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Not Your Mary Sue by Rebecca Frost A not so classic girl meets boy story begins when a televangelistâs adult daughter, Marcy, journeys to a secluded island resort where she awakens a captive of a handsome, charming, notorious serial killer who requests she pen his autobiography explaining all of his intentions and crimes in detail. She finds herself horrified that she is intrigued by him and maybe even...infatuated by him. He has more control than she realizes as he slowly begins to brainwash her just as the autobiography is completed. Once she is rescued and he is arrested, Marcy begins to pull her life back together only for her captor to escape and her brother becomes a new suspect in a murder. |
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A short Gothic tale about a 9yo boy who is lost on his birthday outing - all he wants to do is go home. |
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Beginnings: The Omniscients by Kevin Marstall BEGINNINGS â The Omniscients â Book 2 Los Angeles, CA - Itâs late 1993, as Detective Jason Markham embarks on a new investigation, one that will challenge his patience, his methods, and ultimately his mind. A heinous crime, an innocent victim, and a partner with whom working together is more difficult than solving the case. Struggling to train his attention on the clues in the continuing series of burglaries, instead Jasonâs heart and mind remain focused on his personal investigation into the disappearance of the woman he loves. Driven to find her and know that she is safe, Markhamâs actions stretch his physical, emotional, and mental state dangerously to its limits. New and old friends alike lend their support to Jason, but the detectiveâs tumultuous battle rages on against his new partner, his generations of memories that seem just beyond his grasp, and worst of all his own sense of self. |
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Discoveries: The Omniscients by Kevin Marstall DISCOVERIES â The Omniscients Los Angeles, CA - Itâs 1993 and Detective Jason Markham faces a new case, unlike any heâs seen before. A nameless victim, no clues, and not a soul to care about the manâs unfortunate death. To make matters worse, sleepless nights, haunted by his memories, have him on the edge, and now a few chance encounters send his previously ordered life spiraling dangerously out of control. Love, friendship, betrayal, all swirling around him and threatening to consume his mind, Jasonâs heart desires to trust but is thrust into conflict with generations of wisdom passed down to him from his father and grandfathers before him. |
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By Your Side: A Queerplatonic Short Story by Margherita Scialla Emma's relationship ends abruptly when she comes across her boyfriend cheating on her at a party. Yet another failed relationship brings her repressed platonic feelings for one of her best friends to the surface once more. Emmaâs scared to voice her worries and desires, but even if she manages to bring up how she feels, how will Noah react to such a revelation? |
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A Case of Madness by Yvonne Knop Andrew Thomas just got sacked. He's permanently drunk. He's got cancer. Is inescapably gay. Was hit by a bus. And he's fallen in love with a stranger whose life he saved. As a newly-unemployed Sherlock Holmes scholar, Andrew knows only Holmes can help him untangle the madness his life has become, but Holmes isn't real. Except he absolutely appeared in Andrew's house, told him he's in love with a man he just metâŠand then in a fit of pique Andrew sent him away. Sure Holmes is probably a hallucination or a specter or a ghost, but now Andrew desperately needs his help. So to find the answer to his case and the man of his dreams, Andrew takes to chasing a fictional character through London with his very own Watson. |
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Ten Acceptable Acts of Arson and other very short stories by Jack Remiel Cottrell There are many messages in this book: Never go drinking using your passport for ID. Make sure to apply lidocaine before ripping out your toenails. Magic might be real, but it never fixes the worst of your problems. Try to fall in love with bastards. You or someone you know may be gayer than previously thought. Weâre not going to make it to Mars. A locked psychiatric ward needs more books than a single copy of Jane Eyre. Asking time travellers for advice on your exams is considered cheating. Itâs not just human houses that become haunted. The key message is this: Life in the early 21st century is often very strange. So are these stories. With a crisp insouciance and gliding charm, Jack Remiel Cottrellâs fiery, fey, finely-tuned fictions leap from sci-fi to fantasy, comedy to horror, literary realism to romance, and to hybrids of all of these. Featuring sport, friendship, love, health, family, climate change, artificial intelligence, desire, magic, Greek gods, ghosts, peanut butter, cyber pranks, racial prejudice, and creepy medical advances, his stories play with the allure of the past, the disturbances of our own times, and the dangerous idealism of our future technologies â each one in fewer than 300 words. |
