Protectors 2: Heroes

by Thomas Pluck (author, editor), Clare Toohey, Alex Segura

55 Stories to benefit Protect, the political lobby of the National Association to Protect Children, whose victories include the Circle of Trust act and the HERO Corps, which hires wounded veterans to assist law enforcement in hunting online predators.

Contributors include Andrew Vachss, Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison®, David Morrell, Laird Barron, Linda Rodriguez, Charles de Lint, Hilary Davidson, Joe R. Lansdale, Joelle Charbonneau, Reed Farrel Coleman, SJ Rozan, and Alison Arngrim. 600 pages of fiction of all genres, poems and art, essays and memoirs, to fund one cause: to protect children from abuse and exploitation of all kinds. 100% of proceeds goes to PROTECT.


Table of Contents:
When!? by Linda Sarah
The Questions by Alison Arngrim
City Water by Allison Glasgow
Black and White and Red All Over by David Morrell
Silvia Reyes by P.J. Ward
Plan B by Andrew Vachss
Gatekeeper by Richard Prosch
The Night Watch by Susan Schorn
One Night in Brownsville by Gary Phillips
Silverfish by S.J. Rozan
Parental Guidance by Scott Adlerberg
Superhero, With Crooked Nails by Rachael Acks
Angel by Terrence McCauley
Mr. Nance by Linda Rodriguez
Something I Said by Bracken MacLeod
El Puente by Rios de la Luz
Mesquite by Graham Wynd
Level 5 by C.R. Jahn
On the Road to La Grange by Karina Cooper
Reprisals: Enmity by John A. Curley
The Whistler in the Graveyard by Chad Eagleton (illustration by Dyer Wilk)
Solar Highway by S.A. Solomon
Jibber Jabber by Reed Farrel Coleman
Doll: A Poem by Jyl Anais Ion (illustrations by Jyl Anais Ion)
Doggone Justice by Joe R. Lansdale
The Occurrence of the Black Mirror by Teel James Glenn
Sister Cecilia by Hilary Davidson
Croatoan by Harlan Ellison
Little Howl on the Prairie by Thomas Pluck
Things Held Dear by Neliza Drew
49 Foot Woman Straps It On by Laird Barron
Moon Over the Midwest by Elizabeth Amber Love
Sixth Floor by Albert Tucher
Adamsville by Clare Toohey
Point of View by Will Graham
High Meadow Storm by Wayne Dundee
Out of Context by Joelle Charbonneau Lone by Alex Segura (illustrations by Dennis Calero)
Love and Valour on ‘the Victorian Titanic’ by Gill Hoffs
Just Pretend by Martyn Waites
The New Heroes of the Old Fairgrounds by K.L. Pereira
When the Hammer Comes Down by Josh Stallings
Stretching Fifteen by Angel Luis Colón
Bounty by Jerry Bloomfield
The Light-Bringer by Laura K. Curtis
Hercules and the Spawn of the Titans by Michael A. Black
How to Paint Your Dragon by Andrew D’Apice
Don’t Fear the Ripper by Holly West

Two Views by Tim Daly
A Hundred Pearls by Errick Nunnally
Snapshots by Christopher Irvin
Deceit by Joyce Carol Oates
The Perfect Weapon by Zak Mucha
Freak by Charles de Lint
An Open Letter to the Children of the Secret by Dionysios Dionou
Behavior is Truth by Gwyndyn T. Alexander
Pigeons for Protect! by Linda Sarah

608 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2015

About the author

Thomas Pluck has slung hash, worked on the docks, trained in martial arts in Japan, and even swept the Guggenheim museum (but not as part of a clever heist). He hails from Nutley, New Jersey, home to criminal masterminds Martha Stewart and Richard Blake, but has so far evaded capture. Wallace Stroby called his novel BAD BOY BOOGIE "a vivid dose of New Jersey noir with heart, soul and muscle.“

Joyce Carol Oates calls him “a lovely kitty man.”

He is also the editor of the Protectors anthologies to benefit PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.

You can find him on the web at www.thomaspluck.com and Twitter as @thomaspluck

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is chock-full of great stories about those who protect the weak and helpless. We have crime, fantasy, science fiction, so much more. A number of top authors have contributed to a good collection of stories, and it even includes a reprint from the immortal Harlan Ellison. Definitely a good and worthy work. Kudos to the editor for putting so much time and effort to curate the excellence within.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful anthology for a good cause, good people standing up for those who need and deserve help, and gripping, honest, hopeful writing. The stories are excellent, the lineup of authors is stellar, and the cause is a good one. In this busy time of year, it's good to have short works to fit in as time allows. Linda Rodriguez​' story will stay with me always.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful anthology for a good cause, good people standing up for those who need and deserve help, and gripping, honest, hopeful writing. I was spellbound by Linda Rodriguez's story, and am looking forward to the rest.