Formatting for Short Stories

Here's a quick and easy way to find the proper format. Article was written by William Shunn.
http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

In a decidedly different novel, Bohjalian seems to continue the Gatsby story where Fitzgerald left off. Gatsby has been dead for decades but his presence still looms large. His house on the cove, that looks like a castle, has been converted to a swim club.

In a book that explores mental illness, nothing is as it seems. Bobbie Crocker, a homeless man, is convinced that people are after him for his collection of photographs. 

After his death, a young social worker examines the photographs and determines that they have artistic value. Before Bobbie Crocker was homeless he worked off and on for Life magazine. No one recognizes the humanity of the homeless but Bobby's collection might changes their minds. Recognizing this, Laurel aims to curate a show of Bobby's photographs.

Laurel spends all of her free time in University of Vermont's dark room printing negatives and hiding the collection from those who want to steal it. But is all as it seems? Laurel's friends began to worry about her sanity as she begins her solitary trek to resolve the mystery of Bobbie Crocker. 

While this is a novel that challenges readers and offers a unique point of view, I'm not sure that Bohjalian really pulls it off. For the most part, we are told about Bobby but do not really seem him interact with the characters. Readers do not know much about him as a person. 

Bohjalian uses real photographs from a real homeless persons' collection  (Bob "Soupy" Campbell). While that is an interesting blend of fiction with real circumstances, the narrative falls short. 

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans.

A man reduces his life to the basics, by selling everything and taking a walk across the country, after his wife dies. He hears tales from various people living in Washington State, including a woman, who runs a Bed and Breakfast, who has had out-of-body experiences.

After being attacked by thugs, Alan has an out-of-body experience himself. Will he find what he's looking for? Will a woman he meets by chance, nicknamed Angel, help him?

Miles to Go is the second book in the series.

Shirley Jackson Award Winners

Almost everyone is familiar with the chilling short story penned by Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery." In May of 2013, the author's estate has established an award for outstanding achievement in the suspense and horror genres.

Shirley Jackson Award Winners for outstanding novels:
 
Evenson, Brian. Immobility.
Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl.
Kiernan, Caitlin. The Drowning Girl.
LaValle, Victor. The Devil in Silver.
Suzuki, Koji. Edge.

Book of Someday

The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon.

The lives of three women, Livvi, Micah, and AnnaLee, collide in this fascinating, fast-paced novel by Dianne Dixon. One object--a photograph of a woman in a silver dress and pearl-button shoes--holds a clue about their past and future.  

Broken and needy, Livvi, seeks love that she never received from her father and absent mother. As a child, the most loving family was the family she viewed through a telescope across the street. Will she find love and acceptance with Andrew or is he selling her a bunch of lies?

Beautiful and ambitious, Micah is a famous photographer with a guilty conscience. Diagnosed with a life threatening illness, Micah makes a point of revisiting everyone she has hurt in the past. She hopes to make amends but her journey takes her on an unexpected collision course.

AnnaLee is a stay-at-home mother who desperately wants to launch her husband's career. AnnaLee has to sell her valuables bit by bit to stay financially afloat. Is opening her heart to a rebellious teen who needs direction a mistake?

This is a satisfying read -- one that makes readers think about the conscious and unconscious choices they make in their lives. For some, life is shaped entirely by the past, but for a courageous few, the putty of life can be shaped by their own choices. The Book of Someday makes readers think about the big questions.

Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto

Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto.

In Eight Girls Taking Pictures, Whitney Otto experiments with a new kind of fiction--a fictional portrait of real-life personalities. Though she changes their names and some details about their lives, what develops is a collage of fiction and non-fiction that tells the truth of the lives of eight innovative photographers.

In eight somewhat interconnected stories, Otto tell the stories of Imogen Cunningham, Madame Yevonde, Tina Modotti, Lee Miller, Grete Stern, Ruth Orkin, Judy Dater, and Sally Mann.

