Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Taking another plunge: Leslie Wheeler on BLOODROOT short story anthology

HALLIE EPHRON: It's a labor of love, and the final product is always astonishingly excellent. I'm talking about the short story anthology that is put together every year and makes its debut at the annual New England Crime Bake. This year's anthology, BLOODROOT: BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES, is being published by Crime Spell Books.

Today we're thrilled to host Leslie Wheeler, one of the anthology editors, to talk about this terrific annual anthology in its new publishing home, and the power of the short story.
LESLIE WHEELER: “It’s Not Too Late to Back Out.” Those words and the smiley face below have graced my kitchen door for ten years now.

The message came with a hefty stack of mystery short story submissions, delivered to me by Mark Ammons, a member of my writers’ critique group, and a newly minted editor/publisher, along with Barbara Ross and Kat Fast, at Level Best Books, which had been handed off to them by the previous editors. They’d already signed on, but hesitated to ask me because as chair of the Crime Bake-sponsored Al Blanchard Short Crime Fiction Contest, I was already awash in short stories.

Yet, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. My first published short story had appeared in a Level Best anthology, and during time I’d managed the Al Award, I’d grown to appreciate the power of short stories. My favorites were—and still are—the ones that either make me smile at their wickedly clever humor, or send chills down my spine. The contest also has a longstanding connection with Level Best, in that the award-winning story is published in the anthology for that year. I rejiggered the contest, and happily joined the Level Best team.

For the next six years we had a good run. It was hard work, but also a lot of fun. I enjoyed our often spirited in-person meetings to discuss, select, and edit the stories we’d publish, decide on the cover design, and arrange for publicity and sales at the Crime Bake, where the Best New England Crime Stories anthologies are always introduced. A few nights before Crime Bake, we’d have a book packing party at Mark’s. He’d serve his famous Cincinnati chili, and we’d devour it with side dishes and dessert, before getting down to work.

But most of all, I loved reading the stories and writing my own. For me, short stories offer an opportunity to approach perfection. Every word must matter for the story to become a little gem, in contrast to a novel, which resembles a necklace with strings of scenes, some stronger than others. I also like the way a writer can take something very small—an intriguing remark overheard in a crowd, or the sight of a woman in line who doesn’t look like she belongs there—and build a story around it.

Writing shorts gives me a holiday from the long haul of novel writing. Finally, as a reader of short stories, I’ve delighted in discovering new authors and watching their careers take off.

Still, despite all these positives, I hesitated to take the plunge a second time when the third team of Level Best editors decided to focus on publishing novels instead of anthologies. Was I too old to be doing this again? Could I work successfully with a new team, even though both Susan Oleksiw, a founder of Level Best, and Ang Pompano, an author whose stories we’d published, were well-known to me? And there was that sign on my door, tempting me with the possibility of withdrawal.

In the end, my determination to continue the Best New England Crime Stories tradition overcame my doubts. Things are different now. With the pandemic and the fact that the three of us don’t live nearby, our discussions have mostly taken place via Zoom or e-mail. Even so, the process has had its exciting moments, as when Susan gave us the name of Crime Spell Books for our new imprint. Ang created website before our eyes on Zoom. I came up with the title, Bloodroot, and an image of the plant with its delicate white flower and thick roots packed with orange poison flashed on the screen.

And the finished product is a joy to behold with its striking cover, and mix of stories from light to dark, written by both well-established authors and emerging writers. So, yes, I’m very glad I didn’t back out.

Readers: have you had times when you’ve been torn between moving forward with a project or abandoning it? If so, please share. One of the commenters will receive a paperback of BLOODROOT.

About Leslie Wheeler
Award-winning writer, Leslie Wheeler, is the author of two mystery series, the Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries, (Rattlesnake Hill and Shuntoll Road, with a third book, Wolf Bog, due out in July of 2022); and the Miranda Lewis Living History Mysteries (Murder at Plimoth Plantation, Murder at Gettysburg, and Murder at Spouters Point). Her mystery short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies including The Best New England Crime Stories anthologies, published by Level Best Books, where she was a co-editor for six years. She is delighted to return as a co-editor at Crime Spell Books, which now publishes these anthologies (www.crimespellbooks.com).


About BLOODROOT

Whether it’s an elderly woman facing a scam, a shipwrecked researcher trying to survive, a retired robber invited to join in one last fling, a farmer facing an escaped convict, or a group of kids in over their heads, with Bloodroot, Crime Spell Books continues the tradition of the annual anthology of Best New England Crime Stories by New England Writers.
Buy Link

54 comments:

  1. LESLIE: I also commented about BLOODROOT on the Wickeds blog a while ago, but I again wanted to give kudos to you for deciding to take on the mammoth task of reading, choosing and preparing another short story anthology, this time with Ang and Susan at Level Best Books.

