In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
This week, we’re welcoming Avram Lavinsky for the first post in a series celebrating the latest music-themed anthology from editor Josh Pachter: Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead, coming out next week from Down and Out Books. Lavinsky’s story, “Lady with a Fan,” appears alongside short fiction by contributors including (from the promotional copy) “award winners Bruce Robert Coffin, James D.F. Hannah, Vinnie Hansen, James L’Etoile, G.M. Malliet, Twist Phelan, Faye Snowden, and Joseph S. Walker. Also on board are Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine editor Linda Landrigan (with her first published story!), married couple Kathryn O’Sullivan and Paul Awad, Flemish writer Dominique Biebau, David Avallone (son of the legendary crime writer Michael Avallone), and more.”
I’m particularly pleased to be starting the series with Avram’s essay for two reasons.
First, he’s a terrific short story writer. Not only has he earned high acclaim for his published work, including having stories selected for both Best New England Crime Stories 2022 and The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2023, but behind the scenes he’s a consummate craftsman; I was fortunate recently to read a couple of drafts-in-progress of a story he’s recently finished, and I marveled at his willingness to make big changes draft to draft while also maintaining intense attention to detail on finer points too.
Second, and not unrelated, Avram’s essay below offers a glimpse at the editing process—specifically the relationship between a writer and an editor, including an email exchange between Avram and Josh Pachter.
I hope you’ll enjoy Avram’s essay below—and check out the full anthology. All the buy links are available at the Down & Out site or check in with your local bookseller too, of course!
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
Lavinsky-Lady-With-A-Fan
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Having made some big cuts to my own story as a result of Josh’s editing, I found it comforting to read about your process, Avram, and to know I wasn’t alone. Thanks!