Though these women lived in different time periods and cultures, one constant emerges. Despite feminism that emerges in the 1970s, all of the women feel conflicted about their role as artist which conflicts greatly with other areas in their life. For most of these women, their roles as artist conflicts with motherhood, but for some, their work interferes with politics or other deeply held beliefs.

In the first story, Cymbeline faces the perplexing problem of wanting both a career (as a photographer) and a family. She first become enamored of her professor, Julius, while he and she photograph the "Procession of Princes," in Dresden.

Her time in Berlin both opens and closes doors for her. Cymbeline is a fictional version of Imogen Cunningham, a trailblazing photographer, who was once an apprentice at Edward Curtis' famous portrait studio in Seattle.

Other fictional portraits are those of Madame Yevonde whom Otto renames Madame Amadora. Madame Amadora feels conflicted between her life's work, photography, and motherhood.

Clara Argento, a fictional character based on the life of Tina Modotti, also feels conflicted. While she has no children, she feels torn between her role as artist and revolutionary. 

Charlotte Blum, a fictional version of Grete Stern, sums up best the conflicts these female artists feel:



"She didn't hate being a wife any more than she hated being a mother. What she hated was the way that wife, mother, and photographer created an unsolvable equation. What she hated was trying to solve the mathematics of her various roles."

Torn between her family in Argentina and her loves for Ines and photography, Clare laments that, "a woman always has to choose."

According to Clare, women, cannot have career and family and love; they must choose one role at the expense of another--a theme that repeats itself throughout Eight Girls Taking Pictures.

Miri Max (Ruth Orkin), for instance, laments that she cannot be in,

 "two places at once, two people at the same time. If she could split herself one Miri would be happy spending all day with her toddling children...Her other self would be making movies with David. Or possible taking pictures on her own..."

Eight Girls Taking Pictures does not shy away from the issues that have been tackled often--issues of women's rights, marriage, and work. Otto, however, delves further by looking at the way motherhood conflicts with a woman's role as artist. She distinguishes work from fulfilling work that involves creativity and a sense of achievement.

In the last chapter, Jenny can work as a photographer by taking wedding or debutante photographs but she wants something more. Though she is criticized for it, she takes intimate photographs of her children. The photographs are not merely family snapshots as they show the viewer both childhood and motherhood in the abstract. 


Characters and their real life counterparts:

Cymbeline Kelley--Imogen Cunningham
Madame Amadora--Madame Yevonde
Clara Argento--Tina Modotti
Lenny Van Pelt--Lee Miller
Charlotte Blum--Grete Stern
Miri Marx--Ruth Orkin
Jessie Berlin--(partly-based on Judy Dater)
Jenny Lux--Sally Mann



A "Select bibliography" at the end of the novel is an unexpected  gift to readers eager to learn more about the women portrayed in this work of historical fiction.



For more information about Whitney Otto, www.whitneyotto.com

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Bloodroot by Amy Greene.

The minute the baby opened her eyes Byrdie knew that LouAnn's curse has been lifted. Angry about a relative's will that left her out, LouAnn put a curse on the family until someone in the family was born with haint blue eyes. 

Haint blue is supposed to ward off evil spirits and curses in the Appalachian subculture but its also a rare eye color in some families. Byrdie's Grandmaw said, "That old devil knows ain't nobody been born with blue eyes in our family for generations." 

So begin Amy Greene's captivating Appalachian tale. Folk medicine, witch craft, fortune-telling are major components of Greene's story. Doug soon learns that his beloved Myra is a member of a family rumored to be witches.

Douglas' doomed love for Myra is a familiar story--a backwoods version of Jay Gatsby and Daisy--yet it also remarkably unique.  Unlike Gatsby, Doug is remarkably self-aware and besotted at the same time.

"That night I was so dizzy and sick...thinking about what Tina Cutshaw had said in fifth grade, that bad things would happen to me if I kept on loving Myra. I guess I knew even back then how things would turn out."

