Gabbi Grey: When the unexpected happened… (Contest)

Hello, Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss my new short story in a great anthology!

Signed, Sealed…Deceased isn’t the kind of anthology my readers are used to finding me in.  I write romance; therefore, I tend to contribute to romance anthologies — there’s a logic there.  So let me share this story with you.

I’m in a Facebook group where publishers put out calls for authors to submit their works to publications.  I sort of skim the lists now and then.  Truthfully, I’m so busy, I rarely have time to take on any other projects.  I noticed a call from a Canadian publisher for short stories.  I have Canadian friends and shared the link with them.  The first anthology coming up was a cozy, while a romance anthology is coming next year.

Me being me, I left the tab open in my browser for almost a month, intending to note the information about the romance anthology.

As you can probably guess, I have a ton of tabs open in my browser.  When I checked this one, I realized the deadline for the cozy mysteries was just a day away.  Since I didn’t write cozies, I didn’t think much of the date.  And yet…I read the call again, and inspiration struck. I had a story come to me nearly fully formed.  I call moments like those thunderclaps.  Just BOOM.  Here’s what you’re going to write.

The next morning, I sat down and wrote.  I wrote a 5k-word story in five hours.  The words just flowed.  Everything worked.  The ending felt a little rushed, but I had a strict word limit.  I mentioned the story to my freelance editor, and she offered to do a quick pass — if I could get the story to her within the next hour.  I did my self-edit pass and sent it to her.  She returned it less than an hour later. I polished it up, and to my immense pleasure, I had it submitted hours before the deadline.

Phew!

The next morning, I received a conditional acceptance.

I’ll admit, that was a new one.  They said barring any unforeseen issues, I was in.

My first thought was wow, they didn’t have many people submit.  My second was, wow, they must’ve been reading them as they came in.  My third thought was yeah, but writers are notorious procrastinators (see above with my submission going in with only seven hours to spare). Finally, I wondered which time zone the editor lived in.

My last thought was hey, maybe I just wrote a fricking awesome story.

Turns out the anthology had more than thirty submissions from around the world.  I was chosen as one of the twelve.  Six of us are Canadian authors and six are international.

That was it.  For a half day’s work, I was going to be in a cozy mystery anthology.

Phew!

I had a blast working with the editor to get my story into pristine condition.  I’ve had fun sharing news of my release.  I’ve taken pride in telling a story within the confines of cozy mystery but adding a subtle LGBTQ hint.

Only after I finished the story did I remember I’d seen something similar on the news recently.  Well, a letter being delivered almost 100 years late.  I put my own twist on it — including a murder mystery.

I love this story sooooo much that, I think, when the rights revert next year, I might transform it into a novella or even a novel.  There’s so much I didn’t get to explore.  There’s also a ton in this story that’s close to my heart, including Leonard’s relationship with his grandmother.  Made me miss my “nannies” even more.

I hope readers will snag the anthology and read the twelve very diverse stories!

Thanks, Delilah, for allowing me to share today.

Contest: As a thank you to your readers, I would like to offer a prize!  Either a copy of my latest MM novel Gideon’s Gratitude or a copy of my Love in Cedar Valley novel The Making of Marnie Jones.  Both books are really close to my heart and have parts of me in them — much as If You Read This, I Have Been Murdered does.  Please leave a comment — if an author veers not just into another subgenre, but an entirely new genre, would you consider following them?  Or do you stick to the genre you first found them in?  One commentor, chosen by Random, will win a book.  Good luck!

Signed, Sealed…Deceased Anthology

When the mail arrives, murder follows.

From mislabeled 1940s love letters to rare stamps worth killing for, these twelve mysteries prove that the most dangerous deliveries are the ones you never expected.

What awaits you:

A mail carrier discovers Prohibition-era treasure and modern murder on a remote islandA wheelchair-bound historian uncovers deadly stamp fraud in historic Quebec CityThreatening letters reveal organized crime secrets in New OrleansTime capsules, missing packages, and messages from the past—each hiding deadly secrets

Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, Agatha Christie, and Elizabeth Peters.

Twelve international stories spanning Canada to New Orleans, featuring amateur sleuths, postal puzzles, and the cozy mysteries readers crave. Whether it’s a retired teacher’s embroidery circle solving cold cases or a postman’s impossible delivery to a haunted house, each tale delivers murder, mystery, and satisfying solutions.

Your special delivery of murder and mayhem awaits.

Authors:

Andrea Barton – Death by MemoirMelissa Behrend – Lab’s Labours LostRachel Desiree Felix – The Tiffin-Box Thief of Rue des JasminsDaniel Fox – The Stork Brothers ThingGabbi Grey – If You Read This, I Have Been MurderedAlbert N. Katz – The Road TripDenise Landry – Stamped, Sealed and DuvalDaisy Landish – Dead Letter DayIris March – The Mystery of the Missing MerchantFlora McGowan – The Postman Always Delivers…Eventually!donalee Moulton – Bon AmiAndrea Tillmanns – A Letter from the Past

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

Links:
Universal Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/vqvm3dauvh
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHDSRFH2
Add it to Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238656419-signed-sealed-deceased

If You Read This, I Have Been Murdered by Gabbi Grey
Inside Signed, Sealed…Deceased!

What happens when the postal worker delivers a letter 100 years late?

When Leonard is handed an envelope sent to his great-grandmother by his great-great uncle, he’s not sure what to make of it.

He races to his centenarian grandmother for answers.

As they delve into the contents of that letter, they discover a past that will lead them to an uncertain future.

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey

 

The post Gabbi Grey: When the unexpected happened… (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.