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   

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.

Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of June 15, 2025

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of June 15, 2025 

Guest Post: Making a Return Visit by donalee Moulton

  

Please welcome back donalee Moulton  to the blog today as she follows up on her post last Sunday, The Anthology Advantage, with additional thoughts about her presence in the upcoming new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, as well as other tales. Published by Superior Shores Press, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, the book comes out on June 18^th.

 

 

                            

                              Making a Return Visit by donalee Moulton

 

          On June 18^th the anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense will be available on store shelves, virtual and otherwise. Nestled in those 301 pages, you’ll meet private detective E.M. Montgomery. (You have to guess what the E.M. stands for.)

Em, as she’s known to friends and family, has now made an appearance in six short stories. This is both deliberate and inadvertent. She is continuing a trend that started with my first mystery short story—and taking it much, much further.

A few years ago, the Crime Writers of Canada put out a call for an anthology to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. The theme was cold in the broadest sense. I took the easy route and opted for sub-zero temperatures. My story, “Swan Song,” is set in Iqaluit in the Canadian arctic. Here temperatures often drop below zero. Fahrenheit.

Three judges commented on each entry, and all three remarked on how much they liked to read a story set in place they didn’t know much about. I knew a little about Iqaluit having worked there as a consultant over a period of five years. It occurred to me, and several of the people who read “Swan Song,” that fictional police chief Doug Brumal might have more than one case to solve. When I went to write my second short story, “Troubled Water,” I returned to Doug and the Iqaluit Constabulary.

And now there’s Em, a private detective in Halifax Nova Scotia. A call went out for humorous mystery stories, and I decided to create a new character and my first PI. In that story Em solves the murder of man who is an avid birder. Em starts her own life list, and each story is named after a bird including “Zebra Finch,” and “Belted Kingfisher.” (In Midnight Schemers, the title has been changed to more closely reflect the theme of the collection.)

I’ve discovered that bringing back characters lets you explore that character more as a person with peccadillos and personality, and not simply a means to solve a crime. It also means their friends, family, colleagues, and other human (and non-human) adjacents make return visits. A small world begins to grow one short story at a time.

In Em’s case, she’s coming back in a big way. I have a contract to write Cardinal, my first paranormal mystery. It’s part of a cross-Canada series, and Em is making her inaugural appearance as the main character in a book.

I can’t predict what characters will come back to life. They seem to dictate their own comings and goings. I now have three stories featuring a retired lawyer in New Orleans who sells sex toys. She’ll be back. I just had a story accepted featuring a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine. It’s unlikely she’ll ever solve a second crime. I have no idea why.

But I’ve learned to listen. They’ll let me know if their work is not done. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42q3oLc

 

donalee Moulton ©2025

donalee Moulton is the author of Hung out to Die, Conflagration!, and has two new books coming out in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency. A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.

Guest Post: The Anthology Advantage by donalee Moulton

 

Please welcome  donalee Moulton  to the blog today as she shares her thoughts about her presence in the upcoming new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense. Published by Superior Shores Press, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, the book comes out on June 18^th.

 

 

 

The Anthology Advantage by donalee Moulton

 

            As a freelance journalist, writing to deadline is as natural as breathing. When editors assign a story, they provide three essential pieces of information: topic, word count, and delivery date. Miss your deadline and kiss the possibility of a second assignment goodbye.

            This is not about editors flexing their weight. It’s about the reality of publishing. In the days before online everything, a story that didn’t arrive on time meant publications had a gaping hole in their magazine or newspaper. Gaping holes are filled when editors rush around like mad, cursing the name of the writer who missed their deadline.

            When I started to do more fiction writing than reporting, I found deadlines are often self-imposed. I will finish my first chapter by the end of the week. I will write a thousand words of my short story every day for four days. I will edit the story by Monday. I also found self-imposed deadlines are often more wishful thinking than etched in stone.

I missed the rigor of deadlines I didn’t dream up. Then I discovered anthologies. Genre writing is rife with anthologies – and anthologies have deadlines. They also often have themes, the journalistic equivalent of topic. The path ahead is paved for you. Here’s what we’d like you to write about. Here’s when you have to get it to us.

I wrote my first mystery short story, “Swan Song,” in 2021 in response to a call from the Crime Writers of Canada. To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, the national association planned to publish an anthology, Cold Canadian Crime. There was a theme (“cold” in the broadest sense of the word). There was a deadline. Count me in.

Since then, I have written fourteen more short stories. Most of them have been published, mostly in anthologies. A few have been reprinted in anthologies. At least one has been reprinted in several anthologies.

One of my recent anthology short stories is called “Maladaptive Anonymous.” In the story, the main character calls this group, somewhat disparagingly, Daydreamers Anonymous. The anthology, which will be out June 18^th, is entitled: Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Just as editors expect you to meet your deadline (or miss out on the opportunity), they also expect you to stick to the topic. You have lots of room to play, but the boundaries are there.

While every anthology editor has their own process, the process is usually rigorous. And appreciated. Judy Penz Sheluk, who edited Midnight Schemers, had three rounds of readers and after the first and third round we were provided with feedback – and helpful suggestions for improvements. There were also at least three rounds of proofreading. At some point, you think this is overkill until in the final proof you discover your main character has titled their head. In the published version, their head is now tilted.

