The New York Times reviewed three books that deal with political satire and one of them is The Faking of the President anthology! Editor Peter Carlaftes of Three Rooms Press and all of us contributors are absolutely thrilled that they chose to review our book and it’s a great review! I’d say it’s the best of the three.
And they mentioned me and my near-future President Pence story “In Mother We Trust”! Now that’s something I can check off my bucket list.
I have a piece in the upcoming collection Stop the World: Snapshots from a Pandemic with Thalia Press. It will be out August 4, 2020 and features 40 essays, short stories, and poems about, what else? The pandemic.
I’m excited about this one and it’s a first for me as my contribution is an essay rather than a short story. Actually, it’s not really an essay but telephone transcriptions, hence the title “The Five Stages of Coronanxiety in Telephone Transcriptions.” These are conversations between my dad and I during the early stages of the pandemic. The U.S. had not issued “safer at home” orders yet. I have to say it was very cathartic writing this!
I’m grateful to the editors Gary Phillips, Lise McClendon, and Taffy Cannon for putting this together. And all proceeds go to charity!
Here’s the book description:
HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER THE PANDEMIC?
Not fondly, of course. But your life, and the lives of millions of others, are forever changed by these times. These 40 writers set out to record their experiences, emotions, fears, and gratitude for living through 2020. Stuck at home, watching the news in horror, helping others: these writers’ imaginations never stopped (although their productivity sometimes took a hit.)
Crime stories, creative fiction, elegant and angry poetry, wrenching personal essays– these record the pandemic year in ways we are likely to want to forget. For the record, here are 40 inspiring, heartfelt, creative takes on this odd and terrifying time in the world, from writers in the US, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and Romania. All 2020 profits will be donated to charity.
My story “Hotelin” is about a teenage girl struggling to take care of her little sister while her single mother works two jobs and moves them from hotel to hotel. It’s a tale of revenge and community.
My story “In Mother We Trust” is set during the 2024 election with Mike Pence as the Republican candidate. Trump refuses to leave office which sets off all kinds of shenanigans, Calexit being one of them. I tell the story from Karen Pence’s POV which required me to do a lot of research into the Pences. That was interesting to say the least. I had a lot of fun writing this and it was quite the challenge!
Three Rooms Press is hosting several virtual launch parties on Facebook Live in the next few weeks beginning with one tonight. I’ll be reading at the virtual L.A. one on May 19 with the other Los Angeleno writers. More on that to come!
CrimeReads came out with its “Top 10 Books You Should Read This April” list and selected The Faking of the President as one of them. On top of that, they singled out my story, along with Angel Luis Colon, as stand-outs. Woot!
My story “In Mother We Trust” is set in the near future during the 2024 election with Mike Pence running as the Republican candidate. It’s told from Karen Pence’s POV and she will do anything to ensure her husband’s rightful place as president. This resolve is tested when Trump refuses to leave office. Throw in Governor Elon Musk of California and the looming possibility of Calexit and you have a noir thriller that one reviewer wrote “reads something like a prequel to Handmaid’s Tale.”
The Faking of the President comes out April 21, 2020 but if you’re curious who is in this anthology (besides me!), check out this fun Q&A. Three Rooms Press asked us TFOP “cabinet members” why we chose our specific president to write about and who our favorite president is. Find out the answers by clicking on the cover below!
For more information about the book, here’s Three Rooms Press editor and publisher, Peter Carlaftes, talking about the inspiration behind The Faking of the President and the process of putting this White House noir collection together: Inspiring Change Through Noir Fiction
I’m so excited to be a part of this unique collection! It includes my dystopian story “In Mother We Trust” set in the not-too-distant future of the 2024 election.
