Are You Considering Submitting A Short Story To A Themed Anthology?

I hope you're considering submitting a short story to a themed anthology  because there are a lot of reasons why it's a good idea. When I jumped into Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, I wanted to try out a different writing style and switch from my usual category. This was the perfect time. 

In my story titled Heartless, I had a chance to play with a period piece and use the syntax, style, and slang of 1871. Of course, while I wanted the dialogue to sound as if it belonged in that era, I still wanted the story to appeal to the modern reader. In trying to do that, I learned a lot about how historical fiction writers manage. 

The mansion I pictured for Heartless

I read a few pieces from that period to get the flavor and to contrast it with modern language. I also read some secondary pieces by writers I like. Then I relied a lot on my ear, trying to work the syntax into an approximation of 1871, but keep it readable in 2018. 

Here's part of a scene with an explanation of what I did with the language. 

“When did this report come in?” Scofield demanded.

“Last night, sir.”

The detective halted and faced the sergeant. “And nobody notified me.” [Incomplete sentences help break up any dialogue, but I think it's essential when writing period dialogue.]

“You were not,” the sergeant cleared his throat, “on duty, sir.” [I deliberately didn't contract "were not." Then I broke up this sentence with an action.]

“Blast it, Hawkins. ["Blast it" is actually from the 1600s, but it carried through several centuries with some slight modifications. I thought it worked here.] I made it clear to fetch [I felt this verb was better than get, or call.] me immediately when a new missing person report came in. Young girl. Kenwood area. What didn’t I make clear?”

When the sergeant didn’t answer, Scofield waved off the next angry words ready to spring ["Spring" was a little stilted, but I didn't think it didn't stood out much. And I followed with fragments.] from his lips. “Never mind. Too late. What do you have so far?”

The sergeant handed the papers over and stepped back, silent. 

This will be my fourth themed anthology. With each one, I've learned something new about writing, so I'm kind of a cheerleader.  I think readers will find this one has some excellent stories.

AMAZON

                                                         WHAT ARE HEROES MADE OF by Jessica R. Ferguson
?

When I learned my story, The Little Girl in the Bayou, had been accepted for publication in the IWSG Anthology, I was sitting in a hospital bed awaiting heart surgery. For an instant, it seemed like a cruel joke—after all, how would I do the edits or meet any other publishing or marketing requirements? As you can see, all worked out. I’m alive, doing well, and to the best of my ability I’m meeting my obligations. I’m thrilled to be a part of this collection.

About my hero:

Construction worker Joe Mack Crawford (known as Mack in this story) came into my life in the mid-eighties. He’s a composite of all the heroes I’ve ever known: my quiet introspective dad along with his own hero Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke; the neighbor across the street who lifted me high over his head, muscles bulging; the pastor who baptized me in our little country church, and my grandpa who always knelt beside the pew to pray. No way can I forget my handsome 6^th grade Texas history teacher—even if he did accuse me of tracing that buffalo! And of course, my husband who introduced me to Joe Mack, and did a lot of brainstorming and plotting.

Joe Mack Crawford is the type of guy who will right wrongs or die trying. So when he found a picture of a child wrapped in fish net, looking fearful, no way would he ignore it.

EXCERPT: 

He wouldn’t be able to sleep or focus on his job until he found her. The terror in her eyes screamed at him to do something. She couldn't be more than nine or ten. He wondered if she would ever smile again or if they’d already pushed her too far. He wondered if she was still alive.  

Life has a way of teaching hard lessons, and Mack knew if the kid was still alive she’d already learned the hardest at a very young age. She might never get over it.

        EXCERPT:

      He got up, paced the floor, and watched the bayou meander behind his apartment. He couldn’t get the little girl’s face out of his mind. Was she asleep now? Having a nightmare? Crying for her mama and daddy? He didn’t know whether to pray for her to be alive or pray that God had saved her by taking her home.

Mack lives in three manuscripts: two short stories and an incomplete novel, but to me he’s out there somewhere—alive and well—much more than a fictional character. He’s all the good men in my life—men who were (and are) heroes.

Where do your heroes come from? A memory? A dream? Pure fiction?

I’m anxious for you to read The Little Girl in the Bayou and meet Joe Mack Crawford. And I hope you'll like him as much as I do.

You can purchase Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime from

Amazon     B&N      Kobo    ITunes  

  

 

 

 

IWSG With a Touch of Horror, Crime & Mystery

Brain Child of Alex J. Cavanaugh

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

The awesome co-hosts for the April 4 posting of the IWSG are

 Olga Godim, Chemist Ken,

 Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG

Optional Question of the Month: When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

When I'm in a writing funk, I shut down everything I'm working on and pick up a good book. Nothing snaps me out of rainy-day-writing blues faster than to read someone else's writing. I know they must have had rotten moments while they were creating the story. I know they must have walked away, shaking their head and wondering why they ever thought they could write. And yet, there that book is with thousands of words that draw me in and keep me reading.

