Monday, June 18, 2012

Books by author James W. Nelson (Update)

Novels
Winter in July (65,500 words) (nuclear war drama) (the doomsday clock is ticking; it will reach midnight)
Callipygia (66,100 words) (romantic drama) (the Utopian world of Callipygia…just a legend?) (love, sex, violence)
Experiments (82,500 words) (medical mystery drama) (pharmacological research gone berserk)
Daughters (40,200 words) (the heartbreak of human trafficking)
Boat Sailors (29,700 words) (Vietnam War action by fleet submarines)
The Bellwether (229,000 words)(economic & environmental meltdown) (the mother of all disasters) (love, sex, violence, drama, adventure)
The Light at the End of the Tunnel (68,600 words) (one theory of reincarnation) (horror, crime, drama)
Short Stories
Strange & Weird Stories (43,500 words) (the unknown: as close as beside you)
A Collection of Short Contemporary Stories (48,200) (featuring the novella Into Tilovia)
Nonfiction
Dying to Live (58,400 words) (autobiography) (the life & times of Jimmy Nelson)




In 2019 many more nations than the superpowers have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them anywhere on earth.                                        
Kirby Yates, 40, has a good job groundskeeping at the new underground Energy House Museum at Hammett’s Mill, North Dakota, population 240. Kirby suspects it’s a bomb shelter.  He’s nearly obsessed with that suspicion. When his mother cleaned out his late uncle’s house, then ten-year-old Kirby stumbled onto a collection of nuclear war literature. He didn’t understand what he had but began reading and had many nightmares, but couldn’t stop reading. He couldn’t repress his new found fascination, which followed him into adulthood. So, yes, the U.S. government is building secret bomb shelters by small towns, the idea being to save entire populations
After his suspicions are confirmed ex-army Kirby gets a second job (defense of the bomb shelter).  But he’s unsure of his feelings (hawk or dove?) so attends a peace meeting, where he meets Lisa. She leads a protest at a missile silo, involves Kirby, becomes his lover, and becomes curator of the new underground museum/bomb shelter, but isn’t told of its insidious true purpose. Conflict of interest would cost her new job.
Winter in July is character-driven and based entirely from the viewpoint of the civilian, who would hear booms, see flashes, but would go into limbo (the bomb shelter) not knowing who or why.
(The world is still a dangerous place. Russia and China both have Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles still aimed at the United States, and likely most other nations of the free western world. India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, although, presently at least, we think, just aimed at each other. North Korea has nuclear weapons, and we don’t know, exactly, what they have. Iran badly wants nuclear weapons, no matter what their leaders are saying. And who knows how many other nations have nuclear weapons and/or the capability of acquiring them very quickly. Oh, yes, and terrorists: How many suitcases can a terrorist carry? Or a dozen? Or a hundred? A nuclear winter is still somewhat in the realm of theory; that is, we don’t know what would happen during and after even a small nuclear exchange. And that’s the key: We don’t know.)


Reviews


ONE


Are you prepare for the end of the world?, December 14, 2011


Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)


This review is from: Winter in July (Kindle Edition)


 Do you enjoy end of the world or apocalyptic stories? Well, here is another newer one that you would like called "Winter in July". James Nelson has created a very believable incident involving weather changes and government cover ups.


The story is very character driven and moves at a good pace and kept my attention. Kirby, Lisa and the other characters are everyday people involved in a fight for their lives as they prepare for the end of the world. Mr. Nelson, also wrote " The Bellwether: The Mother of All Disasters", another apocalyptic novel, he gives excellent synopsis of the novels on his Amazon page.


The ending was not quite what I expected and I have mixed emotions about what happened to Lisa. Overall , a very satisfactory and enjoyable book.


Again, Mr. Nelson has priced his book at a nominal price and well worth it. I have purchased four of Mr. Nelson's book and read two and the other two are next in my TBR pile.

TWO


The author has seen into my mind....., March 30, 2012




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This review is from: Winter in July (Kindle Edition)

I bought this book because "From the Author" could have been written by me. While the author is a few years older than I am, I grew up in the same era and have suffered the same nightmares.

