And The Fires We Talked About by James Ross Kelly is an anthology of 35 stories of varying lengths. The tales are set mainly in and around the town of Medford, Oregon and the California hills, though some stray much further afield to North Africa...

A Million Little Lies by Bette Lee Crosby is a story of lies, pain, and redemption. Suzanna lost her mother when she was 10 and that was when the lies started. Small white lies, fibs, grew into more and now, with a daughter of her...

Memphis Clarke does not recall dying but finds himself in what looks remarkably like a dentist’s waiting room. Paradise Door by Brent Shibla tells how Memphis is soon asked to complete some paperwork and is then directed to a lift that disgorges him into the...

Karen hasn’t been back to her hometown in South Carolina since her twin brother killed himself years earlier. Getting a call from her alcoholic mother on the day she finds out her husband has been seeing another woman, she heads back to the place where...

Sucker Kiss is a short story set on a sitcom stage. The protagonist, Jill, is trying to tape a pilot, her first, and although she appears to have her emotions under control, she’s understandably edgy. To complicate matters, there’s a live audience and one audience...

In This Land of Plenty by Mary Smathers introduces the reader to Nicole Sinclair. A woman who finds DNA documents that show a history far different than the Northern European background her father always said they had. With the help of her great-grandmother, she dives...

We’ve all entertained the idea at one time in our lives, but when it actually happens the heart finds it difficult to accept the truth. When Austin applies for a passport to continue her studies in Paris, she is hit with a roadblock of epic...

Zack and Annie are eloping, but it will hardly be a happily-ever-after. Each of them has an ulterior motive for their whirlwind romance and marriage. The only problem is that each doesn't recognize that the other is only in for a marriage of convenience. There...

When an author quotes a classical writer or two at the beginning of his book, you are likely to expect a literary treat. Strangers in Another Country is Lawrence G. Taylor’s collection of two short stories and two novellas set in the late 60s between...

Sylvester W. Jeffrey, who was called S.W., lived with his siblings on the family farm in Putnam County in northwestern Ohio. Their parents died in 1847. When their grandfather died in 1852, the oldest brother Oliver took over the management of the farm. Aunt Sarah...