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Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Poet Theresa Werba Reviews James A. Tweedie's Humorous Poetry

Title: Laughing Matters

Subtitle: Poetry with a Wink and a Smile 

Kindle Edition 

Poet Theresa Yerba Reviews James A. Tweedie's Humorous Poetry


Reviewed by Theresa Werba 
  •  

         This collection of humorous poetry by the excellent James A. Tweedie is more than a mere collection of clever jokings and funny sayings. James Tweedie is reveling in the power of language, and celebrates its gift-giving capacity in the ways in which words and phrases, and even various authors, and styles, and forms can be experimented with, played with, coaxed, and birthed into a fantastic array of poetic expression.

          James Tweedie is not only a first-rate poet, but is also a musician and composer, which is very refreshing to me, as I am also both a poet and a musician. You can hear the musicality exuding from his poetry. The meter is clean and precise, the rhymes are perfect, rarely slanted, so you get the full effect of the satisfactions inherent in perfectly-executed formal poetry. But it never upstages the humor and wit of Tweedie’s funny perspective, and the results are often quite unexpected! It is very refreshing and satisfying indeed to “hear” the sonorities and the rhymes and meter within my head as I read his work. 

         Tweedie is highly creative in his use of form. He employs the traditional Shakespearean form ABAB CDCD EFEF GG plus the variant ABBA CDDC EFFE GG. The opening poem “Fleet of Foot Pheidippides,” is an excellent example:


    Fleet of Foot Pheidippides 

     

    A Grecian runner named Pheidippides,
    From Athens, ran to Sparta with a plea.
    “We need your help to fight the Persians, please!” 

    But Sparta sent him back with, “Nosirree!” 

     

    Two-hundred eighty miles is what he ran, 

    For four or maybe five days he was gone. 

    But Athens received help from the god, Pan, 

    And Persia met defeat at Marathon. 

     

    Pheidippides, we’re told ran all the way 

    To Athens to announce that they had won. 

    That’s why it’s called a “marathon” today. 

    For twenty-six-plus miles he had to run. 

     

    They say he gave the message and dropped dead. 

    But why did he not ride a horse, instead? 

     

         Tweedy  also uses the Petrarchan form (in “I wrote a poem” ) as well as some unusual presentations such as an Anapest Dimeter sonnet, a Monometer sonnet, and a 20-line sonnet variant (as opposed to the traditional 14-line sonnet). He also creates a short piece of prose (in the poem ”Doublespeak”) from a sonnet by reformatting it, literally disguising the form and structure of the sonnet so it reads like a short essay. Ingenious! Some of his poems also have a Dr. Seuss-like quality to them, the prime example being the alliterative poem “Beastly Betty.” You can tell Tweedie was having fun while writing this one!

     

    Beastly Betty 

    An Alliterative Poem 

     

    Beastly Betty badly breaks her brother’s 

    Buttocks with a bat upon his butt. 

    Broken, beaten brother barely bothers 

    Bellowing at bawdy Betty. But 

    Because bad blood between both babe and bro 

    Builds baleful bias brought by Betty's bane, 

    Beleaguered Bob bestows a bitter blow.
    By blasting boiling bile on Betty's brain. 

     

     

         Tweedie often groups his poetry into cycles or themes: a sonnet cycle on the Brothers Grimm nursery stories, a set of “Equilateral Proverbs” (where the first and last words of the couplet rhyme), three limericks based on famous poems by Shakespeare and Dante, with the folksong Molly Malone thrown in, as well as a collection of seven riddles. He also has a poem on the death of Edgar Allen Poe, delightfully executed, and a collection of “Groaner Poems" with some truly groan-inducing puns. 

          There is such a joyous wordplay and reverie in language that exudes from Tweedie’s work! What I truly love about Tweedie’s poetry is his interesting rhyme combinations. I am delighted when I see such rhyming as death/shibboleth, if/glyphtease/Diogenesoogenesis/diaresisGuinness/amanuensis, and antipode/postal code. There is a love of language that just exudes from each poem presented, a reverie and a celebration of the poetic possibilities waiting to be uncovered. It’s truly enchanting! I couldn’t wait to see what he would come up with next as I read!