I had real doubts that I could write a mystery-thriller-suspense story. I almost didn't, then one of those accidents happened. I stumbled onto an article about the great Chicago fire, and because writers' minds are nothing but a labyrinth of subterranean connections, I came up with the idea for Heartless. I knew I wanted to set the story at the time of the fire, so there would be two races against time: one to save a life and one to escape the flames. 

Now I'm writing another novel, and I'm half-way through the first draft and totally stuck! Even worse, I had a computer malfunction and lost my latest version (about 2K words weren't saved in my backup) I've had more rainy days than California has in a decade. I've cried on my critique partners shoulders and slumped over my desk, asking, "Why did I start this?"

Stay tuned. I'll be blogging about this one for a while. And you? What's your rainy-writer's-day strategy?

Until Release

by Jemi Fraser

Back in September, I posted this on Facebook...

3500 words
7 different pov characters
1st attempt at a short
Genre I don't normally write
What could possibly go wrong...?
#amwriting

The Theme for the newest IWSG anthology had intrigued me.

Theme: Tick Tock. The story revolves around a clock, is time sensitive, or has something about a specific time. 

The prompt for the contest had my brain ticking (pun intended!). I saw a clock counting down, but counting down to what?

The first character to pop into my head was a grieving mother. Then the man who caused the grieving.

This man was being released early from prison, for good behaviour.

Other characters popped in until I ended up with 8 points of view in the story. I'm used to juggling 2 points of view and am comfortable with both male and female viewpoints. But 8? Yeah, I thought I was nuts, too. And, yes, another character clamoured to be added after my FB post above.

Added to the mess, none of the characters came with names, but they did come with evil intentions.

I had so much fun writing the first draft! And the fun increased with each revision round.

First up in the story is Ashley...

It proved impossible to paint nail polish neatly while imagining her fingers wrapped around that throat.  Squeezing until the pulse ceased to beat and the life was gone.

Like her Matt’s life.

Gone.

Four years, three months, and thirteen days gone. Less than five years to pay for the death of her son. Snuffed out at nineteen. Run down like he meant nothing.

It wasn’t enough.

Walker had to pay like her Matt had paid.

Ashley took a deep breath followed by three more. Then picked up the polish with a steady hand.

I hope you'll be picking up a copy of Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime when it's released! And don't forget to add us to your list on Goodreads! Join us on Facebook too!

Goodreads
Amazon B&N Kobo ITunes

Just Jemi

Jemi Fraser on Facebook

Jemi Fraser on Twitter

#IWSG: Count Your Blessings and A Stitch in Crime

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and time for an Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and all the co-hosts this month:  Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner (Me!). 

This month's optional question is: How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/finish a story?

I put the first draft of the cozy mystery I'd been working on aside to write a short story sequel to offer free in order to generate interest--before the novel comes out.  It was complete at about 12K words when the Insecure Writer's Support Group short story anthology announced they were accepting submissions in the mystery genre! 

Perfect! I really only write cozy mysteries. And the timing of the announcement was fortuitous because I'd just finished my short story. The only problem was the length: 6000 words too many. I wondered if I'd be able to cut that many words--it was half my story! But I did it and submitted my story. Goal accomplished!

I knew that making it into the anthology was a long shot. There are so many talented writers out there and I know I'm not the best. Plus, my stories are lighthearted and sweet in a world that thrives on adrenaline and angst.  

No one was more blown away than me when I learned that my lighthearted paranormal cozy mystery won the feature spot!

Here's where my insecurity comes in. I've just completed reading all the stories in the anthology. And they are GOOD! Better than mine. I have to wonder if someone made a mistake. 

HOWEVER, I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm thrilled, grateful and so honored! I'm celebrating by counting my blessings which I hope to never take for granted. My story touched a chord with enough of the judges to be selected. So maybe it's not always the best that wins, but the one that touches the strongest chord at the time.

How do you celebrate when

you achieve a writing goal?
****

Even cozy characters have their problems. Here's a look into Indigo Eady's life: 

EXCERPT from A Stitch in Crime:

 

“Bagels, croissants, snickerdoodles, macaroons…” I looked up and met Badger’s eyes. “Okay, spill the coffee beans. This is serious indeed.” I twisted the bag top into a tight taper and pushed it away, then sat back and crossed my arms. “You’re not here on a Friday night for my titillating company.”

“You wound me.” He splayed his hand over his heart as if I’d punctured it with an arrow.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, you brought all my favorite junk foods, so out with it.”

He sighed. “You’re right. This isn’t exactly a social call.”

He didn’t meet my eyes or answer right away. Instead he crossed to the cupboard and pulled out a plate, then made a big production of untwisting and smoothing out the mangled bag. Pastries were arranged to their best advantage. “As it happens, I have a friend in need.”

“Uh-huh.” I snatched a macaroon and bit it in half. The sweet and chewy coconut seduced my taste buds. I shoved the rest in my mouth and continued. “Let me guess. This friend of yours has a mischievous ghost who’s creating havoc and making life miserable.”