THE FAKING OF THE PRESIDENT: Nineteen Stories of White House Noir pulls back the curtain on the “new norm” for America’s highest office, with a collection of bizarre new stories by a diverse group of renowned authors that take readers across the chasm of reality into an alternate universe—where Nixon takes a wacky psychedelic trip with Elvis Presley; where a time-traveling renegade targets members of the George Bush administration with disastrous results; where a spy seizes a sudden opportunity for power after Woodrow Wilson’s stroke. The stories are outlandish—but when it comes to the White House of today—strange behavior and kinky, zany antics are no longer implausible.
Spinning new tales of White House noir, these yarns confirm that absolute power—minus checks and balances—absolutely corrupts. THE FAKING OF THE PRESIDENT acknowledges the wacko state of politics today, and openly wonders how far down the rabbit hole the American presidency can go.
The line-up of award-winning authors includes Eric Beetner, Peter Carlaftes, Christopher Chambers, Sarah M. Chen, Angel Luis Colon, S. A. Cosby, Nikki Dolson, Mary Anna Evans, Kate Flora, Adam Lance Garcia, Danny Gardner, Alison Gaylin, Greg Herren, Gary Phillips, Travis Richardson, S. J. Rozan, Alex Segura, Abby Vandiver, and Erica Wright.
It’s out in the world now! The anthology that I’m in featuring short stories inspired by the songs of The Go-Go’s is available for purchase. My story “Fading Fast” is a revenge tale gone horribly wrong.
All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood which really makes me happy. And the Foreword is written by Jane Wiedlin! Thank you to Holly West for making this happen and for being an amazing editor. Purchase links below!
I was inspired to write this story after I read about a young couple who sought revenge against a man who abused her. The justice system failed her as it does for so many victims of sexual assault and abuse.
I’m so excited for this collection to come out and it’s only in one more week! Edited by Holly West and includes such talented authors like Lori Rader-Day, Hilary Davidson, and Patricia Abbott. With a foreword by Jane Wiedlin herself!
I’m so excited to be part of this collection of short stories inspired by the music of The Go-Go’s. Editor Holly West has put together an awesome line-up of talent which I’m honored to be included with. What’s really cool is that all proceeds go toward Planned Parenthood.
My story “Fading Fast” is a revenge tale involving young love, regrets, and family ties. And the Foreword is written by Jane Wiedlin herself! I was a huge fan of The Go-Go’s when I was a teen. I ended up not seeing them in concert until 10 years ago at the Hollywood Bowl and they sounded amazing.
And here’s the incredible cover!
And check out the praise this cool little collection is already generating!
“I always suspected that twinkle in the Go-Gos’ eyes was a coded invitation to a darker world. In the hands of these 25 stellar crime fiction writers, ‘We Got the Beat’ and ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ become evil little gems. A totally rad read.” –Alan Hunter, Original MTV VJ, SiriusXM Host
“Shock and awe, that sums up my reaction to Murder-A-Go-Go’s. Shock to live in times when ‘The Whole World Lost Its Head’ and awe at the response of these gifted writers. Buckle up for a ride that will leave ‘Skidmarks on Your Heart.'” –Sara Paretsky, bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski crime series
“Who knew those happy songs by one of all-time favorite bands, the Go-Go’s could inspire such dark, noir, spine tingling stories?!! It’s a collection of tales of distinctly female rage–the murderous kind and other wise–to keep you up at night!” –Alison Arngrim, TV’s Nellie Oleson and New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of a Prairie Bitch
“This is the music-driven anthology you didn’t know you needed, but after you read it, you’ll realize your bookshelf was lacking without it. This is a killer line-up of writers, and under Holly’s steady hand, they don’t play a single false note. Murder-a-Go-Go’s has got the beat.” –Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse
“With 25 stories from a greatest-hits list of authors, it’s no surprise that Murder-a-Go-Go’s is a fascinating, addictive anthology, with story styles spanning the entire breadth of the crime fiction genre. Like the songs these writers used for muses, each story contains the energy of a pop group and the rawness of a punk band, with some of the darkness and vulnerability that underscores the Go-Go’s themselves thrown in for good measure.” –Steph Post, author of Miraculum
