Crowing about Cover Art--Judy Penz Sheluk

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's always a treat to have Judy Penz Sheluk here, and what better way to beat the heat than a new mystery anthology! But did you ever think about how challenging it must be to design covers across a series of anthologies?

Crowing about Cover Art

Judy Penz Sheluck

A lot of thought goes into book cover design. That’s because publishers know that good covers not only help to sell books, they also define the genre, and in the case of mysteries, the sub-genres. A cozy mystery, for example, might feature a floppy-eared dog or a pair of calico cats, a historical mystery, Art Deco styling or other vintage elements, a standalone suspense, a creepy staircase. But what if the book includes several sub-genres of mystery? In other words, what if it’s an anthology?

That’s the dilemma I face every time I get ready to launch another Superior Shores Anthology, where the 20+ stories in every collection represent many facets of mystery and suspense. Of course, it helps that each anthology has a theme, but even then, some themes are easier than others. Take Moonlight & Misadventure (#3). A full moon, some creepy trees…the cover practically designed itself.

Not so much this year’s anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. As a catchy title and a theme that allows for multiple interpretations, it hit all the right notes. But how did one design a schemer or a dreamer? True, midnight might lend itself to a moon, but we’d already done one of those. And because the decision was made early on to use the same color scheme and font for every SSP Anthology another moon wasn’t going to cut it

As always, I contacted my trusty cover artist, Hunter Martin, and as always, he asked if I had any ideas. “Well,” I said, “maybe someone sitting on a bench at night? Like they’re daydreaming?”

“Hmmm…” Hunter said, too professional to tell me what he really thought, but let’s face it, hmmm isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

Fast forward a couple of days and Hunter approached me with a concept and a rough sketch “What about a crow?” he asked. "A group of crows is a murder, and crows are known for their cunning and intelligence, schemers, if you will. And they love shiny objects, so I thought, if the crow was flying with a key, the key could represent a daydream.”

I loved the symbolism Hunter was suggesting. Loved the rough sketch he sent to support his idea. But mostly, I love the final cover. In fact, I love it so much I even created a 45-piece online jigsaw puzzle for it.

Try it if you dare. The best time so far is 6:30, the longest 14:25. 

READERS: Have you ever purchased a book based on the cover? If so, what drew you in and why?

About Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 stories of Mystery and Suspense: Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.

Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, Donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker. You can find it here.

About Judy: The Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five Superior Shores Anthologies, including the 2025 Derringer-nominated Larceny & Last Chances. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.

DEBS: I, for one, am incredibly susceptible to cover art. A recent foray into our shiny new B&N had me agog at all the gorgeous covers (and also wishing I wrote fantasy because there were so many drool-worthy covers in that genre) but I can't articulate what exactly works for me. I loved this insight into a cover designer's process!

What say you, dear readers?

Themes, Dreams & Schemes: Guest Post by Judy Penz Sheluk

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Pacing, hair-pulling, scribbled up lists, asking friends and family - no, it's not naming a baby, it's naming a book. Not too long or readers will mess up the title. Not to short, or they'll forget it. Not too much like the latest blockbuster, but, you know, maybe a little like it?

If you're lucky, the work sets some guidelines. Lucy and Jenn have punchy, punny titles for their food-related cozies. I use quotes from Episcopal hymns. Rhys gets to use a lot of archly British phrases for the Her Royal Spyness series.

But what if the writing doesn't lay out a blueprint for a title? What if you need the title to guide you in what to write? Judy Penz Sheluk, editor of the upcoming anthology Larceny and Last Chances, tells us what goes into creating a successful and inspiring short story theme (hint: it doesn't involve having "Murder" in the title...)                                              

 

 

 Many authors will tell you that coming up with a title can sometimes seem as difficult as writing the book or short story. That difficulty is doubled when it comes to dreaming up a theme for an anthology. Not only does it have to work as a book title, it also has to offer writers the latitude to explore any number of schemes they might want to concoct. For the Superior Shores Press (SSP) anthologies of mystery and suspense, that pretty much eliminates putting “murder” in the title…because, well, then there’d have to be murder in every story. And while I certainly enjoy a good murder mystery, I don’t think I’d want to read twenty of them in a row. I expect you’re much the same.