Kirby's fears are my fears. This isn't a "feel good" book with a happy ending; this could be tomorrow's headlines (if there were any newspapers/internet sites/electricity/people left afterward). I read this type of fiction as a sort of talisman, "if I read it, it won't happen."

I hope.

Though bleak, I appreciate the way the author set the tone for the book. It's gritty and realistic. It's terrifying. It's well worth reading.

I hope that there will be a sequel. I want to know how these four people (Kirby, an old survivalist, and two others; I won't spoil the ending for you) manage in the coming years. Winter in July sets the stage for a hell of tale of survival.

THREE
Pam LIKES this book
Liked this one. It started a bit slow and was not sure at first but in the end I loved it.


From Free E-books.net


FOUR 


Buy! -- an unusual, introspective take on the apocalyptic / post-apocalyptic tale, May 5, 2012


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This review is from: Winter in July (Kindle Edition)


Kirby Yates lives in a part of the country where there are almost as many nuclear missiles as there are people. The small little town he calls home is filled with lonely people making their way through silent lives. They would be mere numbers waiting to be dumped onto a casualty list if it wasn't for the fact that their exact location is just beyond the range of total destruction by any enemy missiles aimed at the American bases a short drive across the prairie. Even so, Yates would be nothing among them in the eyes of planners, but for the fact that he happens to have a combination of basic military experience, a quiet competence for planting and managing landscapes, and a bit more intelligence than most -- common enough throughout the world, but rare in that particular spot. He's chosen to prepare for and participate in any nuclear exchange without being informed of the fact until it's too late to quit, although he is bright enough to realize it before. Ironically, he realizes, he is preparing the stage for the tragedy that has given him nightmares since discovering a secret stash of materials in his grandfather's house. His artist's vision, which he keeps hidden from others, makes his sense of what may be coming only more vivid.

The author achieves something rare, if not indeed unique, with a work of fiction that not only broadens the reach of its particular sub-genre but doubles as a commentary on that sub-genre in itself. Certainly, this is the first of the A/PA novels I've read that explores the reason I am compelled to read so many. The protagonist grew up with the same obsessive sense of impending nuclear doom that vested in so many of us at a certain age, thanks to countless drills at school, those ridiculous films in class, and any number of black-and-white movies on TV. While some reviewers here are put off by Kirby Yates' initial, relative immaturity -- brilliantly and incisively detailed for him halfway through by a woman explaining why they can not be together -- readers more accustomed to novels that aren't purely action-driven will enjoy following his maturation, complete at the end of the book.

I'm not knocking action books, or those who enjoy them, I'm simply making the distinction so you can choose whether you personally might enjoy the book or not. I like action books; I also like this one. This is a book about a man, not a war, albeit a man preparing for the most terrifying of wars; and it's a book about a real man, not a caricature.

I recommend BUY as someone who enjoyed the tension as the subtle shifts in his relationships, always driven by an artist's appreciation for the insanity of nuclear war, was also balanced by an appreciation for the need for "adults" (as Yates puts it in his musings) who deal with insanity as something that is never going away. The struggle to achieve some sort of mature balance within himself as between those two impulses are what drive his decisions throughout the book. The ending is so satisfying because he finds that balance under the most surprising of circumstances -- or perhaps the only situation in which he might have stumbled onto it. In any event, it's his decisive action that wins him his "adulthood," and brings the security he's always sought to himself and those for whom he cares.




Emotion of any kind in the house where Emma grew up was a rare thing, so when she disappeared it took some time before her aunt actually realized she was missing. Then a month went by, quickly. A little late to call the police. Aunt Evelyn knew of only one person who would care, who would do something about getting Emma back, who would do anything for Emma:

Bailey Forbes. If Emma’s mother—Aunt Evelyn’s sister—hadn’t died, Bailey would have married her and adopted Emma. Yes, that was the plan. Little sister was so in love with that man…but little sister did die, and that changed everything. Auntie Evelyn allowed Bailey and Emma to have continued contact for awhile, but it couldn’t go on. No blood involved, and Evelyn had never bought into the idea that blood wasn’t necessary to cause true bonding. But eleven years had passed. Would Bailey even remember? Or care?

