CRIME FOR CHRISTMAS

Is it too early to talk about Christmas? I’ve been seeing a lot of yellow in the trees lately…

My short story, “Santa Lucia,” is releasing in September as part of ReBound Press’s Crime for Christmas anthology, along with 11 other stories by Canadian authors. Mine is set in the Yukon (a favourite setting) and has suspense, humour, and, dare I say it, a hint of romance. And my good friend, Charlotte Morganti, has a fabulous story (“Iced”) in the anthology, too! Here’s the publisher’s write-up:

Whether you enjoy cozies, noirs, police procedurals, whodunnits, or lighthearted mysteries, there’s something for everyone in this terrific Christmas-themed collection by twelve of Canada’s finest mystery authors! An OPP officer investigates a John Doe dressed like Santa in July. A Toronto woman traces a mall Santa to the Caribbean. A woman’s body is found in an isolated part of Cape Breton. A graduate student helps CSIS trace the source of a death caused by listeria. An aging singer discovers the mall Santa is a former bandmate. An RCMP officer tracks an escaped prisoner through a Yukon blizzard. A retiring Alberta sheriff investigates a movie star’s murder. A controversial ice sculptor is stabbed with an ice pick. A Winnipeg private eye uncovers a clinic performing illegal surgeries. A teenager is suspected of stealing a neighbour’s gold jewellery. A young Chinese boy plots revenge against a bully with ChatGPT’s help. A pair of down-on-their-luck young lovers pull off a series of bank robberies.

These well-crafted stories ramp up the tension with resourceful investigators, colourful characters and riveting plotlines, and relieve it with humour. This wonderful seasonal anthology features stories by Peggy Blair, E.R. Brown, Renny deGroot, M.M. DeLuca, Raywat Deonandan, Marcelle Dubé, Chris Forrest, Peter Moreira, Charlotte Morganti, Joel Nedecky, Wayne Ng, and Brad Smith.

I’ve thought about it, and it’s definitely not too early to start shopping for Christmas! Visit ReBound Press at https://reboundpress.com/ to pre-order.

ON SPEC 2026: New Canadian Literature of the Fantastic

The On Spec Anthology Kickstarter is now live! Until April 15, you have a chance to help fund this anthology of Canadian speculative fiction, featuring the following anchor authors: Candas Jane Dorsey, Marcelle Dubé [Hey! That’s me!], Michèle Laframboise, Fiona Moore, Douglas Smith, Hayden Trenholm, and Liz Westbrook-Trenholm. Once the Kickstarter funds, there will be an open call for submissions, and the anthology will launch at Can*Con: Ottawa’s Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Convention in October. Thanks to Shadowpaw Press, our wonderful On Spec Magazine will live on.

The cover art is by Calgary artist James Beveridge, who has created many covers for On Spec Magazine, and the interior will include, as is On Spec tradition, a cartoon by Lynne Fahnestalk.

There are some amazing rewards, including SFF novels and collections, and signed artwork by Lynne Fahnestalk.

Check out the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edwardwillett/on-spec-2026-new-canadian-literature-of-the-fantastic

Help bring the project to life!

BARNEY’S DINER

I have a short story in the March/April 2026 Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. “Barney’s Diner” tells the story of a young waitress who is alone in a diner late at night in the aftermath of a blizzard when her greatest fear comes to visit her. As well, I discuss how the story came to be in Trace Evidence, the AHMM blog.

This is my eighth story in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

In a Christmas mood…

Occasionally, I write short stories set at Christmas time. It’s the only time I ever get romantic in my writing–at least, as romantic as I get. I have four to offer. Note that “McKell’s Christmas” is free until after Christmas.

Here’s where to find them:

Running Away from Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/b6Z7LZ

A Yukon Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/bPdDrb

Trepalli’s Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/m2vDp7

McKell’s Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/brWJ8w (FREE!)