My Deal Me In deck turned up hearts this week, and hearts means Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt, author of the phenomenal PRIDE’S CHILDREN. Only one book of the trilogy has been published, and I can’t wait for the second and third, but book one stands on its own. Buy it. You’re welcome.
Alicia has free stories on her website, which is where I read my story for the week:
Princeton’s Dancing Child
a mystery by
Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt
A recently appointed college museum director faces challenges to her authority and competence, which come to a head when a Degas is stolen from the college collection.
Alicia faced woman-in-“a-man’s-field” challenges of her own, so she knows what she’s writing about. I like it that there are also generational, workplace, and native/newcomer conflicts, as well.
I’m sorry to say that this story is not up the standard Alicia set in PRIDE’S CHILDREN, but that’s a tough standard to reach. It’s an excellent short mystery.
A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Write about being in a place or a job in which you or a character are (or is) made to feel out-of-place.
MA
Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt
March 18, 2019 at 10:26pmThanks, Marian. This one was my first published story, in a Sisters in Crime Central Jersey anthology – Crime Scene New Jersey, edited by Elaine Togneri – many, many years ago when I was still a mystery writer in my mind.
I own four of the last remaining copies of this anthology, published in 2005 (long before my standards were mature).
It’s one of those stories which just has to stay frozen in time, especially for now, and it is one of my very first stories plotted with Dramatica.
I have cover notes, and drawings, and photos – the faux Degas will be the cover – and no time.
Marian Allen
March 19, 2019 at 8:28amI loved it that she instantly spotted the wrongness, but attributed it to the paint, because of course the picture was fine. That is such an Ehrhardt touch!