    As I mentioned in an earlier post on JRW this week, I was fortunate to have had mostly free rein in my career at Environment Canada to choose which climate change research projects I wanted to develop and pursue. But the crux was that I usually had to obtain external research funding to support the hiring of research assistant and pay for travel to conferences/workshop for these projects. Environment Canada's contribution to any project was my salary, time and a small amount of seed money (less than $5,000).

    I retired in 2015 but my last research project on climate and water availability indicators in Canada was done totally in-house with two other Environment Canada colleagues and no support staff. Me, I did the work on my own personal time since I switched jobs and moved to Ottawa in late 2013. That meant 60-70 hour work weeks for me (and no overtime pay) and some second-guessing/self-doubt about whether it was worth it the effort to write and publish the 200+ page technical report and 3 journal articles. In the end, it was a nice end to my Environment Canada research career. I still get requests every month from academics/researchers to be able to access these (and much older) publications for their current research, so I know the report/journal articles are being read and cited.

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    1. Wow, Grace. I'm so pleased to learn this about you and your career at Environment Canada and your work. Kudos to you!

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    2. Thanks, Amanda. Unfortuntely, the Harper Government cut most the climate change funding in 2012 and laid off most of the climate change research staff due to "lack of work". That's why I had to change jobs and move to Ottawa in 2013. And sadly, my work is still being cited since there are very few new climate change publications from the Government of Canada at a time when we need updated research findings more than ever.

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    3. I hear you, Grace--when you're researching something and look for publications and find the most recent is not so recent after all--might as well bang your head against the wall! BUT, your research remains relevant since there's got to be some scientists out there willing to do the same as you and take up the challenge where you left off--if not in a government agency.

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    4. Grace, what a massive project! And what a struggle to get it to light. Kudos to you for your persistence.

      We should talk sometime. I have long had ideas about the correlation of water availability to climate change. Officials do not seem to get the connection, though.

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    5. Good for your for sticking it out and completely that last research project on climate and water availability indicators despite having changed jobs and doing it all on your personal time, Grace. I admire the effort you put in to such a worthwhile project. Congratulations!

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    6. KAREN: What is currently happening on the Colorado River, Lake Mead and Lake Powell in the southwest US is pretty much the worst climate change scenario that my counterparts in Arizona, Colorado and California were projecting would happen by 2030. Their modeling efforts were erring on the optimistic side. My research was on climate change and water availability in the Great Lakes Region, and the Canadian Prairies where agricultural drought is a big problem this year.

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    7. Oh, I had no idea about this--wow. Incredible. Many many congratulations!

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  2. Despite the amount of work, doing things that are a labor of love certainly brings one a great deal of satisfaction. Still, the task of selecting stories and preparing the anthology seems huge . . . . congratulations.

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    1. Thanks for your comment,Joan. Yes, it was a lot of work putting the anthology together, but it was worth it!

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  3. Leslie, congratulations! A project of this sort has to be a labor of love!

    The things I did that I am most proud of, I did as a volunteer. As a spokesperson for a national women's organization in my state, I donated my time and my efforts to advocate for issues that effect the lives of women, children and families. I joined coalitions and sat on boards that influenced laws here and set the precedent for changes nationwide. As I look back at the labors of love, I know the battles we won are being fought again. As frustrating as that may be, I know that some things will remain and hopefully be built upon in the future.

    I'm still volunteering.

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    1. Hi all, it's Judy Singer. Blogger didn't recognize me.

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    2. Were you in disguise?

      Thanks, Judy, for all your hard work and conscientious effort. Nothing changes without that.

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    3. Thanks for your comment, Judy Singer. I'm with you on the rewards of volunteering, since two other important things I do as a volunteer. I'm Speakers Bureau Coordinator for Sisters in Crime, New England, which means that I arrange events with our authors for libraries and other organizations that request them. I also chair the annual Crime Bake sponsored Al Blanchard Award Contest. Both activities can be time consuming, but I'm happy doing them.

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  4. Judy: I am impressed... very! Grace: SUPER impressed! Wow. I feel like a slacker by comparison. Though I did once have a book project: 1001 Books For Every Mood. That took a huge amount of work and I did finish it. After that I thought I'd try a book of books for travel (books to read when you travel to fill-in-the-blank) I was soon overwhelmed. I so admire anyone who can organize other people.

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    1. HALLIE: We probably wrote 20-25 drafts/revisions of that technical report and each of the 3 journal articles. Another reason why I agreed to continue on the project was that one of the senior scientists (Linda) was the one who hired me in 1987 to work on my first climate change project. So working on my last climate change project and publications for Environment Canada was me coming full circle in my career. It seemed fitting, and was worth the blood, sweat and tears.

