This project was brought to my attention by a talented performer I’ve admired for over 15 years, Jer Adrianne Lelliott (She/They).

“Happy release day to Crime Hits Home! Edited by S.J. Rozan, this collection of crime fiction is narrated on Audible by a cast of heavyweights that I was lucky and humbled to join. Especially satisfying to narrate Renee James’ Stalking Adolph, a truly rad story about a Trans woman who confronts her bigoted stalker.”

Jer Adrianne Lelliott
 (She/They)

I LOVE a great crime story! And I am fascinated by the short-form world-building, character development, and mystery! This one became an easy choice to add today to keep me on my toes while I do chores in preparation for the weekend. And maybe take on my jog Saturday morning if there is anything left!

Crime Hits Home By: S.J. Rozan

• Narrated by: Marni Penning, Cindy Kay, Charles Constant, Bahni Turpin, Leon Nixon, Matt Godfrey, Jer Adrianne Lelliott, Jennifer Aquino, Reba Buhr, Charlie Kevin, Emily Woo Zeller, Jesse Vilinsky
• Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories

I asked Jer to talk about her experience on the project:

What makes this project unique or stand out from your other work experiences?

The sheer volume of contributors really sets this project apart. 20 writers are published in Crime Hits Home, a crime fiction anthology from Mystery Writers of America, and nearly as many narrators bring the text to life on Audible. The diversity of the authors’ backgrounds and experiences is refreshing, and extra care was given to pairing narrators consciously with writers to preserve the authenticity of their stories.

What do you hope audiences get from this piece or your inclusion in this project?

I had the honor of narrating Renee James’s Stalking Adolph, a short story about a Trans woman who creatively confronts her stalker. I hope that audiences are affected by the authenticity of the story. I hope that Trans listeners feel some catharsis through the ways James restores dignity and returns power to Trans women, and counters the transmisogyny that we experience. LGBTQ communities are under cultural and legislative attack, with more than 200 bills introduced this year targeting the 1.5 million Trans people living on record in the US. Trans women are a fixation in these attacks and it feels like we haven’t been able to do much hitting back. It was really nice to narrate the story of a woman who does.

What do you have coming out next??

Morgan Thomas has a beautiful book of short stories, Manywhere, about people across the gender spectrum living outside of binary narratives. The story I narrate, Bump, is about a stealth Trans woman who goes through the ritual of pregnancy after her coworkers incorrectly deduce that she is actually pregnant. Each of the nine stories is gorgeous, and I had the added pleasure of narrating an earlier draft of Bump for The Atlantic. I was really excited to narrate this one again, Thomas infuses their story with the experiences of a woman who is known to be Trans in many relationships but who moves through the world without being clocked. Her fears and risks are real, but she is a self-empowered woman who I find both affirming and inspiring.

Here are a few reviews that give ya idea of what the book is about:

I love mysteries, and one of the forms in which I like them is the short story. There is something wonderful in a well-written short; a whole world encapsulated in just a few pages, with a mystery described and solved. It follows that a good anthology of mystery short stories is a pleasure, and this one is very good, indeed.

Shoshana, via goodreads

…I enjoyed and appreciated the diversity and different perspectives of the main characters in each story, men and women, rich and poor, assassins and young people, people down on their luck, those struggling to make a decent life for themselves and their families, people of color and members of the queer community. Some of the stories were amusing, surprising, with a good twist here and there and likable characters despite how short the stories were…

Elaine, via goodreads

The newest MWA (Mystery Writers of America) anthology contains 20 stories that focus on home and what happens when crime invades these safe spaces. The stories range in tone from humourous to poignant to grim. In Naomi Hirahara’s “Grand Garden”, a young Nisei boy’s family home in a hidden garden in Pasadena is invaded by a bullying white classmate and his brothers with tragic results for both families. By contrast, in David Bart’s “The World’s Oldest Living Detective”, retired Albuquerque homicide detective/PI Ethan Brock is urged to using his sleuthing skills to find the retirement home’s missing cat Ripley. And in Walter Mosley’s “Not Exit,” developmentally disabled Tom Exit has been locked up on Riker’s Island for intervening when a woman was being mistreated by the police. His brutal journey through the penal system is highlighted.  Highly recommended.

Grace Koshida, via goodreads

See more HERE:

“The newest anthology from Mystery Writers of America explores the theme of home and the crimes that endanger it, with stories by Ellen Hart, Naomi Hirahara, Walter Mosley, Sara Paretsky and more.

Everyone comes from someplace. Everyone has somewhere they feel safe. Some people have found their home and are content where they are. Others feel trapped and yearn to go somewhere else. Many are somewhere else and yearn to go back. But evenin these safest of places, sometimes…crime hits home. What happens then?

In this volume, MWA brings together some of today’s biggest crime writers—and some of our most exciting new talents—to consider this question. Each writer has defined home as they see fit: a place, a group, a feeling. The crime can come from without or within. What happens when crime hits home?”

AND More About Jer:

Jer Adrianne Lelliott is a Senior Youth and Health Educator for LA County Department of Public Health, where she runs student wellbeing centers that provide sexual and mental health services on high school campuses. Ms. Lelliott is currently researching perinatal care for transmasculine and non-binary patients from communities of color at USC Rossier. They proudly serve as co-chair of fundraising at LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ candidates at every level of office. Jer Adrianne is the founder of Coeurage Ensemble, a narrator on Audible, and a “casual employee” of the New York Times.