anthology

Crimes Against Nature anthology is out!

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I have a new short story out! Crimes Against Nature: New Stories of Environmental Villainy was released this week with Down & Out Books and edited by Robert Lopresti.

My story is called “The Gift” and it features influencer culture and its effects on national parks, beaches, etc. I love that half of the proceeds will go to an environmental nonprofit of our choice. I chose the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles based in San Pedro. They respond to marine mammals in distress and rescue them all up and down the Los Angeles County coastline. They were in danger of closing their doors in 2019 but the community rallied together and saved them. They rely heavily on financial donors. The number of abandoned elephant seal pups and sickened marine mammals sadly increases each year.

Here’s the official description of the anthology:

The way we treat the world is a crime—fifteen of them, in fact. Some of the best and most honored mystery writers today have written new stories for this book dealing with environmental issues including pollution, wildfire, invasive species, climate change, recycling, and many more.

Authors include Michael Bracken, Susan Breen, Sarah M. Chen, Barb Goffman, Karen Harrington, Janice Law, R.T. Lawton, Robert Lopresti, Jon McGoran, Josh Pachter, Gary Phillips, S.J. Rozan, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mark Stevens, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.

The stories cover a wide variety of styles including noir, comic, caper, psychological, police procedural, and even a tale inspired by comic books.

Available to buy now!

Crimes Against Nature

Witnesses for the Dead: Stories

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Today is release day for Witnesses for the Dead from Soho Press, edited by Gary Phillips and Gar Anthony Haywood. I’m so excited to be a part of this stellar line-up of authors. All proceeds go to The Alliance for Safe Traffic Stops.

The premise is inspired by people who witness crimes and do something about it, most notably Darnella Frazier, the seventeen-year-old girl who recorded George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin.

My story “A Family Matter” takes a look at the complicated politics in Taiwan when Vanessa Chu witnesses a stranger’s murder while staying at her father’s home in Taichung. Just before I wrote this story, I had been reading about a bookstore owner who fled Hong Kong during the mass protests in 2019 and opened his store in Taipei. Four days before he was to open his store, unknown assailants threw red paint on him while he sat outside at a cafe. Three men were later arrested. They were upset by the bookstore’s commitment to disseminating democratic ideals and free speech. I was struck by how the bookstore owner wasn’t concerned for his own safety but for the safety of those who helped him open the store.

Here’s the full description of the book:

How does witnessing a crime change a person? This powerful collection of stories by a star-studded roster of contributors examines this very question, with proceeds benefitting the Alliance for Safe Traffic Stops.

Inspired by recent true events, the all-original stories in Witnesses for the Dead are set in motion by the act of witnessing. The characters who populate these pages are not themselves the perpetrators of the crimes they see, but as they grapple with what to do—take action or retreat into the shadows—their lives are indelibly changed.
 
In “Envy” by Christopher Chambers, a sweet, shy wallflower looks on as something horrific happens in his neighborhood—revealing something horrific about himself. Agatha Award–winner Richie Narvaez’s “The Gardener of Roses” sees a Puertorriqueña college student on the run from the FBI for her accidental involvement in a “terrorist” plot. Anthony Award–winner Gary Phillips confronts police corruption in “Spiders and Fly.” And the protagonist of “A Family Matter” by IPPY Award–winner Sarah M. Chen investigates the murder of a stranger, leading her to question the political structure of Taiwan entirely. Other stories feature a brothel, the film industry, immigrant detention centers at the Mexico-US border, World War II–torn France, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The stories are incisive, unflinching, wry, dark, and, in some cases, terrifying. You’ll ask yourself: If I saw what they saw, what would I do?
 
Edited by Anthony Award–winner Gary Phillips and Shamus Award–winner Gar Anthony Haywood, the collection includes contributions from NAACP Image Award–winner Pamela Samuels Young, New York Times bestsellers Cara Black and Tod Goldberg, Edgar Award–winner SJ Rozan, Agatha Award–winner Richie Narvaez, and more.

Pick up a copy at the following links!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop

Low Down Dirty Vote, Volume 3 release day!

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Tomorrow, Sunday, May 15, 2022 is launch day for Low Down Dirty Vote, Volume 3! Esteemed editor Mysti Berry has once again put together an anthology that addresses the attacks on our democracy and voting rights. This volume’s theme is “the color of my vote” and based on early reviews, it sounds like there’s a common thread among the stories: rage.