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The Final Say by Brandie Nikole They said all Iâll ever be is damaged goods.I donât deserve the joys of life, âcause I donât care about the lives of others.Too bad their words donât hold any merit when it comes to my life.Iâm the boss.The only captain of this yacht.Iâm the only one with the final say.Accompany Jerome on his journey as he walks his truth and follows his own rules. Nobody better get in his way, or theyâll find just what theyâre looking for.Jerome: The Final Say |
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Fighting For Her Heart by Brandie Nikole I love my life like it is. Full of amazing adventures and without a monogamous relationship.I've had my heart broken more than once and that's enough for me to know I don't want to do that again.I don't want a man coming all up in my mix trying to make me commit.After all, I'm Shavonne Jordan, a rebel, also known as a LimitlessSpirit! But then he comes along fighting me at every turn, invading places I never invited him to.Leaving his imprint every step of the way trying to win my heart with his suspenders and floggers, ropes, and suits.Making me see life in a way I never imagined I would or could. Will I let him in or will he eventually get fed up with the fight? Follow us on this adventure of love's tug-o-war.Fighting For Her Heart by ella Shavonne's Story |
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His Favorite Girl by Brandie Nikole Imagine knowing a person most of your life. You know their flaws, the things that make them tick, the hearts they've broken, and the chipped pieces in their armor, and still, you love them completely⊠unconditionally. That is Khalil and Ajah. Best friends since they were eating dirt together. Their bond is unbreakable, but could they survive that one time in college? Khalil has tried moving on from the events of the past, becoming a serial dater with no satisfaction. His recent girlfriend, Destiny, is madly in love with him, and she refuses to accept rejection from Khalil or the destruction of their relationship. But are her feelings the same for her, or is he in love with someone else? Then there's Ajah. While enjoying the single life, she encounters the one-night stand that haunts her for longer than she wants. Will these two friends place all their cards on the table and see if revisiting unfinished business is worth it? Or will they continue playing friends while playing the field? Join Ajah and Khalil as they work to strengthen their bond as best friends while trying to hold on to the lives they have separate from each other. Life doesn't always go according to plan, and we all know there's a reason for everything. |
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All Our Faults by Charlotte Brough A school rivalry. Twin brothers with dangerous vices. A fatal accident. Lakemere Highâs star athlete, Jack Porter, is a master of denial. He doesnât have an eating disorder, and his twin brother, Jared, definitely doesnât have a drinking problem. Everything is rosy in Jackâs worldâheâs headed to Duke, has his pick of the dating pool, and Lakemere are winning in their prank war with rival school, West Valley. Younger brother, Alex, is practically a genius, and JaredâŠheâs fine. Probably. Then the boysâ estranged mother returns, setting in motion a chain of events that will devastate their entire community. Spiraling into depression, Jack tries to play peacemaker between the schools, but Jared isn't about to forgive and forget. Fueled by his escalating addiction, he's out for blood... |
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Jenniâs Boy by Lewis J. Lewin Jenniâs Boy follows Luke as he grows up, struggling to tell the woman that he has loved since high school how he truly feels. As he fails to communicate with her, other problems take ahold of him in life, and she drifts away, but she is ever present in his mind. His old friends fade away, and even his family members start to go their own paths. He realizes just how important communication is in relationships. |
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Home by Maxime Jaz What if the edge of the world wasn't far enough to confront your biggest fears? Damian has it all: first-class ticket home, whisky to drown his fear of flying, snark, and arrogance to push away everyone. Just not the wife. Heartbroken flight attendant Gabe likes his flights uneventful. His training and gentle nature are enough to keep him from busting Damian's face in. Probably. A plane crash forces lives and worlds that couldn't be more different to become one. They fight each other, their biggest fears, a life so rough survival is just the beginning... can they win battles brewing far away, at home? |