 As a short story writer, anthologies bring me back to familiar ground. I am given three essential pieces of information: topic, word count, and delivery date. This helps me to focus on a theme – and to go to wonderful and wacky places with plots I might otherwise not uncover and characters I might otherwise not create. And I go there by deadline.

 

 Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42q3oLc

 

 donalee Moulton ©2025

donalee Moulton is the author of Hung out to Die, Conflagration!, and has two new books coming out in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency. A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.

Guest Post: When (or if) the Narrator’s Not Reliable by Debra Bliss Saenger

  

Please welcome Debra Bliss Saenger to the blog today with the first of several guest posts regarding the upcoming new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense. Published by SuperiorShores Press, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, the book comes out on June 18^th.

 

 

When (or if) the Narrator’s Not Reliable

by Debra Bliss Saenger

 

Suicide or murder? Misplaced or embezzled? A crime or just an unfortunate incident? Evidence in a mystery may not be clear. The circumstances of the case may conceal the truth. Only as the story unwinds does the author reveal, and the reader understands, that not all the details of the mystery ring true. Not everything is as it seems. (Do I hear the discordant chords of an organ?)

In “Checking Out at the Live Free or Die Motel,” in the Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers anthology, the point of view may be from an unreliable narrator. Through that view, cracks between reality and the inner turmoil of a perhaps unstable personality collide. The combustion leads to an outcome headed in a different direction from the first glance.

Half pantser, half plotter, a straightforward outline for a story devolves when I sit at the computer to write. Multiple paths and layers unravel before me. My fingers hit the keyboard, and a story unfolds. (Sometimes painfully and slowly.)

Before that, the story marinates in my brain. Odd dreams and hikes with my dog allow random different plots, characters, settings, and conflicts to live in my subconsciousness. Those elements conflict or argue. They plot and scheme. Then they develop. Multiple story drafts hardened those concepts into a hopefully plausible and intriguing tale. Over time, I save the story in my folder under “Final.” (Except for those niggly edits.)

This false narrative allows me to dole out details—glimpses of what happened and what might have happened. As a mystery author and reader, I don’t enjoy giving up all details or knowing all the facts straightaway. The push and pull add tension.

And who doesn’t enjoy a story that leads them down a trail, only to hit a bump? Only to discover that plausible foreshadowing takes them instead on an alternative journey?

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42q3oLc

 

Debra Bliss Saenger ©2025

Author of short stories, poetry, and mystery novel Crows Don't Lie. As seen in Mystery Tribune, Punk Noir, Yellow Mama, The Granite Review, Otherwise Engaged,Literary Journal, River and South Review. Coming in June 2025: Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Learn more at dblisssaenger.com

 

Guest Post: Secrets and Schemers by Amanda Capper

  

Please welcome Amanda Capper to the blog today as she discusses her short story, A Time to Tell, in the upcoming new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, published by Superior Shores Press, the read is available at Amazon and other vendors and will release on June 18th.

 

Secrets and Schemers by Amanda Capper

 

I firmly believe if you want to write well, you must read. Lots. Bonus if you read as a child.

I was raised on Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. Library books, novels written by Catherine Cookson and Jeffrey Archer, were borrowed and left strategically around my childhood home, used as bait to get me to sit in one place long enough to read them. And I enjoyed them. But they took time, and I was a busy child.

Short stories were, and still are, my drug of choice. The horror of Hitchcock and the suspense of Queen captivated me, and I remember thinking, “I can do that.” And I tried, but all I really did was copy them. Which was a start because, eventually, if you keep reading and writing, chances are good you’ll get that buzz when your own story comes together.

Judy Penz Sheluk is carrying on the short story tradition, and I was buzzed to the point of combustion when Judy accepted my story “A Time to Tell” for her fourth anthology, Midnight Schemers and Daydream Believers.

I had read the first three and enjoyed them all, first because I love a story I can read in bed and know the ending before I turn off the light, and second, because these short stories are excellent for studying the craft. Why did I like this one? What would I have done different? And the best – Holy Hannah, I did not see that coming.

My contribution to Midnight is full of secrets. Rebecca’s dad has a secret. So does her mom. Even the neighbours have a secret. And finally, so does Rebecca. Here’s the first paragraph:

I started collecting secrets when I was six-years-old. Not by design. More by the unfortunate circumstance of being a sickly, solitary child, cursed with curiosity. I hovered in doorways, or stared out windows, and was always startled when someone noticed I was in the room. I had, at one time, concluded I was invisible and that was okay.

When the anthology comes out on June 18^th and you finish reading my story, I hope you have a Holy Hannah moment. There are 22 stories in Midnight Schemers and Daydream Believers; I expect you’ll have more than one.

Readers: Have you had a Holy Hannah moment lately? Leave a comment and don’t worry—your secret is safe with me.

 

About the book:

Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense 

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

 

Amanda Capper ©2025

 

Amanda Capper is a Canadian author. Her debut mystery novel, A Bother of Bodies was published by Divertir Publishing in 2014. During the years since, she’s had flash fiction and short stories published in e-zines and anthologies. You can find her at https://ajcapper.wordpress.com