Hard-hitting, timely
short stories give voice to feminist movement
Acclaimed fiction author Eryk Pruitt
(Dirtbags, What We Reckon) has announced that he is editing a
#MeToo inspired crime fiction anthology with ten of crime fiction’s
top authors. The collection, expected out in October, 2019, promises
to “give voice to a serious problem affecting society.”
Dennis Lanana’s “Not On My Watch”
features a kick-ass female protagonist who tells her boss #TimesUp
when he crosses a line. Joseph T. Miller showcases a kick-ass female
protagonist in his short story “Cook Your Own Dish Best Served
Cold.” And Thomas Catton brings a fresh, new perspective with “One
Of The Good Ones,” about a well-meaning man who is falsely accused
of something horrible.
“We have to accept that, in 2019,
women have a place in fiction,” says Pruitt, who was nominated for
the prestigious Anthony Award in 2018. “We are so lucky to have
found ten authors who can give a voice to a demographic and a
situation who have previously been kept silent.”
Joe Peterson, whose story “Femme
Fatale Attraction” features a kick-ass female protagonist who turns
the tables on a man with whom she had been carrying on an affair.
While many people think this story may mirror an actual event in his
person life, Pruitt is quick to shrug that off.
“You have to separate the art from
the artist,” Pruitt says. “If we held people accountable for all
their past actions, then we’d have no one eligible to tell the
stories of these kick-ass female protagonists.”
So far, no one has responded to
Pruitt’s offer to publish the anthology.
“Traditional publishing may not be
ready for a hard-hitting anthology full of kick-ass female
protagonists,” says Andrew Heyrman, whose story “Murder in
Stilettos” features a kick-ass female protagonist who turns the
tables on a catcaller who crosses a line.
Pruitt will not be fazed. “Readers
are ready. Crime fiction has been silent for too long. Time’s up.”
The New Mystique will be
released in Fall of 2019, in advance of Bouchercon, the crime writer
convention held in Dallas, Texas.
5 comments:
I find it so strange that the stories are all by men. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the mission.
Check the date.
It’s an April Fool’s joke.
Thanks for the invitation, Eryk.
I'm honored to have been asked to contribute. It is far, far past time that women were seen as more than femme fatales in crime fiction.
I have three daughters myself and two ex-wives (still on friendly terms), and I think they need crime fiction stories with characters they can admire -- strong female characters, as tough as they are beautiful.
Keep up the good work, brother.
JTM
The only man-editor more qualified than Eryk Pruitt to lead this project is Otto Penzler, amirite? Regardless, with this stellar group of man-writers, this anthology can't miss.
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