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The Devil in the Woods by S. Jean Fifty years ago, a girl walked into the woods with only matches to guide her and then disappeared. No one could find her despite the exhaustive search until days later when her body came out without her heart. Upon her skin was written a dare: "Come into the woods and find my still beating heart." Itâs a silly urban legend, or at least, itâs supposed to be. When highschooler Felix Graves agrees to help his classmates, Vivian and Charlie debunk the urban legend of the Devil in the Woods once and for all, he doesnât believe thereâs anything to it. Well⊠until something finds him in the dark. |
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My Heart is Hurting by S.E. Reed Jinny Buffett is lonely... She's never had the comfort of a white picket fence with a loving family. Her subsidized apartment in Hollywood Florida echoes with the void of her dead Daddy, and the nights drag long into twilight while her Mama works the block outside the Margaritaville resort. It's idealistic Ms. Fleming, who's brave enough to come knocking first. She wants to see Jinny rise up and use her ace scores to escape the wheel of poverty, convincing Jinny to start a school book club, where she finds the friends and boyfriend she never knew she needed. But when her Mama spirals out of control and threatens her entire existence, it's Jinny's Everglade ancestors who arrive in a mist of magic, bringing the swamp and hope with them. |
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Lockdown Laureate by O F Cieri A 22 tale collection, with 22 illustrations by Soren HĂ€xan. Dark, introspective, grimy, urban, strange. âLike a puddle of blood in a back alley of New York City that whispers to you of what could have been via a static-slathered Bluetooth connectionâŠâ |
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Andy and the Extroverts by Jessica K. Foster Seventeen-year-old bookish Andy has no friends. When her over-involved mother has the audacity to ship her off to summer leadership camp, she's thrust into an introvert's nightmare. Everyone is a Communicator with a capital C, icebreaker activities are scheduled into every waking moment, and horror of all horrors: there's no coffee. Even the girls who take her under their wing are the kind of self-assured people Andy could never dream of becoming. Then she meets Lucasââhot, attentive, and everything Andy reads about in her books. Though the girls in her cottage try to warn her about him, she's swept into the first romance of her life. But when she discovers her friends may be right, she'll have to find her inner confidence to save her summer and become the leader she was always meant to be. |
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Sushi and Sea Lions by Rachel Corsini When a career-ending injury and a messy breakup send prima ballerina Daniela Verdi back to Queens, New York, she fills her days with countless distractions: meaningless sex, pinot grigio, and video games. It takes a chance meeting with her brother's best friend, Vincent LaBate, for her to remember who she was before the stage lights and distractions of the Upper West Side. She's convinced that Vincent could never love a girl like her: broken, insecure, and stumbling her way through life. What Daniela didnât count on is that Vincent is as scarred as she is after divorcing his cheating wife and going through an equally messy child custody fight. Soon enough, old vulnerabilities rear their ugly heads, opening a crack in Danielaâs perfectly imperfect romance. As Daniela and Vincent's relationship develops, will Daniela learn to accept that a dream life isn't all it's cracked up to be? |
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Tamika Wood's Birthday Party by Le Kendall Follow the stories of Alan Sebastian Parker and his family as they navigate life, love, family and parenting, queerness and neurodivergence. |
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Our Darkest Hour by Gabriella E. Mari Coming into his psychic powers by accident, Adrian Sinclair finds he has the ability to see and communicate with spirits yet zero understanding of how anything works. So when the YouTube-famous Crossroads Paranormal Research Society offers to take him under their wing, he knows he is in no position to refuse. As Adrian learns what it means to be a paranormal investigator and how to navigate his newfound online celebrity status, he discovers that psychics are quitting en masse, and there are only vague rumors as to why... ... until something beyond his reach starts stalking him. |
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Lipstick Covered Magnet by Amber Herbert Sheâs running from her past. Heâs hoping to become her present. Skylar has avoided the past for three years. She canât be plagued by guilt and regret if she never has time to process what happened. When a song triggers the memories sheâs tried so hard to bury, she knows she canât run anymore. Despite her ex being gone, heâs hiding in the quiet and stillness. Thereâs no escape. Connor has always been passionate. If heâs into you, he will follow you to the ends of the earth. Sure, his fixation once ended in a restraining order, but that was just one girl. When he meets Skylar, he feels that same itch. Despite her attempts to brush him off, he increases his effortsâeven if that means tracking her movements and stalking her online. He knows heâll win her over if heâs persistent. As Skylar does her best to heal, Connor sinks further into obsession. Lipstick Covered Magnet is a genre-bending debut that weaves the intricacies of healing with delusion and suspense. For fans of You and I May Destroy You *Content warning: contains sexual assault, mentions of suicide, and stalking. |
