Book Brief: Harry Danced Divinely

Harry Danced DivinelyHarry Danced Divinely
by Marian D. Schwartz
Genre: Literary Short Stories
Word count: 73, 606

There were some things Lillian Levinson couldn’t say, even to herself.

In the collected Giffort Street stories, you’ll enter seven gracious homes on an elm-lined street. You’ll meet the Stan and Adele Heussler, whose marriage begins to fall apart after they buy a magnificent antique bedroom set; Dale Kenway, who can’t tell anyone the reason he doesn’t want to be called a hero; Saul Penner, who realizes that the first neighbor he meets after he moves in is a bigot; the Danahy family, who are battling each other over the Vietnam War; and Bernice and Arnold Whittaker, who are unaware of how their trusted nanny is shaping their daughters’ lives. In the title story, Harry Danced Divinely, the lack of a tea bag makes an elderly Jewish woman decide to teach her spoiled adult son a shocking public lesson.

The stories Harry Danced Divinely, An Authentic Hero, Neighbors, and The Queen Anne Bedroom Set are exclusive to this book. A Perfect Nanny and the novella War Zone, which are available as singles, are also included.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Harry Danced Divinely”

Flash Fiction Challenge: A Gift for Dad

Photo by K.S. Brooks
Photo by K.S. Brooks

Skyler clutched the little jelly jar full of coins to his chest as he stared at the rack of neckties. This would be the first time he’d bought his dad a gift for Father’s Day – and he would do it with his own money that he got from under the couch cushions. There was always some money there after dad napped.

“Look mom,” Skyler said, almost awestruck at the beauty and genius of a necktie you didn’t even have to tie. “Do you think dad would like that one? He doesn’t have a pink one.”

In 250 words or less, tell us a story incorporating the elements in the picture. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time.

On Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll for the best writing entry accompanying the photo. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Friday afternoon, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Then, at year end, the winners will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!

Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms.

Summer Reading for Kids!

Mr. Pish is bored
I’m so bored. I wish I had a book to read!

Summertime is upon us, and you know what that means. The kids are out of school and you’re going to be hearing these words a lot:

I’m sooo bored!

Once you’ve made the pilgrimage to Disneyland and a few trips to the pool, it’s pretty much over. That isn’t gonna save you.

Books can keep them entertained and maintain their reading skills for the upcoming school year. Making a summer reading list is a great idea, but why go schlepping to the library to wrestle with another mom over the last dog-eared copy of Where’s Waldo when there are so many great indie books for kids?

If you have a book for kids from Pre-K to Middle Grade, put the title, author, and Amazon link in the comments! We will convert your link to a clickable book cover. Do not attempt to insert an image in comments on your own.

Remember, without books, you may spend your summer hearing things like, “I thought an umbrella would work like a parachute.”