by Shari Randall
I ran across a blog the other day debating the eternal question, “Short stories or novels?” Like the little girl in the meme, my answer is a hearty, Why not both? I’m just as likely to pick up an anthology of short stories as I am a novel.
I enjoy variety in my reading and mystery short story collections are like that proverbial box of chocolates. Or maybe they’re like a cocktail party where you can meet many different detectives in many different settings, and float from guest to guest, each with a different personality and tale to tell.
In Murder in the Mountains, my latest story finds my dancing detective, Allegra Larkin, her friend Verity Brooks, and quirky Aunt Gully on a Sound of Music tour of the Austrian Alps. The hills are indeed alive with the sound of music, and murder as well.
There are eight other wonderful amateur detectives in the book, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting and sleuthing along with each of them.
All the stories take place in mountains, but don’t worry about packing your skis, because Murder in the Mountains features four seasons of sleuthing.
Here’s a sneak peek at the stories in the book.
DOUBLE BLUFF by Gretchen Archer. A new short story in the Davis Way series. Two trophy wives and one dead body equals a trip to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee for Davis Way and her co-worker.
FIVE DAYS TO FITNESS by Barb Goffman. A visit to a fitness camp in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains was supposed to be a new beginning for Bree Winterbourne. Instead, it’s a final ending for one of the attendees.
THE SOUND OF MUZAK by Karen Cantwell. Another short story in the Barbara Marr series. When Barb and friends take a trip to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts, they are asked to help uncover the owner’s dark past—one that may involve murder.
THE PICTURE OF GUILT by Leslie Budewitz. A new short story in the Food Lovers’ Village series. Erin Murphy loves her town of Jewel Bay, Montana, which attracts artists, foodies, and other tourists. But one artist’s visit turns deadly.
THE LYIN’ WITCH IN THE WARDROBE by Eleanor Cawood Jones. Lorrie George and friends visit the Land of Oz theme park on Beech Mountain, North Carolina, filled with celebrities and jealousy and murder, oh my!
A KILLER POCONO HIKE by Tina Kashian. A short story in the Kebab Kitchen series. Lucy Berberian is desperate for a break from the stress of wedding planning, and the Poconos should have fit the bill. But finding a body in a sinkhole leaves Lucy with a sinking feeling.
A PERFECT CLIMB by Shawn Reilly Simmons. A skiing trip in the Australian Alps was supposed to be the perfect start for Caroline Cabot’s perfect marriage. Unfortunately, everything quickly goes downhill, as sore muscles, fighting couples, and a murder ruin the perfection.
THE EDELWEISS EXPRESS by Shari Randall. A new short story in the Lobster Shack series. Allie Larkin was looking forward to her trip to Austria: the snow, skiing, and a Sound of Music Tour. But she wasn’t expecting that the hills would be alive with the sound of…murder?
ONE FLEW OVER THE COCOA’S NEST by Cathy Wiley. A new short story in the Food Festival Fatalities series. Former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood was invited to judge a Hot Cocoa festival at a Utah ski resort. Instead, thanks to a blizzard and a murder, she ends up judging the guilt of her fellow guests.
Check out this fun trivia game. Everyone who completes it will be entered to win some amazing prizes: a $25 Amazon gift card, character naming rights, or the right to select a setting in the next Destination Murders anthology (through February 15). See you on the slopes!
Writers, do you write short or long — or both? Readers, do you prefer reading novels or short stories - or both?
Congrats Shari. I occasionally dabble in short stories, but my heart belongs with the novel both as a reader and writer.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jim. For now, my loyalties are definitely still divided!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I'm wandering through the wilderness on a short story right now, wondering how to finish it off. I write both.
ReplyDeleteHey, sometimes you like chocolate and sometimes you want vanilla! (Oh, who am I kidding? I always like chocolate. Unless we're talking ice cream.) Short stories offer me an opportunity to explore ideas and scenarios that wouldn't support a whole novel, to take a side trip, to try something new. I never thought I could write a short story, but they are so much fun! And I'm delighted to be part of this anthology with you, Shari!
ReplyDeleteI write both and love both. This collection sounds like a lot of fun, Shari!
ReplyDeleteThis anthology sounds absolutely delightful! I read mainly novels but I enjoy reading short stories, too. I hope to get back to writing a few one of these days.
ReplyDeleteI love short stories. I have written novels, too, but my more recent work has been short stories.
ReplyDeleteI like to read a short story every night before I fall asleep. Anthologies like Murder in the Mountains go a long way toward supporting this habit.
Thank you all for commenting. Glad I'm not alone in the Both camp!
ReplyDeleteThe anthology sounds like a lot of fun. I grew up in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, so the mountains are one of my favorite places.
ReplyDeleteI also love anthologies. I can bring it with me to the hairstylist or the DMV, and get a nice little bite of crime fiction. I also like that we get to visit with characters, sometimes in a new setting, from books we love. I've already got my copy of Murder in the Mountains and it's coming with me to the chiropractor's waiting room tomorrow.
ReplyDelete