Still Crazy After All These Years
Paul Simon's mama is gonna knock you out.
So tell us about this whole Anthony Award-nominated short story thing.
Oh, I’m so excited! I wrote a short story for an anthology that was full of stories inspired by the music of Paul Simon, and…
Wait, what?
What what?
Crime fiction inspired by Paul Simon? I thought you were, like, a hip hop head?
I have layers. And there was a point in my life when I was infatuated with Paul Simon’s music. I still am. Plus, Paul Simon was a total rap fan. Check it out. Here he is with LL Cool J back in the late 80s:
What.
Anyway, Josh Pachter (not pictured) is one of crime fiction’s top short story writers and has edited quite a few anthologies inspired by the songs of popular musicians. He invited me to contribute a story to this anthology of fiction inspired by Paul Simon song titles, called Paranoia Blues, and I eagerly accepted. And I knew exactly what I wanted to write.
Which was..?
I wanted to finish the story of Vic and Callie, the two murderous siblings I’d originally introduced in the popular anthology The Night of the Flood. I’d continued their story in a second, rather unpopular anthology, The Swamp Killers. And this seemed like a natural conclusion to their wacky adventures.
What’s Still Crazy After All These Years about?
Vic and Callie have been on the run from a crime organization for years and, under increased danger, have decided to flee the country. But Callie’s bloodlust presents challenges on their path, and Vic is faced with the stark truth of what it is he’s actually fleeing.
Who is Anthony and why did he nominate you for his award?
The Anthony Awards are one of crime fiction’s most celebrated awards. They’re named after Anthony Boucher, a writer, critic, and editor, and presented at the annual Bouchercon conference. The nominations and winners are determined by votes of conference attendees. It’s a very stacked nominee group - the other nominated writers for Best Short Story are Barb Goffman, Gabriel Valjan, Curtis Ippolito, and Bruce Robert Coffin.
And, in a nice double, the entire Paranoia Blues anthology is also up for an award, in the category of Best Anthology, which is a lovely honor for all the writers and Josh Pachter, who really does a wondrous job as an editor, as well as the publisher, Down and Out Books. You can see all the Anthony nominees and categories HERE.
How can I read “Still Crazy After All These Years?”
I posted the story HERE. I hope you like Vic and Callie. They were fun to write, and introduced me to the fun of writing about dysfunctional families. I miss those two, but this was the right way to leave them.
EA
Speaking of dysfunctional families, my thriller No Home for Killers has just passed 7,000 reviews on Amazon! That’s so awesome! Thank you to everyone who has bought and reviewed it. And, if you’re interested in learning more about a zany family comprised of a burnt out social worker, a troublesome jazz musician, and a gleeful secret vigilante, then I totally recommend clicking HERE.
Part 1 of 2
There were so many books that I wanted to include this month that I couldn’t put the entire list in a single newsletter, so I’m sending out a SECOND newsletter halfway through August with more books. And I might do that going forward. We’ll see. Depends on whether or not I think it’s useful, if you find it annoying and, most importantly, how lazy I feel. Mainly that last thing.
I’m also trying to think of a good way to promote these books. Substack doesn’t have a lot of nifty graphic options yet and, for space, I’m limited to the clumpy graphic below followed by either a short summary or my own take. I’d like to give both, because I love sharing books. So I’m trying to figure out the best way to present this that’s fun and engaging and not much work, but in a way where you still give me lots of credit.
Like Mickey Rourke told Kim Basinger in 9 1/2 Weeks, “There’s going to be some experimentatin’ with you and me.” He didn’t say that.
Tell No Lies, LynDee Walker
When Texas Ranger Faith McClellan is called to the Southern border to help recover suspicious human remains, she has no idea she’s about to wade into the deadliest case of her career. Six of these mysterious bodies have appeared in the area over the past year...and Faith wants answers.
The Mistress of Bhatia House, Sujata Massey
India, 1922: Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in Bombay, a city where child mortality is high, birth control is unavailable and very few women have ever seen a doctor. Perveen is attending a lavish fundraiser for a new women’s hospital specializing in maternal health issues when she witnesses an accident. The grandson of an influential Gujarati businessman catches fire—but a servant, his young ayah, Sunanda, rushes to save him, selflessly putting herself in harm’s way. Later, Perveen learns that Sunanda, who’s still ailing from her burns, has been arrested on trumped-up charges made by a man who doesn’t seem to exist.
