A long time ago, I heard a Hollywood producer say that the use of 3-D in films is “the gadget that never dies”—it comes back into fashion every few years. The same could be said about short fiction: it may fall in and out of favor, but it can bring a particular pleasure to the reader that is distinct from the novel.
Writing short fiction also takes a different set of skills. Still, many novel writers not only try it, but thrive at it. Other authors use short fiction as their only method of storytelling.
Penz Sheluk recently curated the anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers, which features stories focused on desire, desperation, revenge, and retribution, with the premise: How far would you go to realize a dream?
The ITW has created a category dedicated to showcasing the best short stories each year at the ITW Thriller Awards. Winners are announced during ThrillerFest’s Award Banquets. Check out the list of nominated stories for 2025 here.
“Two things influenced the theme of this anthology,” recalls Penz Sheluk. “The first was watching, for the umpteenth time, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It’s the story of R.P. McMurphy, a convicted criminal who pleads insanity to avoid manual labor while in prison. Like most schemes, his insanity defense sounds good on the surface, but it’s quickly apparent that McMurphy is in a battle of wits that he will never win. Even so, he never stops trying, because McMurphy is not just a schemer; he’s the ultimate daydream believer. And we root for him because of it.
“I was still thinking about the film when the song Daydream Believer came on my local oldies radio station. That’s when it popped into my head. What about Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers? I jotted it down and went off to walk the dog.”
The idea may never have gone further, but her husband Mike found the note and said it was a great theme.
Next came the selection process: eighty stories submitted, and it fell on Penz Sheluk to cull them.
“The first ones I weed out will be those that don’t meet the theme or have excessive violence and/or bad language. And no werewolves. I really don’t get werewolves. The rest went into the ‘maybe’ list.
“Once I’ve culled the list down to about 35, I send the stories to my two editorial assistants, Amanda Capper and Andrea Adair-Tippins, and we work together to reach a shortlist. By this point, I’m imagining the stories working together, or not, as part of the collection. The one thing that never impacts my decision is the author’s name. The story is a fit. Or it isn’t.”
Penz Sheluk is also an accomplished novelist, but loves diving into short stories. “Short stories truly are putting the best words in the best order for the best outcome. There’s no room to dipsey doodle or add unnecessary details or descriptions. I think those of us who write novels can learn from that.”
The authors included in the anthology are Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, K.M. Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.
Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers features some stories with dark outcomes, but overall, it has humor and a lighter tone. There’s more hope than hopelessness. And it’s a great read before calling it a night.
