Art Taylor's Blog, page 31

MWA Florida Chapter & More

I’m looking forward to talking short stories with the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America—building in part on my essay for the new MWA Handbook How to Write a Mystery! The event is Saturday, June 19, at noon EDT (beginning with a half-hour of socializing first before the presentation).

While this is the big live event coming up this week, I’ll actually be recording two other events over the next 10 days—programs for the upcoming More Than Malice conference. First, Kristopher Zgorski of BOLO Books is hosting this year’s finalists for the Agatha Award for Best Short Story: Barb Goffman, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Gabriel Valjan, James W. Ziskin, and me. And then early next week, I’ll be moderating a panel on short story collections with Lawrence Block, Dana Cameron, Nikki Dolson, Gale Massey, and Sara Parestsky—such a fine line-up there!

Those recordings will be available closer to Malice, which takes place July 14-17. Stay tuned for announcements about those—but do go ahead and sign up for Malice now!

SinC: “To Make a Long Story Short”

Thanks to Caroline Pak and the Alexandria Library for posting a YouTube video of a recent short story panel I appeared on. Hosted by the library and by the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, “To Make a Long Story Short” featured Barb Goffman, Smita Harish Jain, Stacy Woodson and Cathy Wiley—and you can watch it now here.

The First Two Pages: “The Moon God of Broadmoor” by M.H. Callway

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

It’s been a pleasure over the last couple of years for the First Two Pages to host contributors to anthologies edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, including the collections The Best Laid Plans and Heartbreaks and Half-Truths. This year, Judy is presenting a new anthology, Moonlight & Misadventure, to be released June 18, and featuring 20 short stories by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, M.H. Callway, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, Robert Weibezahl, and Susan Jane Wright. Here’s what to expect from these stories:

Whether it’s vintage Hollywood, the Florida everglades, the Atlantic City boardwalk, or a farmhouse in Western Canada, the twenty authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “moonlight and misadventure” in their own inimitable style where only one thing is assured: Waxing, waning, gibbous, or full, the moon is always there, illuminating things better left in the dark.

This week and the next two, we’ll be previewing stories from the collection by hosting essays by three contributors, beginning with M.H. Callway, who shares below how her work with the Ontario civil service inspired and guided her story “The Moon God of Broadmoor.”

M. H. Callway’s short stories and novellas have won or been short-listed for several awards, including the Bony Pete, Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence, and the Derringer, and her debut novel, Windigo Fire, was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger and the CWC Awards of Excellence for Best Unpublished and Best First Novel. She’s also one of the co-founders of Mesdames of Mayhem, a collective of leading Canadian crime writers. You can find out more about her work at her website here.

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

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“The Boy Detective” Earns A Macavity Award Nomination!

Thanks so much to the members of Mystery Readers International and the subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal for naming “The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74” as a finalist for this year’s Macavity Award for Best Short Story! Originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and then the title story of my collection from Crippen & Landru, “The Boy Detective” has also been named a finalist for the Agatha and Anthony Awards in the same category and recently won the Derringer Award for Best Novelette. For a limited time, you can read the story for free here.

I’m in good company on the Macavity slate, alongside stories by Barb Goffman, Gabriel Valjan, Elaine Viets, and James Ziskin and across the full list of finalists, with so many friends and fine writers start to finish!

Below is the list of finalists, and you can see the official announcement at Mystery Fanfare here.

The First Two Pages: “La Chingona” by Hector Acosta

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

It’s a true thrill to host Hector Acosta at the First Two Pages this week—talking about his new story “La Chingona” from the anthology The Eviction of Hope. Hector is the author of the novella Hardway from Down & Out Books, he’s an editor at Shotgun Honey, and last year, his story “Turistas,” from Angel Luis Colón’s anthology ¡Pa’que Tu Lo Sepas!: Stories to Benefit the People of Puerto Rico, was named a finalist for both the Edgar and the Anthony Awards for Best Short Story—twin honors giving his work some much-deserved extra attention. As anyone knows who’s seen me lately (virtually!) on panels or presentations, “Turistas” was one of my own favorite stories of the year—so smartly plotted, extraordinary on so many levels—and I’m glad whenever possible to recommend Hector as a writer to watch and to follow. Speaking of which, please do follow Hector on Twitter here!

All this is to say I was pleased to hear he had a new story in The Eviction of Hope and honored when he agreed to write the essay below.

Edited by Colin Conway, The Eviction of Hope also features stories by Mark Bergin, Joe Clifford, Paul J. Garth, Carmen Jaramillo, Dana King, James L’Etoile, Gary Phillips, Matt Phillips, Tom Pitts, Travis Richardson, John Shepphird, Holly West, and Frank Zafiro. The Hope of the collection’s title is a low-income housing project slated for sale and destined for renovation and gentrification, and as the book’s marketing material explains:

Each resident knew this fateful day was coming, yet most chose to believe it would never arrive. They ignored the posted signs, the hand-delivered warnings, and even the actual notices.

Many stayed until the bitter end.

These are their stories.

In addition to Hector’s essay below on his story “La Chingona,” James L’Etoile contributed an essay last week to the First Two Pages about his story “Billy’s Plan.” Find that essay here as well, and do pick up the full collection too!

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

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Malice Domestic: Keep It Short (Story Collections!)

