Introduction
I was half-naked and vulnerable in a thin cotton hospital gown when my doctor entered the exam room and told me she was no longer prescribing birth control because it violated her religious beliefs. Nobody in her office bothered to tell me this before I undressed, so I was caught off balance and didn’t know how to respond. My doctor’s decision to put her religious beliefs ahead of her responsibilities as a healthcare professional rendered her incapable of providing me with the best possible medical care, and yet I let her conduct the exam anyway, a decision I regret to this day.
Unfortunately, this scene—and worse—plays itself out every day, not only in medical facilities, but in legislatures, all over the country. Women are regularly denied their right to sexual healthcare and those organizations that seek to preserve those rights are vilified, restricted, and at risk of losing essential funding. Like me, the publisher and the authors who contributed stories to Murder-A-Go-Go’s are passionate about protecting women’s affordable access to reproductive health services. To this end, we’ve agreed to donate the net proceeds from this volume to Planned Parenthood, a crucial provider of these services. We stand in solidarity with Planned Parenthood in fulfilling their vital role in advancing access to sexual health care and the defense of reproductive rights.
People are often surprised when I tell them this crime fiction anthology is inspired by the music of the Go-Go’s, but to me, it’s a natural fit. There’s no argument the Go-Go’s have produced some of the catchiest pop tunes of all time, but as the first all-female band to play their own instruments and write their own songs to hit number one on the Billboard charts, they broke important musical ground. Forty years later, their music still captures what it feels like to be young and female—a little wide-eyed and innocent, with an undercurrent of vulnerability, but tough and street smart at the same time. Beyond their effervescent sound, there’s a darkness underlying many of their lyrics and melodies, plenty to inspire murder and mayhem.
My sincere gratitude goes out to everyone involved with this project. To the Go-Go’s, especially Jane Wiedlin, who responded with an exuberant “hell yeah” when we asked her to contribute the foreword. To the authors whose stories appear in this book, thank you for donating your time and creative energy to this project. I’ve loved working with you and I’m grateful to call you friends. A special shout out goes to Craig Faustus Buck, who not only helped get Jane Wiedlin on board, but suggested the title for the anthology. Thanks to John K. Snyder III, who donated the book’s cover. And finally, my heartfelt thanks go to Eric Campbell, the publisher at Down & Out Books, who didn’t hesitate to say yes when I pitched this project to him. His enthusiasm for this anthology from the beginning was key in getting it off the ground.
I’m exceedingly proud of this collection. Thank you for reading it and supporting the cause.
Holly West
Editor