Guest Post: Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: First Lines by Judy Penz Sheluk

 

Please welcome back Editor Judy Penz Sheluk to the blog today as she shares the first lines of the various short stories in the new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense. Published by Superior Shores Press, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors.  

 

 

Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: First Lines by Judy Penz Sheluk

 

 

I set up my publishing imprint, Superior Shores Press (SSP), in February 2018. Since that time, I’ve learned a lot, not only as a publisher, but as a writer and editor. Reading, you see, really is the best teacher, and with close to 500 short story submissions for SSP’s five multi-author anthologies, reading was definitely a huge part of the process. My biggest takeaway? The opening line (or sometimes paragraph) has to grab my attention. It has to stand out from the crowd, arms raised overhead, and shout, “Pick me, pick me!” Every one of the first lines in Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers, the latest Superior Shores Anthology, spoke to me, some more quietly than others, to be sure, but they spoke to me nonetheless, made me want to keep on reading, to hope that the rest of the story would be as good, or better. That the end would satisfy and surprise. Here’s a sneak peek of those first lines, in order of appearance:

 

Secretly Keith by Charlie Kondek

“Big” John Warmer was not a big man, unless you counted his stomach, a characteristic he not only failed to conceal but to which he drew attention by wearing t-shirts a size too small.

 

A Talent for Fame by Susan Daly

“Wait...what? Kate stared at me, her glass of Northern Spirit Rye paused halfway to her lips.

 

The Underground by Pam Barnsley

With only a slight tremor in his hands, Chaucer turned the last card over.

 

Julia’s Garage by Rand Gaynor

A bumblebee, held down by a set of calipers, struggles against having its stinger pulled out by a small pair of tweezers.

 

A Time to Tell by Amanda Capper

I started collecting secrets when I was six.

 

The Artist by Linda Bennett

Saturday afternoon and Nick tells Michael it’s time to take the new guy out with the crew.

 

Maladaptives Anonymous by donalee Moulton

Marla Porter is a life coach. I don’t know what a life coach is, but it clearly makes Marla happy.

 

Watch Your Step by Edward Lodi

Brandon Whitby eased the boredom of his days as the desk clerk of a seedy motel by alternating between daydreaming of what it would be like to be rich, never having to work again, and cooking up schemes to achieve that goal—without, of course, actually having to put in any real effort.

 

Dinner at Angelo’s by Julie Hastrup

Charlie’s Buick crunched into Angelo’s gravel parking lot.

 

Evening Escapade by KM Rockwood

Timing was everything.

 

Quincy and Crow by Joseph S. Walker

When Helena Vasquez’s great-grandfather bought the lot at the corner of Quincy and Crow, there was still farmland within walking distance.

 

Front Desk Staff  by Bethany Maines

I was about to lose a hundred dollars to a douchebag named after the blonde himbo from Saved by the Bell.

 

Checking Out at the Live Free or Die Motel By Debra Bliss Saenger

Deputy Sheriff Connor Fisk was ending the graveyard shift before being relieved by the daytime crew.

Hopscotch and Pop Tart by Clark Boyd

Hopper McTaggart, his formidable bulk crammed behind the wheel of a pink Fiat 500, stared into the wall-eyed face of the rubber chicken hovering outside the passenger window.

 

A Promise to Pete by James Patrick Focarile

Two small white socks were left on the front doorstep.

 

Ticket Out by Jim McDonalds

Fourteen months inside is a drag, except for my mopping buddy Deuce, who teaches me how to crack the new digital Forte lock.

 

Ghost Wolves by Peggy Rothschild

We approached the house from the back, both dressed in dark jeans, jackets, and beanies.

 

Friendship Never Dies by Beth Irish

How did I end up in this dilapidated joint?

 

Secrets Unleashed by Gina X. Grant

Casing the joint proved easy.

 

Try Hard by Michael Penncavage

Cliff was almost giddy with excitement.

 

Making Up for Lost Time by C.W. Blackwell

It wasn’t the first time someone told me I looked like Tag Sandoval, the famed Silicon Valley tech CEO, but it carried an unbearable irony now that I was living in a downtown shelter with two dozen men whose luck had run completely dry.

 

A Foolproof Plan by Judy Penz Sheluk

I watch Mark’s black SUV turn out of our long, narrow driveway and feel the tightness in my chest loosen, knowing my husband will be gone for the next two days.

 

Readers: Which first line from Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers grabbed your attention, made you want to keep reading, and why?

 

About the book: Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.

 

Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44vnrJF 

Judy Penz Sheluk ©2025

  

Judy Penz Sheluk is a former journalist and magazine editor and the bestselling author of two mystery series, several short stories, and two books on publishing. She is also the publisher and editor of five Superior Shores Anthologies. Find out more at www.judypenzsheluk.com.