I was grateful to be asked to moderate a panel on short story collections at this year’s More Than Malice—and with a stellar line-up of authors! Each of the panelists has a recent or forthcoming collection of their stories, and I’m already diving into these books to prep for the conversation—and encourage everyone to check out these titles themselves, of course!

Lawrence Block, The Burglar in Short OrderDana Cameron, Pandora’s OrphansNikki Dolson, Love and Other Criminal BehaviorGale Massey, Rising and Other StoriesSara Paretsky, Love & Other Crimes

You can register for More Than Malice here. See you in July!

The First Two Pages: “Billy’s Plan” by James L’Etoile

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

Last week brought the publication of The Eviction of Hope, an anthology edited by Colin Conway and featuring stories by Hector Acosta, Mark Bergin, Joe Clifford, Paul J. Garth, Carmen Jaramillo, Dana King, James L’Etoile, Gary Phillips, Matt Phillips, Tom Pitts, Travis Richardson, John Shepphird, Holly West and Frank Zafiro. The collection centers on The Hope Apartments, once a hotel, possibly once again a hotel if the new owners’ plans come through, but in the meantime home to “drug addicts, petty criminals, and those hiding from others”—all of whom need to be evicted today. And these are their stories.

I’m grateful to have two contributors to the anthology talk about their stories this week and next—beginning with James L’Etoile, who draws on his two decades’ experience in the criminal justice system and on a specific story from his work at Folsom Prison for his story “Billy’s Plan.”

L’Etoile is the author of three novels, At What Cost, Bury the Past, and Little River: The Other Side of Paradise, with a new novel coming up this summer from Level Best Books: Black Label, about a pharmaceutical executive Jillian Cooper accused of murdering her boss. His short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies, including “Birthright” in the Shattering Glass anthology from Nasty Woman’s Press, recently named a finalist for the Anthony Award for Best Anthology. Find out more about these novels and stories at L’Etoile’s website.

In the meantime, enjoy a preview of “Billy’s Plan” below, and stay tuned next week for an essay by Hector Acosta!

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

Billys-Plan-James-LEtoile

The First Two Pages: “The Frog Legs of Summer” by Cathy Wiley

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

We’re still a couple of weeks from Memorial Day weekend and nearly five weeks from the official start of summer—but for folks like me on a university schedule, “summer break” is already on the mind if not actively underway, and with brighter days in view on the pandemic front, many of us are looking forward to some potential travel opportunities ahead, including very possibly a beach getaway. So this week seemed the time to get a head start on the season through the forthcoming anthology Murder on the Beach, featuring stories by Ritter Ames, Karen Cantwell, Lucy Carol, Barb Goffman, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Shari Randall, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Cathy Wiley. And though the book’s release comes Friday, May 28, just at the start of Memorial Day weekend, I also wanted to help celebrate it early with an eye toward giving readers a bargain: the pre-order price is 99 cents, but once it’s published, that jumps up to $3.99! (Order now.)

Cathy Wiley and I first met one another as members of the same chapter of Sisters in Crime, the Chesapeake Chapter serving Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland—and, in fact, my first story for the Chesapeake Crimes series appeared in This Job Is Murder alongside Cathy’s own fine story “Miked for Murder,” and one of Cathy’s later stories for the series, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” in Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays, was a 2015 Derringer finalist. Cathy continues to work closely with the Chessie Chapter, scheduling events with libraries throughout the area, but fortunately she still finds time for her writing too. She’s the author of two books in the Cassandra Ellis mystery series—Dead to Writes and Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Write—and her new novel this fall, Claws of Death, will kick off a series featuring former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood. And there’s her short fiction too—including the story from Murder on the Beach she’s discussing today: “The Frog Legs of Summer.”

Find out more about Cathy and her work at her website or Facebook page, and enjoy this preview below of “The Frog Legs of Summer”—a taste of the full anthology ahead!

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

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The First Two Pages: “Strong Stomach” by Zoë Z. Dean

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

Zoë Z. Dean’s “The Getaway Girl,” from the November 2014 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, won the 2015 Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for best first mystery story by an American author—a stellar debut for a writer of short mystery fiction. Three years later, her story “Charcoal and Cherry,” from EQMM‘s May/June 2017 issue, won the 2018 Thriller Award for Best Short Story. “Strong Stomach,” from EQMM‘s current issue, may be only her fourth story for the magazine, but she’s already a heavy hitter with a terrific batting average—and I’m honored to welcome her here today with an essay about the story’s opening and, in the process, about several aspects of storytelling: voice, memory, unlikable characters, unreliable narration, and more.

You can find our more about Dean at her website, by following her on Twitter, and by reading this interview with her at The Solute, offering additional insights into her fiction. Additionally, she writes regularly on film and television at both The Solute and at Looper—essays well worth reading too!

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

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Sisters in Crime Short Story Panel

The Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime is hosting a virtual short story panel, “To Make a Long Story Short,” on Monday, May 17, at 7 p.m. through the Ellen Coolidge Burke Library in Alexandria Virginia. I’m pleased to be part of the program, along with Barb Goffman, Stacy Woodson, and Cathy Wiley.

Information on the event, including bios of each author, can be found here—along with a registration link. Registration is required to take part, so don’t skip that step!