Queen of the Dogs

by Holly West

44 CALIBER FUNK: TALES OF CRIME, SOUL, AND PAYBACK, edited by Gary Phillips and Robert Randisi, came out in December 2016 and I haven't had a chance to pimp it very much. That makes me kind of sad since the story I wrote for it, "Queen of the Dogs," is one of my favorites.

But with the Anthony Award ballots now out, this is the perfect time to mention it:

MY SHORT STORY, "QUEEN OF THE DOGS," IS ELIGIBLE FOR NOMINATION.

I put that all in caps, just in case you didn't realize that this post is nothing if not blatant self promotion.

Set in 1979 Los Angeles, "Queen of the Dogs" is about Marisol Ramirez, a young Latina housekeeper who works for a big time Hollywood producer named Miles Markham. Markham spends more time out on the town with his mistress than he does at home, which leaves the beautiful but aging Mrs. Markham to her own devices--namely, pills and alcohol. But in her own strange way, Mrs. Markham takes Marisol under her wing, telling her, "Men are dogs. Remember that."

When Marisol hooks up with bad boy Germaine, she's certain it's love, even if the only dates he ever takes her on are in the back seat of his Cadillac. Germaine is impressed when she tells him she works for Miles Markham, and he suggests that burglarizing her famous employer is the ticket out of that back seat. Will she snatch up that tempting bone or let sleeping dogs lie?

You'll have to read the story to find out.

Thank you for your consideration.

Looking for more eligible titles?

If you've read and enjoyed the UNLOADED anthology, edited by Eric Beetner, please consider nominating it. It benefits States United to Prevent Gun Violence and like 44 CALIBER FUNK (also eligible), it includes stories by a number of fantastic crime fiction authors.

DSD alumnus Jay Stringer is compiling a list of Anthony-eligible titles, and as soon as that link is live, I'll update this post. Update: Here's the link. In the mean time, if you've got an eligible title, please include it in the comments. I haven't filled out my ballot yet and I'd love to check out your work.