First Blush : A Meegs Miscellany

by Robert Bruce Stewart, M.E. Meegs

The writing career of M.E. Meegs began in the fall of 1900, when her first short pieces appeared in English newspapers. By this time, the intrepid young woman—in her guise as Emmie Reese—had already become a featured player in a series of mysteries, some of which would be recounted in her own inimitable voice. It is her subtle transformation from fictional New Woman to postmodern authorial surrogate which this important volume so scrupulously documents.

Here you will find not only the three Emmie Reese Mystery short stories—The Birth of M.E. Meegs, Hidden Booty, and Psi no more—but also her unique newspaper reportage, her pioneering foray into the world of the literary magazine, and, most vitally, the opening novella of her greatest work of all.

Babes at Sea is the first installment of what Meegs promises will be the crowning glory of her nascent, yet universally acclaimed, career: the great novaplex, Byblos Foretold. This groundbreaking chef d’œuvre is not simply a revolutionary new form—though it is that—but also a work of rarest distinction.

What a treat lies in store for those discerning souls wise enough to get their hands on this gem of a volume!

For more on the mystery series, visit: HarryReeseMysteries.com

And for more on The Great Novaplex, visit: ByblosForetold.com

Genres: Humor, Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2017

About the author

Finding himself misplaced in the 21st century, Robert Bruce Stewart has opted to retire to what he hopes will be a more congenial era for a person of his sensibilities by means of fiction writing. Meanwhile, his temporal self lives with his wife and cat in a small-town hermitage in western Massachusetts where he spends his idle hours tending to the needs of tadpoles and keeping his ill-mannered bamboo grove in check.

Reviews

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes was the 1st. to come to my mind.

4 delightful short stories from the era of M.E. Meegs (fiction editor).

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written mystery (short stories) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Street Car mysteries; Author; Autographed; paperback book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Jo-Ann Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful adventure in Emmieland with these four short stories. When the world goes crazy, I find myself longing for a bit of the screwball comedy adventure that comes along with Emmie. The second part of the book is the novela Babes at Sea, which I had read previously but held up during a second reading.

The characters are well-crafted and the mysteries convoluted with never a dull moment. I do prefer Emmie and Harry together because the characters play off each other so well. Harry passes through this book but not enough for my taste. Too much of Emmie's skewed vision without Harry's grounding influence can get a little bit much for me. But since they were short stories, it worked out well.

This is a quick light read that helps the reader escape from the world for a brief time. This book is pure fun.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This diverting collection of stories is tied to the the turn-of=the-century Harry Reese mysteries. M.E. Meegs is the pen name used by his wife, the inimitable Emmie McGinniss Reese. She is always scribbling away on some work or other in the Harry Reese books; things of a sensational nature to shape events to her convenience and line her pockets at the same time. Now the reader finally has the chance to see just what Emmie has been up to, complete with charming period woodcuts. Emmie's perception of reality is unique and at times is rather risque., but "Emmie Land" is certainly an entertaining place to visit!

[Conny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to have gotten a copy of this wonderful book from the Author in exchange for a review, which I am as always very happy to provide. As with all his previous books RBS makes me long for another time when life seemed so much simpler, though considering all the trouble Harry and Emmie get themselves into it hardly seems so. This book is filled with an array of short stories which are very entertaining and filled with madcap and mystery. I constantly think this would make a great movie or tv series. If you are not familiar with the series make sure you pick up a copy, its well written and full of interesting characters.