Every Day a Little Death

The Drama Book Shop presents, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications, “Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim,” a talkback, signing, and live podcast recording with the editor and many of the authors.

About the Book

Releasing on the ninety-fifth anniversary of Stephen Sondheim’s birth, Every Day a Little Death will be the eighth volume in editor Josh Pachter’s award-winning “inspired by” anthology series, following collections inspired by the songs of Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, the Beatles, and the Grateful Dead … and the films of the Marx Brothers.

The book will feature twenty short crime stories, each inspired by a song from one of Sondheim’s twenty musicals (including the made-for-TV Evening Primrose and the final show, Here We Are). The contributors are a mix of established crime writers and members of the theater community who are tackling crime fiction for the first time, and the resulting stories seamlessly blend crime fiction with Sondheimian themes (and include a wealth of Easter eggs for those intimately familiar with Sondheim’s work to discover).

The stories include

Saturday Night: Michael Portantiere, “Class”

West Side Story: John Copenhaver, “Tonight”

Gypsy: Jeffrey Marks, “Together, Wherever We Go”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Marcia Talley, “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid”

Anyone Can Whistle: Lisa Nanni-Messegee, “There Won’t Be Trumpets”

Do I Hear a Waltz?: Joseph S. Walker, “Bargaining”

Evening Primrose: Jeffrey Sweet, “If You Can Find Me, I’m Here”

Company: Brian Cox, “Being Alive”

Follies: Kristopher Zgorski, “Losing My Mind”

A Little Night Music: Josh Pachter, “Every Day a Little Death”

The Frogs: John M. Floyd, “I Love to Travel”

Pacific Overtures: David Spencer, “The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea”

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Joseph Goodrich, “No Place Like London”

Merrily We Roll Along: J.A. Hennrikus, “Not a Day Goes By”

Sunday in the Park With George: Fleur Bradley, “Sunday in the Park With George”

Into the Woods: Rebecca K. Jones, “Hello, Little Girl”

Assassins: Cheryl L. Davis, “Another National Anthem”

Passion: Gabriel Valjan, “I Read”

Road Show: Cheryl A. Head, “Brotherly Love”

Here We Are: Alison Louise Hubbard, “Only Just the End of the World”

About the Editor

Josh Pachter is the author of more than a hundred and thirty published short stories, the editor of some two dozen anthologies, and the translator of sixty short stories, five novels, and numerous volumes of nonfiction from Dutch to English. His work has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, Thriller, Macavity, and Derringer awards, and he was the 2020 recipient of the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement. A native New Yorker, he earned his BA and MA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and spent fifty years teaching at the university level before retiring in 2022. He lives in Richmond (VA) with his wife Laurie and continues teaching as a volunteer at two programs for seniors. In 1974, he cast the tie-breaking vote which resulted in Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins winning the Mystery Writers of America’s Best Motion Picture Edgar Award for their script for The Last of Sheila.

We kindly ask that you review the following information before reserving your spot:

Your Eventbrite ticket is your reservation for the event.

Please note that the purchase of Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim ($19.99) is required for entry.

Upon arrival, our team will direct you to the register to obtain your copy and complete your admission.

The store will begin welcoming guests at 7:15 pm.

Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

In case the event sells out, please email Events@Dramabookshop to be added to the Waiting List

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