Short Stories
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“Family Reunion” is a contemporary dark tale, loosely based on a visit to one of the many lakes in Minnesota. The Bouchercon (World Mystery Convention) 2022 anthology, LAND OF 10,000 THRILLS (Down and Out Books, 2022), was themed in honour of the convention city, Minneapolis, and is a fundraiser for the Womens Prison Book Project.
“Pipe Dreams” is in FESTIVE MAYHEM (independent, 2020) and focuses on Minnie Chen, dimunitive ‘muscle' and aspiring film star, who first appears in Die On Your Feet, and who shows in this tale an intriguing perspective on Lola Starke. This exclusive volume of holiday-themed stories is no longer available for purchase. Watch for Minnie’s story to appear in a future Crescent City collection.
"The Comeback Kitty" is published in Swashbuckling Cats: Nine Lives on the Seven Seas (Tyche Books, 2020) and is a departure from the other Crescent City-based stories listed here. Prompted by a Twitter exchange, SG Wong created this steampunk ghost-cat heist tale especially for this anthology. (More on the genesis and some related intel about this story here.)
"Survivors’ Pension" is published in Vancouver Noir (Akashic Books, 2018) and takes place in modern times, rather than in fictional Crescent City during the 1930s and earlier. The setting and world are extrapolated from the alternate history of Crescent City, as an exploration of what contemporary west coast life with ghosts and magic might look like—for the down and out. The anthology is part of the long and esteemed line of ‘City Noir’ anthologies.
"Parting Shot" is published in The Dame Was Trouble (Coffin Hop Press, 2018), an anthology of Canadian women crime writers, edited by a team of women, in acknowledgement of The Year of Publishing Women. This short story focuses on a particular member of the powerful Wu family, introduced in Devil Take the Hindmost.
"The Fix" is published in the inaugural issue of Sleuth Magazine (August 2015). Butch Starke, Lola’s father, is the main character in this tale, set in 1910, which also features Nicky Lo, who appears prominently in the Lola Starke novel, In For A Pound.
"Movable Type" is published in the Canadian crime writing anthology, AB Negative (Coffin Hop Press, 2015), and was an Arthur Ellis Awards finalist for Best Short Story. This story stars Valeria Monteverde, a reporter for the Crescent City Herald, and Lola Starke’s best friend. The action in “Movable Type” happens about two weeks prior to the events in Die On Your Feet.