Women’s Voices: Me Too Short Stories with V.S. Kemanis
by V.S. Kemanis
If you’re in the New York City area, come to the Me Too launch party at The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 Warren Street, NYC, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, 2019. Refreshments will be good, and readings will be brief!
It’s been almost two years since the #MeToo movement dawned
in the aftermath of the story about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s long history
of harassing and abusing women. The phrase “Me Too” was actually coined years
earlier by activist Tarana Burke. Since its dawning, the movement has only
picked up speed, giving women the courage to come forward with their personal
stories, to find strength in their shared experiences, to reflect, act, and
heal.
What the movement hasn’t seen until now is an anthology of fiction
on the theme of crimes against women, retribution and healing. Me Too ShortStories: An Anthology, released on September 3 by Level Best Books, is the unique, innovative
brainchild of author/editor Elizabeth Zelvin.
Fiction, as all art, engages the intellect and emotional
core while it entertains and enlightens. We’ve heard it said, brilliantly, many
ways: “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures” (Jessamyn West). “There is
no doubt fiction makes a better job of the truth” (Doris May Lessing). “Fiction
is the lie through which we tell the truth” (Albert Camus). The fictional tales
in Me Too Short Stories, far from being autobiographical, nevertheless tap
the reality and truth that all women share. Besides the enjoyment that any good
tale brings, each story in this collection is a launching point for reflection
and discussion about personal experience.
From the blurb:
“What do women want? A voice. To be heard. Respect. To be
believed. Justice. To be both safe and free. The women in these stories have
daughters, sisters, friends. The minister worries about her parishioners. The
banshee worries about the Hippocratic Oath. The microbiologist worries about
her obligation to the dead. They will use any means to protect themselves and
those they love: a childish jingle, a skillet full of cornbread, a candle,
their own quick wits. We cannot ignore their voices.”
 |
| Author V.S. Kemanis |
The anthology includes fifteen tales that fall within the
many subgenres of crime fiction, from psychological suspense to classic mystery
to cozy. I am proud to have a story in this wonderful collection. To give you an
idea, here are no-spoiler teasers of the stories, in the order in which they
appear in the anthology:
“No Outlet” by V.S. Kemanis
When a young single mother moves into the neighborhood, Arlene is called to action on her behalf by the rekindled memory of her secret source of guilt.
“Never Again” by Elizabeth Zelvin
Fourteen-year-old Valerie has been living in hell since she
was four. Frances, hiding shame behind obesity, is trapped in an abusive
marriage. Valerie and Frances will never meet, but they’re on a collision
course.
“Pentecost” by Eve
Fisher
It’s hard to be the first female pastor in a
small town, but even harder when you know the dark truth no one else wants to
admit.
“The Call Is Yours” by Rona Bell
A young woman who wants to be noticed learns that admiration
is fleeting, but shame will last until the world changes.
“The Final Recall” by Diana Catt
In the near future, science can retrieve memories from the
brains of the dead. Sara finds her job a waste of her hard-earned
doctorate—until she realizes that she and a nameless cadaver share a memory
that could be fatal.
“A Measured Death” by Julia Pomeroy
Mary’s life has been eroded in service to the massive talent
of her pianist husband. Will she ever find a way out?
“Miss Evelyn Nesbit Presents” by Ana Brazil
In 1914 New York City, real-life Evelyn Nesbit—celebrated
beauty and well-publicized rape victim—makes a desperate bid to reframe her
past and rewrite her future.
“Stepping on Snakes” by Madeline McEwen
Naive or precocious? One girl’s decision. Set in the
vanished world of South Africa in the early 1960s.
“Women Who Love Dogs” by Dayle A. Dermatis
Merlin needs exercise, and overworked Vanessa and her
wheelchair-bound sister need cash. Rent-A-Pup seems like the perfect solution.
But how do you really know who’s walking your dog?
“Jewel's Hell” by Lynn
Hesse
Jewel’s “normal” is teenage prostitution. But in a
dysfunctional family, when one person does something different, everything
starts to change.
“Banshee Scream” by Gin Gannon
Does the banshee scream to warn the victim or the killer?
“A Dog's Life” by
Ann Rawson
Liverpool 1980. After
moving off campus to escape a stalker, might Liz find herself in a more
dangerous place?
“Subterfuge” by Julia Buckley
For young women in Sophia’s small town, all paths lead only
to dead ends. Is there anything Sophia won’t do to get away?
“The Taste of Collards” by C.C. Guthrie
With single-minded focus to protect her children, Lizbeth
follows the age-old adage, necessity is the mother of invention.
Chrissie is sure she is all grown up, but how wrong she is!
Me Too Short Stories is available now from Level BestBooks, and from Amazon in e-book and paperback editions.
~~~~~~~~
V.S. Kemanis, attorney, dancer,
choreographer, and mother, has squeezed fiction writing into her life for
thirty-five years. Her stories are collected in five volumes and have appeared
in many publications and anthologies, including most recently Ellery Queen's
Mystery Magazine, The Best Laid Plans, and Me Too Short
Stories. Her latest book, Your Pick: Selected Stories, won the
2019 Eric Hoffer Award for best story collection. Kemanis draws on her
years of experience in criminal law for her legal suspense novels featuring
prosecutor Dana Hargrove. The fifth Dana Hargrove novel, Seven Shadows,
will be released in January 2020. She currently serves on the board of the New
York chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
