Debbi Mack-- Five Uneasy Pieces

Debbi Mack is the author of hardboiled mystery IDENTITY CRISIS, the first Sam McRae novel and winner of the 2009 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll for Best Mystery Novel. Her short stories have appeared in two of the CHESAPEAKE CRIMES anthologies and The Back Alley Webzine, where her Derringer nominated short story, "The Right to Remain Silent," was first published.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

The anthology consists of stories that I hope will not only entertain, but surprise readers with twists, unusual situations and even humor. For what it's worth, the stories are arranged roughly in the order I wrote them, so to an extent they reflect my development as a writer. In that way, I would hope each is better than the last.

Q: Why did you go indie?

Short story anthologies don't tend to be highly marketable to traditional publishers. And, let's face it, who's going to buy one from an unknown indie author? I think the market for short fiction is underdeveloped. You hear so much about people's diminishing attention spans, so it seems logical that short fiction should be an easy sell. Given the growing popularity of ebooks, I figured it made sense to release FIVE UNEASY PIECES on my own as an ebook.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

I got the idea for the first story, "Deadly Detour," while reading Dashiell Hammett's "Continental Op" short stories, so he was an influence. I've also particularly enjoyed some of the Akashic Books Noir Series of anthologies. Another collection I particularly liked was A HELL OF A WOMAN, the anthology of female noir. Among my favorite short story writers in the crime fiction genre are Loren Estelman, Donna Moore, Christa Faust and Ken Bruen. A totally random selection, but generally representative of my preferences.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Five-Uneasy-Pieces-ebook/dp/B003URRSQE