Distant Flickers, Anthology by Liz Gauffreau and 7 Authors – Blog Tour

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What a delight to have my friend, an author, poet, Latin and writing teacher, preacher’s kid, and Navy wife, Liz Gauffreau, to be on my blog today. She is a contributing author of Distant Flickers, an anthology by 8 accomplished authors.

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Description:

~ 8 Accomplished Authors
~ 10 Memorable Stories
~ Compelling Characters at a Crossroads
~ What Choices Will They Make?

The emotive stories in this anthology take readers to the streets of New York and San Francisco, to warm east coast beaches, rural Idaho, and Italy, from the early 1900s, through the 1970s, and into present day.

A sinister woman accustomed to getting everything she wants. A down-on-his luck cook who stumbles on goodness. A young mother who hides $10 she received from a stranger. The boy who collects secrets. A young woman stuck between youth and adulthood. Children who can’t understand why their mother disappears.

The distinct and varied characters in Distant Flickers stand at a juncture. The loss of a spouse, a parent, a child, oneself. Whether they arrived at this place through self-reflection, unexpected change, or new revelations—each one has a choice to make.

Book information:

Title: Distant Flickers: Stories of Identity & Loss

Genre: Short Story Anthology

Universal Purchase Link:

https://books2read.com/-distantflickers?format=all

Book Trailer:

Contributors’ Bios:

Excerpt:

Opening Paragraph

“The Woman in Question”

by Jim Metzner  

It smells like what it is, a hospital room cleaned with some serious chemistry.

A window with a bit of a view, a rolling cabinet with a box of tissues, pitcher of water, paper cups and a vase holding some daffodils. A gaze pans to the main attraction, Sophia Marquez, lying on a bed center stage. The woman I married twenty years ago, inspiring poems about bringing candles of love into the cavern of a lonely life.

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My Review

“A distant flicker reaches us like a star, a distant flicker of light. A sharp, quick spark.” I enjoyed reading this anthology and finished it in one sitting. I love every one of the stories.

Where Secrets Go to Hide by Keith Madsen tells the story of a six-year-old boy. He collects secrets like others collect dolls, coins, stuffed animals, or seashells. He refers to it as some secrets are chosen for him when people start telling him things or he starts observing things he later finds out he is not supposed to observe. He refers to keeping the secrets as storing them from head to toe inside of his pajama with feet that have no way to escape. It must have been a burden for a little boy to carry the secrets into his adulthood.

Norfolk, Virginia, 1975 by Elizabeth Gauffreau is a time capsule of East Ocean View before urban renewal in the1980s. It’s about a young girl who is married, living in a dirty town with her husband and the baby. They rent an apartment with a shower stall but no shower curtain. Her husband falls on the slippery floor and wants her to get a shower curtain. The next day, she walks a long distance trying to buy a cheap shower curtain. She meets a stranger on the way. This encounter opens her eyes to her life and her situation.

A Spoonful of Soul by Rita Baker is a story about a homeless person, Otto. He sits next to a restaurant, waiting for the chef to give him a cup of coffee and a roll. A customer’s comment brings back his memories. This story reminds me of a homeless person who used to be a radio broadcaster with a golden voice. Every homeless person has a unique story.

The stories are based on real situations in the past or the authors’ personal experiences. Each story focuses on a person’s event or situation and infuses it with a spark. It sheds the light on what people “are capable of doing to cope, to recover, to heal, and what we can become as a result-good or evil.” I find the stories insightful, reflective, and sensational. I highly recommend this beautiful book to any reader to enjoy.

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Contributing Author Elizabeth Gauffreau

About Elizabeth Gauffreau

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. She holds a B.A. in English from Old Dominion University and an M.A. in English/Fiction Writing from the University of New Hampshire. She is currently the Assistant Dean of Curriculum & Assessment for Champlain College Online, where she is an Associate Professor. Her fiction and poetry have been published in literary magazines and several themed anthologies. Her debut novel, Telling Sonny, was published by Adelaide Books in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband.

Website/Blog: https://lizgauffreau.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Gauffreau/e/B07NTZFVSF?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LGauffreau

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.gauffreau

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76 comments

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