Laurie Winslow Sargent

Tag: 1960s

  • In 1954, John Hayden Howard sold a story to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine for $400

    In 1954, John Hayden Howard sold a story to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine for $400

    The Dipping of the Candlemaker was one of 18 mystery and detective stories Hayden Howard had published in the US, UK, and Australia.

    Later in the 1960s, he became a popular science fiction author.

    In 1954, the average pay for teachers was around 4K per year. A short story author, selling at least ten stories a year, could at least earn the meager pay of a teacher. (Howard in his later years also became a teacher, in Santa Barbara CA.)

    Scott Meredith was John’s literary agent at the time. Here’s a letter from Scott about the sale of John’s Candlemaker story.

    Interesting facts: 1) Ellery Queen was a pseudonym for the writers/publishers Fred Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee. 2) It may interest science fiction fans that Scott Meredith also represented Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick.

    In the letter above, written 70 years ago, Scott asked John to give the story more “stature” before publication. I haven’t the foggiest idea what that meant! But perhaps John did: it was published/republished five times.

    Now I wonder even more what “stature” meant in 1954, so I can “get me some of that good stuff” for my own writing!

    What’s especially interesting to me is that this particular story is a quirky one, compared to everything else Hayden Howard wrote. He set The Dipping of the Candlemaker in a 1600s colonial village. His characters spoke in 17th century English.

    How did Hayden know how to write that? Back in ’54, did he peruse vintage documents in a library, to get the hang of 1600s lingo?

    It’s especially hard to imagine the Candlemaker story was by the same author who wrote the sci-fi stories I compiled for the new Reawakened Worlds anthologies!

    Then again, in his elder years, Hayden, AKA John, AKA Jack wrote poetry, including love poetry to his wife. So he was certainly a versatile writer, and full of surprises. He lived until his eighties, but was only in his twenties when he wrote The Dipping of the Candlemaker.

    Here’s a list of 18 detective, mystery, and sea stories written by Hayden Howard.

    Blood on the Medicine Arrows: The Saint Detective Magazine, December 1956; The Saint Detective Magazine, (Australia) July 1957; The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) September 1957

    City in the Bottle: The Saint Mystery Magazine, April 1959; The Saint Detective Magazine, (Australia) June 1959; The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) August/September 1959; The Saint Mystery Library #2, 1959

    Dead Beat: Manhunt, October 1960

    Denny: Popular, 1954

    Down Among the Rock Cod: Tales of the Sea, Spring 1953

    Finger in the Trough: The Saint Mystery Magazine, April 1960; The Saint Mystery Magazine, (UK) June 1960

    Hellwater Run: Adventure, March 1953

    Murder on El Capitan: Keyhole Mystery Magazine, April 1960

    Murder on San Afer: The Saint Detective Magazine, October/November 1953; The Saint Detective Magazine, (Australia) October 1954; The Saint Detective Magazine, (UK) December 1954

    Murder Without Tears: Fifteen Detective Stories, August 1953

    Pass the Bottle: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine #123, February 1954; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (Australia) #82, April 1954

    Shark: Jack London’s Adventure Magazine, December 1958

    The Amateur Assassin: The Saint Detective Magazine June 1957, The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) April 1958; The Saint Mystery Library #1, 1959; Great American Publications, Inc. August 1959

    The Big Word: Trapped Detective Story Magazine, June 1956

    The Dipping of the Candlemaker: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, October 1954; Ellery Queen’s Awards: 9th Series ed. Ellery Queen, Little Brown, 1954; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (UK) #21, October 1954; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (Australia) #90, December 1954; the hardcover book Mystery and Murder in Boston, W.W. Norton and Company Inc. 1987

     The Dummy and the Death Web: New Detective Magazine, April 1953

     The Housemother Cometh: Manhunt, December 1954; Giant Manhunt #5, (var.1), #5 (var.2) 1955

    The Old Man’s Last Case: Popular Magazine, abt1954.

