The Swamp Killers
A couple of weeks ago - when you could still do this sort of thing - I attended a panel on short stories at One More Page Books featuring Art Taylor and Amber Sparks, and moderated by Tara Laskowski. All three of those writers are, without hyperbole, among the best contemporary short story writers today (and Laskowski, as regular readers of this newsletter know, recently published an outstanding novel). Art Taylor's work has won every major award for short crime fiction, often multiple times; Amber Sparks is that rare breed whose first two published books are collections of short stories, from a big five publisher, no less; and Tara Laskowski, in addition to her own award-winning work, spent years running SmokeLong Quarterly, one of the premiere outlets for flash fiction. All three of these writers have written sentences I'll never forget, and for that, I'll always be grateful to them.
I've written short fiction and had the fortune to place it in some pretty great magazines and, usually immediately upon publication, I fucking hate it. It's true that I'm hard on my own writing, but I find my short fiction particularly galling. Part of that is because - for the past few years - almost all of the short fiction I've written is meant to be read aloud, usually at a Noir at the Bar. And those stories are meant to be "performed." It's true that well-written prose should have an engaging oral quality to it, but there's a difference when I'm writing for a certain crowd or myself. And the stories for a crowd generally don't have the quality I'd hope of my own work. Those stories are often shorter, punctuated with moments for laughter or surprise that may not resonate with a written piece, and certain elements of development (either in character or plot) are stranded in service of a listening audience...an audience at a bar, no less.
But I do love short fiction, greatly admire the form, and there are times when a short story expresses something that no other type of writing can. Which is why I happily contributed to, and co-edited with Sarah M. Chen, The Swamp Killers, a novel-in-stories written in the same vein as 2018's The Night of the Flood...and the publication date is TODAY!. For those familiar with The Flood, many of the same writers are included in this book (me and Sarah, Hilary Davidson, Gwen Florio, Elizabeth Heiter, J.J. Hensley, Shannon Kirk, Jenny Milchman, Alan Orloff, and Wendy Tyson) and we've added some new ones (Art Taylor, Tara Laskowski, Alex Dolan, Rebecca Drake, Susi Holliday, and Tom Sweterlitsch).
Editing a book of inter-connected short stories is a rough job, and I'm so glad that I partnered with Sarah on the effort. She's smart and tireless and sharp-eyed, and The Swamp Killers would suffer without her involvement. And the new writers we brought on board took to the project immediately, in ways that were as unpredictable as they were compelling (Sweterlitsch, in particular, took his story in a brilliant direction). I'm deeply proud of this project and I know you'll enjoy it.
And I actually love my contribution to this project! My story is called "Sunset Eyes" and it picks up the story of siblings Vic and Callie Whitlow where The Night of the Flood ended. I love those crazy kids and there's an energy to them that's so fun to tap into.
So what's the book about?
SUMMARY
Here's what we know is true.
Timmy Milici, a low-level hitter with the infamous Atlanta-based Duplass crime family, ran off with Melody Duplass to Jacksonville, Florida. Olivia Duplass, her mother and head of the Duplass family, was incensed, and put a price on Timmy--a hundred thousand for his corpse, but with explicit instructions that her daughter not be harmed.
We know that's true.
Or, at least, we think we do.
Sixteen writers tell their versions of what happened those fateful days in this gripping novel-in-stories, brought to you from the team behind The Night of the Flood.
The Coronavirus
About all those events us writers have been planning...
It's completely unimportant compared to general health and well-being, but every event in the world has been cancelled over the next month or so. If there's a writer you wanted to see in your community, you can still support her or him by ordering their book, reading it, and leading a review on Amazon and GoodReads.
And I'm so impressed with this initiative from Lori Rader-Day and Dana Kaye, the organizers of Murder and Mayhem in Chicago. The conference had to be cancelled, so they've moved it online! It's a great alternative, and you can read more about it HERE.
And I was touched by a hashtag I saw on Twitter the other night - "#WeGotThisSeattle. It was various Seattle-based businesses, community leaders, and residents offering their encouragement and various means of support during these times to the local community. There's no reason a hashtag like that has to be isolated. Most of us live in some sort of community with a Facebook page, community web site, newsletter, etc. If you're healthy and capable, offer your services to your neighbors. Spare food, toilet paper, medicine - whatever you can spare that someone in your apartment building, neighborhood, or city may need. We're living in a nervous wreck, with panic just under the surface for many, and a few gestures like that go a long way toward helping others.
Writer's Digest University
Speaking of online events, as far as I know, my online class with Writer's Digest University is still on. It's called "The Importance of Light and Humor in Crime Fiction," and I'll discuss ways to temper the tension with the occasional laugh, with examples from Kellye Garrett, Sherry Harris, P.G. Wodehouse, Flannery O'Connor, and Carl Hiaasen. This is the sixth year WD has offered these types of classes (although my first year as a teacher) and my lesson will be online on Sunday, March 22nd. You can learn more HERE.
This has happened to all of us - you meet a writer in person or online, before you read their work, and you like them a lot. They're funny and smart and nice and you're excited about your new friend. And then you read their work, and it's not good. Or it's offensive in some way. Or it's good in an uncomfortable way, like they're really profoundly good at writing about having sex with with goats or something.
This happens more often than not (not so much the goats thing). So it's a genuine pleasure when you meet a writer like Beau Johnson, one of the nicest, funniest, and most supportive writers out there. And, and and and, he's a fantastic short story writer. His books - documenting his rough, tough protagonist, Bishop Rider - are inventive and exciting, and a number of crime fiction's best publications have featured his work.
And a writer Beau recommends you read? S.A. Cosby. As Beau explains....
Shawn Cosby's My Darkest Prayer is a book that should be read and one I highly recommend. From the hook on, there is violence, there is mystery, but above all there is voice. Shawn not only has one, one which is as robust as it is distinct, but it's a voice I guarantee you'll be hearing for years.
Thanks to Beau for this suggestion, and click on the pics and names above to learn more about both writers and their most recent work.
It's contest time! The monthly contest winner wins copies of the two books listed in my "Two Writers You Should Read" segment. AND, for this month, I'm also including a copy of The Swamp Killers.
The winner of this month's contest is...
p_____rs@cox.net
Congrats, P! Check your e-mail for a separate note from me, and happy reading!
The writer Alex Dolan runs a great podcast called Thrill Seekers, and he invited me and Sarah M. Chen on to discuss The Swamp Killers. Alex was also one of the contributors to the book, so it was a lot of fun for Sarah and I to talk about the book with him, and get the insight from someone we edited. We had fun with this one.
Until next time, much love to all of you, stay safe, stay healthy, and Happy Reading!