          I would have to say my favorite poem of the collection is “Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You,” which sold me on its very first line. Anyone who can put together “A pyroclastic vomit’s what I call it;” is a hero in my book!

     

    Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You 

     

    A pyroclastic vomit’s what I call it;
    An up-chuck from Mt. Shasta’s north west side.

     I bet you the last dollar in my wallet,
    That everything that lived beneath it, died. 

    The famous Captain Cook saw from the ocean 

    Its pillared smoke arising in plain view—
    A seventeen and seven-six commotion.
    A record of the last time Shasta blew. 

    Now every volcanologist agrees
    That since its active period reappears 

    In clockwork cycles of three centuries, 

    Its next eruption’s due in fifty years. 

    Because the end is near, I wrote this sonnet
    To warn you not to build your new house on it! 


          I also particularly like "Didn't Warn You"  because Tweedie employs the rhyme sonnet/on it, which I also have used in one my own sonnets.

    Another of my favorites is “The Perfect Poem,” a perfectly-executed sonnet on the creative process of formal poetry-making:

     

    The Perfect Poem 

     

    There is, I’m sure, in someone’s file drawer,
    A perfect poem, written on a whim,
    Perhaps, or, maybe as a simple hymn
    Of thanks and praise to God, and nothing more. 

    Or, then again, the poem could express
    The burning passion of a lover’s heart,
    A terse description of a work of art,
    Or soul-torn angst amidst some cruel distress. 

    All grammar, syntax, perfectly intact,
    Each foot a proper iamb, anapest,
    Or trochee, dactyl, spondee, at its best, 

    Each comma in its place, each rhyme exact. 

    In spite of flawless tittle, jot, and letter,
    There will be some who think they could do better. 


          Anyone who enjoys clever wordplay and creative use of language in novel and unexpected ways would be delighted to have their mind’s ear experience the rich variety of form and humorous content in Tweedie’s Laughing Matters. Highly recommended!


    More About the Author


    James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and three collections of poetry including Mostly Sonnets, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in The Lyric, Poetry Salzburg (Austria) Review, California Quarterly, Asses of Parnassus, Lighten Up Online, Better than Starbucks, Dwell Time, Light, Deronda Review, The Road Not Taken, Fevers of the Mind, Sparks of Calliope, Dancing Poetry, WestWard Quarterly, Society of Classical Poets, and The Chained Muse. His poem “Pneuma” was a Laureate’s Choice in the 2021 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest; his sonnet, “Forever Nine,” was chosen Best Poem in the Summer 2020 edition of The Lyric. He was a First Place winner in the 2022 100 Days of Dante poetry contest and was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition. He claims to be an optimist.



    More About the Reviewer


    Theresa Werba is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Sonnets, a collection of sixty-five sonnets (under the name Theresa Rodriguez, Shanti Arts, 2020). Her work has appeared in such journals as The Scarlet Leaf Review, The Wilderness House Literary Review, Spindrift, Mezzo Cammin, The Wombwell Rainbow, Fevers of the Mind, Serotonin, The Art of Autism, The Road Not Taken, and the Society of Classical Poets Journal. Her work ranges from forms such as the ode and sonnet to free verse, with topics ranging from neurodivergence, the writing process, love, loss, and aging, to faith and disillusionment. Her website is www.bardsinger.com, where you can view videos of her performance poetry and find information about her books. Follow Theresa on Instagram and Twitter @thesonnetqueen.

     

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog




The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. 

 Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog home page (a silver and gold badge and threee silver-gray circles beneath it. 

 Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. Pre-format the post editor for each new post. Cancel Save Post published

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Bob Freeman Introduces His H2LiftShips Sci-Fi Series


Series Title: H2LiftShips
Titles: Beyond Luna and A Back Story 
Coming spring of 2022, Bosons Wave
Subtitle: A tech manual for a future
Author: Bob Freeman
Category: Science Fiction 
Publisher: Indies United Publishing House, LLC
Page count: 331
Both books available in paperback and a variety of ebook formats at Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/B08WHN4PN6 and 

www.amazon.com/dp/B08X4YMHZZ 

ISBNs: 9781644562376 and 

9781644563076   

 

Synopsis: 

 

The premise of the stories is to build an Anti-dystopian commerce-based world using the tools already available on this planet and to answer the question, "How do the exhaust plumes of those fantasy ships do nothing downwind from the blast?"

 

Our spaceships are not rockets, which have huge emission issues. but use a light, explosive gas to move out of Earth's gravity field, wrapped in a colorful balloon shell.

To keep it simple, there are no aliens, monsters, blasters, exploding computers or half-dressed humans.  We just have regular sentients making a living in our heliosphere around Sol.

 

Driven by commerce, sentients bring their cultures, assumptions, and attitudes to the wider heliosphere.

 

We follow our main characters as they make their way across the heliosphere on the H2LiftShip, the LunaCola.  They are: 

 

Graciela Lourdes, female,  Homo sapiens

Tangsapor Kewellan Candrey, male, Pongo pygmaeus

Jack San Freedog Jr., male,  Canine familiaris

Octopus, male,  Octopus sp.

And a host of sentients they meet along the way: Family, pirates, merchants, and the Navy.

  
About the Author

Bob Freeman graduated from Humboldt State Univ, California after flunking out of UCLA because he spent too much time in Yosemite. He continued the education scheme by taking four years to complete a two-year Master program studying Anaerobic bacteria digesting Lignin. That effort took so long because he spent too much time in the Trinity Alps.

 

Forced to work for a living, the author spent eighteen years in the Imperial Valley, as a Public Health Microbiologist/Lab Director, with emphasis on border Tuberculosis and all the other nasties that seem to interact with humans, bats,  and dogs (We're talking Rabies).

 

Freeman also developed a Laboratory Information System software for Public Health Labs, still in use today and wrote innumerable laboratory/software manuals and more recently he is applying much of that experience to writing Science Fiction.  


Learn more about him at his website, 

www.h2liftship.com/backstory , on Twitter at  @h2lift and  on LinkedIn at  
linkedin.com/in/freemanbob

Watch for Vol 3, in this series,  "BosonsWave," It is due sometime soonish.


Bob Freeman Introduces His H2LiftShips Sci-Fi Series


More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Mary Treadwell Review A Five-Star Cozy Mystery

Title: A Place With A Past
Author: Marlene Ratledge Buchanan 
ISBN:  978-1950308224
ASIN: B08CCLSKCM
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Reviewed by  Mary Treadwell 
5 star

Reviewed by Mary Treadwell originally for Amazon, Goodreads, and IndieAuthorBookReviews
Some secrets stay dead and buried. Some come back to haunt you.

Patty was mourning the death of her beloved Great Aunt Belle, or “Ring a Ding, as she called her. As the only living family member, she became the heir to the family farm and the surprising contents. Patty never expected to inherit two ghosts, and family secrets that had long been buried. In a town where everyone knows everything about their neighbors, murder, moonshine, and mystery threatens her happiness with William. Will Patty and William be able to solve the mystery and put the spirits to rest or will Clarisse and Morton drive them away? This cozy mystery will have you thinking twice about opening closed doors.

Southern Humorist, Marlene Ratledge Buchanan debuts her cozy mystery, A Place With A Past. The story, set in her beloved South, has mystery, romance, and her trademark humor. It’s a great book to grab a glass of sweet tea and escape with.  I look forward to more books by this gem of an author. 

