To my delight, one of my short stories was chosen for inclusion in this new volume, Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder. Award winning/nominated authors Donna Andrews, Marcia Talley and Barb Goffman edited the anthology. Some of the authors wrote about their “the story behind the story,” which I hope you enjoy. E. B. Davis
I try to be
an understanding wife, but when my husband lusts and drools over fishing boats,
he strains my patience. Unfortunately, a certain store catering to men’s
fishing and gaming hobbies locates its retail outlets so that they are visible
along I-95 and VA Route 64, highways we use frequently. It’s a wonder there
aren’t more accidents along these highways because the stores use their parking
lots to showcase fishing boats and ATVs. My story, “Lucky in Death,” pays homage
to an unlucky wife of a man who couldn’t resist the goodies in this store.—E.
B. Davis
“Give me your tired, your
poor, your huddled masses, yearning to be free.” And so they came, many in the early 20th century,
from Russia, Poland, Ireland, Italy, and many other countries around the globe. Large numbers settled on the Lower East
Side of Manhattan, enduring the worst kinds of circumstances, as they struggled
to create a better life for themselves and their children. My story, “The Factory,” is dedicated to my grandparents and
those other brave souls who made that long and difficult journey. –Harriette
Sackler
While taking a shower one morning, for some reason that is completely beyond my conscious understanding, I was inspired to write a tale of revenge. With hair still dripping wet, I sat down at my computer and started typing: “Athena Papas didn’t fall off the platform onto the tracks the way they reported it on the news. She was pushed.” Two hours later, hair almost dry, the first draft of “Next Stop, Foggy Bottom” was done. I think it’s very possible (I say with a wily smile) that I channeled the spirit of Athena’s disgruntled employee.—Karen Cantwell
A few
years back, I found myself transplanted to a quiet backwater; so quiet that the
biggest excitement was when the kids found snakes sunning on the driveway.
My
escape was to write a mystery set in a town with a sumptuously beautiful beach.
But
who would my private investigator be?
And
Serena showed up. Someone as different from me as possible. She's a statuesque
former lingerie model, and I, um, wear underwear. She drives a classic BMW. Me?
A minivan with Legos under the seats. She's on the run from her murderous mob
connected family, and, well, you get the idea. What did we have in common? We
were two transplants trying to make the best of our new lives.
"Keep
It Simple" was a delicious escape to write, and I hope it will be a delicious
escape for you to read – wherever you are. –Shari Randall
The inspiration for my story, “Alligator is for Shoes,” was my gag reflex. I love to cook and often thumb through old cookbooks for ideas. I’d picked up a favorite, the 1970 edition of CHARLESTON RECEIPTS (inherited from my father), containing quirky recipes handed down through the generations. Giggling over titles like “Bluff Plantation Cooter Pie,” I started reading the chapter, MEATS, even though I’ve been a vegetarian for decades. By the time I noticed the subtitle, “A’ Poil et a’ Plume (Hairy and Feathered),” I was transfixed. However, the titles in this section weren’t so quaint: Squirrel Head Potpie, Corned Tongue, and Ragout of Bear. Ew. Suddenly, I realized I had the perfect ingredients for my story—a chef specializing in game and exotic animal dishes whose assistant goes missing on the eve of Gastronomic Gambles, the most important televised cooking competition of his career. Assign a newbie PI to the case, a princess who’s never cooked a meal in her pampered life, and there will be murder on the menu tonight! –C. Ellett Logan
Chesapeake Crimes: This Job
Is Murder can
be bought at: Wildside Press, Mystery Loves Company, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The four previous anthologies are also available at this Wildside Press location. We hope you enjoy our short stories. E. B. Davis
It's always interesting to hear about what sparked an idea for a story for other writers. Congratulations to all of you and thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, Warren, but I find it hard to write to topic. I'll have ideas for shorts and then when an organization or publication calls for a particular piece, my ideas seem to fly out the window.
ReplyDeleteI had written my story about six months before without a clue as to where I was going to place it. Serendipity? In a way I'd like to think so, but then in another way, I hope not!
I'm proud of the fact that my short was chosen from a blind submission.
Congratulations, E.B. on being chosen and all the others in it, too. It's always a thrill when one's work is accepted. It brings back memories of when I got the news my short story was picked for "Fish Tales."
ReplyDeleteReading about how these writers came up with their ideas was interesting. Some of them told their story this past weekend on the short story panel at Malice.
It was nice to finally meet you at Malice. It's too bad it was towards the end of our last day.
Good to have met you as well, Gloria. I spent a lot of time staring at our name badges that hung about chest level on everyone because I wanted to meet people who I knew I wouldn't recognize by face. I was also happy to meet Linda too! I hope no one thought I was a weirdo!
ReplyDeleteI submitted a story to Chesapeake Crime 3 and was blown away when I saw it listed in the table of contents. Before that all my stories had been published by the groups of which I am a member so I was known to the staff. I picked up a copy of CC2 and read it from cover to cover. It is a good series to be part of. Good for you EB.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they accepted stories from outside of the membership. But all the stories are picked by blind submission so when they picked your story, they wouldn't have known who they were picking. You weren't informed that your story would be included? That's incredible. Donna Andrews announced at Malice that they are already planning Volume 6. I'm already plotting. I may have to ask for your help since what I have in mind is historical--at least the 1970s!
ReplyDelete