The second half of the book documents Myra's sad decline and the tragic fate of her children, John and Laura. Like her mother and her granny before that, Myra has made terrible choices in exchange for blood-red love.

The man Myra most desires and marries turns out to be cruel and possessive. Just like Wild Rose, the Cotters' paint horse, Myra craves freedom. Lacking an education, except for a deep and abiding love for Wordsworth's poetry, Myra lacks the ability to secure the independence and freedom she craves.

Myra makes one terrible choice after another until she is forced to leave her beloved mountain. The twins are left to scramble on their own, even if the blood-red ring and memories of happier times bind them together.

Tightly woven into the plot is the superstitions and beliefs that Appalachian subculture is known for. Mountain people believe in signs, curses, love potions, revenge, and miracles. They believe that some have special gifts e.g. the gift of vision or the healing touch.

Myra herself has a disturbing vision when she first enters the rented home--a ramshackle home near railroad tracks--that she and her new husband share.

A turning point in the novel occurs when John and Laura no longer believe in the curse that has seemingly darkened their family's life. While parts of  Bloodroot are incredibly sad and troubling, the novel ends on a hopeful note. This is an inter-generational story about love, madness, resentment and forgiveness.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan

Short Nights: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Edward Curtis.

Even though this is non-fiction, because of Curtis' superb writing, it reads like an impossible-to-put-down novel.

Almost immediately readers are drawn into Curtis' world and are fascinated by the odds of a subsistence farmer rising to ranks of super celebrity: all due to Curtis' skill with a camera and business acumen.


After a fall out with his younger brother, Curtis befriends Bird Grinell and launches the "big idea." His idea is to record the vanishing Native American tribes on film and wax recorder, an early recording device.

Curtis gained the trust of Native Americans and given some access to their world. He was not permitted to participate or photograph the Sundance or snake ceremonies (until late in life).
Nonetheless, Curtis was well-liked and given a variety of Indian names and nicknames, including "The Man Who Sleeps on His Breath" because he slept on an air mattress.

Egan offers a fascinating portrait of an ambitious, energetic man who tried to improve perceptions of Native Americans with his camera. 

A digital library of Curtis' life's work, The North American Indian, may be found at, http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

British author, Alex Marwood, delivers a riveting and tantalizing mystery. After two British girls meet by chance in a park, they commit a crime that completely alters the course of their lives.

Each girl is sent to a different detention center and told not to ever meet again. Upper class Annabel Oldacre is sent to Blackdown Hills while lower class Jade Walker is sent to Exmouth--the better of the two juvenile detention facilities.

Twenty-five years later or so, after both have painfully rebuilt their lives, the two women accidently meet again at the Funnland's hall of mirrors.

Though "Bel" who is, now Amber, resents Jade's better placement, Bel finds that she needs Jade now more than ever. A serial killer is on the loose in the resort town of Whitmouth. Kirsty/Jade, who is now a reporter, is sent to investigate the crimes, all the while hoping her own criminal past is not uncovered.

The killer is dangerously close to both of them. Will they be able to save each other from harm? from the press? from the idle curiosity of the public?

Incredibly astute psychological portraits, break-neck plotting, and a well crafted narrative, The Wicked Girls is a must read for anyone who enjoys psychological mysteries. The Wicked Girls would also be good for book discussions because of the rich content and unanswered questions.

Marwood seems to be asking what would drive someone to kill--how can two school girls be involved in a murder? How can a popular studio club manager or how can a down-on-his-luck type be drawn to it as well? What would cause a middle class woman to become unhinged and violent?

If you like Marwood, you may also like:
Kate Atkinson
Gillian Flynn

Full disclosure: I received a galley of this book in the mail from Penguin. So far, its the best book I've read all year.