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The Girl Who Steals Christmas by C.G. Drews A prequel short story about the De Lainey family from The Boy Who Steals Houses. It's set a week before Moxie meets Sam. Available for free on author's blog. Last year Christmas didnât happen because their mother had just died... It's a hot miserable December and the De Lainey family are actively ignoring the festive season, but when Moxie finds her little sister's screwed up letter to Santa in the bin, she decides to bully Christmas to life. Includes various sibling dramas, a too-small tent, and confusion between Santa and a potato. |
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The Pilgrim: Inferno Redux by Rohit Prasad Roy Aron stepped off a sun-kissed beach and plunged into the fiery pits of hell. He had a life-altering vision. To actualize his epiphany, he metaphorically descended the bowels of hell to grapple with manâs ruinous frailties. He followed in the footsteps of Dante Alighieri as he witnessed each of the nine sins: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. He came upon unexpected and macabre sagas, engaged in intriguing and enthralling events, which bore testimony to all that these sins manifest, and observed how the sinners end up sundering devastation around them. After observing the lowest of lows, he pulled himself out of these depths and vowed to fight the intoxicating attraction of sin. Roy undertook this odyssey, again and again, every year to make himself a better husband, a better father and a better human being. Journey with him through the heart of darkness, live through these bizarre and metamorphic incidents and emerge in the sunshine of hope. |
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The Kings of Nowhere by C.G. Drews Avery Lou has given up stealing houses â now heâs meant to build them. Forced to stay with the De Lainey family until Samâs return from juvie, Avery feels like heâs drowning. He hates that Sam chose the De Laineys instead of running away with him. And he hates working in their construction company while Vin, the thief who hurt Sam, still walks free. Avery wants revenge. Swapping the sharp-edged world of burglary and car theft for the homey chaos of big family life is a wild adjustment, and Averyâs determined to sabotage his time with the De Laineys and get locked up with Sam instead. Avery just has to stay immune to Jeremyâs charming shenanigans. EasyâŠsort of. But Averyâs war against Vin has brought trouble to the De Lainey door and he canât survive this fight alone. |
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Sweet Baby Mine by Maria Daversa Set in Paris, Sweet Baby Mine is about the secrets, lies, and mental illnesses that take a toll on two people who once thought theyâd found their true love. The tale is brutal, oftentimes heartbreaking, but always hopeful. The message? On the road to self-discovery, youâll learn that no matter what anyone says, no matter what flawed message you believed about yourself growing up, you are a good person and deserve love. |
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Summer's Second by Jeff Billington Asher Brockâs last summer of youth is far from ideal. His hopes for the future, including an escape from his constricting Ozark Mountains hometown, seem increasingly fragile as he faces hurdles of poverty and abuse, all while coming to terms with being gay. Raised by an alcoholic single mother, he clings to his noted intelligence as an escape to a better life. But it will take more than brainsânamely, strength of character and aspirationâfor him to navigate the months leading to his senior year of high school. The pregnancy of his recent girlfriend, the heightened aggression of his long-time bully, and the increasing presence of his long-absent father create a season of turmoil, spurring unease and self-doubt. But with support from family and friends, an opportunity for love, and the shedding of generations of secrets, Asher sees beyond preordained fate and starts to realize the opportunities in his grasp. |
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Black Licorice by Elaina Battista-Parsons Freddiâs life is over. Her bestâand onlyâfriend needed her and she failed. After a series of bad decisions, Freddi is pulled out of music school and forced to prove herself, but a new school and volunteer work only add to her overwhelming anxiety. Freddi finds a potential new friend in Lorna, who forces her to face her insecurities head on, but Freddi isnât ready to let go. When Freddi learns Lorna is keeping something from her, their friendship starts to crumble. Now Freddi must choose between chasing her past or rebuilding her future. |
