Short Stories – Readers Alley

Category: Short Stories

Short Stories – Past, Present, Future

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Stories that Haunt

Short Stories

Published: April 9, 2021

Publisher: Manor House Publishing

These tales operate at three levels. First, the characters are all of “US.” Their stories are the One Human Story of struggling to live in this world. Dig deeper, and you’ll find the rich metaphor pointing toward truths about the way our species has evolved and why our permanent dominance of the Earth is a fiction that will not stand up to any real scrutiny. At their root, Dr. Ian Prattis has pointed out that “reality” is not action-over-time but it is simultaneity. These stories take their place with other great cultural myths as a shaman’s call to the central village fire asking us to listen, engage and imagine.

Note from the Author

I wrote this book PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE because I had to. My responsibility of holding the pen was a mere posture to place words in a sequence that would resonate in the reader’s mind. I had a sense of reciprocity about what I felt was necessary to heal the world from climate emergency and pandemic. The chapters play their part throughout as a sort of call and response meter that leans on kinship and community rather than corporate greed. The chapters become as seeds in the mind of the reader, so my work cannot be buried or lost. There is a strong emphasis on Indigenous Wisdom that pulls chapters together while displaying how easy it is to fall into destruction.

About the Author

Poet, Global Traveler, Founder of Friends for Peace, Guru in India, Zen teacher and Spiritual Warrior for planetary care, peace and social justice. Ian Prattis presently lives in Ottawa, Canada and encourages people to find their true nature, so that humanity and the planet may be renewed. He mostly stays local to help turn the tide in his home city so that good things begin to happen spontaneously. His poetry, memoirs, fiction, articles, blogs and podcasts appear in a wide range of venues. Beneath the polished urban facade remains a part of human nature that few acknowledge, because it is easier to deny the basic instincts that have kept us alive on an unforgiving earth. Prattis bravely goes there in his outstanding literary work. A stone tossed into the waters of life.

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Literary Short Stories – Jenny on the Street

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And Other Tales of Reverence and Revolution by a Very Young Man

Literary Fiction, Short Stories

Published: January 2021

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

“Dark and twisted a bit like Stephen King,” is how one reader recently described “Jenny on the Street: And Other Tales of Reverence and Revolution by a Very Young Man.”

A desperate young woman lost on the drug-infested streets of London, an insane revolutionary holding the devil in a jar, an indifferent truck driver forced to run over cats and a reverent grandmother looking for God in a rock. All of them are among the unforgettable characters inhabiting these 13 short stories set amidst the magic, majesty, mystery, and mayhem of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was a surreal era of extreme idealism, exaggerated exuberance, ferocious fearlessness, and foolish folly. A period in which the scent of change permeated every tree, town, and tent. A time, in other words, much like our own.

Excerpt

THE SUN’S TRUMPETER

Mornings you could see him from the boardwalk. See him, that is, if you happened to be up that early. A tiny, upright silhouette bathed by the endless orange of the sunrise over the sea. You couldn’t tell what he was doing all alone on the beach at that hour. Probably nothing, you’d think. Perhaps he was just walking. It’d make a nice photo; wish I had my camera, you’d think. And then you’d hurry on your way because it had been a wicked all-nighter and you were eager to get home for some much-needed sleep.

But long after you had gone, long after you lay dreaming comfortably in the mahogany bed next to your wife, the sad silhouette remained on the beach. Remained, outlined by the increasingly brilliant sunrise, like a stubborn matchstick in the corner of a fireplace refusing to be consumed by the fire it had kindled.

The first time Sean ever saw the gleaming trumpet, it had been sitting in the window of George’s Loan & Music Co. on King Street. The boy’s eyes had lit up, but he said nothing. Sean seldom did say anything. But it was enough to catch the attention of his grandfather, who stayed finely attuned to virtually any emotion that clawed its way to the surface of the young boy’s face. “Do you like that trumpet?” the old man asked. “Would you like to take it home?” As usual, nothing erupted from the boy’s mouth. But the light in his eyes seemed to flare for an instant, just long enough to spark a decision on his grandfather’s part. “Let’s go in,” he said. “Let’s take a look.” And that was the beginning of Sean’s obsession with the ancient trumpet someone had hawked, and his grandfather had bought.

About The Author

David Haldane, a former Los Angeles Times staff writer, authored the award-winning 2015 memoir “Nazis & Nudists.” In addition to his journalism, essays and short fiction, Haldane has written and produced radio features for which he was awarded a Golden Mike by the Radio & Television News Assn. of Southern California. He currently divides his time– with his wife and two children–between homes in Joshua Tree, California, and Northern Mindanao, Philippines, where he writes a weekly newspaper column called “Expat Eye.”