Coincidence in Darkness, My Old Friend by Lisa Unger

The Hollows in Darkness, My Old Friend is a unique place, a growing community outside of New York with plenty of woods, hiding places, and left over mining shafts for teenagers to explore. Willow Graves hates the Hollows because it pales in comparison to New York City. Ex-Detective, Jones, who hates coincidences, feels out-of-sorts:


The Hollows was a small place. And it had its ways, this town. Jones Cooper wasn't a superstitious guy, but sometimes it seemed like The Hollows had a way of encouraging paths to cross. 

Jones is not the only one who experiences coincidences. When Willow runs away from New York, she walks through China town, Soho, and ends up at a park she used to visit at a child. By then, she's desperate to go home but is too proud to call her mother. If she ever got lost, while playing in the park as a child, her mother instructed her to go to the gate. 

By sheer coincidence, she finds her mother, who had looked every where else, at the same gate.

What makes Jones uncomfortable, though, (and what seems like a disconcerting coincidence to Willow), is actually what makes both novels about The Hollows so enjoyable.

People interact and their lives intersect in interesting ways. The psychic, who does not yet have second sight, is a babysitter for the woman who disappears under mysterious circumstances. 

The ex-cop and the local principal are both in love with the same woman. The local principal later becomes enamored of Bethany Graves, the mother of Willow Graves. 

Paula Carr hires the ex-cop to find the mother of the boy who becomes infatuated with Willow Graves.

The teenager who finds a man digging in the woods has a connection with another teen whose mother has gone missing. The man digging has also had a mother gone missing.

While so many coincidence can collapse under the weight of a less capable writer,  Unger provides the right amount tension to keep the plot tight.


Similar titles
Jackson, Lisa. Wicked Game.
Coben, Harlan. Stay Close.
Gardner, Lisa. Say Goodbye.
Gardner, Lisa, Catch Me.

Poison Eaters and Other Tales by Holly Black

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

So many good stories can be found in this collection, it makes me want to read Holly Black's other works. She co-authored The SpiderWick chronicles with Tony deTerlizzi which, for some reason, I have never read.

Many of Black's other books are for YA, including the Modern Faerie Tale series and Curse Workers series. The Poison Eaters which was written for YA can be read and enjoyed by adults. Some of the best YA literature today has this cross audience appeal.

"Reversal of Fortune," is my favorite story in The Poison Eaters because it reminds me of the best Twilight Zone stories. A girl makes a bargain with the Devil in a modern day setting. Returning home from her terrible mall job,  Nikki meets a smelly, old man who promises to give her what she wants. Naturally, she does not believe he has any power but when her beloved dog dies she contacts the old man. I won't say how she bests the devil but I will say it involves eating a lot of candy frogs.

In the Water They Can't See You Cry by Amanda Beard

In her memoir, In the Water They Can't SEe You Cry, Amanda Beard shares her love for the sport of swimming as well as the daily struggles she faced over the years.

Winning her first two medals at fourteen, Amanda struggled in highschool to regain her competitive edge.

Feeling inadequate, despite her early success, Amanda continues to spiral downward. Her boyfriend who is also a swimmer turns out to jealous and possessive.

Unable to find a love or obliterate what she calls a "negative loop," she turns to cutting, bulimia, drugs, and alcohol. Despite all of this, she still manages to do well at the next Olympics.

The memoir shines when Amanda finds her way back from the abyss. She finds a way to balance professional swimming with her new family obligations--a husband and baby.

By coming forward, she also believes she is helping other women in the sport who suffer from some of the same body image problems. Unfortunately, she just skims over her dyslexia and does not address that fully.

Written in a honest and engaging style, this book is a must read for all who enjoy competitive swimming; its also a must read for those who enjoy a good comeback story.

New Year

As we begin a  New Year, I thought it would be fun to look at New Year traditions in books. In Book of Madness and Cures, Gabriella describes the traditions in Venice which involve huge bonfires in which everyone tosses old things into the fire.

This practice is discontinued but it was celebrated in Renaissance Venice. 

I sort of like the idea of literally tossing out the old--old furniture, old love letters--but it is sort of fire hazard today.