Three Strikes–You’re Dead! with Guest Barb Goffman #giveaway

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Elaine Naiman is the winner of Barb’s giveaway. Watch for an email from Barb!

Sherry — I’m enjoying the sunny, summer days!

I’m delighted to welcome back Barb Goffman, my independent editor and dear friend. Look for a giveaway at the end of the post!

Barb: Thanks to the Wickeds for inviting me today to talk about Three Strikes—You’re Dead! This sports/crime anthology came out at the end of April from Wildside Press. Anyone who knows me might be surprised to hear I co-edited an anthology mixing crime and sports. The crime part, that they’ll believe. But sports …

Nonetheless, it’s true. But have no fear, dear reader. I don’t have to be a jock to have helped our authors make their sports-oriented stories as good as they could be. If there was something I didn’t know, I had aficionados I could (and did) consult.

But one thing I like to think I have expertise on is identifying what makes a story special. And each of the stories in Three Strikes—You’re Dead! does indeed have a special quality. Just like every team has its stars, every story in this book has its stand-out elements. Here is what I think makes each story particularly worth reading. I’ll address the stories in the order they appear in the book.

“Murder at Home” by Alan Orloff—Alan’s writing style and choice of words put the reader right in the stands at a Major League baseball game while the pennant is on the line. You can practically hear the crowd roar, smell the players’ sweat, and feel their muscles pumping.

“Run For Your Life” by Smita Harish Jain—Smita alternates between scenes set during the Boston Marathon and scenes leading up to the race. A murderous plan has been hatched, and with every new scene, the suspense is ratcheted up even more.

“The Ultimate Bounty Hunter” by Sherry Harris—Sherry’s humor shines through in a story involving ultimate Frisbee and a bounty hunter who learned the tools of her trade by reading Stephanie Plum novels.

“Punch-Drunk” by William Ade—In this 1960s boxing tale, Bill’s spot-on voice for the New York City police detective looking into the death of the world heavyweight champ will lure readers in for the count.

“Running Interference” by Kathryn Prater Bomey—Kathryn’s behind-the-scenes look at a high school marching band expertly brings that world to life, showing that competition at a football game isn’t limited to when the ball is in play.

“Double Fault” by Adam Meyer—Tennis is a game with a lot of back-and-forth, but the subtextual sparring between the players is where Adam’s story shines.

“Of Mice and (Murdered) Men” by Rosalie Spielman—Rosalie’s story involving high school baseball and a shapeshifting student is straight out fun with a great voice.

“Eight Seconds to Live” by Robin Templeton—Robin vividly portrays the world of bull riding. Even if you’ve never been to the rodeo, you’ll feel like you have a seat in the stands.

“Off the Beaten Trail” by Maddi Davidson—In this thriller story about a kidnapped biathlon competitor, Maddi excels at bringing the action to life.

“Race to the Bottom” by Shannon Taft—Shannon’s story about zorbing has fun and amusing dialogue. “Your uncle’s re-election is in danger […] and your plan is for people to pay us to treat them like rodents?”

“Cui Bono” by F. J. Talley—F. J.’s story involving doping in minor-league baseball features an intelligent and dogged PI. Watching him figure things out is satisfying indeed.

“The Last Lap Goodbye” by Lynne Ewing—Lynne’s twisty story involving collegiate swimmers is full of drama and reads like a homage to the movies Lifetime is famous for.

“A Matter of Trust” by Barb Goffman—This is my own story, so talking about its best part feels awkward, but here goes. This is a tale about a man who becomes addicted to jelly donuts while he is supposed to be cycling for his health. I’m especially pleased by how the character comes alive on the page though his dialogue and thoughts.

“And Now, an Inspiring Story of Tragedy Overcome” by Joseph S. Walker—The writing in Joe’s figure-skating story sings with wit and humanity, and the detail will make you believe he knows firsthand about the problems of being a modern-day mobster, as well as the costs of raising an Olympian.

I hope I’ve enticed you to want to read these stories mixing crime and sports. This anthology, edited by Donna Andrews, Marcia Talley, and me, is available in ebook and trade paperback formats. Three Strikes—You’re Dead! would make a great gift for the sports lover—and short story lover—in your life, and if you need a Father’s Day gift, this book could be a slam dunk.

 **Giveaway!**

Readers, do you have a favorite sport? Do you like reading short stories? If you’ve read Three Strikes—You’re Dead!, did you have a favorite story? Leave a comment and be entered to win an ebook version of this anthology.

Barb Goffman has been nominated for major crime-fiction short story awards forty-three times and has won the Agatha Award three times, the Macavity Award twice, and the Anthony Award and Ellery Queen Readers Award once each. She is this year’s recipient of the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer Award, which is the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s lifetime achievement award. Barb makes her living as a freelance editor, especially enjoying working on traditional and cozy mysteries. She’s an associate editor of Black Cat Weekly and has edited or co-edited fourteen published anthologies with two more forthcoming. Barb blogs every third Tuesday at www.SleuthSayers.org. Learn more at www.barbgoffman.com

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Published by Sherry Harris

Sherry Harris is the author of the Agatha Award nominated Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series and the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Mystery series.

50 Thoughts

  2. Basketball, football and baseball are my favorite sports.

    I read short stories but not with any kind of regularity. Usually, I read short stories that authors I am already a fan of at the time.

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    1. Well, we have three baseball stories that hopefully will interest you. You might become a fan of these authors, if you aren’t already. Thanks for commenting, Jay!

