Stand-Alone Fiction
Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed: Bouchercon Anthology 2025 – Edited by Don Bruns
Twenty-four tales of mystery, crime, murder and the paranormal inspired by New Orleans!
Available in hardcover, paperback and e-book!
“Levees” is Kelli’s contribution to the 2025Bouchercon Anthology. It’s a testimony to her love of New Orleans and the indefatigable spirit and soul of its people.
The full list of contributors includes:
Jeff Ayers, Eric Beckstrom, Jayne Belmont, Don Bruns, Reef Farrel Coleman, Larry S. Evans II, Michael Ferreter, Barry Fulton, John Gilstrap, Heather Graham, Kerry Hammond, Smita Harish Jain, Jon Land, Robert Lopresti, D.P. Lyle, Jonathan Maberry, Tim Maleeny, J.M. Redmann, Liese Sherwood-Fabre, Clay Stafford, Kelli Stanley, Charles Todd, Gabriel Valjan, and Joseph S. Walker with a foreword by Ali Karim.
Tales of Murder, Music and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024, edited by Heather Graham
Winner of the 2025 Anthony Award for Best Anthology!
Twenty-four tales of Nashville-rooted music and crime! Available in hardcover, paperback or e-book.
“Folk Song” is Kelli’s contribution to the 2024 Bouchercon Anthology. It’s a highly-personal story based on they song lyrics her Kentucky-born father used to sing to her.
The full list of contributors includes:
Eric Beckstrom, Eric Beetner, Valerie (V.M.) Burns, Emily Carpenter, HC Chan, Michael Amos Cody, Tina deBellegarde, Mary Dutta, Michael Ferreter, Barry Fulton, Heather Graham, Rachel Howzell Hall and M.G. Hall, Sarah Zachrich Jeng, D.P. Lyle, Jenny Ramaley, Merrilee Robson, Peggy Rothschild, H.K. Slade, Clay Stafford, Kelli Stanley, JD Trafford, Mark Troy, Gabriel Valjan, and Erica Wright.
About Shattering Glass and Nasty Woman Press
Kelli founded Nasty Woman Press, the first non-profit publisher in the genre community, on November 9th, 2016. We released our first anthology, SHATTERING GLASS, on June 16th, 2020, to outstanding critical acclaim. Proceeds from the book are donated to Planned Parenthood.
Winner of the 2021 Anthony Award for Best Anthology!
Kelli and contributors Senator Barbara Boxer and Valerie Plame were interviewed by Alyssa Milano for her “Sorry, Not Sorry” podcast. Catch it here!
“Hysterical” is Kelli’s fictional contribution to SHATTERING GLASS. See if you recognize the story that inspired it.
The all-star line up for SHATTERING GLASS includes in alphabetical order:
Maria Alexander, Sandi Ault, Eric Beetner, Cara Black
Rhys Bowen, Senator Barbara Boxer, Dana Cameron
Joe Clifford, Angel Luis Colón, Joshua Corin, Allison A. Davis
Hallie Ephron, Danny Gardner, Alison Gaylin, Heather Graham
Rachel Howzell Hall, Charlaine Harris, Libby Fischer Hellman
Toni L.P. Kelner, Ellen Kirschman, Bette Golden Lamb
Anne Lamott, James L’Etoile, Jess Lourey, Seanan McGuire
Catriona McPherson, Travis Richardson, Kaira Rouda,
S.J. Rozan, Clea Simon, Alexandra Sokoloff, Josh Stallings
Kelli Stanley, Wendy Corsi Staub, Robin Stuart
Kate Thornton and Jacqueline Winspear
Unloaded: Crime Writers Writing Without Guns
Nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Anthology/Collection
For the first time, more than two dozen crime and mystery authors have joined together to use the strongest weapon at their disposal—words—in a call for reasonable gun control in the U.S.A. In this collection you get all the thrills and excitement you come to expect from a great crime story, but without any guns.
From best sellers and writing legends to the brightest stars of the next generation of crime writers, the twenty-five authors here have taken pen in hand to say enough is enough. Gun violence has got to stop and this is our way of speaking out—by showing that gun violence can be removed from the narrative, and maybe from our lives.
It’s not anti-gun, it’s pro-sanity. And above anything else, these are thrilling crime stories that will surprise and shock, thrill and chill—all without a gun in sight.
Proceeds from the sales of UNLOADED will benefit the nonprofit States United To Prevent Gun Violence (CeaseFireUSA.org)
Kelli’s story “The Escape” in UNLOADED is a feminist retelling of an ancient myth.
Washington Post article on the UNLOADED project.
“The 25 short stories in this thought-provoking theme anthology prove that clever crime writers can generate just as much mayhem, weirdness, and chills without the use of firearms.” —Publishers Weekly
Edited by Eric Beetner. Some of the contributors to UNLOADED include:
Eric Beetner
Joe Lansdale
Joyce Carol Oates
Reed Farrel Coleman
Joe Clifford
Alison Gaylin
Angel Luis Colón
Holly West
Hillary Davidson
Patricia Abbott
Keith Rawson
Thomas Pluck
Tom Pitts
Scoundrels: Tales of Greed, Murder and Financial Crime
Featuring stories by an all-star cast of bestselling and award-winning authors, SCOUNDRELS is a noirish anthology inspired by the contemporary financial crises, its victims and victimizers, and how some people will stop at nothing to protect their “assets”.
You’ll read stories of desperate grifters, brokers hedging big bets for the big take, schemers working the long con for the sure money, used car salesman with golden dreams and rusted hopes, crooked lawyers and bent clients, one percenters hustling for that last half-percent, kind-hearted killers and the lonely hearted who tell themselves any lie as the double down for the long count.
Edited by Gary Phillips, with stories by Reed Farrell Coleman, David Corbett, Eric Beetner, SJ Rozan, and more.
Kelli’s short story in SCOUNDRELS, “Survivor”, was partially inspired by “The Most Dangerous Game.” “Survivor” also marks the first piece of contemporary fiction Kelli has written or published.
Here’s an interview with Kelli from Down & Out Publishers about why she was proud to contribute to SCOUNDRELS and why she wrote “Survivor”:
Quick Hit Q&A: Kelli Stanley
Shaken: Stories for Japan
SHAKEN: STORIES FOR JAPAN is the brainchild of bestseller Timothy Hallinan and the first charity mystery anthology. Created in response to the horrific earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011, SHAKEN features stories from a wide range of award-winning and bestselling authors, tales that cross centuries and genres but which all touch upon Japan and its enduring culture.
The book is available only through Kindle, and all proceeds–including those usually received by Amazon–is contributed directly to the Japan Relief Fund.
Kelli’s contribution to SHAKEN is “Coolie”, a story set in San Francisco on April 18th, 1906 … in the immediate aftermath of the Great Quake and Fire.
Contributors include Brett Battles, Cara Black, Vicki Doudera, Dianne Emley, Dale Furutani, Timothy Hallinan, Stefan Hammond, Rosemary Harris, Naomi Hirahara, Wendy Hornsby, Ken Kuhlken, Debbi Mack, Adrian McKinty, I.J. Parker, Gary Phillips, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Jeffrey Siger, Kelli Stanley, C.J. West, and Jeri Westerson.
Linking the stories are haiku by the 17th-century master Basho, translated by Jane Reichhold, and Issa, translated by David Lanoue. Both translators also donated their work.