Friday, December 10, 2021

Sharon Daynard treats us to the anthology A Plot for Any Occasion

 


Welcome to fellow Sisters In Crime author, Sharon Daynard! 


Sharon Daynard’s writing runs the gamut from light and quirky to downright dark and troubling. Her debut novel, Murder Points North, puts a humorous spin on murder in a small town. Her short stories include “The Boss of Butler Square” which received Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award and “Widows Peak” which was short-listed for a Derringer Award. She’s been offered the services of a hitman, crossed paths with a serial killer, testified before grand juries, and taken lie detector tests. She is a member of the New England chapter of Sisters in Crime.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sharon.Daynard.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonDaynard

Potter’s Field Publishing

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@PottersFieldP 

How did you get involved with this anthology? 

How did I get involved with this short story anthology? Ironically, that’s a long story.

After years of having my short mystery stories appear in various anthologies and magazines, I thought it was time to try something new. So, in 2019, I found a partner and launched a publishing company—Potter’s Field Publishing. A Plot for Any Occasion is the second book we’ve published. Each crime story in the anthology is based on or incorporates a traditional holiday, observance day or appreciation day.

I’ve been part of the mystery writing community for over twenty years, having served as Sisters in Crime/NE president and as a co-chair on the New England Crime Bake conference. Finding authors willing to submit their stories wasn’t going to be a problem. We decided to keep our first foray into publishing anthologies small, and limited the number of submissions and authors who’d be part of the project. We’re pleased by how well A Plot for Any Occasion turned out and may open the submission process to everyone if we continue the theme in an annual anthology. With over a thousand different National or World days for writers to choose from, the anthology would always be something original.

Besides A Plot for Any Occasion being an opportunity to share two of my dark and twisted stories with readers, Potter’s Field Publishing was established with a social conscience from day one, pledging and fulfilling a commitment to donate a portion of book sales to help fight food insecurity. In the first year of the pandemic, we gave a hundred percent of our gross sales to area food banks and soup kitchens.

Do your reading choices reflect your writing choices?

I tend to read more cozies and horror than any other genre. Not so coincidently, my writing runs the gambit from cozy to dark fiction.  My debut novel Murder Points North was a humorous holiday cozy with a female geology professor as its protagonist. My two short stories in A Plot for Any Occasion, “Lothario” and “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year,” are dark crime fiction. One revolves around a serial killer with a penchant for leaving a gruesome grin on the face of his victims. The other takes place during the holidays with a crime kingpin known as Saint Nick who’s hellbent on ruining Christmas for everyone on his naughty list.

Do your characters come before or after your plot?

For my novel, Murder Points North, the murder weapon came first. I have a degree in geology and my favorite mineral made for the perfect murder weapon. The protagonist and antagonist quickly followed along with the plot. Supporting characters filled in as the story took shape.

When I write a short story it’s typically the character that comes first—a serial killer with a morbid sense of humor and Santa reimagined as a thug.

Which type of characters do you love to write?

I love offbeat characters with a sense of humor, be it dark or lighthearted. In Murder Points North, one of my favorite characters was Martha Washington, an elderly rough talking, whiskey drinking, pathological liar who makes me laugh every time she opens her mouth.

I had a lot of fun writing the character of the Christmas curmudgeon, Nick Caedwalla, in my short story, “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” for A Plot for Any Occasion. I wanted the reader to despise him, but found myself liking him more and more as the story progressed.

How do you choose a villain and how do you make them human?

I give my antagonists/villains quirks and flaws to make them relatable to the reader. Their backstories are woven throughout the story, slowly revealing their pangs, faux pas and unfulfilled dreams, almost endearing them to the reader. I blur the line between good and bad.

What genre do you mostly write in and why?

I mostly write mystery or crime fiction. They allow me the freedom to tell stories that can be anywhere from laugh-out-loud funny to downright terrifying, and everything in between. I enjoy writing both novels and short stories, although I would have to admit that a short story provides almost instant gratification.

 


A PLOT FOR ANY OCCASION

https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Any-Occasion-Crime-Anthology-ebook/dp/B09LP8MVMF/ref 

From hot cocoa cozies to rotgut whiskey noir, A Plot for Any Occasion features eleven original crime stories based on traditional holidays, not-so-familiar observances and appreciation days.

With Mardi Gras beads, Santa suits, drops of blood, mahjong tiles, birthmarks, and a doctoral thesis found among its pages, this anthology is a diverse collection by award-winning short fiction authors, seasoned storytellers and fresh voices.

 


MURDER POINTS NORTH

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Points-North-Sharon-Daynard-ebook/dp/B0812F6H9Q/ref 

With one week until Christmas, picturesque Points North, New Hampshire, hasn’t seen as much as a token flurry and the temperatures are almost as high as local tempers. The lack of snow, however, is the least of Liesl Alan’s worries

Liesl teaches geology, collects rocks, minerals and ex-husbands—three at last count. On the brink of turning forty, she finds herself living amongst a group of eccentric “innmates” at the Muddled Moose, an inn her family has owned for generations. Hardly in the Christmas spirit, the last thing Liesl’s looking forward to is a night of wearing a too tight, too ruffled, too plaid gown for the village’s annual Home for the Holidays open house celebration.

When the event ends in a fiasco and someone from the Muddled Moose is found murdered, Liesl becomes the prime suspect of everyone from the lead homicide detective to her own mother. Fellow residents at the inn are even offering fashion tips for her inevitable perp walk and mug shot.

Determined to prove her innocence and find the real killer, Liesl teams up with a private eye wannabe. With a list of suspects that might as well include all of Points North, she has her work cut out for her, especially when each new clue points her in a different direction.

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Escape With a Writer Has MOVED!

  You can find all of the latest and greatest releases, interviews, and books at: https://escapewithawriter.wordpress.com/