Release Day for Avenging Angelenos

/ Sarah M. Chen / Leave a comment

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

#LiftAAPIVoices campaign is live

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Join our #LiftAAPIVoices campaign and enter the book giveaway by showing your support on social media!

What is the #LiftAAPIVoices campaign?

We, me and about 20 other Asian women crime writers, are standing together in solidarity with the AAPI community for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month. We wanted to raise awareness about violence against AAPI and to stop anti-Asian hate. As writers we hope to change the narrative and shatter harmful Asian stereotpyes through our stories and our voices. Thus, the #LiftAAPIVoices campaign was born.

You can join our campaign and be automatically entered to win all these amazing books!

Plus a BONUS: a free 1-year membership to Sisters in Crime! I’m ecstatic they wanted to partner with us on our campaign!

How do I enter the giveaway?

To enter, show your support of AAPI by:

  • Taking a selfie with a book by an Asian author
  • Posting a message of solidarity
  • Donating to an AAPI organization like #StopAAPIHate.
  • Supporting an Asian-owned business

Be sure to include the hashtag #LiftAAPIVoices.

Email LiftAAPIVoices@gmail.com with a link to your post / tweet.

We’ll email confirmation that you’re entered in the book giveaway!

Giveaway begins 9am PST Fri 5/21 and ends 11:59pm PST Sun 5/23.

US residents only and one entry per person.

One winner will be chosen at random and emailed on May 24.

Good luck, everyone, and I’m excited to see what you come up with!

Derringer Awards

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I’m so excited to announce that my story “Hotelin'” won a Derringer Award for Best Long Story from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

It’s an honor I’ve wanted since I started writing crime fiction short stories back in 2007! I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Ron Earl Phillips of Shotgun Honey for accepting my story and publishing it in Shotgun Honey, Volume 4: RECOIL.

It’s especially exciting to be a winner along with my friend and writer group buddy, Travis Richardson. Yay!

Here’s the official announcement: Short Mystery Fiction Society Announces Derringer Winners!

Chatting with Authors YouTube Interview

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A big thank you to Janet Lynn and Will Zeilinger for inviting me to participate on their YouTube channel “Chatting with Authors.” We discussed short story writing and the novel-in-stories concept. I hate listening to myself talk (and especially watching myself) so hopefully I’m making sense!

Derringer nominations are announced

/ Sarah M. Chen / Leave a comment

I’m so excited to say my short story “Hotelin'” is a Derringer nominee! The Short Mystery Fiction Society awards the Derringers every year to the best mystery short stories in 4 categories: Flash, Short, Long, and Novelette.

Since I’ve been writing short stories, I’ve submitted my story for consideration for a Derringer. And now finally, 30 short stories and 14 years later, I’m a nominee! Don’t ever give up, people.

“Hotelin'” is in the Long category which are 4001-8000 words.

“Hotelin'” was published last year in the Shotgun Honey Presents Volume 4: Recoil anthology. It’s about a single mother struggling to raise two girls as they move from motel to motel.

If you’d like to read the story, click the link below!

Hotelin’Download

Winners are announced May 1!

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!

Sisters in Crime / LA presents House Arrest

/ Sarah M. Chen / Leave a comment

Tonight I’ll be reading along with 5 other authors at Sisters in Crime / Los Angeles’s virtual reading series. There will even be a cocktail recipe! It’s an awesome lineup that includes Kellye Garrett, Paula Bernstein, Jennifer Dornbush, Laurie Stevens, and Pamela Samuels Young!

I’ll be reading an excerpt from my short story “Unit 805” which is included in Mysti Berry’s anthology Low Down Dirty Vote, Volume II.

7pm PST. Register at the link below!

House Arrest

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!

D.C. Virtual Noir at the Bar

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Tonight is Noir at the Bar! I’ll be reading along with some fantastic writers. What an incredible lineup! Plus there’s a mixologist and a jazz pianist who is amazing! Should be a fun time so tune in at 5pm PST.

There will also be links to buy books from indie bookstore Mystery Loves Company.

Here’s the link to register:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/d-c–virtual-noir-at-the-7

Hope to see you tonight!