My story “Riviera Red” features a beach community torn apart by a secession campaign where the wealthy southern part of the city wants to break away from the northern. The wife of the secessionist committee president learns the hard way that remaining on the sidelines isn’t an option.

To purchase the book, go here: Low Down Dirty Vote, Volume III

Sunday, May 15 is our virtual launch party! At noon PDT, I’ll be reading an excerpt from my story and / or I’ll talk about what inspired me to write about secession and the growing power of the AAPI vote. Here’s the link to register: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/global-launch-1-for-low/register

Hope to see you there!

Black Cat Weekly

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My short story “Grateful Touring” is getting another life with an appearance in the latest issue of Black Cat Weekly e-magazine. Barb Goffman selected it as part of her Barb Goffman Presents short story series. Thank you, Barb!

“Grateful Touring” was originally published in Windward: New England Crime Stories 2016 by Level Best Books. I was so excited because I’d been wanting to be in the New England Crime series for a while. Every year I submitted to the anthology as well as the Al Blanchard Award but was never selected. The anthology launches at the Crime Bake Conference which was one of the very first mystery conferences I went to. It remains one of my favorite conferences. I went to Crime Bake in 2016 even though I wasn’t registered so I could meet the other contributors of the anthology and participate in the signing. I had so much fun and I even crashed a panel featuring Hank Phillippi Ryan (don’t tell anyone).

“Grateful Touring” was inspired by a good friend of mine who is a tour director and does the foliage tours every fall. He’s a big Deadhead like my protagonist Jack. My friend doesn’t smuggle cigarettes on the side, although he agreed that it would be pretty easy to do while on tour so who knows, maybe I gave him something to think about.

Here’s a brief description of my story:

As the director for New England foliage tours, Jack has an easy side hustle smuggling cigarettes while entertaining a motor coach of leaf peepers—as long as he’s teamed up with his driver, Chris. Things get complicated, though, when Bob announces he’s the new driver and Chris is MIA. Fearing the worst and with the trip still on schedule, Jack braces himself for a bumpy ride.

If you’re not a subscriber to Black Cat Weekly (and why aren’t you?), you can pick up the issue here: Black Cat Weekly, #34.

A Bag of Dick’s (a 509 Crime Anthology)

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Today is release day for A Bag of Dick’s: a 509 Crime Anthology, edited by Colin Conway. Yes, that’s the title and no, it’s not what you think. Apparently, there’s an old school burger joint in Spokane, WA that’s called Dick’s Hamburgers where you can buy burgers by the bag. Hence the title. So when I was asked to contribute a short story to this, I had to say yes. I mean who wouldn’t, right?

The stories all feature the desperate, the criminal, and the opportunists as they scramble to find a Dick’s bag to earn a Get out of Jail Free card. My story is called “Her Father’s Daughter” and it’s a dual POV with a young woman whose boyfriend isn’t the brightest criminal. She should know because her father used to be one too, but he’s left all that behind him. Or so he tells her.

Link to buy is here: A Bag of Dick’s and here’s the anthology description:

With scorching tales from Jonathan Brown, Sarah M. Chen, Bill Fitzhugh, Scott Kikkawa, Nick Kolakowski, Debbi Mack, Kat Richardson, Brian Thornton, Sam Wiebe, Jim Winter, and Frank Zafiro.

Detective Jim Morgan just gave Roy Utt the opportunity of a lifetime. What happens next is the stuff of legend.

In an instant, Roy Utt’s life changed, and it happened at Dick’s Hamburgers.

A guy ran from the parking lot with a bag of burgers clutched to his chest. To Roy, it was life on the street—weird things happen, and wondering why is wasted time.

But today is no ordinary day because Detective James Morgan was also there. Unlike Roy, Morgan isn’t in the habit of dismissing bizarre events. Instead, he wants to know what was in the bag, and he’s giving Roy the incentive to find it—a Get Out of Jail Free card.

If Roy knows one thing, it’s that Morgan’s word is better than the dry sandwiches and mushy apples in lock-up.

With the clock ticking on the deal, Roy is already sharing too much information. The allure of a Get Out of Jail Free card attracts the smart, the cunning, and the stupid. An all-out scavenger hunt is underway in the criminal underworld.

