1) My first short story.
2) My first venture into
sci-fi.
3) My first
self-published project.
The shortest way to
explain that list above is – I seized an
opportunity.
A group of writers asked
me to come aboard an anthology of short stories written around a common theme—called
The Prometheus Saga. There were rules to what we could do with our alien
character who dropped to earth, plus rules for making our stories as Kindle
shorts available only on Amazon. Set price = 99 cents. Such a bargain.
On Monday, January 26,
twelve of us published thirteen stories in The Prometheus Saga. Settings
include pre-history, the American Revolution, and the sixties. That latter was mine, entitled “Strangers on a Plane.” The sixties is what I write
about, always.
Fans of the suspense
genre will recognize my title as an homage to the great Patricia Highsmith’s
sinister novel, Strangers on a Train.
But my story is not sinister. Instead, it shows my amateur sleuth Austin Starr
traveling across the North American continent, rushing to the rescue of her
dear friend, Larissa Klimenko. Readers who know my debut mystery DESOLATION ROW
will recognize these characters.
New is an odd elderly
woman who calls herself Promethea. Strange things happen. Then Austin and
Promethea disembark from the plane, never to see each other again. This short
story is a bridge to my next mystery, RAINY DAY WOMEN (due out this summer), and
the sci-fi touch is so light that I don’t bend the mystery genre—not too much.
Why did I seize this
opportunity? Advice to writers is to issue short stories in between major books
as a way to keep your readers interested. While some of my author pals crank
out more than one book a year, I don’t do that. Thus, this advice seemed wise.
Moreover, there was a
chapter I dearly loved that for various reasons my editor suggested I chop from
my next book. Here was a way to save it.
Finally, authors are
encouraged these days to become “hybrids.” That means that you mix up your
projects—some issued through publishers and others self-published. When I
checked, the wonderful Ken Coffman, owner of Stairway Press of Seattle, was
fine with my participating in The Prometheus Saga.
So, here’s the bottom line. If you ever felt a tiny urge to
read my fiction and never acted on it, you now can do so for only 99 cents. You
don’t even have to own a Kindle. There’s an app that lets you read “Strangers
on a Plane” on your tablet, cell phone, PC, or Mac. Return to the time of
America’s first moon landing, the week of the horrid Manson murders, and
endless bad news from the Vietnam War. August 9, 1969—with just a hint of the
paranormal!
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE E-EDITION
OF "STRANGERS ON A PLANE"
 |
| 13 stories make up The Prometheus Saga |
*******
Kay Kendall set her
debut novel, DESOLATION ROW--AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY
DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving
her best friend didn't murder women’s liberation activists in
Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical mysteries, Kay does for the 1960s
what novelist Jacqueline Winspear accomplishes for England in the 1930s–present
atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age. Kay is also an
award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband,
three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves
them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too.
Loved this--must confess though, I'm not much of a short story writer. Used to be, but can't fit one extra thing in.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel, Marilyn. How can we be so very busy and then add one more thing. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteExciting! Can't wait to read the short....and your new novel due out this summer.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your short story, Kay. Glad you took up the challenge!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debra and Marjorie. I loved that chapter in my mystery and couldn't bear to relinquish it. I am so glad this "trick" worked out, and I am glad you also enjoyed the story. There had been an elderly lady in it originally, so all I had to do was beef her up a bit.
ReplyDelete