I'm not really a fan of "The Lady and the Sergeant." One problem is the word sergeant, which can mean too many things. Also, I'm afraid it makes me think of a '40s movie with Mae West. Random brainstorming: A Soldier's Lady. An Unsuitable Alliance. The Last Campaign. Anna's Honor. Anna's War. A Separate Truce.

Anna Get Your Gun

t thwaps P-C with the hero's bayonet to make him behave

Thanks, Ginger! I like A Soldier's Lady and Anna's War.

I suck at titles. I understand why "Friends" used titles like "The One With The New Apartment"

So, Tor has just purchased three future mystery anthologies from Mystery Writers of America. Of which, entre nous, I am a member in good standing.

They're soliciting stories from the MWA members only, between 3500 and 7000 words. Deadline is 15 December, which, if I choose to submit something, I can easily make (I work fast). The theme of the anthology is "mysterious relationships."

No idea what the pay is. Don't care. Idea is to get short fiction out there, as much as possible.

Question, as in, opinions: My immediate take is to stick with me usual crossover thing, a haunting, a crime, living to dead, solve the crime, set the ghost to rest.

Would that qualify as a "mysterious relationship"?

Or maybe in this case the ghost hangs around, so it's a continuing "relationship" like Dennis's with Cordelia. We have legends of bad sex with ghosts. Can there be good sex?

Doubt there'd be sex, because honestly, necrophilia? Ewwwww. Sex with dead people, corporeal or otherwise, not good in my stories.

The submission guidelines don't say word one about any particular definition of "relationhip" - it doesn't have to be a romantic one.

He or she (living person) would interact with the ghost, feel sympathy for it, maybe empathy, find the truth out behind the ghost's death.

Wondering if I should bother.

I understand ewww for necrophilia with a dead body. With a spirit, NSM. It could be I was overly influenced by my childhood love of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

Yeah, but that wasn't sex. Romantic yearning I get, but I don't write it.

There has to be a strong mystery element, which means a crime, which means said ghost died bloody, probably.

Deb, if you could do a quick story with or somehow related to Broomfield Hill, it would be a fabulous intro to the books for readers who haven't discovered them yet. If they'd let you do that.

And as for otherwise, yes, I'd say you could do it splendidly. I'm thinking of your Darla in Italy and your Ripper in London stuff. Change the names a bit, and there you are. Easy-peasy. Any pay would be okay, but it would be more name recognition and PR for the books.

That's just my take.

ETA: "Wish You Were Here"