    The Wrong Man: The Pursuit Detective Story Magazine #4, July 1954; Pursuit—The Phantom Mystery Magazine, May 1955

    With His Back Turned: The Saint Detective Magazine August/September 1953; The Saint Detective Magazine (Australia) March 1955; The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) May 1955

    NOTE: Friends, if you come across copies of any of these magazine issues, let me know! I have collected some but not all. As for you fans of Hayden Howard’s sci-fi: does it surprise you that he wrote mysteries, too?

  • Vintage Science Fiction: New classic sci-fi collection by John Hayden Howard, 1960s author

    Vintage Science Fiction: New classic sci-fi collection by John Hayden Howard, 1960s author

    Out July 25, 2023, for vintage science fiction fans: Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi Stories, VOL 1, by John Hayden Howard.

    Book cover: Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi from a Master Storyteller, by John Hayden Howard
    Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi from a Master Storyteller, by John Hayden Howard

    At last! After a year of my sneezing through oodles of John Hayden Howard’s original 1950s-1960s dusty musty manuscripts, choosing the best, digitizing, and editing, the first book in this vintage science fiction collection is now available. Hurray! WildBlue Press has done a fabulous job making Vol. One shine, with Vol. Two scheduled for 2024.

    I enjoyed writing the Foreword, describing how I knew Hayden (my stepfather) and ended up with his manuscripts. I also wrote the Afterword, telling of his life after the 1960s.

    Those who already know me as an author of inspirational and historical books and articles may be saying, “Whaaaat? Science fiction?” It’s certainly a departure from my usual fare. I’ll soon be back working in my other genres. Then again, this editing project has been great fun–so who knows?

    Straightforward, fast-paced, and fun.” —ROBERT SCHERRER, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University and Sci-fi Writer, published in ANALOG Science Fiction and Fact

    Vol. One of Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi includes these stories:

    Part One: WHAT IF

    The Tragedy of Henry Diddoh

    In a university town in a secret laboratory, a Frankenstein-esque experiment enables a professor to be in two places at the same time. Disastrous consequences ensue. Written in St. Augustine, Florida in 1951.

    Ten Rounds for the All-Time Champ
    A 1950s boxer goes ten rounds against a stranger with an even stranger audience, in hopes of remaining the champ. (Written in St. Augustine, Florida in 1951-52.)

    We Specialists:
    In a large city in the future, everyone takes comfort in their designated roles. That doesn’t end well when the victim can’t find the right person to call for help. (Written in Santa Barbara, CA in 1967.)

    Part Two: STRANGE ENCOUNTERS ON EARTH

    Gremmie’s Reef
    A young teen surfing off the coast of Santa Barbara, California makes an unusual discovery. (Written in 1964. Previously published in IF, Worlds of Science Fiction, October 1964.)

    The Butcher
    Students working an archaeological dig in the Southwest discover something unearthly. (Written in St. Augustine, Florida in 1951.)

    Arctic Invasion
    In the Canadian Arctic, a group of indigenous people suspiciously appear to have been taken over by an alien presence. Dr. West, who has been researching them, tries to escape while snow-blinded. Bear attack included. (Written in 1966 in Santa Barbara, California. Previously in Galaxy Science Fiction (under another title) June 1966; Galaxy Magazine (UK) Jan/Feb 1967; Italian translation in 1967. Nominated for a Hugo.

    Part 3: INTERPLANETARY TALES

    Haranu
    On Mars, an Earth-man’s innocent dog nearly gets his master killed. The man finds a more peaceful solution with the help of a Martian, but the dog now must choose between two masters. (Written in Miami, Florida in 1950.)

    Mutiny in the Orbit of Uranus
    A spaceship crew attempts a takeover, culminating in a massive anti-gravity battle. (Written in Santa Barbara, California, in the mid-1950’s-60s.)

    Note: the only other collections from Hayden Howard currently in print include stories within Public Domain. None of the stories in Reawakened Worlds have been seen for over half a century, so his old fans are in for a brand new treat.

    Learn more about the Reawakened Worlds and John Hayden Howard at WildBlue Press. Book will be available in Kindle and in paperback and hardcover in various bookstores.