Reviews


ONE
5.0 out of 5 stars True To Life, December 11, 2011


By Carolee Samuda (Kingston, Jamaica) - See all my reviews


This review is from: Daughters: The Heartbreak of Human Trafficking (Paperback)


A book that pulls you into a world that is not quite understood by many. The twist and turns of the trafficking world is brought to light by the author. You feel like you are there experiencing it, living it. A must read, as this affects so many lives in may countries around the world. So many women have been used and abused by this cruel system.


TWO


5.0 out of 5 stars Reviting and Heartbreaking.., December 8, 2011




This review is from: Daughters: The Heartbreak of Human Trafficking (Paperback)


This book was truly an eye opener as to the plight of young girls and human trafficing in the US. It was well written and had you sitting on the edge of your seat. It contained some valuable information and advice that every young girl, parents, grandparents should think about in todays society. Thank you James for writing a truly wonderful book. The descriptions and wording made you feel as if you were going through many of the horrific events that unfolded.
Sunnie Day


THREE

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book about a rarely discussed subject., December 29, 2011




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This review is from: Daughters (Kindle Edition)

When Emma's mom died, she lived with her mom's boyfriend, Bailey. Bailey loved her and they had a father/daughter bond. But Emma's Aunt didn't like Bailey much and took Emma away. There, Emma didn't feel loved or cared about at all. So when she goes out to clean a house and doesn't come home, no one reports her missing.

Emma is an attractive eighteen year old when she is attacked by the owner of the house she is cleaning. When he is finished with her, he calls a contact and sells Emma. When she is picked up, she begs for her mom's boyfriend to come save her, but she hasn't seen him in years and all he sends to her is a Birthday card once a year.

Emma is repeatedly "trained" to become a prostitute and although she convinces those in charge she is complacent, she knows in her own heart she will do whatever it takes to escape. But girls who create trouble are killed. Unknown to Emma, Bailey is looking for her. But will he find her in time?

Daughters is an indepth look into human trafficking and it is heartbreaking and horrible. James Nelson treats a delicate subject matter with finesse and sensitivity without any blinders. Horrifying, emotional, and realistic, Daughters is a great book about a rarely discussed subject.

FOUR

Daughters by James W. Nelson--BY jacqui2011 From Leicester, United Kingdom

A short time ago, I read an article here on HubPages by Cardisa entitled James W. Nelson: Author Extraordinaire and Hubpages Member, An Interview. I read with great interest, the interview given by James Nelson, who is also known as hubber SubRon7. Immediately the article had me gripped and I decided to read some of his hubs. Check out his profile here SubRon7 for more of his work and published books. His writing technique is so effortless, and intriguing that I knew I had to read his book.

I downloaded "Daughters" on my kindle and received the book in seconds. I started reading it immediately, but unfortunately work got in the way of it. I did my shift, got home and couldn't wait to get back to the book.

Without giving too much away, the book is based on a true story of the sex slave industry. It was written by James Nelson to highlight the problems that still remain in the world today and what can happen to children who become runaways, who are abducted or who become homeless street children.

The book is very powerful and tells the story of Emma, a young girl who is abducted and sold into the seedy world of human trafficking. She is only 18 years old when she is bundled into a pick up truck by her captors and this is where her nightmare begins. Her abduction takes place in broad daylight while she is finishing her work for the day as a cleaner.

Daughters is a book which contains crime, thrills, suspense, violence, rape and murder. Upon reading the first few pages, I was totally hooked. James deals sensitively with the subject of human trafficking from the young girls perspective; yet he manages to capture very well, the mentality of the captors. They see young girls as a means to making them rich by selling them as pieces of meat to the highest bidder to have their way with them.

There are lots of twists and turns in the story and several points when you will be on the edge of your seat. I felt that I knew Emma personally and wanted to help her, which is what makes James Nelson such a talented and gifted author. Some of these young girls are conditioned from such an early age that they just get on and accept it as part of life, never knowing what it is to be loved by another.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "masterpiece".

