DaCosta Story in "Minnesota Not So Nice"

 

Barbara DaCosta's latest short story, "Mary, Marry, Merry" appears in the entertaining anthology Minnesota Not so Nice: Eighteen Tales of Bad Behavior from the Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime.

by Barbara Merritt Deese (Editor), Pat Dennis (Editor), Michael Mallory (Editor), Timya Owen (Editor)

2021 Silver Falchion Award Finalist for Best Short Story Collection presented by the Killer Nashville International Writers' Conference

Minnesota Not So Nice is a collection of eighteen short stories written by local Minnesota authors. We poke holes in the legendary "Minnesota Nice" to expose the darker side of our great land of 10,000 lakes.

When "Minnesota Nice" flies out the window, Bad Behavior takes center stage. The Twin Cities Chapter of Sisters in Crime explores what defines the legendary "Minnesota Nice" and why Bad Behavior sometimes has its own rewards in their latest mystery anthology. Eighteen tales of Bad Behavior from some of Minnesota's best crime fiction authors.

DaCosta New Story Published

"As the Number 18 bus pulled up, Terrence stuck his weather-beaten hands back into his pockets to warm them for a brief moment. He hated panhandling, but with a bum back and bum eye, there wasn't much work he could get."

In this story, "For Want of Some Gloves," I tackle the layers of honesty,  thievery, and assumptions that so easily can creep into our lives. The story appears in Why Did Santa Leave a Body, a collection of holiday season mysteries now available from North Star Press. Edited by Brian Landon, the book also features stories by Jessie Chandler, Michael Allan Mallory, Brian Landon, Camille Hyytinen, Joan Murphy Pride, Dennis Anderson, Kathleen Lindstrom, J. Henry, T.J. Roth, and Marlene Chabot. ---Barbara DaCosta

Eighth Annual Write of Spring

I'll be appearing along with more than 50 Minnesota mystery authors at Write of Spring, Once Upon a Crime's annual celebration! Saturday, March 20th, 12-4 pm, 604 West 26th Street (off Lyndale Avenue South). Here's the schedule:

12:00 • Joel Arnold, Judith Yates Borger, Laura Childs, Katie DeCosse, Pete Hautman, Monica Ferris, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Priscilla Herbison, Kathleen Hills, William Kent Krueger, Jackie Maher, David Oppegaard, Deborah Woodworth 

1:00 • Carl Brookins, Gary Bush, Jan Dunlap, Margaret Frazer, Brian Freeman, Ellen Hart, Jenifer LeClair, Victoria Houston, Camille Hyytinen, Andrea Sisco, Beth Solheim, Roger Stelljes, Richard Thompson 

2:00 • Barbara DaCosta, Pat Dennis, Barbara Fister, Steve Horwitz, David Housewright, Chuck Logan, Larry Millett, Julie Schaper, Rick Shefchik, Anthony Neil Smith, Steve Thayer, Christopher Valen, Lance Zarimba  

3:00 • KJ Erickson, William Fietzer, Lois Greiman, Judith Koll Healey, Dean Hovey, Julie Kramer, Michael Allan Mallory, Sujata Massey, Scott Pearson, Susan Runholt, Marilyn Victor, JP White

New Crime Anthology Honors Bookstore

"Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem, and Suspense is a perfect name for a new anthology of short stories by some of Minnesota's best-known crime/mystery writers, as well as a few from outside the region. The book is a tribute to Minneapolis-based Once Upon a Crime bookstore and its owners, the husband-wife team of Gary Shulze and Pat Frovarp. Their little store...which routinely hosts readings by some of the nation's top-selling writers, was just voted Favorite Mystery Bookstore in the country by Crimespree magazine. Once Upon a Crime—the book—was born several years ago when Shulze was hospitalized with leukemia, according to Gary R. Bush, a Minneapolis author who co-edited the anthology with Chris Everheart.

'Putting this book together was a labor of love,' said Bush, who writes books for children, young adults and adults. 'Pat and Gary have been so good to us and other authors, we wanted to honor them. They don't care whether you are a beginner or have had 30 books published. They will treat you equally, with respect, and push your books. They're kind and encouraging.' " Featured authors are Everheart and Bush, Stanley Trollip (who writes with Michael Sears as Michael Stanley), Maureen Fischer, Anne Frasier, Pat Dennis, Terri Persons, Sujata Massey, William Kent Krueger, David Housewright, Lois Greiman, Pete Hautman, Ken Bruen and Marilyn Victor. Launch party for "Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem, and Suspense" 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27th at Once Upon a Crime, 604 W. 26th St., Minneapolis (612-870-3785). See Mary Ann Grossman's full article in the Pioneer Press.

Sixth Annual Write of Spring Event 2008

When the snow and ice begin to melt every March, one of the Twin Cities' favorite independent bookstores, Once Upon a Crime goes wild and invites almost every single mystery writer in the area to the store for the annual Write of Spring event. This year, I'll be appearing for the first time, along with such luminaries as Robert Alexander, R.D. Zimmerman, Pete Hautman, Mary Logue, Laura Childs, Monica Ferris, David Housewright, William Kent Krueger, Gary Bush, Ellen Hart, Carl Brookins, Sujata Massey, Lori Lake, and many other writers who've helped put Minnesota on the mystery map!

Write of Spring is Saturday, March 22, from 12 noon till 4 p.m. Come meet your favorite writers—see their site for schedule!

Once Upon a Crime is located at 604 West 26th Street (just east of Lyndale Av. S.), lower level of apartment building.
612-870-3785

"Cabin 6" —A Story of Love, Obsession—and Murder

The vast, northern Lake Superior is a mysterious place that harbors many secrets under its frigid waters, and in the many whispered confessions of the people who journey to its shorelines. As the waves crash and crash upon the rocky shoreline, a lone figure is seen leaving Cabin 6....

"Cabin 6," a tale of love, obsession, and murder, will appear in Resort to Murder, an anthology scheduled to be released this fall by Nodin Press. This anthology is a follow-up to the wildly successful Silence of the Loons and edited by well-known Minnesota mystery authors Ellen Hart, William Kent Krueger, and Carl Brookins, Resort to Murder features mystery stories set against the backdrop of Minnesota's perennial favorite vacation spots.
"Cabin 6" is the mystery debut of Barbara DaCosta, a Minneapolis-based writer. She is at work on her first novel, Death by the Depot.

Resort to Murder's First Review

Resort to Murder has been reviewed in the prestigious Publishers' Weekly. Here's what they had to say: "The Minnesota Crime Wave’s entertaining second volume of short stories from Minnesota writers (after 2005’s The Silence of the Loons) introduces some promising talent to a wider audience." Click here and then scroll down to "mysteries" for the complete review.

Resort to Murder

"Thirteen More Tales of Mystery by Minnesota's Premier Writers"

Here's a sneak preview of the Resort to Murder cover. The anthology features writers William Kent Krueger, Jess Lourey, Ellen Hart, David Housewright, Scott Pearson, Pat Dennis, Carl Brookins, Joel Arnold, Deborah Woodworth, Barbara DaCosta (featuring my story "Cabin 6"), Michael Mallory, Moira Harris, and Judith Yates Borger, with an introduction by author Lorna Landvik, and published by Nodin Press. Look for it in your stores soon!