Last night we had our virtual launch party for the West Coast writers of THE FAKING OF THE PRESIDENT (in addition to Chris Chambers and editor/publisher Peter Carlaftes who are East Coast). It was a blast! We chatted about politics and our predictions and hopes for the upcoming election. It was the first time I got to chat with writers I only know virtually like Nikki Dolson and Chris Chambers.
I read from my story “In Mother We Trust” which is told from the POV of Karen Pence. It’s set during the 2024 election in which Pence is the Republican nominee and Trump refuses to leave office. Not only is it an important presidential election but Calexit is on the ballot for California.
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!
My short story “A Real Scorcher” was selected out of hundreds to be included in British publisher Fahrenheit Press’s first short story collection aptly titled NOIRVILLE. It’s about a couple who go on a “let’s save our marriage” road trip to Mexico only to unexpectedly stop in Plaster City, a town nobody visits on purpose.
Towards the end of 2017 Fahrenheit Press launched a short story competition to showcase talented crime fiction writers from all around the world.
Our crack panel of judges whittled down the hundreds of entries we received to the 15 stories contained in this anthology. We believe these authors represent some of the most exciting crime fiction being written today.
Today is a big day – both for the much-anticipated “novel-in-stories” that’s out with Down & Out Books that I co-edited with E.A. Aymar as well as my little flash fiction piece over at Shotgun Honey. So here it goes…
HAPPY PUB DAY!!
It’s finally here – THE NIGHT OF THE FLOOD – is available to read, buy, touch, swipe, whatever format you prefer.
“Each of the 14 varied and fitfully amusing stories in this solid anthology takes as its starting point the destruction of a dam and the subsequent flooding of Everton, PA. Aymar and Chen deserve kudos for putting together a distinctive anthology.” —Publishers Weekly
“Night of the Flood edited by E. A. Aymar and Sarah M. Chen is an unusual book. The stories by a variety of authors share a setting, plot events and characters. They represent different perspectives on an unnatural disaster engineered by a group of women who call themselves The Daughters. I found The Night of the Flood unexpected. Some stories moved me while others made me think. I recommend it to readers who have an appetite for a book that’s very different.”
Today a few of us are over at Crimespree Magazine talking about the anthology and our approach to writing our stories.
And lastly – and one I’m very excited about – is my return to Shotgun Honey, a flash fiction site that I’ve enjoyed for many years. I haven’t been published there since A High Ridge Homecoming back in 2015. I was thrilled to be back and so I give you The Last Second Chance. Hope you like it!
Only 3 more days until the release of The Night of the Flood and so far the buzz has been great! Here are just a few of the most recent reviews , blurbs, and interviews…
“Plenty of complex characters and hard edges. Take a breath, then hang on and enjoy this entertaining romp.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“Bravo to all the authors who contributed to The Night of the Flood, a collection of brilliant short stories about residents of the dysfunctional town of Everton who are thrust into the turbulence of decisions that will forever change who they thought they were. A stormy page-turner that will leave you wanting more.” —Sandra Brannan, author of the award-winning Liv Bergen Mystery Series
“A brilliant, multi-leveled concept, Faulknerian in its structure. A novel in stories. Wow. Fourteen exciting crime writers create a rare three-dimensional mosaic of a doomed town and the night hell flooded through it. Terrifically exciting. Wonderfully inventive.” —David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of Murder As a Fine Art
“A brave concept brilliantly executed.” —Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher Series
Ed Aymar and I did an interview with author Basil Sands over at The Big Thrill, the International Thriller Writers Organization magazine. It was a lot of fun and as usual, Ed had a new author pic that will make you chuckle.
And lastly – and I’ve saved the best for last – we have a cool book trailer! I’ve never had a book trailer before (probably because I have no idea how to do one and apparently, Ed has people) and this one is awesome! Check it out:
My publisher All Due Respect Books, the lowlifes of literature I’m proud to call them, is now an imprint of Down & Out Books. I’m a big fan of Down & Out and Eric Campbell so I’m very excited.
They have re-issued FINN. It’s now bigger and badder than ever! It’s also now available at Barnes & Noble and iTunes…plus any of your favorite indie bookstores can now order FINN.
I’m very grateful that FINN gets a makeover and look forward to a successful and productive partnership with Down & Out!
Gutter Books has come out with a killer anthology that features songs inspired by Johnny Cash. It’s a great lineup of authors like David Corbett and Rob Hart and is edited by Joe Clifford. I’m thrilled to be part of JUST TO WATCH THEM DIE with my story “Missouri Waltz.”
There are also stories by Jen Conley, S.W. Lauden, Danny Gardner, Angel Luis Colon, and Renee Asher Pickup, among others. Here’s the full list on author Max Booth III’s blog:
I’ll be heading to Crime Bake this weekend in Dedham, MA for the launch of Level Best Books’ anthology WINDWARD: BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES edited by Kimberly Gray, Harriette Sackler, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Verena Rose. My story “Grateful Touring” features Deadheads, cigarette smuggling, and leaf-peeping.
Crime Bake is one of the first mystery conferences I ever attended, back in 2008, and I absolutely loved it for its intimacy, informative panels, and camaraderie.
I’m really looking forward to this trip. Everything that’s going on post-election is so troubling and seriously getting to me. It will be nice to get away for a bit to concentrate on what I love: books and crime fiction. Plus I absolutely love Boston.
Hope to see many of you fellow writers and book lovers there!
It’s Happy Pub Day to FAST WOMEN AND NEON LIGHTS: EIGHTIES-INSPIRED NEON NOIR edited by Michael Pool. My short story Besties & Blow is one of 18 stories in this bitchin’ collection by Short Stack Books. Besties & Blow has Danny Elfman, the Greek Theater, Oingo Boingo, spoiled SoCal girls, and of course lots and lots of cocaine.
It was a blast to write and I’m honored to be in this totally awesome collection along with such talented writers as S.W. Lauden, Sam Wiebe, Dietrich Kalteis, Eryk Pruitt, Preston Lang, Greg Barth, Jen Conley, Kat Richardson, C.S. DeWildt, and many others. Thanks to Michael Pool of Short Stack Books for putting this over-the-top totally radical collection together!
If you want to know what inspired all of us to write our 80s stories for this collection, go to Dietrich’s blog Off the Cuff.