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  3. Congratulations, Barb! I have the anthology, but so far I’ve read only Sherry’s and your stories, which are fabulous (of course). I can’t wait to dive into the rest, especially the marathon one, since that’s a race I actually ran and completed many years ago.

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    1. Thanks for buying and diving into the anthology, Edith. And I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed Sherry’s story and mine too.

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  4. Congratulations, Barb and all the contributing authors!

    I’m not as much a sports enthusiast as I used to be. I follow my Pittsburgh Steelers, of course. And no surprise, I enjoy horse racing a LOT. I loved playing basketball when I was a kid, but I have no interest in watching it.

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    1. Thanks, Annette! I don’t watch a lot of sports either, but I do check out some of the summer and winter Olympics games.

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  5. Football and hockey (more women’s than men’s these days). Every 2 years I get Olympic fever. Enjoy short stories. Trying to read all the ones that were nominated for the Anthony and Macavity Awards.

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  6. Football and hockey (more women’s than men’s these days). Every 2 years I get Olympic fever. Enjoy short stories. Trying to read all the ones that were nominated for the Anthony and Macavity Awards.

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  7. My favorite sports to read about are baseball and golf. When it comes to watching sports its football and golf. I’ve even been to Augusta to watch the Amateur women’s tournament. What a gorgeous course. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com

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  8. Love short stories because life doesn’t always allow time for reading a full length book, but the need to read still exists. Although I’ve never been athletic in any form, I do love to watch and read about them. Gives one the experience of doing it through the written word. The closest I would come to doing, would have to be either swimming or roller skating and even in those I acquired my fair share of injuries.

    Congratulations on the release of “Three Strikes—You’re Dead”! Sounds like a fabulous read and is on my TBR list.

    Not entering the contest because I only read paperbacks out of need and I favor them any ways.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  9. Oh I LOVE anthologies and short stories! And the cover of this book is incredible, as are the teasers. Though…as a Torontonian I’m a Blue Jays fan so hope that doesn’t DQ me! Best of luck with it, will share.

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  10. Congratulations, Barb and contributors. Sounds like a delightful read!

    Not much of a sports fan these days, but I do love open wheel racing.

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  11. NASCAR is my favorite sport and I follow baseball and football.
    Book sounds and looks like a really great read
    Would love to read book 📘 in print format, love the book title and book 📘 cover
    Author is new to me so looking forward to reading this book 📘 and others from this author

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  12. Football is my main one, though the last few years and my own health issues, have diminished my enjoyment. I always knew that at every level from high school up, it was primarily a business. I am much more aware now, having had five concussions myself, what a toll the game takes on the human body and the lasting effects of that.

    I used to be a very good bowler and wish I had ignored my parents and pursued that competitively. I could hit the low 200s with no practice and without bowling for months on end.

    Also like baseball, basketball, NASCAR, etc. Don’t care much for tennis, pickleball, and golf.

    And anyone who reads my reviews, knows I dig short stories.

    Very much dig the cover. Not happy with Amazon as they don’t make it easy to find and still do not have the print and eBook versions linked together as they should be.

    By the way, for those interested, the last April SMFS news post featuring our members, including Barb, can be found at https://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2024/04/smfs-members-published-in-three.html

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    1. I think the highest bowling score I ever got was a little over 100, and I was quite happy with that. It was a fluke. Thanks for stopping by, Kevin, and for your promotion of the anthology.

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  13. Congratulations, Barb. This sounds like a fantastic anthology. I grew up watching mostly hockey and baseball. Now I do follow football. But my ability to get invested just isn’t what it used to be. Strike that: I still can get invested. But I’ve made a decision not to be. Too much heartbreak when the results don’t match expectations!

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  14. I enjoy watching and following baseball, especially the Boston Red Sox! I do read some short stories and novellas.

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  15. I’m looking forward to reading this book in the next week or so. (So no need to enter me in the giveaway.) The teasers made me even more anxious to read it.

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  17. When it comes to short stories, I usually only read ones by favorite authors, but will read others in a compilation or anthology. As for sports, I used to be a huge fan of most sports, but have become fairly disillusioned with the whole business. I can discuss them intelligently, but rarely watch any more and on those rare occasions when I do, I am generally doing something else, like reading, cooking or whatever. I do however enjoy the Olympics, both summer and winter games.

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  18. Welcome to the Wickeds, Other Barb. I am more about the spectacle of sports than the actual game. Give me a Super Bowl party or a night out at Fenway Park. I do love short stories. I haven’t read this collection yet, but I will!

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  19. Thanks Barb, nice post. But, I don’t think I could call out a ‘best’ story in this Anthology, I was really invested in most all of them. The sports theme really added a great dimension! Robb

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  20. Planning to buy for my competitive son for Father’s Day after your columns highlights, Barb. Would love to won an eReader copy for myself. Beth

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  21. I love short stories. My favorite sports are football and baseball. Thank you for this chance.

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  24. I’m a life-long sports enthusiast, having been taught to play tennis by mom, and play basketball by dad. The reason? I was reading under the covers with a flashlight at night, spending loads of time with books, books, books by day and they felt I needed to ‘get outside!’ I lettered in both sports in high school, and played other sports as an adult…right until I broke my knee a couple of years ago. Now, I just watch sports on TV and attend live events. And continue to read until the lights go out. 🙂 The anthology sounds perfect!

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    1. We were similar as kids. I loved rainy days because I didn’t feel any guilt at not playing outside. I could stay inside happily and read. Anyway, I hope you’ll check out the book, Patti. I think you’ll love it.

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