Human trafficking

Before reading this book, I was not aware of just how serious the issue of human trafficking was. I thought it was something that happened in Thailandor some eastern European countries, and even this I only knew because of watching documentaries on television. I was shocked to discover that the F.B.I. estimate that more than 100,000 young women and children are used for trafficking in Americatoday. The age of these young children and women range from around 9 years to 19 years. These statistics are hard to believe, but the truth is, that it is going on and many people are not aware that it is happening on their own doorsteps.


Brice Moser needed to get away from the farm for awhile, sow some wild oats as his dad and uncles called it. So he joined the navy. Just a few days from saying ‘I do’ he was on his way to San Diego, California and boot camp, then weapons school, then shore duty. Well, shore duty wasn’t a lot more exciting then throwing bales and milking cows back in Iowa, so he volunteered for submarines. With the Vietnam War heating up, things would soon get a bit more interesting.

This absolute neophyte to the ways of the navy—especially the ways of the submarine navy—would need a mentor:

Second Class Electronics Technician Richards, hailing from Texas, had already been in the navy for five years, and his boat, as boat swabbies fondly referred to their home submarines, had just gotten orders to steam from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, into the western Pacific and their new home port of Subic Bay, the Philippine Islands. There they would take on Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) and Sea, Land and Air teams (SEALs) for beach reconnaissance and other special operations.


The Bellwether  (A long book, but a lot happens, with a huge cast of characters)
Think of the 1800s, the wagontrains, and the people who crossed the prairie looking for a better life. Now fast-forward to the new millennium and the worldwide economy totally crashing, causing unbelievable chaos and violence. Through Native American prophecy, Aaron Hodges, 32sees it coming and envisions building a hidden colony to ride out the likely decades-long crisis.
Caroline Jentner is the love of Aaron’s life. She has a partly-crippled, seven-year-old daughter, Jennie.  Little Jennie doesn’t have a big part, and doesn’t appear until  chapter 12, but when she does appear she will capture your heart. You will come to love her, and she helps Aaron and her mom finally get together. Caroline often has the viewpoint, and sees the world quite differently from Aaron.
When the crash came nobody could point a finger and blame a specific thing. The United States and the world were locked in drought, stagnant economy, and rampant pollution. Too many people were wasting too much, demanding too much standard of living, and too much money created too much free time and entertainment, for, as one height was reached boredom prevailed, and more and greater thrills were demanded.
            More wood, more metal, more food and drink, and more oil.
            The oil flow stopped.
            Then the flow of supplies stopped. The civilized world found itself trapped inside a steel, concrete, and plastic wasteland with no utilities, no food, no water.
            And no gasoline.
Set in the near future, novel runs for two years. The main theme is a modern-day wagontrain with over sixty people driving sixteen covered wagons pulled by four-horse teams for 30 days across 300 miles from southern Minnesota farming country to northern Minnesota wilderness. Background themes include the economy, environment, and a shadowy “master race” organization out to eliminate the Native American. This novel is character-driven, just normal people loving and finding love, surviving, and reacting to circumstances as best they can. You will like the characters, you will care what happens to them, and at the end you will cheer.


    Reviews


Kingstonbears
Kingstonbears LIKES this book From Free E-books.net
Wow, what a read. By far the best I've downloaded on this site. Excellent plot and superb development of characters. A "can't put it down" book.


TWO



5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyable story!, September 11, 2011


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This review is from: The Bellwether (Kindle Edition)

This was a long book but not a slow read. Mr. Nelson has written a very enjoy story that he described in great detail in his synopsis. So many interesting people and events taking place that the story moves so quickly.

If you are a fan of romance, adventure and apocalypse you will not be disappointed in this book. After I finished the last page, I was left wanting more so I hope the author will continue the story with a sequel.

This was a true bargain and I think will remain as one of my favorite books.

THREE

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Work Of Fiction Worth Reading!, November 14, 2011


By
BookLoverRome - See all my reviews


This review is from: The Bellwether: The Mother of all Disasters (Paperback)

Great Work Of Fiction Worth Reading!
The Bellwether: The Mother of all Disasters is an exciting tale written by author James W. Nelson. Nelson's storyline and characterization are superb. The story is intriguing, yet full of reality. The Bellwether is a highly recommended read for fiction lovers.