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Short Stories – Pimping Out My Sister-In-Law*

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A Collection of Short Stories That Has Absolutely Nothing to Do with the Title or Cover Art

Short Stories

Published: December 2020

Publisher: Valkyrie Spirit Publishing

An anthology of short stories selected to provide you with a brief escape from where you find yourself right now. Each will allow you to leave this reality and take a quick trip into a different one. Have no fear. It’s a nice place. Even better, they know you there.

Words Ever Unspoken

Years have passed since Carson and Melissa broke up. Even though time has passed, both still dwell on the last time the two were together. Was that night a way of marking the end of their relationship, or was it a desperate attempt on both their parts to prevent their breakup from being permanent? Neither of them said a word during that last time together. Will either of them be able to find the words to express what is going on inside their minds and hearts today?

It’s a Surreal Thing

He was deep into that summer between being a kid and being a teenager. She was the kind of woman that was the building block of a young man’s fantasies. As he sat there alone, she walked up behind him unnoticed and for a brief moment became the center of his universe when she made a simple request… a swig of his Coke.

Just Down from Rimpy’s Bait Shop

Peter’s grandfather brought him to live on his farm during his most turbulent years. As the man he loves succumbs to the deterioration of age, Peter is increasingly frustrated as he is forced to deal with the aging man’s belligerent and sometimes dangerous behavior. Fertilizing a section of the lawn should be a simple chore, especially when there are explicit directions. But then again, maybe not.

A Scents of the Virus

A sleepless night filled with the boredom of the COVID19 lockdown, a distracting ad on the Internet, and a credit card leads to the purchase of a Hollywood star’s latest vanity project: A candle with a unique scent. The first time Munro smells it, he begins to recover a memory. It is a memory he suppressed for years of a woman and relationship his heart and body cherished. Now, whenever the aroma surrounds him, he is immersed in a world where she and the relationship still exist.

About the Author

Sheldon Charles is a decorated Air Force veteran, whose career has taken him around the globe, and given his writing a unique international flair. He is the author of the Evan Davis tales, which currently includes Three Paperclips & a Grey Scarf, Blood Upon the Sands, and From Within the Firebird’s Nest. His last two books earned Amazon bestseller badges after being ranked Number One for War Fiction and Middle East fiction, respectively. His latest novel is Ferdinand’s Gold. Sheldon currently resides in Michigan and can be contacted at shel@valkyriespirit.com or via www.valkyriespirit.com

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Poetry, Short Stories – Six Word Story By Doug Weller

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Stories, Memoirs, Poems and Jokes all written in only six words

Six Word Stories, Book 2

Poetry, Short Stories

Release Date: February 18, 2021

Publisher: Hebe Publications

Six Word Story is a collection of stories, jokes, memoirs, and poems, all written in only six words.

Find horror, romance, thriller, hilarity, and tragedy all bundled in a few tiny words.

This collection of micro-fiction gives readers a chance to get an instant dose of story.

Six Word Story by Doug Weller includes the winner of the 2020 Six Word Wonder Contest, with over 1000 stories were entered. As well as publication, the winner receives a $50 prize as the Six Word Wonder 2020.

This is the follow-up book to Six Word Wonder by Doug Weller. Over 500 six word stories to surprise, entertain, and amuse.

@SixWordWonder has over 10,000 followers. You can find out more at dougweller.net

Here are a few six word stories to spark your interest:

– Undertaker paused when he heard tapping

– Today, I remembered I had dementia.

– Slowly completed her father’s bucket list

– Dear diary, he’s outside the door. . .

These stories and many more are played out over ten movements in Six Word Story.

Other Books in the Six Word Stories Series:

Six Word Stories, Book 1

Release Date: June 18, 2020

“Six words to tell a story.

Not three, or eight, or twenty.

You may ask – is six enough?

Well, trust me, six is plenty.”

A collection of over five hundred stories, each one exactly six words long. Some stories are funny, some poetic, some vulgar, and some are a little disturbing. Each story has been lovingly crafted to amuse and entertain you in six words.

Doug Weller’s Six Word Wonder is a social media sensation, with over 10,000 followers on Instagram.

Now, for the first time, Doug brings his best tiny stories together in one collection.

Unlocking the cage, she stepped out.

Cupid. Tomorrow, aim for his head.

Home alone, but toilet just flushed.

Baby loves whining. Mother loves wine.

…reader. I’m a very gifted mind…

I poured two glasses… then remembered.

Take a moment out of your hectic schedule to enjoy these Six Word Wonders.

