Paradise is Deadly: Gripping Tales from Florida’s Gulf Coast

Nineteen gripping tales from Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime, Inc. From hosting hurricane parties to dodging frozen iguanas falling out of palm trees, Florida is weirdly wonderful. These nineteen twisty tales cast a wide net from cozy mysteries to thrillers, from historical fiction to paranormal sleuths.

“The stories range from creepy to terrifying to old-school whodunit to just plain fun. Their plots revolve around archaeological digs, murder for hire, and the accurate pricing of second-hand designer purses. All use the details that make this state stand out from the other forty-nine: the weather, alligators, Florida Man, and, of course, a skunk ape.” From the Introduction by Lisa Black, New York Times Best-selling author.

Authors: Tracy Ann, Mary Ball, Anne Carter, Wendy Dingwall, Mary Dutta, Harold Emanuel, Sarah Glenn, Tanya Goodwin, Margo Hammond, Cynthia Harrison, Jenna Kernan, Cindy Martin, Gwen Mayo, Teresa Michael, Monica Faeth Myers, Stephanie Palmarosa, Jenny Ramaley, Martha Reed, B. W. W. Roark, and Barbara Ryan

Editors:  Wendy Dingwall, Martha Reed, Barbara Ryan.

Judges:   Colette Bancroft, Lisa Black, Alan Orloff, and Susan Thibadeau.

Introduction by:  New York Times Best-Selling Author, Lisa Black

The anthology is on sale on Amazon for Cyber Monday:  https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Deadly-Gripping-Tales-Floridas/dp/1949281248

How didyou select the stories?

In early2022, our Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime chapter formed a 6-person AnthologyCommittee. We developed a blind submission process so that only theChairperson/Project Manager knew who wrote which piece. We put out a call forsubmissions and waited to see what we received. As the stories came in, theProject Manager read the story, assigned a submission ID number, and thendistributed it to a reviewer who verified the submission met the publishedstory guidelines. Then the story was passed on to a judge to read and score. Whenthe judges finished their review, we ranked the stories and made ourselections. The anthology was published in July 2023 by Mystery and Horror, LLC.

What werethe guidelines?

Basicguidelines such as submissions must be in a Microsoft Word .docx format, maximumword count of 5,000 words, standard formatting of 12-point Times New Roman,double-spaced, etc. Additionally, the author had to be a member in goodstanding with the National Sisters in Crime and be a member of a Florida SinCchapter.

Reminder fornew writers—it is important that you carefully read and adhere to whateverguidelines the organizers define. It could mean immediate rejection if youdon’t. We allowed one return by the Project Manager to fix any issues with the manuscript,but the return policy is different for each organization.

Shouldemerging writers submit to anthologies?

Yes,definitely. Submitting your short fiction to anthologies and online journals isa great way to get that first publication credit. There are several first-timepublished authors in this anthology.

WillFlorida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime do another anthology?

I hope so.That will be up to the incoming 2025 Board of Directors. Curating andpublishing an anthology is at least a year-long commitment for the committeeand the chapter.

Who wason this anthology committee:

TeresaMichael was the Chairperson/Project Manager.

Committeemembers were Wendy Dingwall, Harold Emanuel, Sarah Glenn, Gwen Mayo, MarthaReed, and Barbara Ryan.

Tell meabout Sisters in Crime and the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter.

Sisters inCrime was established in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition,and professional development of women crime writers. Sisters in Crime setsstandards for itself, its members, and the crime writing community. Throughadvocacy, programming, and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crimewriters regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.  (Mission and Vision).

Florida GulfCoast Sisters in Crime is one of over 60 local chapters worldwide. We offermonthly chapter meetings with educational offerings and events throughout theyear. For membership information, go to the FLGC SinC website.

FloridaGulf Coast Sisters in Crime Social Media

Website: Sisters in Crime – Florida GulfCoast Chapter (flgcsinc.com)

Facebook Page: Facebook

Florida Gulf Coast SinC Meet Up Page: https://www.meetup.com/Florida-Gulf-Coast-Chapter-of-Sisters-in-Crime 

NationalSisters in Crime Website: https://www.Sistersincrime.org