Hi. Barb here and today in my capacity as a co-editor at Level Best Books, along with my fellow editors Mark Ammons, Katherine Fast and Leslie Wheeler.

Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon

First of all, if you haven’t read Blood Moon, what are you waiting for?  We’ve had some fantastic reviews.

“They say the book contains the ‘Best New England Crime Stories,’ and they aren’t just bragging. It’s a fine, wide-ranging anthology with everything from noir to humor.”

Bill Crider
Mystery Scene Magazine

Blood Moon is a great winter getaway…that will deliver through many a chilly evening.”

Rae Francoeur
Cape Ann Beacon

“It seems impossible, given the high quality of last year’s compilation, but 2013 is a banner year for the short story writers of Blood Moon.”

Christine Zibas
Reviewing the Evidence

Sheila Connolly

If you click through and read the reviews, you’ll see they all praise different stories, something that I find fascinating as an editor.

In addition to the reviews, three stories in Blood Moon have been nominated for awards.

Sheila Connolly‘s story “Kept in the Dark” has been nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Short Story

Mo Walsh

Peggy McFarland

Peggy McFarland and Mo Walsh‘s stories, “A Regular Story” and “Double Wedding,” respectively, are finalists for Derringer Awards for Best Long Story.

Their editors are hoping for a tie!

You can order Blood Moon, or any of the other excellent anthologies from Level Best Books here.

Or, you can order it from Amazon in paperback here or for Kindle here.

Or you can order it from Barnes & Noble in paperback here or for Nook here.

Or your favorite independent bookstore or library can order it from Level Best here, or from Ingrams, here.

Whew!

Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold

But enough resting on laurels for last year. Level Best is accepting submissions for our next anthology, Stone Cold until April 30. So if you’ve been fooling around with an idea, now is the time to get serious.

We seek stories up to 5000 words in any genre–mystery, suspense, caper, literary, humor, paranormal, romance, etc., as long as they include a crime. Every year we publish authors who range from multi-published novelists to first-timers.

To submit to Level Best, authors must live in one of the six New England states. Detailed submission requirements are here.

New England authors are encouraged to cross submit to the Al Blanchard Award contest.

If you live outside New England, don’t despair. You can still submit to the Al Blanchard Award, sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.

Detailed submission requirements for the Al Blanchard Award are here.

And don’t forget about our photo contest.

You could see your photo on one of our gorgeous covers.

Level Best Books is now accepting photograph entries for the cover of this year’s anthology entitled Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold. The winner receives $100, a free copy of the anthology, and a photo credit in the book.

Detailed submission guidelines are here.

However you join us–as a reader, writer or photographer, Level Best Books hopes to see you soon.