know they're studying the masters. We've chosen four recently edited collections of mystery and sf to get us started. Buy those, or even one or two of them, and you can be sure you'll have plenty of mugs (the "mugs" are the stories, get it?) to share with the rest of us for quite a while.

If you're new, please join right in. Tell us who you are if you want to, or you can remain wrapped in an enigma, if that's your choice. All we ask is for the kind of courtesy that would make your mother proud. Violators will be made to go stand in the corner.

If you see a story in one of the current collections we're reading and you'd like to see it become the next mug, please let us know right here (or in the comments to whichever post is current). We'll give it a look-see and maybe serve it up for you. Regardless, we hope you'll enjoy the mugs we do serve, and be part of our extended table.