Guest Post: “A Promise to Pete”: A Short Story of Firsts by James Patrick Focarile

 

Please welcome James Patrick Focarile as he shares how his short story, A Promise to Pete, came to be 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.

 

“A Promise to Pete”: A Short Story of Firsts

 

Writing the short story “A Promise to Pete,” published in the anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers by  Superior Shores, was an enjoyable and interesting departure for me. The majority of my work to date has been from the point of view (POV) of the criminal. A criminal with everyman qualities and flaws. An anti-hero. But in “A Promise to Pete” I set out to write my first detective story. And I wanted the main character to be a homage to the classic detectives of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, while continuing to honor my active, minimalist writing style.

As with many of my works, I chose the first-person POV, which pours out of me the easiest. I find that in first-person, I can inhabit the character and lean on my years of training and experiences as an actor to create dialogue and dramatic structure. While several of my stories in the past have been “ripped from the headlines,” the inspiration for this story was different and happened more organically on one of my daily neighborhood walks. As I turned the corner, I found two small white socks laying on a neighbor’s front walk. They were wet from the previous night’s storm and my mind started to wander. Why were the baby’s socks there? Why both of them? What happened to the kid? As I continued to walk and mull over the lost socks, the idea for a story started to percolate. I’d write a mystery involving a kidnapping (another first for me). A few weeks later, “A Promise to Pete” was born.

Another first with this story was having the pleasure of working with Judy Sheluk. A previous story of mine had been shortlisted for one of her anthologies but, unfortunately, missed the final cut. Thankfully, she provided me with some great feedback and, after incorporating it, I found a home for that story.

This time around though, I was happy to learn my story was selected. Again, Judy and her team provided valuable feedback during the editorial process. Many of my previous stories have been published “as is” or with minimal revisions. But with “A Promise to Pete” Judy was more hands on, providing me with great ideas for streamlining the story, as well as character embellishments. She even encouraged me to explore other options for the title. All of her suggestions improved the final product, making the story more compelling.

Writing can be a solitary experience, but what I learned this time around is that it can also be a collaborative one. Especially if you’re open to constructive feedback from qualified readers and if everyone’s willing to compromise. It’s always tough to cut your ‘darlings’, but sometimes you need someone not so close to your story to ask the right questions so you can make it even better.

I’m coming off recently being a first-time Derringer Finalist for a story I wrote for Shotgun Honey so it’s an exciting time.   A lot of my work is available for free on my website, but I hope readers take a chance on “A Promise to Pete” and the new Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers anthology which includes twenty-two stories of mystery and suspense. It’s a great line-up of writers so you’re bound to enjoy it!

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

James Patrick Focarile ©2025

 

James Patrick Focarile is an award-winning writer and Derringer Finalist who resides in the Northwest U.S.A. He holds an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College. His work has appeared in the following: Shotgun Honey, Mystery Tribune, Guilty Crime Story Magazine, Pulp Modern Flash, Close To The Bone, Thrill Ride Magazine, and more. For more info, visit: JamesPatrickFocarile.com