Amazon

About The Author

Doug Weller is a writer of psychological thrillers and creator of the Six Word Wonder. His mission is to entertain, educate, and amuse.

His new book, Six Word Story, bring stories, jokes and poetry together. Each written in only six words.

Six Word Wonder is a social media sensation, with over 10,000 followers on Instagram @sixwordwonder

You can find Doug at https://dougweller.net

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SHOETRY – Fireflies at 3 am

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SHOETRY

A fusion of poetry and short story in the narratives.

Date Published: December 12, 2020

Publisher: StoryMirror

‘Fireflies at 3 am’ brings a landmark new genre to the world of literature. It’s a book with the flow of poetry but the ebb of short stories – rightfully called “Shoetry”.

This creation takes you to the roots of humanity – stripping back the veneers of life, society and interaction to see people and their ways in an entirely new light.

About the Author

As a child, he was known to cook up stories to save his little ass or to pass his exams. Then he grew up a bit, only in age and size, and went to college. There, he wrote plays, won a few awards and was told to try his luck in advertising. Some kind soul, who had limited knowledge about advertising, told him that this field was all about wearing jeans to work and late-night parties. He needed no further persuasion, and without losing any more time, got into advertising.

Over the last 18 years, he worked at some of the biggest advertising agencies in the world, made some memorable ads, won international recognition for his work, and learned how to manage acid reflux. Life was OK, but he decided to complicate it by writing a book.

People nowadays avoid him like the plague lest he ask them to review his work. His children have started studying harder and his wife has taken up baking so that they can escape his nagging requests, every now and then, to read what he’s written. But all said and done, none of that has dampened his spirits. Currently, he is looking forward to selling over a million copies and is busy convincing each of his friends to buy more than 3 copies of the book. Sucker.

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Instagram: @danni.shoetry

Romantic Thriller – I’m a Gigolo

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Book one – The Aberration Series of short stories

Short Story, Crime thriller & Romantic suspense

Date Published: 1st July 2020

Publisher: Happy London Press

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I am a Gigolo

He’s gorgeous, cool and slick. Small wonder those wealthy American dames are falling over themselves to taste his flirtatious skills, just where it counts. Seduction is the name of his game, and he knows how to keep

a secret. Trouble is, our Gigolo is also a mischief maker, a man with a mission – to make a killing. So he’s got a secret of his own. But, can he keep it that way?

Deliciously sensual, with a touch macabre, the opening tale, I am a gigolo contains ten startlingly original and provocative short stories, that you’ll need to be brave to read at bedtime.

About the Author

My inspirations have come from real people, events or situations that have presented themselves. Titles like, I am a Contract Killer, I am a Gigolo, Death Zone, License to Kill, are all based on my own lifetime experiences, questions asked, incidents occurring.

Let me be reassuring, thus-far, nobody has been murdered on my watch. But the notion gave rise to the impetus to write my first murder mystery, The Lyme Regis Murders. Could I make the jump after years of writing macabre short stories to a full length drama? That familiar beating in the gut, said, ‘Yes, try it. Give it a go.’

And so to that cosy coastal town where nothing untoward ever happens. Or perhaps it does. The author seeks to shatter notions, change people’s perceptions, spoil long held views. That was my intention in entering into the world of crime thrillers. I’ve found that ‘nice’ people are not always what they seem. The helpless can be transformed into the most dangerous, the most dangerous become the most harmless. It’s all up to the writer and what they’re hoping to achieve.

For me there have been 10 children’s books, 4 books of short stories and so far, three novels, with a fourth in the mixer.

Whilst a short story might be written with a flurry of adrenalin in the space of a few hours, a book will need more than just a flash of creativity. It will need perseverance, discipline and dogged determination.

But then, isn’t that what is required of every ambition?

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Literary Short Stories – Six Word Wonder

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Short Stories, Literary Fiction

Date Published: June 18, 2020

“Six words to tell a story.

Not three, or eight, or twenty.

You may ask – is six enough?

Well, trust me, six is plenty.”

A collection of over five hundred stories, each one exactly six words long.
Some stories are funny, some poetic, some vulgar, and some are a little
disturbing. Each story has been lovingly crafted to amuse and entertain you
in six words.

Doug Weller’s Six Word Wonder is a social media sensation, with over
10,000 followers on Instagram.

Now, for the first time, Doug brings his best tiny stories together in one
collection.

Unlocking the cage, she stepped out.

Cupid. Tomorrow, aim for his head.

Home alone, but toilet just flushed.

Baby loves whining. Mother loves wine.

…reader. I’m a very gifted mind…

I poured two glasses… then remembered.

Take a moment out of your hectic schedule to enjoy these Six Word
Wonders.