 

That brings us back to dreaming up the theme. The first SSP entry —The Best Laid Plans—was easy (the definition of the adage being, “the futility of making detailed plans when the ability to fully or even partially execute them is uncertain.”). The second, Heartbreaks & Half-truths, worked perfectly for a short story I’d already written (translation: one less thing for me to worry about). And the third, Moonlight & Misadventure, continued to feed into my love of alliteration. Of course, I ran the risk of getting a lot of stories about werewolves (I really don’t get werewolves) but I’m born under the astrological sign of Cancer and we’re all about the moon.

 

After editing and publishing three multi-author mystery anthologies in as many years, I took a much-needed hiatus. In fact, I had joked to my hubby that if I ever contemplated publishing another anthology, he should duct tape me to my office chair.

 

He didn’t, bless his heart (though I suspect he was sorely tempted). Then, in the summer of 2023, a new theme popped into my head: Larceny & Last Chances (I did warn you that I love alliteration). Because who wouldn’t be above a bit of larceny if it was their absolute last chance to…

 

To what? It’s the ambiguity of that last, desperate chance that makes it work as a premise. The result? Twenty-two schemes, twenty-two dreams, and one overarching theme, duct tape optional.

 

What about you, readers? What “last chance” would entice you to partake in bit of larceny? 

 

About Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense: Sometimes it’s about doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s about getting even. Sometimes it’s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, it’s your last, best, hope. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and featuring stories by Christina Boufis, John Bukowski, Brenda Chapman, Susan Daly, Wil A. Emerson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Molly Wills Fraser, Gina X. Grant, Karen Grose, Wendy Harrison, Julie Hastrup, Larry M. Keeton, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Gregory Meece, Cate Moyle, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Kevin R. Tipple, and Robert Weibezahl.

 

About the editor: JudyPenz Sheluk is a former journalist and magazine editor and the bestselling author of Finding Your Path to Publication and Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie, as well as two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries. In addition to the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited, her short crime fiction appears in several collections. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors for five years, the final two as Chair. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.

Do You Believe in Angel Numbers?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: If I had a dollar for every time I see 9:11 on the clock, or 12:34, or 11:11, I’d be so rich! I see my birthday, too, 10:17. SO often!

Is it that I just don’t remark on the other numbers, and only remember the special ones?

My parents had a tradition that when either saw 11:11, no matter where they were,they'd think of each other. Jonathan and I do that, too.

Do you see certain numbers?

Do you think it’s random or coincidence or selective notice?

Angel Numbers

Judy Penz Sheluk

 

Has it ever happened to you? Everywhere you look, you seem to see the same sequence of repeated numbers. Wake up in the middle of the night, it’s 4:44. Glance at your cellphone: 4:44. Walk the dog and notice a car drive by with a license that begins or ends with 444. At first, you dismiss it as coincidence, but then it keeps on happening. There’s a brochure for the new pizza takeout in your mailbox and their address is 444 Pine Street. And you begin to wonder, could it mean anything?

That depends. To believers of numerology, every number, from our date of birth to our house number, has a unique meaning and holds significance in our everyday lives. And because we are surrounded by numbers, those who believe in spirit guides also believe numbers allow them to communicate with us, which is why they are referred to as “angel numbers.”

Of course, not everyone believes in spirit guides, and skeptics have been known to call numerology a pseudoscience—a practice or belief that claims to be factual but is incompatible with scientific method.

They will tell you that angel numbers are nonsense, or that your repeated sightings of 4-4-4 are nothing more than coincidence created by confirmation bias. In other words, you are looking for, and therefore noticing, incidents of 4-4-4 in the same way you might be noticing white Honda Civics after buying one. That there were always plenty of white Honda Civics, but you just didn’t pay attention because there had been no reason to do so before you owned one.

In my latest Marketville mystery, Before There Were Skeletons, my protagonist, cold case private investigator Calamity (Callie) Barnstable finds herself seeing a whole lot of 5-5-5s. Could it be some sort of sign?

She’s not superstitious by nature, but business has been slow and she’s willing to grasp at any straw.

And so, she emails Misty Rivers, a self-proclaimed psychic and Tarot card reader who has helped her with cases in the past, but has since married and moved to British Columbia, two thousand-plus miles away.

Misty answers promptly, providing an explanation of both numerology and angel numbers, and, to her credit, the admission that some folks view the latter as confirmation bias, but concludes with the following message: “Just as in Tarot, there can be many interpretations for the same sequence of numbers. In the case of 5-5-5, however, the most likely message is that significant changes are coming your way.”