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Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling Between Before and After follows Indie film director Sebastian Foster, son of the famous author Regina Foster, as he embarks on a project to turn his motherâs award-winning novels into films. As he works on his third film in the project, a biographical novel that takes place in Paris and deals with the traumatic death of Sebastianâs five-year-old sister, the project and aspects of Sebastianâs personal and private life start to break down. Sebastian is confronted with a man from his past who holds the purse strings as far as funding for his films is concerned. He also learns that his mother has more secrets than he realized and as he dives deeper into this project, he learns that there was so much more to his sisterâs tragic death than he realized. As the past starts to unravel before him, Sebastian must confront his issues with his mother and his desperate need to recreate a past that may not have been as idyllic as he remembered. |
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The Persistence of Vapor by Ralph Clementi Thomas Marcelli, lead archaeologist at an excavation outside a small town in Jordan, is astonished when his assistant informs him that the local newspaper has just printed a sensationalistic account of their recent find. The article claims that the coprolite that was uncovered the previous day is a holy relic of Jesus. Over the next two days the site becomes overrun by hundreds of curious spectators. Chaos ensues and the coprolite gets stolen. The artifact quickly enters the dark underworld of stolen art and antiquities. Eventually, through a string of murders and deceptions, it is acquired by Michael Steadman, a major dealer of stolen art in the United States. He multiplies his profits substantially by selling counterfeits of "the holy relic of Jesus" that he crudely carved from locally collected rocks. In the meantime the news of the discovery and theft of the coprolite unleashes a flood of conspiracy theories. This misinformation continues to spread despite repeated assertions by the archaeologists that there is no evidence of a connection between the coprolite and Jesus. Then matters worsen. Fraudulent enterprises appear that advertise nonexistent tours to the site where the "the holy relic of Jesus" was found. Religious leaders, deeply troubled by these scams, try to intercede to protect their congregants from being cheated. However, their efforts backfire when the religious leaders become the targets of new conspiracy theories. Set in the U.S. and the Middle East, the novel traces the impact that the coprolite has on the people it touches. The story is part adventure and part intellectual journey and rides on a universal theme that underlies so much of human behavior: facts and logic often take a back seat to a blind hunger for the satisfaction of emotional needs. |
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The PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 3 by Azelle Elric, Meaghan Beatty, David Ellis, and Cendrine Marrouat. Welcome to Volume 3 of "The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology"! This collection of positive and uplifting works has been created in response to PoArtMo, a year-long movement launched in 2020 by Auroras & Blossoms. PoArtMo stands for âPositive Actions Rally Thoughts & Momentum.â The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 3 features a variety of different works by four contributors: Azelle Elric (drawings), Meaghan Beatty (essays), Cendrine Marrouat (poetry), and David Ellis (poetry). |
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Happiest in Denial by Cassandra Cordini Who doesnât dream of true love? When Mia meets Wolfgang, she thinks all her dreams have come true. Blinded by her passions, she plunges into marriage, even though dark shadows seem to hover around him. Wolfgang canât hide his true nature and in time even Mia is finally forced to confront the truth about her husband. Dignity and self-respect come at a terrible price â will Mia pay it or will she be forever Wolfgangâs plaything? |
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Ride Every Stride by Amy Maltman Jed Carver hopes to put his troubled past behind him. After fleeing across the country, he finds refuge in his new job at a prestigious stable and commits himself to his goal: a spot on the Canadian Equestrian Team. Jed is confident in his riding ability, but the obstacles outside the ring could be his undoing. Will his dark secrets come to light? Can he ride every stride until his dream comes true? Or will his demons unseat him? Jump into this page-turner for the equestrian and non-equestrian alike! |