“In a word, yes.”

I sighed. “I’m not a ghostbuster. I need a real job.” I’d applied for numerous positions with no response. I dreamed of eating real food instead of ramen noodles every night.

“I know.” He plucked a blueberry scone from the pile and broke it in half. “But it’s a paying gig, and let’s face it: you need money.”

Someone had a big mouth. Probably me. “How much?” I may not like dealing with spirits, but I could be bought for the right price. Like a steak-and-potato dinner, perhaps with a nice bottle of Cabernet thrown in.

“The going rate,” Badger said. He shoved half the scone in his mouth and chewed while I waited. “A thousand pounds.”

The macaroon lodged in my throat, trapping coconut-coffee juice at the back of my nasal passages. I managed to swallow the lump before anything shot from my nose, but a coughing fit ensued. Once that subsided, I wiped my watery eyes on the back on my hand. “When do I start?” I choked out.

“Don’t you want to know what it is first?”

“I’d exorcise the devil himself for a thousand pounds,” I said, then hesitated. “It’s not the devil himself…is it?”

*****

On Pre-sale Now!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | ITunes 

Detective Cypress

Hello, everyone. Yolanda Renée here to discuss my contribution to the new IWSG Anthology Tick Tock: A Stitch In Crime.

I'm a mystery writer with several published novels, a blogger - Defending the Pen, and a flash fiction writer - WEP. I write in many genres. In fact my science fiction story, Ever-Ton placed in the first IWSG Anthology, Parallels: Flex Was Here.

Cypress, Like The Tree, is a murder mystery with several interesting suspects. Does a wife kill her abusive husband? Have the neighbors who've witnessed the abuse turned vigilante? Or has a philanderer just pissed off the wrong person?

Today you'll meet Detective Cypress, the man in charge of solving this crime, but first:

Excerpt:

A detective entered the room. I knew he was a detective before he even opened his mouth because his superior than thou aura wafted off him like cheap aftershave. Tall, thin, and rumpled, he reminded me of an anorexic Clark Kent. Was this Superman in disguise?

“Mrs. Allan,” he offered his hand. “I’m Detective Cypress, like the tree.”]

***

Detective Cypress likes comparing himself to the tree. He thinks it gives suspects and strangers a sense of comfort, strength, and fear.

He sees himself as the guardian of justice, and the seeker of truth, comparing that to the fact that the Cypress Tree has long been an emblem of immortality, strength, and guardianship.

Maybe equating the fact that from ancient times the cypress tree has been planted by graves and in cemeteries, representing, in the upward pointing of every shoot and leaf, and the fragrant, enduring wood, a knowledge of immortal life with God in heaven. Hence the guardian of the dead, and for the detective his responsibilities to the murdered.

Detective Cypress is a young detective still learning the ropes, and he has a long way to go when it comes to getting confessions and outwitting the most crafty of killers.

Will Detective Cypress solve the murder that took place on Red Clay Road?

Find out in

Cypress, Like The Tree

in

Tick Tock: A Stitch In Crime

Pre-order Now!

Copies will be available May 1^st, but review copies are available NOW!

Add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

Join us on Facebook.

Amazon . B&N .Goodreads

Thank you for stopping in. Just curious, of all the fictional detectives out there - which one is your favorite?

Kill Some Time in the Center Lane

Hello Readers!

What if a prison inmate felt wrongly accused? When his patience has tanked and he's out of options, what length would he go to make things right?

And he only has 48 minutes.

From those questions Hammond Stone was born, and drove my idea for Center Lane, one of the eleven stories in the Tick Tock, A Stitch in Crime anthology.

Many times, this is how my stories emerge. Questions become like threads. If a question lingers long enough, I feel the need to unravel it, knowing a plot or character is knitted in there somewhere. I find that ideas come from all around us. Sometimes, it's listening to the news and asking the what if questions. Or imagining different scenarios. Recently, it was a conversation in a dream. A woman whispered to another person that she had run away from something horrible. I didn't remember the details, but I did remember the pure desperation in her voice. And that thread sparked the latest novel I'm working on.

In Hammond Stone's case, the moment he told me he felt trapped and needed to right the wrong that was done to him, I was in his corner and wanted to tell his story.

Here's the opening to Center Lane:

Hammond Stone swiped his forearm across the grimy mirror. He dabbed his index finger to the tip of his tongue and smoothed back a sprig of loose hair. Clutching the sink edge with both hands, he hung his head. 

Focus.

8:02 am. 

      Carla would just be getting into her Mercedes. He straightened his shoulders and patted the ID number embroidered on his left breast pocket. Today he was finally going to a better hell. Whether she knew it or not, Carla was going to help him get there.

* * *

Thank you for stopping by! Ready for more? Please check out Tick Tock, A Stich in Crime now available for Pre-order and releasing May 1. We look forward to seeing you on our Tick Tock's Facebook Page -- jump in and say hi! 

Amazon  B&N  Goodreads

Christine Clemetson