When P.I. Zoe Tanner was hired by world-renowned symphony conductor Nathan Hancock to persuade his one-night stand to stop harassing him, Zoe couldn't resist the challenge. What could possibly go wrong? You'll find the answer in "The Girl Who Loved Beethoven," my latest short mystery story appearing in the anthology, CRIMEUCOPIA: Can You Dig It? which is now available in all the usual places.
I was delighted to be invited to write a Thanksgiving story for the anthology The Perp Wore Pumpkin 2. It wasn't the first charity anthology I'd been in, and I couldn't imagine a worthier cause considering the times in which we live. The net profits were going to be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank. The writers all volunteered their time and talent to produce stories with the theme of food and Thanksgiving. A special bonus for readers is the appearance of Thanksgiving-related recipes, which I was happy to pass along to my husband, our household chef.
My first thought was about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Having grown up across the river from the New York City parade route, one of my earliest memories is attending the parade with my parents and sister. We didn't last very long. As a group of marchers approached us, I began to scream hysterically, terrified by these creatures with massive heads who were undoubtedly going to steal me from my parents and run off with me. Or at least, that's what I thought they were up to. I was inconsolable and created such a scene that we had to leave early. It was a while before the nightmares stopped, and we never returned to the parade again.
So I started with the Thanksgiving Day parade for my setting. As a dedicated fan of A Christmas Carol, I couldn't resist the temptation to plant Dickens references here and there. I finally arrived at a story about eager new police officer Sumi Lee who takes her assignment to accompany Santa's sleigh very seriously. Too seriously for her sergeant when she tries to arrest Santa and his elves. Will it cost her the job she loves? You'll have to read the story to find out.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.
My story, “The Bride Wore Blood,” appears in the new anthology, SOWEST: DANGER AWAITS! It is loosely based on my experience in the Mesa (Arizona) Half-Marathon in 2004, which was a celebration of my 60th birthday and the first of my 11 half-marathons over the next decades. The only differences between the story and my real life are the lack of a murder during my race and my never having been a police officer.
When Mesa police officer Rennie Sutherland witnesses a murder in a hot air balloon as it passes her on a training run, can she outsmart the killer before he makes her his next victim? Only one way to find out! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNS2H162