Promotional image for the Gemini Wordsmiths anthology “The Trench Coat Chronicles”

About six weeks ago, I announced that my short story “The Haunted Detective” was accepted for publication in the Gemini Wordsmiths anthology “The Trench Coat Chronicles.”

The graphic above not only includes my name among the accepted authors but relates that this book will be available sometime around the winter holidays.

If you can’t wait, here’s a small excerpt:

I owed Joel Cohen more favors than I could count. He was Katz’s uncle, and the only doctor I could trust. He agreed to meet me back at my office. An hour later, I was patched up. I’m lucky, Cohen, Katz, the Cowens still give a damn if I live or die. My bill was showing him the evidence. He was thirty minutes gone when Ramsey crashed through my door, a Colt M1911 in his mitt.

I was flat on the sofa, right arm in a sling, trying to push myself up with my left. The light from my desk lamp shone upward, letting me see his murderous yellow-gray eyes.

“Who hired you?” He was shivering, his gun barrel waving like a cobra.

My .38 was in my bag on the desk, next to my dripping, bloodstained coat. I had one last move, and it was lousy. “I called the cops. They’re on their way. You’ve still got time to get out the back.”

“Bull. Tell me or I’ll kill you and bury the evidence so deep, no one will find it again.”

“Like I’ll ever squeal for a pig like you.”

“No one could know unless…that rat Assaro. Nah, there’s no percentage.”

“I hired Marguerite.”

Preta was looming over the same side of the desk where she’d died.

You want to know more, the whole story will be available around Christmas time.