anthology

Jun 2024 19

Eye on the Ball: A Few Words with Judy Penz Sheluk

2024 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Charlie Kondek

Judy Penz Sheluk doesn’t just write crime novels and stories, she publishes them. After her own ups and downs with publishers, she launched Superior Shores Press, which has just released its fourth anthology, Larceny & Last Chances. Like its predecessors, the tome collects 22 stories by some of the genre’s most engaging writers––and me, some old ad guy from Detroit nobody’s ever heard of! I had a chance to catch up with Judy between her finalizing and promoting Larceny & Last Chances, and here’s what she had to say.

Jan 2024 31

Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders

2024 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Christine Verstraete

While I’ve been writing a lot of horror and such the last few years, I’ve never lost my love of crime/mystery stories and have been slowly getting back into writing those.

Sep 2023 6

What Do Editors Look for In an Anthology?

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Wendy Dingwall,Barbara Ryan &
Martha Reed

In July, the Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime released Paradise is Deadly, an anthology of 19 short stories from FLGC SinC member authors. Writers know all about following submission guidelines. We asked the Paradise is Deadly editors: What do you look for in a short story when making your selection?

Jan 2023 25

To Make a Long Story Short

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Nancy Cole Silverman

Henry David Thoreau first coined the phrase 'make a long story short' in a letter back in the 1800s. He wrote: "Not that the story needs to be long, but it will take a long time to make it short."
As a novelist, short story writer, and teacher of the craft, I wholeheartedly agree. There is nothing short, simple, or quick about writing a short story. In fact, experience has taught me that the shorter the format, the harder it is to set the tone and capture the reader.

Nov 2022 30

The Mesdames of Mayhem’s Fifth Anthology, In the Spirit of 13

2022 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Linda Lovely

Ten years ago in Toronto, two separate writing critique groups came together to form the Mesdames of Mayhem, the brainchild of Madeleine Harris-Callway and Donna Carrick, with the purpose of pooling their talent and promoting the work of women authors. Originally, there were thirteen writers in total, all women, so naturally their first anthology was called Thirteen. Since then, they’ve grown to twenty-four authors stretched across Canada – and they now include three Messieurs.

Sep 2021 15

Monkey Business: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers

2021 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Josh Pachter

KRL readers might perhaps know me as the editor of a recent series of “inspired by” anthologies: The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell (Untreed Reads, 2020), Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel (Untreed Reads, 2021), and The Great Filling Station Holdup: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Jimmy Buffett (Down and Out Books, 2021).

May 2021 8

Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel Edited by Josh Pachter

2021 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sandra Murphy

by Sandra Murphy

The anthology kicks off with Why Judy Why written by Robert Lopresti. Judith finds herself sitting in a police interrogation room, being grilled by two detectives. She seems cooperative enough about what she’s done, but the detectives aren’t clear about one thing: motive. They keep asking, “Why, Judy, why?”, but even if she tells them, they’ll never understand.

Jan 2021 6

Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s

2021 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Claire A. Murray

The 22 tales in this anthology, although inspired by the songs of the ’60s, don’t all take place in that decade. Some will step you back in time, others contemporary, all evoking the sense of the song or its meaning in tales of theft, robbery, kidnapping, dating, family, and other relationships. From the UK to Canada and the US, these authors crafted stories that range from nostalgic to humorous, but all deadly and inspired by songs whose opening riffs are mostly familiar. If not, pull out your old LPs or CDs or log onto YouTube and have a listen as you read Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s.

Jul 2019 6

The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery & Suspense Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk: Review/Giveaway

2019 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa
& Judy Penz Sheluk

Are you a fan of assortments? Do you like packages of treats with its variety of flavors, styles, or types? Popsicles? Cookies? Donuts? Ok, food seems to be my most popular way to pick up assortments. It's such a great way to try something new. But, how about books or short stories? I personally love getting the collection sets that include work from various authors, new-to-me especially. Case in point: The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery & Suspense.

May 2018 5

Deal with the Devil By Elaine Viets

2018 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow

Reading anthologies by a favorite author can be a tricky thing, as original short stories often serve as opportunities for writers to experiment with new characters and tones.