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Returning to You by Gwen Tolios Monicaâs relationship with her father is falling apart, made more obvious when her return to Madison after years aboard results in him throwing her out of the house. Lisa Carson, her BFF and old college roommate, takes her in. Turns out Lisa has her own issues with her parents â theyâre pushing her to date despite her lack of desire. So when Monica joins a Carson family dinner, she lies and says itâs starting a relationship with Lisa that brought her back to America. Lisa goes along with the ruse â it gets her parents off her back and itâs only until Monica repairs her relationship with her father and moves out. What Monica failed to take into account however is that crush she had on Lisa in college? Yeah, that didnât go away. |
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What The Stars Didn't Show Us by Margherita Scialla Life isn't easy when you have a brother who's always considered better than you. Hyunsuk's situation is even worse since he shares the same face as his so-called perfect twin. His life starts to change, however, when a new student arrives at his school and she sees something in him no one else had ever bothered to look for. Hialeah, already too familiar with the feeling of being alone, is set on befriending him, but can Hyunsuk finally come out of his twinâs shadow and open up to someone, when his brother makes it clear he doesnât want him to find happiness? |
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Slow Motion by Jennifer Pierce Westview belongs on a postcard. Quaint, picture-perfect, a tiny New England town steeped in history and traditions. Angela has always been everything people in Westview want her to be. Sheâs supposed to be happy there, but sheâs starting to see the flaws in her seemingly-perfect life and sheâs afraid that everyone else will notice, too. Now, in her senior year of high school, she wants something more than small towns, something bigger than the life planned out for her by a family that has designed and destroyed reputations in Westview for generations. Owen knows that history can depend on who tells the story, even in Westview. But all he wants is to run away from his own past, from the bad decisions heâs made and the tragedies still haunting him. Heâs focused on the future and proving people wrong, even if that means keeping secrets. Long before they understood the rumors and grudges that rule their hometown, Angela and Owen were friends for one perfect summer. Since then, theyâve stayed as far apart as possible. But when Westviewâs tricentennial forces them to work together, they must face difficult truths about themselves, their community, what being perfect really meansâand the devastating consequences of pretending. |
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Ambrotypes by Amy Cipolla Barnes We are all slightly askew,â says one of the characters in this delightful and moving collection of innovative stories that bend, at times, toward allegory. Here's a vintage world of cigarette vending machines, Jazzercise, Sears photography studios, McNally road maps, full-service filling stations, and Green Stamps dish sets, a world where a sister with sugar for shoes who desires an octopus lover, giraffes who give funeral eulogies, a student with a backpack wormhole that houses Einstein, and a woman who places a want ad to see if someone has found her nameâall highlight our humanity, its losses and its longings, and in moments, the last times we donât know are the last times. I loved these stories.â â Jill Talbot, author of The Way We Werenât: A Memoir âRead this collection slowly. Each of these stories unfolds like a palimpsest of images you'll want to spend time unpacking. At the heart of Barnes' prose are the intricacies of human relationships made technicolor by magic realism and the author's expansive imagination.â â Christopher Allen, author of Other Household Toxins âNo one aces the first sentence test quite like Amy Cipolla Barnes. Every story in her whimsical debut begins with a zing. With irresistible openers like: "Thereâs a beach ball in the apartment toilet," "I knew what I was doing when I swallowed the glass piano," "My great grandmother hung the moon," and "My third baby was born an alligator," how can we not keep reading? These may be AMBROTYPES, but Barnes writes in living, breathing color to bring us captivating, quirky family snapshots that engage faith, myth, fairy tale, and a little magic. For all the absurdist delight, there's no shortage of heartache or truth: "I prayed hard that my plastic Jesus would find my daddy either real pants or a job; It felt like too much to ask for both." Barnes is adept at rendering the familiar unfamiliar and the unfamiliar familiar in these sharply observed slices of life that never fail to snap, crackle, and pop.â â Sara Lippmann, author of Doll Palace âNothing can really prepare you for the people you'll encounter in Amy Barnes's Ambrotypes: little girls with feet made of sugar; alligator babies; wives who grow feathers; fathers made of origami. These stories are surprising, wholly original, and go down easy -- the perfect reading for our current reality.â â Amy Shearn, award-winning author of Unseen City and The Mermaid of Brooklyn |