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  5. I'm so glad Leslie has continued editing the anthology - every year a major highlight of Crime Bake is the announcement of the winners and the authors are there for a panel and to sign books. One of my first short stories appeared in an early Level Best Books anthology.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Hallie. Forgot that one of your first stories appeared in a Best New England Crime Stories anthology. Will add you to the list of authors, including me, who got a start there.

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  6. When faced with whether to carry on or quit, I think of William Zinsser's quote that goes something like this: "No one likes writing, but many like to have written." That, then, gives me the oomph I need to carry on -- because whatever the labour of love is, I want to have done it. I don't want to have quit it.

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    1. Thanks for your reply, Amanda. Good to be reminded of William Zinsser's quote. It's what keeps me going also.

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  7. Leslie, congrats on the new collection to you and Susan and Ang, plus all the authors. It's a grand tradition and we're all glad you're carrying on!

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  8. What a stunning cover, Leslie.

    I had to make the decision whether to quit on my Laurel Highlands series or try "one more query." As I prepare book 5 for submission, I'm glad I stuck with it.

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    1. We're glad you stuck with it, too!

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    2. Thanks for your kind words about the cover, Liz. Like you, I had to decide whether to give up or keep trying to find a home for my novel, Rattlesnake Hill, and opted for the latter. Like you also, I'm glad I did as I'm now on the fourth book in my Berkshire Hilltown Mystery series. Congratulations to you for getting to book 5!

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  9. Thank you so much, Leslie, and to Susan and Ang, for not backing away from this new venture! I am honored to have a story in Bloodroot and have read all the others. It's a stellar collection.

    I'm working on a new project that I'm still deciding whether to abandon or not. Actually, I'm pretty sure I won't let it go. Forward!

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    1. Edith, I forgot. Congratulations! How wonderful!

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    2. Thanks for your comment, Edith. We were excited to get a story from you, and if the new project is connected in any way to your story in Bloodroot, hope you'll continue with it!

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  10. Leslie, this cover alone is going to sell that anthology! What an image!! Short stories are fun--a way to discover new authors, and to get little 'bonus' stories from established authors.

    I was faced with that 'carry on or quit' dilemma in my graduate studies. I was writing and editing the departmental newsletter and doing a piece on anthropology graduate students. Higher Education had just published a piece that noted the average length of time for a student to get their PhD AFTER admission to PhD studies was 10 years. TEN years! I'd already spent two years getting my Master's and preparing for admission to the PhD program. Did I really want to commit a full decade to the program? Oh, hell no! I gritted my teeth, got on with it, and graduated four years later.

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    1. FLORA: Kudos to you for putting your nose to the grindstone and finishing your Ph.D. in 4 years!

      Ten years to get a Ph.D. seems awfully long. In geography (environmental studies), it normally took 4-6 years to finish their studies. we had one Ph.D. student in our program at Waterloo that took 8 years to finish mainly because his research site was in the glacier near the Himalayas. And I heard some people in engineering did their Ph.D. in only 18 months-2 years! So I guess the average amount of time depends on the academic field and program.

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    2. You rock, Flora. When my youngest was in a PhD program for microbiology there were others in their lab who had been toiling away for years at theirs. She was determined to finish in four years, and by golly she did. Strong women!

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    3. Thanks Grace and Karen! It was mostly a case of not wanting to get hit by a car and have 'ABD' engraved on my tombstone ;-) So many students--much better than I--dropped out without completing their dissertation ('all but dissertation'). I didn't want to be one of them.

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    4. Yes, I know many students who dropped out and were ABD after all that effort.

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    5. Good story of perseverance, Flora. Terrific!

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    6. Thanks for your comment, Flora, and great that you were able to stay the course and get your Ph.D. in four years! Confess, I dropped out after two years of grad studies, but it was at a time in my life when I felt I needed to leave academia and see what the "real world" was like.

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  11. After 20 years of self-publishing, internet sales, writing, and lecturing, I had to evaluate and weigh whether or not to keep on. If I had, I would have had to write a whole new book, and hire at least one employee to help with sales, plus change my really simple website with a mail-in order form to one with an actual sales cart. I finally decided the business had run its course. I had a good run, but it was time to fold my tent.

    Leslie, the anthology sounds like a labor of love! It would have to be, with all it entails.

    By the way, when I saw "Mark Ammons" I immediately wondered if he was related to a local nursery family that lives across the river from Cincinnati. (One of the best garden centers in the tri-state.) Then you mentioned Cincinnati chili, and I am really curious now!

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    1. Thanks for your reply, Karen. Yes, the anthology has been and continues to be a labor of love, but I can understand why you decided your business had run its course> It's a hard decision to make, but you have to do what feel right for you. Mark Ammons is from Ohio and either from Cincinnati or nearby, but don't know if his family had has anything to do with a nursery. Will have to ask.

