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Theodore Jerome (Ted) Cohen is an award-winning author who has published more than ten novels--all but one of them mystery/thrillers--two books of short stories, and eight flash-fiction anthologies. He also writes illustrated storybooks for children (K-3) in the series Stories for the Early Years as well as Young Adult (YA) novels under the pen name "Alyssa Devine." During the course of his 45-year career he worked as an engineer, scientist, CBS Radio Station News Service (RSNS) commentator, private investigator, and Antarctic explorer. What he's been able to do with his background is mix fiction with reality in ways that even his family and friends have been unable to unravel!
Dr. Cohen's writings (he holds three degrees in the physical sciences) have received the highest reviews from Feathered Quill, Hollywood Book Reviews, Kirkus Discoveries, Pacific Book Review, Reader Views, and Readers' Favorite, among others, with many of his books recognized for their excellence through medals awarded by several of these same organizations following their annual book competitions. In 2017, for example, Readers' Favorite awarded Dr. Cohen's first short story anthology, The Road Less Taken: A Collection of Unusual Short Stories - Book 1, a Silver Medal while the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs (NABE) awarded the same book its Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best in Category: Short Stories. The NABE also awarded Dr. Cohen's collection, Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction: Flash Fiction Anthology - Book 3, its Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best in Category: Anthology - Winter, 2018.
Reviewed by Stefan Vucak for Readers' Favorite
Without any fuss, Flash Fiction Stories of the Sea drops readers into murky waters. Sometimes serene, often turbulent. Three Chilean servicemen were in a boat hunting seals. The real reason they were out there was to discuss how to divide the millions they stole from a bank. A convoluted plan that goes fatally awry for one of them. A rendezvous at the Antarctic Peninsula where a British expedition found personal effects of a Chilean officer lost in the ice. In 1865, a Union ship loaded with 2,400 released prisoners of war burst into flames and more than 1,800 died. The incident was overshadowed by an even greater national tragedy. A stranger seeing a man manhandling a turtle on the dock thinks he wants to kill it, but there is a twist. Without the Chilean supply vessel, the University of Wisconsin could not have maintained its Antarctic base. It should have been a routine retrieval, but bad things happen.
With Flash Fiction Stories of the Sea, Theodore Jerome Cohen and Alyssa Devine give readers tantalizing glimpses of life on the sea, ships, and the men who sail the deeps. Apart from two lengthy stories, this collection is pure flash fiction; mostly one-page flashes to tickle the imagination. Some raise a chuckle, while others will make readers knit their brows in revelation. Beautifully written with crisp dialogue and flowing prose, the only regret readers will have is that there isn’t more, or that the authors have not sprinkled several full-blown stories into the mix. Nevertheless, what is given will entertain.