The Light at the End of the Tunnel

His skin crawling with goosepimples the prison chaplain opened a wall locker that he had never seen before. He expected the hinges to creak. They didn’t. They moved as if oiled regularly. Inside lay a book, a big one, like an old-fashioned scrapbook but with hard covers. No dust anywhere.
           He placed his hands on both ends and lifted. The book was old, and heavy enough to bend in the middle. He stepped back, smoothly turned, and placed the book on a table, then lifted the hard cover and placed it open. The pages were worn. Some showed folds on the corners, as if others had regularly looked and marked pages. But nobody had, as, to his knowledge, the book and the wall locker did not exist. The goosepimples continued their rampage as he stared, and remembered his dream.
          Was it a dream? Was I awake? Was I sleepwalking? Was I dead…? AM I dead…?
          An hour earlier he had awakened, and remembered his dream. He didn’t remember dreams. Never. But this one he did. The dream showed this wall locker where no locker had ever existed. But his telepathic instructions were clear: Go to the prison basement under the chapel. Open the locker. Remove the book. Open it gently. Grasp a handful of pages and turn them.
              He had done everything but the handful of pages. He grasped them and turned them over.
              Just one verse appeared in very large calligraphic lettering:
              If the state kills a worst-of-the-worst criminal, rather than allowing a natural death, that criminal, man or woman, will reincarnate as not only the same person but more evil than before. He or she will have the same memories, though not fully intact memories, but they will serve him or her well in his or her new life. A worst-of-the-worst criminal MUST be allowed to die a natural death, which includes being killed by a fellow criminal.


Reviews


ONE


5.0 out of 5 stars The Light at the End of the Tunnel is enlightening and enthralling., February 22, 2012


By Rhonda Lytle (Liverpool, TX United States) - See all my reviews



This book is engrossing. It's not what I would call a warm, fuzzy type of read, but rather a real glimpse into some of the major issues facing society such as the atrocities committed upon children, consequences of the death penalty, and the ever declining social conditions regarding families and relationships in general all wrapped up in some addicting fiction.

The author, James W. Nelson, has an easy to read style that makes putting the book down difficult. His characters are rich, the storyline multi-layered, and the action moves at a good pace. One of the things I really enjoyed was that it was not predictable at all and there were surprises all the way up to the very end. I feel he has earned an all around five stars!

TWO


5.0 out of 5 stars Un-put-downable, absolutely gripping!, February 10, 2012


By Carolee Samuda (Kingston, Jamaica) - See all my reviews


This review is from: The Light at the end of the Tunnel: One theory of reincarnation (Paperback)

The most unique tale of the criminal mind. The story is scary but you don't want to stop reading it because you have to know what happens. This book is thrilling and is wonderfully crafted. The author is definitely a mastermind at creating such stories and this is very believable. It has you wondering who the next Les Paul is or if he is right beside you!



Callipygia is a contemporary story of women’s issues, and a young woman who searches for true love. Stephanie Daniels, 28, journalist The Sheyenne Eagle, asks only for a home, a job, a little fun once-in-awhile and someone who truly loves her. Her insensitive boyfriend, Billy, does not. Lately, women have been on her mind, a lot she finally comes to realize. Her editor sends her to the South Dakota Black Hills, where a large number of women have disappeared. Rumor has a lesbian sex slave camp hidden in the forest. Men have disappeared too but always turn up smelling of alcohol and telling of being used as studs. Before Stephanie finds the rumored Callipygia she becomes entangled with Robbie and Jill, leaders of a prostitution ring who abduct older women for the worldwide human trafficking market, and are the true reason for the missing local women. After two months she has no good leads. She's becoming discouraged when Megan appears and takes her to Callipygia, a place with a humanistic goal but questionable methods. Stephanie soon finds herself responsible for two pregnant women, and wondering if her job still awaits her.





Shea McTory, 31, is way down on his luck. His photography career fell to the party scene. For a few years he’s been on the street, scratching a living. He gets more than bargained for when he answers the ad: Volunteers Wanted, Free Food, Pay….All he wanted was a roof over his head, to earn some money, maybe get some good food. But the food is not tasty; he’s locked up with an adolescent-minded ex-sailor and a psychopath; he stumbles across secret, illegal & dangerous research; meets Natalie, the love of us life.