Will Roy earn his Get Out of Jail Free card, or will he become a footnote in the legacy of the streets?

A Bag of Dick’s is a collection of twelve short stories from crime fiction’s liveliest voices.  Get your copy today and experience the 509 in a way you never expected.

Release Day for Avenging Angelenos

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Today is the publication day for the digital version of the Sisters in Crime / Los Angeles anthology Avenging Angelenos! The print version will be available in the coming days.

I was lucky enough to be co-editor of this short story collection and couldn’t be prouder of the eleven writers we chose to be included in this anthology. The theme if you haven’t guessed is revenge and the stories we selected vary widely from historical to otherworldly. The introduction is by Frankie Y. Bailey, a prolific mystery writer and criminal justice professor.

Editing these stories was very rewarding and I thoroughly enjoyed working with these talented writers. I also owe a lot to my fantastic co-editors, Wrona Gall and Pamela Samuels Young, and of course to Sisters in Crime / Los Angeles for giving me this opportunity.

And what a gorgeous cool cover!

Hope you enjoy!

With an introduction by Frankie Y. Bailey and eleven original stories by: Avril Adams, Paula Bernstein, Hal Bodner, Jenny Carless, LH Dillman, Gay Totl Kinman, Melinda Loomis, Kathy Norris, Peggy Rothschild, Meredith Taylor, and Laurel Wetzork.

Published by Down & Out Books

To purchase, click here: Avenging Angelenos: A Sisters in Crime / Los Angeles anthology

Low Down Dirty Vote, Vol. 2 Event

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We’re celebrating National Voter Registration Day! Join us on Tues 9/22 at 6:30PM PST for readings, interviews, cocktail recipes, and book giveaways! I’ll be reading from my short story “Unit 805.”

And our awesome publisher, Mysti Berry, will be signing a $10k check for SPLC! Woot!

Here’s more info:

The authors of Low Down Dirty Vote, Volume II are celebrating National Voter Registration Day:

  • Writers will interview each other, and some will read a page or two from their stories in LDDV Vol II. 
  • Readers & fans who attend and can show proof of voter registration can win a free copy of LDDV Vol II.
  • We’ll share the recipe for Pisco Punch (a San Francisco invention, like cipino and the Hangtown fry!). 
  • We’ll show the $10k check as it is signed and put into an envelope and addressed to SPLC.
  • Answer attendee questions.

Please join us for this free event!

Stop the World: Snapshots from a Pandemic Roundtable Discussion

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Tonight is a virtual conversation between the editors of Stop the World and a few of the contributors, including me and Keith Snyder. Creating Conversations is hosting and it’s at 6:00pm PST tonight!

Click on this link to register for the event!

Writing from the Depths of Lockdown

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Today CrimeReads published a roundtable discussion between Lise McClendon, the editor of Stop the World: Snapshots from a Pandemic, and four of us from the anthology. We discussed the inspiration behind our essays. My piece is “The Five Stages of Coronanxiety” which are telephone transcriptions between me and my dad (who lives in Taiwan) in the early stages of the pandemic.

Check out the anthology here!

Stop the World: Snapshots From a Pandemic Releases Today

/ Sarah M. Chen / Leave a comment

The anthology from Thalia Press is out today! This collection features essays, poems, and short stories from 40 writers from all over the globe and is edited by Lise McClendon with Gary Phillips, Kate Flora, and Taffy Cannon.

My essay “The Five Stages of Coronanxiety” features phone conversations between me and my dad during the early days of the pandemic in February and March.

All proceeds go to charity. I’m honored to be a part of this collection and hopefully it will offer some hope and humor for readers.

Book description:

Once you may have wished for a pause to take a breath, to stop your hectic life, to enjoy a stay-cation with so much time on your hands. Then, it happened, suddenly and terrifyingly. What do you do with these scenarios, this odd time, this creativity that doesn’t stop? How do you handle it?

This collection of fiction, essays, and poetry shines a light on moments in the times we live in during the global pandemic of 2020, when the world stopped. It offers a record of people’s lives and imaginations, a snapshot of enduring creativity— a happy, sad, funny, reflective, deep, shallow, and/or thought-provoking slice of our lives.

Amazon

Bookshop