STORY COLLECTIBLE PROFILE
Contingent on Death — Grand Prize Winner
By L. A. Starks
COLLECTIBLE PREVIEW
Front & Back Card Images
These preview images show the current story collectible design associated with this title.
About the Story
Hard-boiled mysteries in the style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett and current-day Dallas-Fort Worth hiking trails form the inspirations for “Contingent on Death.” Unexpectedly desperately short of cash, the protagonist, a private investigator, reluctantly takes on Erica as a client, despite his concern about Erica’s homicidal wishes. The private investigator’s motivation increases as he learns that Erica’s target has, in fact, slyly targeted him. Set in the Texas world of barbecue, real estate, multi-million-dollar deals, obscure trails, and family tragedy.
- Author
- L. A. Starks
- Genre
- suspense / mystery
- Publication / Creation Year
- 2026
- Publication
- 11th Annual Short Stories by Texas Authors anthology
- Volume / Edition
- Not provided
- Story Position
- 8
- Approx. Word Count
- 4400
- Registry Number Range
- LC-SSCD-001 – LC-SSCD-050
AUTHOR'S PURPOSE
Why This Story Was Written
While developing character arcs and backstories for my books, I typically write much more about an individual character than what can reasonably fit into an action thriller. Writing a short story like Contingent on Death allows me to focus deeply on characters and explain how they came to be who they are.
STORY AT A GLANCE
Premise & Themes
Central premise or conflict: Revenge over personal & business attacks
Primary themes: betrayal and its consquences
Why it is memorable: I drew from my own urban hikes and running routes in developing the settings. I bring an understanding of the potential for high-stakes financial and technological crime to my writing from other experience and research.
- Emotional Tone
- Suspenseful
- Setting
- DFW area, current time
- Main Character / Central Figure
- Erica, the client
READER INFORMATION
Reading Notes
Content notice: This is a short story for adults. It references violence, drug addiction, and a dead body. It contains swearing and mild sexual activity.
Where readers can access the story outside the anthology: n/a--is only in anthology at this time
COLLECTIBLE DEVELOPMENT
Visual Direction
Representative scene: Man & woman, platonic, on hiking trail
Important visual elements: The man is fit, in his late 30s or early 40s, wearing jeans, a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and hiking boots. The woman--who is in a discussion with him as a potential client, NOT a romantic interest--is brunette, late 30s, wearing Bruno Cucinelli (or similar) low-heeled Chelsea boots. Except for her boots, she otherwise has appropriate hiking clothes: a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. They are going up or down a trail, surrounded by trees and bushes, but with a view in the distance of a lake.
Items to avoid: Would prefer no specific place names in the illustration.
- Artwork Exists
- No
- Artist / Designer
- N/A
- Preferred Style
- Cinematic