Misty goes on to remind Callie that change is inevitable and that without it our lives would be stagnant, and concludes with, “Facing change and new opportunities with an open mind will allow you to view things from a different perspective.”

Callie’s not sure whether she sides with the skeptics or the spirit guides, but she’s about to find out one thing: plenty of changes are coming her way, and they all start with a single cold case.

 

Do you believe in angel numbers?

HANK: You must notice, at least, right? Tell us what you see! 

 

About Before There Were Skeletons

The last time anyone saw Veronica Goodman was the night of February 14, 1995, the only clue to her disappearance a silver heart-shaped pendant, found in the parking lot behind the bar where she worked. Twenty-seven years later, Veronica’s daughter, Kate, just a year old when her mother vanished, hires Past & Present Investigations to find out what happened that fateful night.

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable is drawn to the case, the similarities to her own mother’s disappearance on Valentine’s Day 1986 hauntingly familiar. A disappearance she thought she’d come to terms with. Until Veronica’s case, and five high school yearbooks, take her back in time…a time before there were skeletons.

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/mqXVze

 

About the Author

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served as Chair on the Board of Directors. She lives in Northern Ontario on the shores of Lake Superior. Find her at judypenzsheluk.com.

Wishing on the Moon with Judy Penz Sheluk

HALLIE EPHRON: It's such a good idea--an anthology of mystery and suspense stories linked by a common element: moonlight. That's the brainstorm behind MOONLIGHT & MISADVENTURE, a stellar anthology edited by Judy Penz Sheluk.

Today Judy is here to reveal what it is about moonlight that inspired her to put together the collection. She blames it entirely on her mother...

JUDY PENZ SHELUK: I was about twelve when I first met Virginia, the daughter of a friend of my parents. We were the same age, give or take a few months, but Virginia had this cool factor about her that I couldn’t begin to emulate. Where my hair was a wavy mass of frizz, Virginia’s locks were long and sleek, and while the time would come when I’d stand a good four inches above her petite five-foot-two frame, the time hadn’t come yet.

Last, but certainly not least, Virginia was a Funkenmariechen at the Toronto German Club, a fact my mother lorded over me after I’d given up both ballet and tap for lack of talent and desire.

I may have been a lot of things at twelve, but a masochist wasn’t one of them. The last thing I wanted to do was watch Virginia strut her stuff in a red velvet minidress and white lace-up boots to an adoring audience.

Anyway, it was at my parent’s cottage late one night, the adults playing cards at a nearby neighbor’s, when Virginia insisted that we go out and make a wish on the full moon. I remember it being hot and muggy, the air thick with mosquitoes, but the idea of making a wish overrode any thoughts of discomfort. Besides, you didn’t say no to Virginia. Or at least, I couldn’t.

For the wish to come true, Virginia had informed me, you had to stare at the full moon, then tap your right index and middle fingers against your left wrist while making your wish.

It went without saying that you couldn’t tell anyone your wish. Furthermore, she said, because it was a blue moon, we could each make a double wish. What finger tapping had to do with anything was beyond me, but of course I did it, and I’ve done it since, more times than I’m willing to admit.

What can I say? Having a wish come true is a bit like winning the lottery. You can’t win without a ticket, and your wish certainly won’t come true if you never wish it.

All of that and more came into my head has I tried to come up with an underlying theme for the third Superior Shores Anthology. Moonlight, I thought. But moonlight and what? Moonlight & Murder...too limiting. Moonlight & Mayhem...mayhem is so overdone. Moonlight & Misadventure...that had a nice ring to it.

As for what I wished that night, I suppose it’s okay to tell you now. I wished that I’d grow up to be a writer. Oh, and to be taller than Virginia.

Both came true. I’m pretty sure it’s all in the finger-tap.

Or maybe, it’s all in the believing. I’ll let you decide.

Readers: Have you ever wished on the full moon? Have any other moon superstitions (my mother was a firm believer you should NEVER see the full moon through glass (window or windshield). Very bad luck until the next full moon!

About Moonlight & Misadventure: Whether it’s vintage Hollywood, the Florida everglades, the Atlantic City boardwalk, or a farmhouse in Western Canada, the twenty authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “moonlight and misadventure” in their own inimitable style where only one thing is assured: Waxing, waning, gibbous, or full, the moon is always there, illuminating things better left in the dark.

Featuring stories by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, M.H. Callway, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, Robert Weibezahl, and Susan Jane Wright.

