Saturday 12 March 2016

New Short Story Collections

Many of my blogging friends and fellow writers began with writing short stories, as I did myself many years ago, and it's always a pleasure to discover new collections. The following are from three very different authors and each offers delights for the reader.

Weird Tales by Jack Hastie

Jack is a fellow member of my writing group whose entertaining, satirical and sometimes disturbing short stories have long left us enthralled and I'm delighted that he now has put fifteen together in this first collection. They are described thus:

Here are fifteen stories of the weird and wonderful, the tragic and the vengeful, with a Scottish flavour. Sometimes satirical, sometimes lyrical, the collection makes some scathing comments on commercialisation and political correctness in contemporary society. Don`t read on unless you are prepared to accept “a willing suspension of disbelief” in things that should never happen.

Available on Amazon UK and US. Soon to be in print.




Three's a Crowd by Kate Blackadder

I've known Kate for many years through the Scottish Association of Writers and have enjoyed many of her published short stories in women's magazines. She has recently been a guest author at the People's Friend short story workshops in various parts of Scotland. This is Kate's first collection of family stories previously published in The People's Friend, Woman's Weekly, and Woman's Day (an Australian magazine). A reviewer said the following:

These are superbly written, with great characterisation, and I found myself immediately drawn into the story, which is always the sign of a skilful writer at the top of their game.

Available on Amazon UK and US and also in print.





When Planets Slip their Tracks by Joanna Campbell

Joanna has been a blogging friend for many years and I've been following her writing career ever since first reading her wonderful stories published in various women's magazines and Writers' Forum. She has since won several prestigious prizes and this is her first collection of short stories. This is part of the description on Amazon:

Tracing the fragile paths of people who desperately want to belong, Campbell catches her characters in the moment where they find themselves floundering. These are characters at the edge of their endurance, experiencing the moment when life threatens to tip out of their control. With a light comic flair, Campbell follows them through the twists and turns of their experiences.

Available on Amazon UK and US and also in print.


Enjoy!
Rosemary

13 comments:

Joanna said...

Thank you so much, Rosemary, for this lovely mention! I really appreciate it. Congratulations to Jack and Kate for their fabulous-looking collections too. Wishing you both great success. xxx

Anonymous said...

What a great-looking collections, Rosemary. I love short stories (although I'm not very good at writing them :) ) I look forward to checking these out.

Kate Blackadder said...

Thank you for the post, Rosemary, much appreciated – and to Joanna and Helena for your kind remarks. Look forward to reading Joanna's and Jack's collections.

Wendy's Writing said...

Short stories have been a stepping stone for so many successful writers (Cally Taylor comes to mind). It's a great way to hone your skill and find your voice. You've a great collection here.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

You're very welcome, Joanna - all the best with your collection!

Many thanks for your kind comment, Helena - I'm sure you're better than you think at them!

You're welcome, Kate - I like the variety of all the stories between them!

Thanks, Wendy - you know all about the benefits of writing short stories first and I'm sure your own two collections have been very successful!

myraduffy said...

Great to have these recommendations,Rosemary. Thank you.

Carolb said...

Thanks for these recommendations, Rosemary. :)

Rae Cowie said...

What wonderful reviews, Rosemary. Thanks for sharing. :-)

Maria said...

Thank you for this post Rosemary, I love anthologies of short stories, they are ideal for train travel - I'm off to check them out.

Have a fabulous week!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Thanks for commenting, Myra!

You're welcome, Carol!

And thank you for commenting and tweeting etc, Rae!

Many thanks, Maria - you too!

Anonymous said...

Oh, they all look great reads, thanks for bringing them to our attention, Rosemary. xx

Patsy said...

A good variety there.

Nicola said...

I love to read short stories. Thank you for highlighting these three fantastic writers. Have a lovely week.