Experiments delves into human nutritional research and the psychological trials faced by the live-in male volunteers.

The Metabolism & Excretion Analysis Laboratory, MEAL, Drammenberg, North Dakota, has provided Shea a temporary home. It’s easy and relaxing, but when he does not get what he wants, impatience and immaturity can become nearly overwhelming. For fellow human beings he shows little compassion, gives, but grudgingly.

Story begins in November, four months into a six-month study. Shea wants a cigarette, syrupy pancakes, a woman, and in that order, but no foreign substances allowed. He is told what and when to eat, how to go to the bathroom, and goes nowhere outside their living quarters without a chaperone to guarantee absolute adherence to the rules.

Official research is determining how the body absorbs minerals with fatty diet and how much is excreted. The volunteer’s job is to eat, defecate in the bag, urinate in the bottle. No exceptions. Private rooms are provided. Everything else must be shared. The volunteers must be patient, cooperate, entertain themselves, and accept their research roles.

Frustrations build, tempers flare, love affairs, friendships, hatreds, develop.

Reviews


ONE


 5.0 out of 5 stars kindle book experiments, December 28, 2011


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This review is from: Experiments (Kindle Edition)


this was a great book to read I sooo enjoyed it, my husband kept stealing mykindle to read it too.








James W. Nelson was born in a little farmhouse on the prairie in eastern North Dakota in 1944. Some doctors made house calls back in those days. He remembers kerosene lamps, bathing in a large galvanized tub, and their phone number was a long ring followed by four short ones, and everybody else in the neighborhood could rubberneck. (Imagine that today!)

 James has been telling stories most of his life. Some of his first memories happened during recess in a one-room country schoolhouse near Walcott, North Dakota. His little friends, eyes wide, would gather round and listen to his every hastily-imagined word. It was a beginning. Fascinated by the world beginning to open, he remembers listening to the teacher read to all twelve kids in the eight grades.

 He was living in that same house on the land originally homesteaded by his great grandfather, when a savage tornado hit in 1955 and destroyed everything. They rebuilt and his family remained until the early nineteen-seventies when diversified farming began changing to industrial agribusiness (not necessarily a “good” thing.) He spent four years in the US Navy, worked many jobs and finally has settled on a few acres exactly two and one half miles straight west of the original farmstead, ironically likely the very spot where the 1955 tornado first struck, which sometimes gives him a spooky feeling.

 (My true account of growing up on a storybook farm, experiencing a killer tornado, surviving teenage confusion, an adventurous four-year ride on a submarine, a skydive, not maturing into your regular adult, discovering the world is not a bowl of cherries, a crash to the bottom, and, finally, accepting that the only person responsible for me, is me. But first I had to descend into the deep depths of the emotional chasm.)

 1 Many Beginnings
 2 ICU Diary
 3 Many Beginnings Continued
 4 Hell’s Island
 5 Company 311
 6 Tornado
 7 Class A School
 8 First Duty
 9 Skydive!
 10 USS Carbonero
 11 Julia’s Story
 12 Yokosuka
 13 Travels & Philosophies
 14 USS Archerfish
 15 Test of Will Power
 16 Sydney
 17 The Bottom
 18 Home Again


 


You probably remember, or have seen reruns of that great 60s TV series, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, where strange things happened without any scientific explanation. Things just happened, right? And you lived with it. Scifi magazines want scientific justification. I don’t buy that. Things happen every day that defy explanation. Fantasy Magazines seem to lean toward sword & sorcery, & Horror magazines—in my mind lean toward too much gore. So, if you can get past the fact that these stories defy explanation, aren’t too bloody, and no dwarves, then you are in for some great reading.



The Last Unempoyed Man (2100 words) Futuristic:  Bentley Durant is in charge of computer listings of births, deaths, employment.  Joe English is unemployed; there’s no designation for unemployed.

The Quiet Little Town (2000 words) A city couple inherit a house in a very quiet town (seemingly no people at all).  A strange breeze blows toward an old barn with a gaping black doorway.

What Would be Heaven (2000 words) Eden Kimball dies and finds Heaven is what he thought, but discovers he can’t have everything he wants.

