Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery & Suspense edited by Judy Penz Sheluk

Whether it’s vintage Hollywood, the Florida Everglades, the Atlantic City boardwalk, or a farmhouse in Western Canada, the twenty authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “moonlight and misadventure” in their own inimitable style where only one thing is assured: Waxing, waning, gibbous, or full, the moon is always there, illuminating things better left in the dark.
Featuring stories by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, M.H. Callway, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, Robert Weibezahl, and Susan Jane Wright.

Judy Penz Sheluk recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing her latest work, MOONLIGHT & MISADVENTURE:

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

The theme for this anthology is Moonlight & Misadventure. Ninety-three submissions were received, representing twenty-six US states and four Canadian provinces, as well as the UK, the Netherlands, India, Austria, and New Zealand. Culling 93 submissions down to 20 was the biggest challenge. Reading some amazing short stories was a huge opportunity to learn what works (and what doesn’t).

Judy Penz Sheluk

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

It’s a very strong collection of short crime fiction, covering a variety of sub-genres, including noir, locked room, mystery, suspense and humor. Stories range from 1,400 to 5,500.

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

I love all the stories in the collection, but the first story I selected was ‘Crown Jewel’ by Joseph S. Walker. The minute I read it, I knew I had to include it. It’s about a man’s obsession with collecting The Beatles’ White Album.

What’s the one question you wish someone would ask you about this book, or your work in general? And, please answer the question too!

Q: Why did you choose to publish a third anthology under your Superior Shores Press imprint—or any of the anthologies, come to that?

A: My publishing start in the mystery field was in Sister in Crime Toronto’s ‘The Whole She-Bang 2′ in 2014. I wanted to pay that forward now that I’ve achieved a (very) modest degree of success. I’ve even patterned the style of my covers (with a graphic and all authors listed on the right hand side) after the She-Bang series. And I love short crime fiction. I also wanted to give my indie press legitimacy, but I wasn’t ready to take on other authors’ novels. This is my compromise.

If your book is an anthology: What was the most important criteria in your selection process?

Meeting the underlying theme of moonlight and misadventure. It didn’t matter how well-known the author was, how impressive their bio, or how great the story. If there was no moonlight or misadventure it was an automatic no. That said, I didn’t want to be hit over the head with moonlight references (and I did get some of those).

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A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk (author/editor) is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans and Heartbreaks & Half-truths, which she also edited.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime National, Toronto, and Guppy Chapters, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as chair on the Board of Directors. She splits her time between Alliston and Goulais River, Ontario.

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit her website.