Tag: short stories

Book Brief: Harry Danced Divinely

Harry Danced DivinelyHarry Danced Divinely
by Marian D. Schwartz
Genre: Literary Short Stories
Word count: 73, 606

There were some things Lillian Levinson couldn’t say, even to herself.

In the collected Giffort Street stories, you’ll enter seven gracious homes on an elm-lined street. You’ll meet the Stan and Adele Heussler, whose marriage begins to fall apart after they buy a magnificent antique bedroom set; Dale Kenway, who can’t tell anyone the reason he doesn’t want to be called a hero; Saul Penner, who realizes that the first neighbor he meets after he moves in is a bigot; the Danahy family, who are battling each other over the Vietnam War; and Bernice and Arnold Whittaker, who are unaware of how their trusted nanny is shaping their daughters’ lives. In the title story, Harry Danced Divinely, the lack of a tea bag makes an elderly Jewish woman decide to teach her spoiled adult son a shocking public lesson.

The stories Harry Danced Divinely, An Authentic Hero, Neighbors, and The Queen Anne Bedroom Set are exclusive to this book. A Perfect Nanny and the novella War Zone, which are available as singles, are also included.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Harry Danced Divinely”

Blue-Eyed Death

boston harbor sunset copyright ksbrooks 1997I left the doctor’s office completely numb. Once at the sidewalk, I took in a deep dose of Boston’s burnt, tinny air. The glass skyscrapers stretched up all around me. I had to blame someone, so I blamed the city.

Back at my office, I sat staring at my computer screen. All those years, working my way up to the top: none of that would help me now. My investment and retirement accounts were all useless. Retirement. Now that was a funny word.

I should quit my job and travel the world. That’s what people do, right? Some sort of bucket list thing – was that what I was supposed to put together? But I didn’t want a list of things. I wanted only one thing, and I’d wanted it all my life: to live in the wilderness. Life had gotten in the way of that dream. Pursuit of the almighty dollar and living comfortably had negated it. Maybe there was still time to find peace in the forest.

My entire body drooped with the realization that my whole life had probably been wasted. No wife, no children, no heirs, no legacy: what had I actually accomplished? Continue reading “Blue-Eyed Death”

Book Brief: Love Hurts

Love Hurts - Carol WyerLove Hurts
by Carol E. Wyer
Genre: Dark romance, short stories

Love does not always result in ‘happily ever after’. It is a powerful emotion that, in the hands of a damaged soul, can be all-consuming, dangerous and even lethal.

In this collection of five short stories—some dark, some light-hearted—written by award-winning author Carol E. Wyer, we discover what happens when love takes over.

Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions.

This book is available from Amazon and Smashwords. Continue reading “Book Brief: Love Hurts”

Book Brief: Stories of Genesis, Vol. 2

Stories of Genesis Vol 2Stories of Genesis, Vol. 2 (A new kind of fan fiction)
by Chris James
Genre of this Book: Literature
Word count: 26,000

Five more short stories inspired by lyrics in songs from the Greatest Rock Band in the World: Genesis

The Inversion Method. The Perenyites are the galaxy’s most rapacious species, who use the inversion method to eradicate all indigenous life from planets they need for colonisation. Then they arrive at Earth…

A Thought Spared for Providence. On 20 July 1944 a group of German officers, led by Claus von Stauffenberg, attempted to kill Hitler at his East Prussian headquarters, the Wolf’s Lair. They failed. But what if Stauffenberg had not hurried back to Berlin so quickly to lead the doomed coup?

From the Cellar. One man takes drastic action to survive the next European war.

Rise of the Hogweed. H. G. Wells meets Genesis as, in 1903, England has been under the Martian heel for a year, and only scattered groups of starving survivors remain. During a journey to look for others, one group of survivors comes across a healthy young man, called Montgomery. He takes them to the discredited vivisectionist Doctor Moreau, where they find much more than a new supply of food…

Secession. In the middle of this century, Prince George of Cambridge must resort to extreme measures to hold his kingdom together.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Stories of Genesis, Vol. 2”