About the Author:

Southern Humorist, Marlene Ratledge Buchanan has been entertaining readers with her observations about life through her column, Hey Y'all, published in the Gwinnett Citizen. The subject matter for her columns primarily center around life events she has experienced, but no topic  or any person is off limits. After 34 Years in public education she retired and a few years later began writing for the local newspaper. 


Marlene lives with her husband of over 40 years and her adult son on a little patch of heaven outside of Atlanta. You can often find her on the bush hog or accidentally losing a rubber boot in the pond.  Marlene loves history, jewelry, antiques and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. One thing you won’t find her doing is cooking. Her husband and son are quite happy about that. 
 You can connect with Marlene on her FB page @marleneratledgebuchanan
  
Her books are available at the following retailers




About the Reviewer


Mary Treadwell like most book lovers began her love for books at an early age.  She devoured all the books in her school library that interested her by the 6th grade. Her accomplishment gained her permission to check books from the high school library.
She has put two successful careers behind her as a Social Worker and 911 Communication Officer and returned to her true passions: books., cooking, and being a savvy shopper.  
Mary lives in Metro Atlanta with her husband of over 30 years and her two rescue pups. When not enjoying the four children and three grandchildren, Mary and her husband love to travel. In her spare time she runs Creative Indie Author Services and helps her longtime friend with her bookshop that carries only indie authors. She is also the co-host of Between The Pages Live with The Southern Pen Bookshop.  She also reviews only indie authors on her website Indie Author Book Reviews.
Mary Treadwell Review A Five-Star Cozy Mystery

MORE ABOUT BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.



Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!
 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

A Shoutout to Talented Writers - Newbies and Published Authors Alike


TALES2INSPIRE® 
an "AUTHORS HELPING AUTHORS" PROJECT/CONTEST

Tales2Inspire® is a project I created nine years ago with two missions in mind. The first was to seek out stories to spread some good news. But as a retired educator and author, I had a second mission in mind. I wanted to give talented writers with an inspiring story to share an opportunity to make their voices heard. With the help of some prominent author advocates, word continued to spread. Accomplished authors and talented newbies alike have grabbed the opportunity. Why not? It’s FREE to enter and gives winners one more respected notch in their platform building belts.

Has the word FREE popped out at you yet? For one thing it is Free to enter this contest. For another, you can get a Free sampler of six Tales2Inspire published stories for your Kindle, Nook or iPad simply by going to www.tales2inspire.com/gifts. Not only will you enjoy these stories, but it will be really helpful for those entering this project/contest to read a few stories that have won past Tales2Inspire® awards.

THEME FOR 2021: TURNING THE PAGE
Be creative. Think in terms of:

 Turning a corner:

Saying goodbye to:

a life trauma, a habitual path, a past life direction, 

a beloved person or animal, a failed relationship . . . to start anew. 

The skies the limit, but just remember, it must be an inspiring, true story


Whether you are new to Tales2Inspire or have been with us before, a quick review of our Contest Guidelines will help you succeed, so be sure to follow the step-by-step instructions below.




GUIDELINES


* For guidelines on writing a winning story, CLICK HERE.

* To learn how to submit a story, CLICK HERE.

* To learn about winner rewards – What’s In it For YouCLICK HERE.

* To learn how stories are judged and how authors become part of that process, CLICK HERE.

* For post-judging editing support, CLICK HERE.




Don't forget,Tales2Inspire newcomers, download your FREE Tales2Inspire® sampler now. Not only is it a treat to read these inspiring stories, but it will give you a great idea of the type stories we like to publish.




TESTIMONIALS



Rod DiGruttolo, Sarasota, Fl.

Tales2Inspire is unique in that all those entering a 'tale' for consideration, have an opportunity to grow as authors. While there are winners in the entries, there are no losers.while Lois provides every author with the opportunity to see our work through other authors' eyes. By inspiring us toward writing mastery, she helps us inspire others.

 Starling Hiraldo, Lawrence, Mass.

