… I must be dreaming. Lots of good things happening lately. What I will tell you is that I’ve had a short story chosen for publication in Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery (Arte Público, due out spring 2009). I usually don’t like to talk about these things until I have the actual printed book in my hands. But I have signed a contract! Which is pretty darned cool anyway.
I have had the pleasure of working with great editors Sarah Cortez and Liz Martinez. I met Liz, I believe, through the story I had published in Murdaland. Funny how way leads on to way. The book will include stories by new and veteran writers writing about mystery, detective, and crime fiction from a Latino POV. I told Sarah and Liz to promote the book with the slogan “This time the accent is on crime!” But they didn’t respond when I said that. Sometimes it’s best to just ignore me when I try to be funny. Just like you would do with a child having a tantrum. Just make sure I don’t hit my head on a table or anything like that.
A listing online describes the book this way: “This groundbreaking anthology of short fiction by Latino mystery writers, Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, features an intriguing and unpredictable cast of sleuths, murderers and crime victims. Reflecting the authors’ and society’s preoccupation with identity, self, and territory, the stories run the gamut of the mystery genre, from traditional to noir, from the private investigator to the police procedural, and even a ‘chick lit’ mystery.”
FYI: Mine is not the chick lit story.
It continues: “Hit List collects for the first time short fiction by many of the Latino authors who have been pioneers in the mystery genre, using it to showcase their unique cultures, neighborhoods and realities. Contributors include award-winning writers such as Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Rolando Hinojosa, Manuel Ramos and Sergio Troncoso, as well as emerging writers who deserve more recognition.”
I don’t have a complete list of my fellow anthology compadres, but I will let you know when I do. In the meantime, I have another story under consideration for another anthology. I’m keeping my balls crossed that all will go well.