About Judy Penz Sheluk: A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans, Heartbreaks & Half-truths, and Moonlight & Misadventure, which she also edited. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime National, Toronto, and Guppy Chapters, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors. Find the Book: https://books2read.com/u/47NPkj

Lovers and Losers

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: His name was Mark Shaw. He was in the same biology class as I was. It was 1965, or so. And he was—so cute. And he loved cars. Cars. I didn’t care at all about cars, but okay. I tried to figure out some common ground for the casual conversation that would lead him to see how perfect I was for him.

So I channeled a Beach Boys song—what’s a little deuce coupe? I remember asking him. What’s four speed duo quad positraction 409?

He told me. And then he asked someone else out. I have to say that he crosses my mind from time to time. And, talking to the lovely and dear pal (and SinC Guppy, yay!)  Judy Penz Sheluk, I learn I am not alone.

Heartbreaks and Half-truths

Judy Penz Sheluk

I’ll admit it, I’ve been dumped, and on more than one occasion. The first time was just before grade eight graduation, when my prom date dropped me after I cut my waist-length hair into a “windswept bob.” Admittedly, the hairdo was a disaster, and not only because I’d gone to my mom’s hairdresser (whose idea of fashionable was perm it and roll it). I have wavy, unruly hair, which tends to frizz, and this was back in the day without flat irons and styling products.

 But my father had laid down the law: Cut my hair short so that people could see my earrings, or leave it long and go pierceless. I suspect he never believed I’d do it, but off it went. I really wanted pierced ears.

Judy and her hair. 

Next up was my first chaste kiss, grade nine, after our school’s spring music concert (he was shorter than me and had to stand on the curb to kiss me, but I walked on air for weeks).

 Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before he’d set his eyes on a long-legged track and fielder. My best efforts to master hurdles and high jump with two weeks of training failed to impress, and I gave up both sports at the same time I gave up on him.

But getting dumped aside, I was fifteen the first time a boy really broke my heart. With shoulder-length hair, the bottom of his blue jeans frayed to perfection, and a history of changing schools, albeit not entirely by choice, he was the bad boy to my good girl.

And, of course, I fell madly, passionately in love with him.

Years later, he would get an honorable mention in my first published short story, Cleopatra Slippers. What I didn’t mention in that story was the way the boy dumped me without warning.

By phone.

On Valentine’s Day.

For a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl he’d been seeing behind my back. A girl with “experience.”

I wonder, sometimes, if any of the boys mentioned even remember my name. My guess is, probably not. After all, to the best of my knowledge, they aren’t writers, we of the very long memories.

 But thinking of Blue Jean Boy got me thinking about the theme for the second anthology  I wanted to edit  under the Superior Shores Press umbrella: heartbreaks and half-truths.

Coming up with a theme, however, is just the first step in what is actually a very long process. For this collection, a callout was sent out in mid October and thanks to social media, the first anthology published by Superior Shores Press, word spread quickly. By the time the submission deadline of January 15 arrived, I’d received 106 submissions from the US, UK, Scotland, France, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and Canada.

Culling 106 submissions down to a manageable number was a daunting task, but the result is a diverse collection of mystery fiction in which one common thread emerges: Behind every broken heart lies a half-truth.

And behind every half-truth lies a secret.

HANK: Congratulations on the anthology, Judy! And what a fabulous line-up of authors! Wow. In clduing longtime friends of Reds  Kate Flora! James Lincoln Warren! John Floyd!  Steve Liskow! KM Rockwood!  Paula Gail Benson! Fabulous.

How about you, Reds and readers?  Is there a love from your past who did you wrong?

Lovers and losers.
Heartbreaks and Half-truths

Whether it’s 1950s Hollywood, a scientific experiment, or a yard sale in suburbia, the twenty-two authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “heartbreaks and half-truths” in their own inimitable style, where only one thing is certain: Behind every broken heart lies a half-truth.

And behind every half-truth lies a secret.

Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk. Featuring stories by Sharon Hart Addy, Paula Gail Benson, James Blakey, Gustavo Bondoni, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Rhonda Eikamp, Christine Eskilson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Flora, John M. Floyd, J.A. Henderson, Blair Keetch, Steve Liskow, Edward Lodi, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Joseph S. Walker, James Lincoln Warren, Chris Wheatley and Robb T. White.

Release Date: June 18, 2020, now available for pre-order on Kindle and trade paperback

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