Hooray for Anthologies

Anthologies are collections of short stories, usually tied together by a theme. They provide readers with a chance to enjoy great writing in smaller bites than they get in a novel. They’re perfect reading:

• during lunch
• while standing in a line at the pharmacy (6 feet apart of course)
• while waiting for a doctor appointment
• while brushing your teeth
• when the elevator breaks and you’re waiting for the fire department
• while walking the dog

I’m impressed how many excellent anthologies I’ve run across through Indie friends. I originally planned to include three here but as I prepped the article, I kept finding more. Here’s the final list:

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2 From California Writers Circle:

Masquerade

“Masquerade” winks at the illusion of reality in 26 entertaining short stories–each hiding secrets and surprises. The authors are from California Writers Circle. They invite you to take a peek behind the mask and discover what is revealed. Choose from a range of genres including mystery, adventure, romance, history, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, social commentary, and satire. See what themes our authors have waiting for you at the masquerade.

If this sounds good to you, take advantage of the free digital book January 15-16. Can’t go wrong!

Knightfall

The death of famed society writer Adam Knight rocks the bustling art community of Laguna Beach and sets off questions about whether his fall from the high cliffs above the ocean was an accident, a suicide, or murder. When police dismiss the death as an accident, Adam’s sister and two close friends become amateur sleuths, interviewing those who knew him, narrowing down the list of suspects, and staging a reenactment of that deadly night to expose the shocking truth.

This is written by the authors of California Writers Circle. Each took on a chapter and together, they turned it into a story!

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IWSG

Alex Cavanaugh’s IWSG Group (Insecure Writers Support Group, of which I am a proud member) publishes about one anthology a year. Each is themed and includes stories written by excellent authors:

• • Parallels–exploring the Fantastic: Parallel Universes
  • Hero Lost–delving into the depths of the tortured hero
  • Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime–thrilling mysteries in the nick of time
  • Masquerade: Oddly Suited–despite the masks people wear, young love flourishes

Robbie Cheadle

If you follow Robbie’s blog, you probably–like me–wonder how she does everything she does. She is a working mother who bakes the most amazing deserts and writes endless numbers of fun-to-read books in multiple genres. These are just some of the anthologies she has participated in:

Horror Anthologies (edited by Dan Alatorre):
Spellbound
Nightmareland
Dark Visions

Paranormal Anthologies (edited by Kaye Lynne Booth):
Spirits of the West
Whispers of the Past

Murder mystery Anthology (edited by Stephen Bentley)
Death Among Us

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Wartime Christmas Tales

by Anne Clare and the Second World War Authors Group:

Anne Clare, who blogs at Naptime Author, published a well-received anthology of WWII Christmas fiction with friends from the Second World War Authors Group. The cover is gorgeous and the stories also. You’ll love it:

Soldiers stumbling upon mercy and miracles; children sharing gifts of friendship and love; romance finding its way into lonely, war-weary hearts; resistance fighters, spies, families on the home front—all bringing their own rays of hope in the darkest of time.

More about anthologies

More great anthologies by Indies

About Anthologies

Co-authoring a book

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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Man vs. Nature saga, and the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Laws of Nature, Summer 2021.