Wishing on the Moon with Judy Penz Sheluk

HALLIE EPHRON: It's such a good idea--an anthology of mystery and suspense stories linked by a common element: moonlight. That's the brainstorm behind MOONLIGHT & MISADVENTURE, a stellar anthology edited by Judy Penz Sheluk.

Today Judy is here to reveal what it is about moonlight that inspired her to put together the collection. She blames it entirely on her mother...

JUDY PENZ SHELUK: I was about twelve when I first met Virginia, the daughter of a friend of my parents. We were the same age, give or take a few months, but Virginia had this cool factor about her that I couldn’t begin to emulate. Where my hair was a wavy mass of frizz, Virginia’s locks were long and sleek, and while the time would come when I’d stand a good four inches above her petite five-foot-two frame, the time hadn’t come yet.

Last, but certainly not least, Virginia was a Funkenmariechen at the Toronto German Club, a fact my mother lorded over me after I’d given up both ballet and tap for lack of talent and desire.

I may have been a lot of things at twelve, but a masochist wasn’t one of them. The last thing I wanted to do was watch Virginia strut her stuff in a red velvet minidress and white lace-up boots to an adoring audience.

Anyway, it was at my parent’s cottage late one night, the adults playing cards at a nearby neighbor’s, when Virginia insisted that we go out and make a wish on the full moon. I remember it being hot and muggy, the air thick with mosquitoes, but the idea of making a wish overrode any thoughts of discomfort. Besides, you didn’t say no to Virginia. Or at least, I couldn’t.

For the wish to come true, Virginia had informed me, you had to stare at the full moon, then tap your right index and middle fingers against your left wrist while making your wish.

It went without saying that you couldn’t tell anyone your wish. Furthermore, she said, because it was a blue moon, we could each make a double wish. What finger tapping had to do with anything was beyond me, but of course I did it, and I’ve done it since, more times than I’m willing to admit.

What can I say? Having a wish come true is a bit like winning the lottery. You can’t win without a ticket, and your wish certainly won’t come true if you never wish it.

All of that and more came into my head has I tried to come up with an underlying theme for the third Superior Shores Anthology. Moonlight, I thought. But moonlight and what? Moonlight & Murder...too limiting. Moonlight & Mayhem...mayhem is so overdone. Moonlight & Misadventure...that had a nice ring to it.

As for what I wished that night, I suppose it’s okay to tell you now. I wished that I’d grow up to be a writer. Oh, and to be taller than Virginia.

Both came true. I’m pretty sure it’s all in the finger-tap.

Or maybe, it’s all in the believing. I’ll let you decide.

Readers: Have you ever wished on the full moon? Have any other moon superstitions (my mother was a firm believer you should NEVER see the full moon through glass (window or windshield). Very bad luck until the next full moon!

About Moonlight & Misadventure: Whether it’s vintage Hollywood, the Florida everglades, the Atlantic City boardwalk, or a farmhouse in Western Canada, the twenty authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “moonlight and misadventure” in their own inimitable style where only one thing is assured: Waxing, waning, gibbous, or full, the moon is always there, illuminating things better left in the dark.

Featuring stories by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, M.H. Callway, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, Robert Weibezahl, and Susan Jane Wright.

About Judy Penz Sheluk: A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans, Heartbreaks & Half-truths, and Moonlight & Misadventure, which she also edited. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime National, Toronto, and Guppy Chapters, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors. Find the Book: https://books2read.com/u/47NPkj