Fifth Monday Guest Author Judy Penz Sheluk
Anthologies & Lemon Meringue Pie
As the editor and publisher of four (soon to be five) multi-author anthologies of mystery and suspense, I’m often asked how I select the stories that appear in the collections. It’s a fair question. Over the course of those five anthologies, I’ve read close to 400 submissions. Of those, I’ve selected about 100 stories. And whether I know the author, or don’t, the acceptance (or rejection) is never personal.
A good story, you see, is a bit like a lemon meringue pie. The beginning (meringue) needs to make me want more, the crust (end) needs to satisfy, but it’s the body (lemon) that makes or breaks the story (the pie).
Second, but equally important since all my Superior Shores anthologies have a theme (The Best Laid Plans; Heartbreaks & Half-truths; Moonlight & Misadventure; Larceny & Last Chances; Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers), every story must fit the theme. It doesn’t have to be blatant, but it needs to be there, the same way the tang of the lemon should be tart but never mouth-puckeringly sour.
Third, and this is sometimes just tough luck for one author, and good luck for another, there can’t be two stories with the same basic premise. One story with a black cat, fine. Two, not so much. Which means even if there are two brilliant stories with a black cat, only one will make the cut. Oh, and no werewolves. I really do not get werewolves.
Of course, story selection is just the beginning. There’s editing (usually three rounds per story, though sometimes more), story order (there may be 20+ stories, but it needs to feel seamless to the reader, sort of like a good record album), formatting the interior pages (a messy interior is like a messy pie), and cover art. But that, dear readers, is a blog post for another day.
READERS: When reading an anthology, do you read the stories in order? Or do you select by author or story title or some other way? I’d love to know!
About the author: The Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk (author/editor) is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. In addition to CWC, Judy is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.
About the books:
The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery & Suspense
Whether it’s a subway station in Norway, ski resort in Vermont, McMansion in the suburbs, or trendy art gallery in Toronto, the 21 authors represented in this superb collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of the best-laid plans in their own inimitable style. And like many best-laid plans, they come with no guarantees. https://books2read.com/SSA-Plans
Heartbreaks & Half-truths: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense
Lovers and losers. Whether it’s 1950s Hollywood, a scientific experiment, or a yard sale in suburbia, the twenty-two authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “heartbreaks and half-truths” in their own inimitable style, where only one thing is certain: Behind every broken heart lies a half-truth. And behind every half-truth lies a secret. https://books2read.com/SSA-Heartbreaks
Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery & Suspense
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. https://books2read.com/SSA-Moonlight
Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense
2025 Derringer Nominee for Best Anthology (winner announced May 2025)
On promo for only .99
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, chance. https://www.books2read.com/larceny
Posted in Guest Post • | 30 Comments
Welcome to the Bench, Judy!
Thanks so much Lois, for hosting me. Much appreciated and I am always happy to reciprocate with other Bench members!
Nice to meet you Judy you’re new to to me books sound & look like good reads
Thanks so much Crystal. Always love it when I can connect to a new reader. Reviews for the anthologies are all in the 4.2 and up category and Larceny & Last Chances is up for a Derringer Award (voted on by the Short Mystery Fiction Society) for best anthology 2024. Fingers crossed!
Nice to meet you, Judy! I love reading anthology and I always read accordingly, from first story to the last! – Emily
Nice to meet you too Emily! I know a lot of readers do hop around and read authors they know first, but I think to really experience one properly, it should be read in order. So thanks for doing that!
Hey Judy, We’re delighted to have you join us! I love how you think about the anthology and short stories. Each one should be engaging and/or intriguing, and for continuity of readership, the theme should sing in all of them. I read anthologies in story order because I read them digitally. Too much for my brain to remember what I read and what I skipped. Thanks for all you do for mystery writers.
Thanks so much Maggie, and glad you read in order 🙂
Welcome to the Bench, Judy!
Thanks so much Cheryl! You know what I remember about you at LCC 2019 Vancouver — your high heeled Louboutons!
Thank you for the list. I was planning to get some more anthologies (I like to read them when I’m not at home) and these sound great!
For me, it depends if all of the stories are in genres that I like – if they are, then I read from start to finish. If there are stories in genres that I don’t do well with (such as horror or other graphic types of stories), then I very much depend on the descriptions of what’s coming, as well as my knowledge of the authors involved, and I have to pick and choose which stories I read. 😁
Thanks Helen. The actual anthologies can be read in any order, but if you read digital / e-book you are best to start with Larceny since it’s on for .99 right now http://www.books2read.com/larceny will take you to all the retailers like Amazon, B&N, Kobo etc. If you read print, they are all the same $19.99 each.
Hi Maria, I don’t like graphic stories or horror, so these anthologies don’t include any of that , and I’m very careful about language (no F-bomb, for example) — though a hardened criminal might not say “oh poop” — and there’s no strong violence (so, there might be a murder, but there won’t be any graphic details) and no sex. They aren’t 100% PG13, but they are close to it. Hope that helps.
Judy,
Welcome. I’m a first to last reader unless there is a) an author whose story I have heard so much about that I want to jump to it…. b) I’m in a hurry so I might want to glance at first, middle and last…..but most of the time it is start to finish as if the book is a novel.
You’re a reader after my own heart! I do exactly the same thing.
I love learning about your process for judging, Judy. Tour analogy to a lemon meringue pie made me way to hungry for one, and a really good one it hard to find!
Oops! YOUR analogy…obviously/ And TOO hungry. (I really need pie.)
I love a good lemon meringue pie, too, Gay. Thanks for your support.
I would read the stories in order and hope to discover a new author I like. And same as you, I don’t get the appeal of werewolves, either. Or vampires.
Right, I don’t get vampires either! Thanks Nancy, good to find another reader who likes order!
I read stories in order. It’s very interesting to learn how you pick the stories.
Thanks Carol, glad you found it interesting.
I usually read it in order, unless it contains a story by an author I really like, then I will read their story first.
Thanks Robyn! That’s probably the most common approach.
select by story
Select… interesting. How do you select, I wonder?
Exciting news!! Two stories from Larceny & Last Chances have been shortlisted for a Derringer award. And one of the stories was mine! The other is a great tale by Julie Hastrup.
Mmm….now thinking about lemon meringue pie. (Is there such a thing as a nose-worm?) To answer your question, I often skip around in anthologies for random reasons–how well do I know the author, how long or short is the story, whether the title matches my mood at the moment….
Well so for my careful order of things!! But you are not alone. Nose worm??? Maybe…