Chapter 1
Introduction
Most readers of crime fiction anthologies skip over the introduction to get to the good stuff. Who can blame them? Not when there is mystery, mayhem, and murder in the pages that follow. Heck, even if it were only general mopery that followed, most would still gleefully jump over the introduction.
But not you.
You, my friend, are a smart one. And for that, I’m about to reward you with an insider’s tale that will make reading this anthology even more enjoyable.
But first, I need to tell you about the Hope.
The Hope
Years ago, I wrote a short story titled “Foolproof” that appeared in a local anthology, A Dead Night in Spokane. As part of my tale’s tapestry, my protagonist faced eviction from his apartment building due to a planned redevelopment. That building was the Hope Apartments.
I liked that story but loved the idea of the Hope as a hotbed of criminal activity. It was based on the Otis, a single-room-occupancy hotel built in the early twentieth century converted to low-income, non-subsidized housing. Only a few rooms on each floor had private bathrooms. The rest shared a restroom down the hallway.
As a police officer, I visited the Otis several times. It was not a pleasant place to go, and it seemed a tough place to live. When the building was sold shortly before the Great Recession, it was primed for redevelopment. Unfortunately, it sat vacant for more than a decade. I once toured the building in that empty and dilapidated state. It was an odd (and slightly scary) feeling to prowl those once-bustling corridors with nothing more protective than a flashlight. At that moment, I missed my gun and police radio.
The 509 Crime Stories is set in Eastern Washington. As that series has grown, I’ve kept coming back to the idea of the Hope. I wanted to do something meaningful with it. An occasional passing reference in one of my novels or short stories never felt enough.
The Hope was bigger than that. It wanted to stand by itself.
Then an idea hit me.
The Invitation
My perspective is skewed. That doesn’t take much introspection to understand since we all have biased viewpoints. It makes us individuals, and that’s okay. We need to embrace who we are so we can accept the differences of others.
I’ve spent most of my adult life in Eastern Washington. I try hard to see the world through the eyes of others, but it’s still a view I can only see through my own lens.
The proximity of so many together in the Hope made me think of people coming from outside the region. There had to be some living there who viewed the world radically different than their next-door neighbor. For a fleeting moment, I considered writing a book of short stories all told from various viewpoints. Then I realized there would be a better, more fun way to accomplish that goal. I would ask other authors to tell the stories of Hope residents.
Of course, the whole thing seemed an excellent excuse to have some of my friends come and visit my fictional playground of the 509. I invited several, and they jumped immediately. Many had participated in themed anthologies before and got what I was after. When these friends introduced me to other friends, I suddenly had a full slate of contributors.
However, there was one author who was a bit mercenary with his demands.
The Insider Tale I Promised
There was an author I desperately wanted to be part of this anthology—I won’t name names.
I’d met him at a writer conference, and we enjoyed a beer together. The guy is one of the best storytellers I’ve had the pleasure to meet. He also had a unique life history that would bring a certain validity to the Hope.
However, he also carried a strange appreciation for Taylor Swift.
This author—I mentioned him being a mercenary type, didn’t I? Well, he listened to my anthology pitch then said he would participate if I did one thing.
“What’s the thing?” I asked.
“Say Taylor is better than Britney.”
You see, somewhere along the line, I made the ill-advised comment that I liked Ms. Spears better than his favorite and he wouldn’t let me live it down.
Did I want to say the Holy Spearit was less than Tay-Tay? No. Not at all. But an editor must occasionally do an awful thing to appease the artists he works with. So, I said, “Taylor Swift is better than Britney Spears.”
Now, I’m not going to name names, but I’m glad I did it. You see, this unnamed author brought along his writing partner, Tom Pitts, and contributed one heck of a great story.
Am I sorry I threw Britney under the bus for the greater good of the anthology? Yes, for sure. But in her defense, I offer this vital insight—while those two might be the peanut butter and jelly of crime fiction, I got to write the final story in this anthology.
And that’s your reward for reading this introduction.
You’re an insider now.
Enjoy the book!
Colin Conway
May 2021
Spokane, Washington
