A Musical Trend in Crime Fiction Anthologies

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by Paula Gail Benson

Recently, I’ve noticed a number of short story anthologies organized
around the songs of a particular artist, group, or time period. Here’s a list
of a few that are published or pending and two story calls:

Published
Anthologies:


Murder-a-Go-Go’s:
Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the Go-Go’s, edited by Holly West
(Down and Out Books, 2019) features stories by twenty-five authors, including
Lisa Alber, Susanne Calkins, Jen Conley, Lori Rader-Day, Hillary Davidson, Greg
Herren, Travis Richardson, and Holly West. The forward is written by Jane
Wiedlen, co-founder of the Go-Go’s. Net proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood.


The Beat of Black
Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell, edited by Josh
Pachter (Untreed Reads, 2020) has contributions from twenty-eight authors,
including “Both Sides Now,” the first literary collaboration by husband and
wife Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski, both multiple award winners, and Donna
Andrews, Michael Bracken, Brendan DuBois, Edith Maxwell, Alison McMahan, and Stacy
Woodson.

I’ve read that Josh Pachter also is working on an anthology
featuring Billy Joel’s songs.


Peace, Love, and
Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Songs of the ‘60s, edited by Sandra Murphy
(Untreed Reads, 2020) contains twenty-three stories by well-known short story
authors including Earl Staggs (to whom the book is dedicated), Terrie Farley
Moran, Merrillee Robson, Claire A. Murray, Michael Bracken, Maddi Davidson,
Josh Pachter, and John Floyd.

Calls for
Submissions

Fahrenheit Press is putting together Gabba Gabba Hey: A Ramones Anthology. The deadline for submissions
is February 28, 2021. For more information, click on this
link.

Triangle
Sisters in Crime (North Carolina Chapter) has a call for submissions for its
new anthology Carolina Crimes: 20 Tales of Rock, Roll, and Ruin. To enter, you
must be a Sisters in Crime member and resident of North Carolina or South
Carolina. The deadline is April 1, 2021. For information, click on this link. 

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8 replies
  1. joshpac
    joshpac says:

    Thanks for the shout-out, Paula! Yes, Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel is due from Untreed Reads this spring. Available for pre-order now, though, from Down & Out Books, is The Great Filling Station Holdup: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Jimmy Buffett, with a very nice pre-order discount on the e-book and an e-book free when pre-ordering the trade paperback. The link is https://downandoutbooks.com/bookstore/pachter-great-filling-station-holdup/

  2. Paula Gail Benson
    Paula Gail Benson says:

    Great! Thank you, Josh. I knew I was missing one. Looking forward to both the Jimmy Buffet and Billy Joel anthologies. It’s terrific that you’ve combined artists from two disciplines.

  5. Michael Bracken
    Michael Bracken says:

    Also coming this spring from Down & Out Books is a music-related anthology that Gary Phillips and I edited. Jukes & Tonks features crime fiction set in Juke Joints and Honky-Tonks.

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