BREAKING: ‘Bad Intentions’ now available for pre-order

Proceeds from this Warren Zevon-inspired collection of crime stories will support Philadelphia-based nonprofit Philabundance.

Apologies to readers tired of my flogging this short story collection Bad Intentions: A Crime Fiction Anthology Based on the Music of Warren Zevon, but I’ve got breaking news to share. This collection is now available for pre-order on Kindle for a mere $2.99. That’s less than 20 cents per story in this gem. (There are 15 stories in all, including one by yours truly.) You need to get in on this deal right away. For those who prefer reading an actual physical book, a link for the paperback version should be available soon. I’ll update this post once that goes live.

The book will be available July 7.

From the publisher:

Bad decisions have a way of sticking around.

Fifteen stories of crime, consequence, and everything that comes after.

Inspired by the music and darkly human worldview of Warren Zevon, Bad Intentions is a crime fiction anthology about bad choices, worse outcomes, and the people left to live with the wreckage.

These aren’t stories about perfect plans or clever escapes.
They’re about what happens after.

When the lie collapses.

When the body turns up.

When redemption comes too late.

When someone convinces themselves they had no other choice.

From back roads to barrooms, motels to city streets, Bad Intentions brings together fifteen distinct voices in crime fiction—stories filled with desperation, violence, dark humor, regret, and the kind of consequence that lingers long after the final page.

No heroes. No perfect crimes. No easy endings.

A portion/all proceeds from the anthology benefit Philabundance, supporting hunger relief efforts throughout the Delaware Valley.

So go pre-order Bad Intentions and return here tomorrow for my Friday Five interview with the anthology editor, Michael Downing, to learn more about this story collection and Michael’s own writing.

‘Bad Intentions’ cover reveal

Crime fiction anthology inspired by the music of Warren Zevon due out July 7.

Earlier this week, the fine folks at Literary Garage revealed the cover artwork for Bad Intentions, an anthology of crime fiction inspired by “the gritty wit, sharp edges, and outlaw spirit” of the late Warren Zevon. As I mentioned here in April, I have a short story appearing in this anthology. There are fifteen stories in all, and having received and read an advance copy of the book, I can say with confidence that each story, in its own distinctive way, is exquisitely Zevon-esque (Zevonian?) in voice, subject matter, and delivery. It comes out July 7, just in time for your summer reading.

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New (and free) ‘Live and Let DEI’ anthology turns banned words into poetry

Image of the cover for the poetry anthology 'Live and Let DEI: Poems That6 Draw on the U.S. Government's New "Forbidden Words"'

When the world and everything in it becomes toxic and chaotic, I often turn to works of poetry for solace and insight. And it’s during such times that poets often rise to the challenges of taking a stand against the ascent of totalitarianism and fascism. They emerge as a culture’s moral compass, as prophets and advocates for change, for reformation, for revolution, and it’s important that these voices have a space to be shared.

Last April, Winning Writers launched a project to provide such a space. The website issued a call for poetry that incorporated words and phrases the U.S. government has banned for a new anthology that was published earlier this week. You can download a PDF of the anthology, Live and Let DEI: Poems That Draw on the U.S. Government’s New ‘Forbidden Words’, free of charge.

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