This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry (1904) - A collection of short stories about the same place (the fictional "banana republic" of Anchuria) and people (mostly expatriate Americans living or visiting there).  It is a... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. Things We Lost In The Fire by Mariana Enriquez (2017) - Stretching our wings some more with the first English language collection of Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez.  An award-winning author and editor based in Buenos... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. Seven Icelandic Short Stories I’m trying to offer as much variety in this series as possible. So, when I saw this collection, I grabbed it. Something from a different literary tradition offers a great chance... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. The Suicide Club by Robert Louis Stevenson (1878) - Three short stories that make up a longer narrative.  Originally published individually in London Magazine, they were later collected and put into book form. Some may... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. Male of the Species by Alex Mindt (2007) - This book was recommended to me by my daughter, who is a wonderful writer and has a wide range of reading.  I will admit to kind of... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories by Mark Twain (1872) - A collection of 30 short stories from one of the greatest American authors.  Twain is in many ways the most American of our native... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. The Djinn Falls In Love and Other Stories by Mahvesh Murad, K. J. Parker, Kuzhali Manickavel, Maria Dahvana Headley (2017) - A collection of stories from around the world focusing on the djinn, the magical... Continue Reading →

I don't know about you, but as a reader, I spend very little time thinking about book titles.  They either interest me or they don't, and I have no idea why usually.  To be honest, a title has to work at it to turn me away from a book. If the title hasn't managed to... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920) - The first book of short stories from the great American author.  This collection has eight stories: "The Offshore Pirate" "The Ice Palace" "Head and Shoulders" "The... Continue Reading →

I love short stories.  That's where I began as a writer.  While I have several novel-length projects underway, what always gets my creative juices flowing is the idea for a new short story. It was just over a year ago that I published my first book, a collection of short fiction titled "Shorts".  I thought... Continue Reading →