From the rock star in his fairytale Gothic mansion in Central London whose neighbour plans a double basement excavation, to the retiree in a fisherman's cottage in the northeast of England whose neighbour tells lies to a court to acquire the back garden that is not theirs: we are plagued by bad neighbours.

One recent article in the Daily Telegraph Online which reported the trauma caused by at best inconsiderate, but at worst criminal, neighbours accumulated five hundred registered comments within half an hour of being published.

It does not take a crime writer to know that a plague of bottom-feeders calls for an exterminator. But it does take the creatively criminal-minded to come up with the bestest plan ever...

Such is the inspiration for "Death of a Bad Neighbour: Revenge is Criminal" - an anthology of all-new crime and mystery stories.


Incidentally, the rock star is Jimmy Page, he of Led Zeppelin fame. His expansive neighbour is Robbie Williams, some crooner or other. And the original suggestion for an anthology came from Carter Blakelaw who was mid-discussion of his story "Tinnitus" at the time (please don't use "Tinnitus" as a story title. Now it will sound second-hand).

I can send you author and/or reader reminders and updates about the anthology, and my progress in compiling and shaping it:




So, I'm after around 20 short crime or mystery stories to fit the Death of a Bad Neighbour theme, 2,000 to 5,000 words (you're the best judge of the sweet spot length of the story you tell), paying U.S. 10 cents a word for first English language text (eBook and print) and audio publication rights (exclusivity of these rights reverts to the author 12 months after publication or 18 months after the submission deadline, whichever is sooner, and waived for Best Of collections). The submission deadline is October 31^st 2021. Accept/reject decisions during December, if not before. Payment on acceptance.

Target publication date is April 2022. The anthology will be available 'from all good bookstores' in eBook and in print. Audio is scheduled to follow in July 2022. The anthology will remain in print, eBook and in audio indefinitely and a royalty will be paid pro rata by word count on each sale from the very first sale (approximately 0.75 per cent of net receipts per 1000 words after the distributor & store have taken their cut; this estimate depends on the final length of the anthology — these numbers are indicative only; I reserve the right to choose the distributor(s) and outlets and set cover price(s)).

One submission only per author. No simultaneous submissions. Anything submitted outside the October 2021 window will be ignored.


I'm not looking for extreme violence, nor explicit sex, nor strong language unless the story absolutely demands strong language. Nor is the anthology to be a collection of biter-bit tales. Think of it as on the tart side of cozy — not least because any act of revenge is going to be morally ambiguous. Beware that events or characters must bear no resemblance to real life events or characters (you will have to warrant this to be true to the best of your knowledge & belief in the contract). However, if you know what this hell is like, you can certainly share that feeling. Humour? Make me smile. Genre – SF, F, Romance or H? Maybe, but that's not the main kick my readers will be reading for, and I must satisfy them. Literary? Admittedly more of a challenge — just bring stories with a bit of zest to my crime theme!

You are invited to think of the theme metaphorically as well: The Good Samaritan was a good neighbour, Hitler a bad one, and a deathwatch beetle that keeps you awake at night might turn out to be a mixed blessing. One of the tests for inclusion will be whether a reader who has suffered from a bad neighbour can connect to a story such as yours and find it elevating or cathartic, while a reader who has not so suffered might gain some feeling for what utter misery a bad neighbour drags in their wake. Whatever else, give your story a beating heart.

British English or US English? — use whatever English your story demands. Readers are sophisticated enough to understand the language that best fits a story. I will not be editing for any specific national or regional English usage.

How do I contact the editor with a question?
Email your questions to: faq-me _CURLY_A_ jackcalverley _SPOT_ com



Jack Calverley hosted and edited the CrimeCityCentral podcast which published one short crime or mystery story per week, in audio, continuously for just over two years. CrimeCityCentral was a sister podcast to the Hugo Award-winning StarShipSofa and FarFetchedFables, both still produced by Tony C. Smith as part of The District of Wonders (NB Tony C. Smith is not connected in any way with this anthology). More recently, Jack has designed and published Carter Blakelaw's Top 100 Writing Tips book under the publishing flag of The Logic of Dreams.