Issue 18 of Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem is out in the wild, and it's packed full of stories about a subject near and dear to my heart.
If you're old enough to remember 1979 or dig music from that fabulous era, cue Gary Numan and one of my favorite songs, because this one's all about cars!
Stolen Cars to be more accurate. And if you're anything like me, the very idea is enough to send chills down your spine.
In case you haven't guessed, I'm quite attached to my car. I always have been, ever since my first ride, a 1980 two-tone blue Chevrolet Chevette! I know, not exactly a hotrod and nowhere near luxury.
But that sturdy little vehicle was mine.
And more than my bicycles or roller skates or even my own two feet ever did, that car represented freedom to me. Independence. The ability to go places under my own power, and operating according to my own will.
That's the thing about cars, especially in a motor-crazy nation like the United States. They're about so much more than getting from here to there.
Several of the stories in Stolen Cars touch on what cars represent, and my story “Taking Care of Each Other in Our Own Way” is no exception.
You’ll meet Carlis Standifer, known as a man who can take care of things that have gone wrong. Even if that means making rather large items disappear. You might guess that means a car, and you wouldn’t be wrong. A bright red speed demon far too fine and expensive for the kid who suddenly has possession of it.
But the role the car plays in the story is something else altogether.
A car with the potential to bring heartbreak and ruin to everyone around Carlis, unless they can manage to find another way.
Head over to Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem to learn more, and to grab your copy of Stolen Cars! You can also catch up on previous issues while you're there. I'm proud to have a story in every single one, and even more proud to see my fiction keeping such amazing company.
Happy driving, and happy reading!