Miranda Jewess
Miranda Jewess is a book editor located in the United Kingdom. She is best known in publishing as the editor of the anthology,
Afraid of the Christmas Lights. In her career, Jewess has worked for Serpent's Tail and their crime import, Viper.
Jewess got her start in editing after her mother wrote a book and asked her to proofread it. She had been looking into other careers before this, but found editing to be far more enjoyable and decided to pursue it. She took a graduate traineeship at a small history press, which got her started. In her career, she reads many submissions and tries to buy the ones that she loves. Viper is dedicated to publishing crime and thriller fiction with a strong mystery at the heart.
Afraid of the Christmas Lights is a collection of festive short stories from some of the biggest stars in crime fiction. All of the stories take place around the holidays. The stories range in tone from dark to offbeat to black humour. The anthology features not one but two short stories nominated for the CWA Short Story Dagger. They were
A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas by Robert Scragg and
Hunted by Victoria Selman.
The anthology featured some of the biggest names in fiction, including Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, T.E. Kinsey, and Sophie Hannah. However, this was not done for profit, as all author royalties from this anthology were donated to two charities: East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services and Rights of Women.
Afraid Of The Christmas Lights was very well received upon its release, with reviewers praising the selection of stories. There is something for everyone in this anthology, and it makes an excellent option for those who are looking for something different than the feel-good Christmas stories that are found at that time of year.