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  12. All these academic accomplishments make my little "continue or go" item seem insignificant.
    I crochet, not for profit but for pleasure. I'm usually about two-thirds of the way through a blanket when I wonder why I thought I could get done on time and those were baby blankets. The biggest project was a fiftieth anniversary blanket for an aunt and uncle. They are the only pair to make it that far in our family. I took the idea of a memory quilt and turned it into a crocheted blanket complete with 49 squares, appliqued crocheted symbols, and embroidery that represented their years together. (The border completed the 50 squares.) I hate, and have always hated, hooking squares together. I ran out of a particular yarn colorway/style; it wasn't being made anymore and had to change the border at the last minute. I did finish the assembly but not the border in time for the party. I also vowed to never go this type of project again and I never have.

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    1. No way is this insignificant! Every time you get to the finish line after struggling with a project, that's a major accomplishment! I confess to having an unfinished dress--all the pieces cut out, some sewn together, that I dragged around for years--loved the fabric, the color, but the years (and the pounds) got away from me and I never finished.

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    2. Thanks, Flora. I won't tell you the amount of purchased fabric we disposed of when my grandmother downsized and was no longer sewing. (let's hope this says I'm me when I post from my phone)

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    3. Thanks for your comment, Deana, but a project like the one you describe is far from insignificant. As someone who can't crochet or knit, and barely sew, I admire people who have those skills, so don't knock them.

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  13. I did finish my doctoral program and went on to have a very nice 10-year career using what I'd learned before moving on to making things up.

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  14. Congratulations, Leslie. And Susan and Ang, too. Crime Bake wouldn't be the same without the anthology. I can't wait to read it.

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  15. Thanks for your comment, Sharon. I agree that Crime Bake wouldn't be quite the same without the anthology, and glad you're looking forward to reading it.

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  16. Congrats on the anthology. Glad you enjoyed taking it on.

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  17. Congratulations on the new anthology, Leslie! I don't think everyone realizes just how fine-tuned a good short story has to be. As you say, every word counts. I'm sure it wasn't an easy job to choose the best stories, as there must have been lots of good ones.

    I guess the project I was torn on was getting my Masters in Library Science. It had been something I wanted to do for quite a while, but I got married after earning my English undergraduate degree and children followed and life. But, finally in my latter 40s I was able to make it work, as the classes were offered online, with one or two in-person gatherings. I dove in and loved every minute of it. It was a trifecta of academics when in the same year I graduated with my Masters, my daughter graduated with her undergraduate degree, and my son graduated from high school. All in all, pretty cool.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Kathy. Yes, there were a lot of good stories we wished we could have published, but maybe next time . . . Which is why I hope the authors will consider resubmitting, provided the stories haven't been published in the meantime. Loved your story about how the stars aligned so that when you graduated w/ your Masters, your daughter got her undergrad degree, and son graduated from high school. Pretty cool, indeed!

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  18. DAILY! I think about this every day! (And yes, I have such a good idea, and it's on my bulletin board, but it's going to be SO HARD, but yet...)
    And I so agree, a great short story is such a treasure, and when, as an editor, you come upon a jewel, it's a real moment, isn't it? It was such fun to be at Crime Bake and see everyone so happy and proud of that gorgeous anthology! And such a sweet picture to imagine all of you concocting it! Congratulations.

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Hank. Yes, it is a special moment when one encounters a really good short story. The story not only sticks in my head, but I remember where I was when I read it, sort of like the way you remember what you were wearing on a festive occasion years ago.

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  19. Beautiful cover! Working full time and juggling childcare I wasn't sure I wanted to pursue getting my CPA certification. I did manage it finally. It was a relief but not particularly life changing! Now I'm debating whether to get out of bed tomorrow to make my portion of Thanksgiving dinner or hide. I'm afraid I'm committed to making crawfish etoufee' for the non-turkey eaters.

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    1. THAT is a challenge! But yay about the CPA. You did it. Now, on to the etoufee.

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  20. Ah, that etoufee sounds so delish it makes me wish I was coming to your house for Thanksgiving, Pat. Congrats on getting your CPA in the midst of a busy life. It may not be life-changing, but it's still an accomplishment you can be proud of.

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  21. Taking a break to fix dinner now, but want to thank you, Hallie, Lucy, Hank, and the other fine authors on Jungle Red for hosting me as a guest blogger. It's always such fun and informative, too. Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone else who joined the conversation!

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  22. Congratulations on the anthology! The cover is Beautiful, I love it! Yes, I have been torn between moving on a project, especially when it got harder, but I didn't give up, and I am proud to say that I finished it. May you all have a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving. aliciabhaney(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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