Working with Lois has been one of the most eye-opening and rewording experiences of my life. I have learned to be grateful for human interaction and the importance of sharing stories with communities across the globe.


Claudia Domb, Smithtown, NY

Anonymously critiquing the work of three of my peers sharpened my critical thinking skills. In turn, having my story judged by three other authors was helpful to me. Being open to change can make for positive results, helping to polish an already great story to near perfect results.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Sheila Deeth Finds Karen Wyle's Science Fiction Relatable

Title: Water to Water
Genre: science fiction
ISBN: for non-Amazon ebook, 978-0-9980604-4-6; for paperback, 978-0-9980604-3-9
ASIN is B07HM67TSW
Publisher: Oblique Angles Press
Reviewer's rating on Goodreads: 5 stars
Purchase links:
Amazon (global, Kindle): http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B07HM67TSW
Amazon (paperback, global): http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=0998060437

Reviewed by Sheila Deeth originally for Goodreads


THE REVIEW

Karen Wyle’s alien life-forms in Water to Water are immediately and vividly real, convincingly non-human with evocatively different emotional needs, and yet profoundly relatable. A world with two different species and one haunting funeral tradition slowly expands as a young adult strives to move on from losing a parent. But losses come in many forms, and simply moving away from a parent might prove similarly difficult. Moving away from a faith could be even harder.

Honnu’s family secret, Terril’s loss, and the curiosity of an alien of different species combine in this haunting tale. The dialog carries convincing depth and humor, like two teens shying away from deeper truths. And the mystery is so completely involving that the reader switches from guess to guess, all the way to the end and beyond. (Yes, I’m still guessing at parts not told!)

Questions of faith, life after death, the threat of new revelation on old traditions,all this and more—deep topics for a tale that’s filled with action, heart and soul. Author Karen Wyle has imagined a world with self-consistent science and social science, and peopled it with youthful characters whose heroes' journey will surely carry readers far beyond the pages. A masterpiece!

Disclosure: I was given a copy and I love it!

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR




MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction: Flash Fiction Anthology Review

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi-award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see the submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Title: Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction: Flash Fiction Anthology
Subtitle: Book 3 (Flash Fiction Anthologies) (Volume 3)
Series: Flashy Fiction Anthologies
Authors: Theodore Jerome Cohen (Author), Alyssa Devine(Author)
Publisher: CreateSpace
Language: English
Paperback ISBN-10: 1981157905 (April 5, 2018)
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1981157907
eBook ASIN: B079NL2S68
Genre: Flash Fiction

Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction: Flash Fiction Anthology Review

Amazon review by Carolyn Wilhelm, reprinted with permission.

5 out of 5 stars

More Fabulous Flash Fiction Tantalizing Tales

April 6, 2018 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I waited for this new book and am not disappointed with the variety and cleverness of the writing pieces. The author easily sets the stories in scenes from long ago to the modern day from multiple ethnicities and viewpoints. The stories span a wide range of emotion and perspectives. Some will tug at my heart a long time, such as the one set in an orphanage.

There are serious military stories interspersed with humorous animal ones such as Photobomb. All reveal human truths. Most were inspired by interesting or unusual photographs found on the Internet.

My grandmother’s first American words were, “Vel, vel.” She always pronounced them that way and some of the characters did too. I liked that! I am impressed by the ability of the author to authentically represent so many situations with such a deep understanding of human nature. Every story ends with a zinger. I will be thinking about this book for some time to come.

Theodore Jerome Cohen is an Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Star, and a NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner for Winter 2018: Best Book in the Anthology category. "Alyssa Devine" is a pen name he uses when he writes Young Adult (YA) novels.

Dr. Cohen says: As in Books 1 and 2 of Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction, the contents of this third anthology, each story 250 words or less in length, are best compared to a handful of peanuts or M&M's. Which is to say, they're tiny, bite-sized morsels that won't let you stop with one! A few of the stories found here were entered into Flash Fiction Challenges managed by the Website Indies Unlimited.