Evidence of Things Seen, Sarah Weinman
In Evidence of Things Seen, fourteen of the most innovative crime writers working today cast a light on the cases that give crucial insight into our society. Edited by Weinman, and with an introduction by attorney and host of the Undisclosed podcast Rabia Chaudry, this anthology pulls back the curtain on how crime itself is a by-product of America’s systemic harms and inequalities. And in doing so, it reveals how the genre of true crime can be a catalyst for social change.
Infested, Angel Luis Colon
It’s the summer before senior year, and Manny has just moved from Texas to the Bronx in New York. So, instead of hanging with his friends and making some spending money, Manny is forced to do menial tasks in his new home, a luxury condo his stepdad is managing, while stressing about starting over. Thankfully, he meets Sasha, who is protesting the building but turns out to be really cool. And he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mr. Mueller, the building’s exterminator. Maybe life in the Bronx won’t be so bad.
Then the nightmares begin. And Manny swears he has roaches crawling under his skin. When building contractors start to go missing, Manny and Sasha come to the terrifying realization that Mr. Mueller is not who he says he is. Or rather, he is, but he died decades ago in a fire exactly where Manny’s new building is located. A fire that Mueller set.
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence, Alison Gaylin
Sunny Randall’s newest client, Blake, seems to have it all: he is an Instagram influencer, with all the perks the lifestyle entails—a beautiful girlfriend, wealth, and adoring fans. But one of those fans has turned ugly, and Sunny is brought on board by Blake’s manager, Bethany, to protect him and to uncover who is out to kill him. In doing so, she investigates a glamorous world rife with lies and schemes…and ties to a dangerous criminal scene.
Windfall, Wendy Corsi Staub
J.J., Molly, and Leila had once been inseparable, but it’s been a long time since college, and life—not to mention distance—have disrupted the former roommates’ friendship. When the three reunite for a birthday weekend in Las Vegas, the lottery ticket they buy on a whim has the winning numbers—giving them a billion-dollar windfall. Shell-shocked, they turn to Shea Daniels, a “sudden wealth manager,” who promises to guide them through the pitfalls of having more money than they’d ever imagined…and takes them to the girls’ weekend they’d always regret.
Screaming Child, Scott Adlerberg
A mystery horror novel told by a grieving woman working on a book about an explorer who was murdered in a remote wilderness region, only to get caught up in a dangerous journey after hearing the distant screams from her own vanished child somewhere in the woods.
Prom Mom, Laura Lippman
Amber Glass has spent her entire adult life putting as much distance as possible between her and her hometown of Baltimore, where she fears she will forever be known as “Prom Mom”—the girl who allegedly killed her baby on the night of the prom after her date, Joe Simpson, abandoned her to pursue the girl he really liked. But when circumstances bring Amber back to the city, she realizes she can have a second chance—as long as she stays away from Joe, now a successful commercial real estate developer, married to a plastic surgeon, Meredith, to whom he is devoted.
The problem is, Amber can’t stay away from Joe. And Joe finds that it’s increasingly hard for him to ignore Amber, if only because she remembers the boy he was and the man he said he was going to be. Against the surreal backdrop of 2020 and early 2021, the two are slowly drawn to each other and eventually cross the line they’ve been trying not to cross.
For those of you in search of editing services, particularly unpublished writers, I have to recommend my friend Kathleen Barber’s editing services. Kathleen is a fantastic writer and she and I have beta-read each other’s work and I can’t recommend her enough…Colleen Shogan, a lovely person and wonderful writer who wrote a mystery series based on Capitol Hill, is now the freaking CHIEF ARCHIVIST of the United States. The Washington Post did a great story about her writing and her new job…a lot of crime fiction’s best stories are coming from the queer community. If you’re interested in some of today’s most compelling, urgent voices, I’d suggest checking out Queer Crime Writers, and subscribing to their newsletter.
The winner of my monthly newsletter contest is po_____reads@gmail.com! I did NOT do a “Two Writers You Should Read” section for this newsletter (see: changes), so you get your choice of any of my July picks! I’ll slide into your DMs (send you an email, so not exactly slide into your DMs) soon.
Until next time, much love and Happy Reading!