Short And Simple

A Collection of Short Stories

Fiction - Short Story/Novela
98 Pages
Reviewed on 08/01/2013
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Author Biography

The author of four published collections of original poetry:
Thoughts On Appalachia, An Appalachian Poetry Project, An Appalachian Mind Revisited, Memoirs of A Poet ,the short story collection Short & Simple, and the Sci-Fi Novel Future Journal and the fantasy novel Blue Moon Rising.
R. L. Jones is the recipient of the "Best New Sci-Fi Writer Award" from New Horizons Independent Writers Group in 2012.

Other accolades include a Golden Pen award from Pen and Ink magazine, three Gold Poet and three Silver Poet awards from the World of Poetry magazine, a Certificate of Excellence from the Poets Institute for Advanced Poetic Studies, and the William J. Maier Writing Award from Marshall University in his hometown of Huntington, West Virginia.

Author and Educator, Gloria J. Wimberley Pushcart Prize Nominee (2013)
and author of the poetry collection Dialect of Dahlias, (Edgar & Lenore's Publishing House, 2012) says this about R. L. Jones:

"R.L.'s minimalist style effectively packs a poetic punch...and also can be a subtle feather-touch of calm, serenity, and keen insight, depending on the poem. His narrative poetry draws the reader into the scene with interesting details (without going overboard), and allows the reader to make up his/her own mind about what is being presented. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates an honest voice that rings true with glass-clink clarity."

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

Short and Simple: A Collection of Short Stories by R.L. Jones is a collection of stories with various themes such as love, angst and even vampire. The title says it all. Yet, there are some stories that I don’t find simple to understand. “Awakening: The Journal of Franklin Volk” is one of those stories. If I simply read it as it is, Franklin Volk is merely an alien of some sort that finally discovers the truth about himself. Metaphorically though, it might be something else all together. There is a little bit of idiosyncrasy in there that I just could not think through.

Be that as it may, most of the stories are ‘short and simple’ to read and entertaining. “First Kiss” is a sweet, romantic first story for the collection. “It’s Not My Fault” simply reminds me of my childhood memories, especially the times when I did something wrong and could not get over the feeling of guilt. I’m also entertained by “The Gossip”. My favorite would be “Vampire Birth: The Notebook of Dr. Chernow”. With the vampire and paranormal theme that I love, it tells the story about the relationship between Dr. Chernow, a physician, Marguerite the vampire, and Sondra, a young woman who is an important part of the work that Dr. Chernow is working on.

All in all, R.L. Jones successfully presents a collection that would satisfy readers with different views on what short and simple really means.

Homer Fitz

This was a great read. This collection of short stories has something for everyone. The writing style is right on with great attention to character development and detail.

David Holstaff

Great collection of short pieces. I truly enjoyed this wonderful literature.