Dead Animal Farm (3300 words)  Felix is homeless.  There are rumors of homeless people disappearing.  Security Officer Roberts is night gate guard at a slaughter house.  There have been visits by Negore Heidenreich, management, except Negore is not even an employee.

The Dreaming Glass (2400 words)  Franklin daydreams of love, and discovers a city street reflection where only certain people appear.  A beautiful girl appears and he falls in love, and enters the reflection but finds he cannot stay unless he believes in himself.

Viands (2000 words) Futuristic: People massed, wear and look the same, stand in line for deposits of wastes, withdrawals of food.  He believes there is more to life, meets She; together they escape through a wall of flame, the only thing different in their world.

Requiem for Homogen (2900 words)  Jonas sees a face (not his) in a bar booth mirror, then he feels whatever emotion the face reveals until actual death threatens.

The Levigation of McLeod & McLeod (3100 words)  Waverly Kingston is somewhat of a jerk, and has a grudge against his work place.  He has practiced concentration to where he can look at an image on a photograph, and, with his hands, destroy it, but he decides to save Millie.

Intermission Block (3000 words) After years of experiencing déjà vu Ronnie Burnett has been drawn back to Intermission Block, where that strange, déjà vu feeling originated, only he didn’t know that’s where it had originated.

The Chair (2850 words)  Tad doesn’t hire people, but his job, that of having each male potential employee sit in a specially wired chair while they fill our forms, determines not only who will be hired but whether or not they will work directly with women.

Food Project (1400 words) Alex, slaughterhouse employee, watches the killing of Torbo, a prize-winning Holstein steer, which wasn’t supposed to even be there.

To the 19th Century (6300 words)  Demolition workers Selby and Rivet see the 19th and 21st centuries at the same time (and a dangerous time warp) from the steps of their next project.  Demolition of Matherby Hall must stop.

The Commons (8000 words)  Wilderness in a man’s backyard.  Through complaints of animal sounds, smells, and loud music journalist Kari is led to the story.  She finds the land as it was before white man appeared…and it’s coming back.


S






Stuff happens every day that could become a short story. You witness a skydive, then imagine what could go wrong. You visit a nursing home and imagine resident interactions. You see a group of cars go by that all look alike and with antennas; obviously they’re in a caravan—what’s happening? You see a squirrel gnawing on a walnut and you imagine what his day has been like. You suddenly want a coffee, but something is stopping you, and now you really want one…! These are all things that happen every day. You witness this, you witness that, you add your own imagination of what’s going on and there arises a short story.
A novella is slightly longer and a lot more happens. You see on TV a stronger country or group beating up a smaller, weaker, group. You want to do something about it. Into Tilovia tells the fictional story of seven friends who do something about it.

Thirty Seconds to the Ground…A skydive gone really bad.

My Husband, My Hero…A nursing home love affair.

Geek of the Road…Believe it or not, the geek sometimes gets the girl.

For a cup of Coffee…Really, how much is a cup of coffee worth? For your sanity, sometimes quite a bit.

The Real Meaning of a Quarter…One shiny little quarter can mean the difference between a good day, and a really bad one.

Don't get too Close…A nursing home resident goes from down, to way up, to really down, in the space of a couple hours.

The one who Loves me…A little girl is the only one who knows who she should go live with.

Girlfriend for Mother…Sometimes a friend asked to help can become much more than a friend.

Waiting to Die…Since the 1918-1919 influenza outbreak, mankind has feared return of the pandemic, an extraordinarily-mutated virus, that vicious creature that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Young people are dying, so many that hospitals can no longer provide for them. Staunch Derek Whitfield, twenty-five-year Army vet, has volunteered for end-of-life hospice care. He sees nothing but darkness waiting on The Other Side, until he meets Susannah Brite, his forty-second client.

Voice From the Congregation…A crippled girl’s voice creates new life in a young couple’s marriage.

One day at Boxelder Cove…A young red squirrel learns a whole lot about life and survival.

He had it Coming…A boss gets murdered, and nobody, not his family, and not even one employee is sorry.

Into Tilovia…Nobody was helping the Tilovians; seven friends decide it’s time somebody did.

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