A Little Larceny…

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Is it Larceny or Just Larcenous?

Short stories are their own art form and while I enjoy writing them, I will frequently wait for inspiration to strike rather than trying to force one into existence. And this year, I’ve only had one short idea that I wanted to work on—The Rage Cage.  However, once I do have a story, I really like to give it a chance to exist out in the world. Submitting a story is usually a long wait for a stack of rejections which may or may not be kind.  And usually I take a spreadsheet approach—pick my targets, check my deadlines, read all the lists, and be strategic about my submissions.  But this time I had barely finished The Rage Cage when I saw the deadline for this Larceny & Last Chances Anthology was quickly approaching. The fourth anthology from Superior Shores Press has a theme could not have been more perfect for my story. But even more desirable, the promised wait time between submission and rejection was only a few weeks. I leaped into action to get the story proof read and formatted per the instructions and turned it in. And then I had to wait…  Fortunately, The Rage Cage was accepted and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Larceny & Last Chances features twenty-two stories that must include, yes, you guessed it, theft and a final chance at something.  In The Rage Cage my heroine Amber has a dog, a Dutch oven, and finally a plan.  Amber’s life has been complicated by poor choices, but when she realizes that she’s not entirely to blame for everything that’s gone wrong, she decides to pick herself up and steal her last chance at happiness and maybe sobriety.

The Superior Shores Anthologies have been nominated for multiple awards and I’m excited to have been included.  You can find all of the anthologies — The Best Laid Plans, Heartbreak & Half-Truths, Moonlight & Misadventures, and now Larceny & Last Chances –– at all book retailers.  (But here is a quick link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UmMrvV )

Larceny & Last Chances Anthology coverLarceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense

Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk

Sometimes it’s about doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s about getting even. Sometimes it’s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, it’s your last, best, hope.

Featuring stories by Christina Boufis, John Bukowski, Brenda Chapman, Susan Daly, Wil A. Emerson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Molly Wills Fraser, Gina X. Grant, Karen Grose, Wendy Harrison, Julie Hastrup, Larry M. Keeton, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Gregory Meece, Cate Moyle, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Kevin R. Tipple, and Robert Weibezahl.

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Buy Link: www.books2read.com/larceny

Celebrate

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Celebrate!

There are plenty of life affirmations that get put on artistic signs.  And  I usually mock them.  If you need someone or something to remind you to Live, Laugh, Love! then you’ve probably got bigger problems than a sign can help you with. However, I do think people sometimes need to be reminded to celebrate the accomplishments of the day. We get caught up in measuring my win, against your win, against that person over on social media, and so on, that sometimes our win doesn’t seem like a thing worth celebrating.

But this past week, as I celebrated the release of my latest mystery novel (Eye Contact – it’s awesome, go buy it), I caught a case of the comparisons as I compared myself to another writer.  Writing is a very internal process and while there are certain parts that invite collaboration, by and large, it requires sitting down and plunking out words in solitude.  And as an introvert, that is usually fine by me, but sometimes… Sometimes I think we need some friends to show up to remind us that the things that go on in our head aren’t always real.  Fortunately for me, one of my friends excitedly commented how funny they found my book and were excited for the release.  (Get yourself some friends like that.  They’re gold.)  Thanks to her enthusiasm I remembered that oh, wait, this is a win.  It’s a whole book. MY book and I’m proud of it.

So if you’re over there struggling with what someone else has done… This is me whispering in your ear.  Hey, you, you’re pretty cool.  Your win is good and I hope you have many more.  Don’t let comparison be the thief of your joy.

However, if you put that on a faux vintage sign, I will mock you.  (But I will also celebrate you getting it actually hung up.  Way to check something off the list!)

EYE CONTACT: Lexi Byrne, UW grad student, brilliant researcher, and high-functioning autistic is working on cutting edge research into how to replace damaged eyes with bionic technology. But after Lexi’s normal, safe, science-based life takes an abrupt left turn after her prototype is stolen, Lexi learns that not everyone on campus is who they say they are. Now Lexi’s scrambling to recover the prototype and figure out who is behind the theft before her work is sold to the Chinese. Lexi must fight her own limitations and lean on the strengths of her friends to stop a misogynistic, greedy thief and recover her work.

BUY HERE (all retailers): https://books2read.com/Maines-Eye-Contact