What do you think?
Rate this book
Flashy Fiction #2
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2
Another anthology of the strange, bizarre, and just plain weird.
Unicorns, zombies, devils, dark whispers, teddy bears, and ...fireflies? Try a taste of writing from two very different fantasy authors. Flash fiction stories are super short and perfect for when you 'just have a minute'. This anthology contains 15 stories (both flash and longer short stories) from authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. Run the rampart of emotions in this exciting mix of tales. From humor to horror, sweet to twisted, there is something for everyone.
Unicorns, zombies, devils, dark whispers, teddy bears, and ...fireflies? Try a taste of writing from two very different fantasy authors. Flash fiction stories are super short and perfect for when you 'just have a minute'. This anthology contains 15 stories (both flash and longer short stories) from authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. Run the rampart of emotions in this exciting mix of tales. From humor to horror, sweet to twisted, there is something for everyone.
- GenresHorror
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2012
339 people want to read
About the author
Jen Wylie
21 books678 followersJen Wylie was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. In a cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.
Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.
Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories.
Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her two boys and a disagreeable amount of wildlife.
EBook review copies available upon request. Please see website for email.
Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.
Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories.
Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her two boys and a disagreeable amount of wildlife.
EBook review copies available upon request. Please see website for email.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 28, 2013
Writing short stories is an art form in and of itself, and the craft of writing flash fiction is not something as easy to pull off as it seems. In Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2, co-authors Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden clearly had a lot of fun. The book's fifteen stories range from the humorous to the terrifying, all within neat and easy-to-digest short form.
The first six stories are based on common themes, a play on the he-said, she-said format. They explore three themes: fireflies, teddy bears, and zombies, all neatly wrapped up in quasi-horror-story form. I found the interplay here quite delightful, illustrating the concept that common themes do not have to lend themselves to similar stories in the least. These first six are among my favorites of the book's fifteen tales for that very reason.
Pick up a copy of the book. Each story has a strong and unique narrative voice, and many of the stories read as if they're written straight from the heart, which is either pleasing or quite disturbing, considering these are horror tales. With topics ranging from killer toys to pumpkin carving, from vampires to fairies to test subjects, there's certainly something to satisfy your light horror-based needs, all done without the graphic gore and violence rampant in so many horror stories these days.
I recommend the book for those moments when you have that craving for feeling both a little thrilled and a little unsettled.
The first six stories are based on common themes, a play on the he-said, she-said format. They explore three themes: fireflies, teddy bears, and zombies, all neatly wrapped up in quasi-horror-story form. I found the interplay here quite delightful, illustrating the concept that common themes do not have to lend themselves to similar stories in the least. These first six are among my favorites of the book's fifteen tales for that very reason.
Pick up a copy of the book. Each story has a strong and unique narrative voice, and many of the stories read as if they're written straight from the heart, which is either pleasing or quite disturbing, considering these are horror tales. With topics ranging from killer toys to pumpkin carving, from vampires to fairies to test subjects, there's certainly something to satisfy your light horror-based needs, all done without the graphic gore and violence rampant in so many horror stories these days.
I recommend the book for those moments when you have that craving for feeling both a little thrilled and a little unsettled.
November 20, 2012
Originally posted here: http://theloyalbook.blogspot.it/2012/...
Flashy Fiction is a very original anthology, with several very short stories which go from paranormal to horror; there are lots of different creatures: vampires, zombies and other weird characters like unicorns and teddy bears. The thing I liked about these stories is that there are always two on the same topic. The anthology has been written by two authors and they challenged each other to write a story on the same subject, but often the stories turned out in completely different ways!
Some of the stories are pretty dark, others a little bit lighter and there are some mysterious and creepy. Among my favorites there are Fireflies, Pumpkin carver and Little devil, maybe not the creepiest, but by far the ones that hold a very deep meaning; especially Pumpkin carver, which obviously takes place during Halloween, a very sad and sweet story about a father and his love for his sons. All the stories are fun in their own way; there are killer teddy bears (I will never look at teddy bears in the same way), unicorns standing up for themselves and fighting their sad fate, Walmart people turning into vampires and all kind of zombies. Some stories made me laugh, some others made me wonder and others made me feel that… chill down the spine that you usually get when you read an horror story in the middle of the night at home alone (note to self: don't ever do that again).
Another thing I like were the comments at the end of every story. Short and funny, they explained how the story was born or its meaning. It was like having a peek 'behind the curtains', to see how a book is created and they were also very helpful to understand some of the most cryptic stories.
Overall, I have to admit that this anthology was pretty nice. Short, with different types of stories, a lovely reading for a rainy, dark and windy night, I mean, for a sunny day. I don't really like collections of stories, but it was good.
My favourite quote:
To the quiet ones, the trodden on, the kids in the hall
The wolves in sheep's clothing, fooling them all.
I'd like to thank Untold Press for the review copy.
ITALIANO
Sommario: Un'altra antologia di cose strane, bizzarre e curiose.
Unicorni, zombie, demoni, sussurri oscuri, orsetti e... lucciole? Provate la scrittura di due autori fantasy molto diversi. Le flash fiction stories sono super corte e perfette per quando si ha 'solo un minuto'. Questa antologia contiene 15 storie di varia lunghezza scritte da Sean Hayden e Jen Wylie. Proverete moltissime emozioni con questo eccitante mix di storie. Humor, horror, dolcezza e un pizzico di perversione, c'è qualcosa per tutti i gusti.
Flashy Fiction è un'antologia molto particolare, composta da una serie di racconti brevissimi che spaziano dal paranormal all'horror, dove appaiono esseri di tutti i generi: vampiri, zombie e altre strane creature, tra cui unicorni e orsetti. La particolarità di questi racconti è che vanno 'a coppie'. L'antologia è scritta a quattro mani e molto spesso gli autori si sono dati un tema e si sono sfidati a scrivere un racconto che avesse per protagonista ciò che avevano scelto, quindi ogni tema ha due racconti diversi e spesso totalmente opposti.
Alcuni racconti sono molto dark, altri più leggeri, altri ancora misteriosi e inquietanti. Tra i miei preferiti ci sono Fireflies, Pumpkin carver e Little devil, forse le meno spaventose, ma quelle che avevano un significato più profondo. Specialmente Pumpkin carver, ambientata ad Halloween, ma estremamente triste e dolce perché parla dell'amore di un padre per i propri figli. Tutti i racconti sono però divertenti a modo loro: abbiamo degli orsetti killer (non guarderò mai più un orsetto allo stesso modo), degli unicorni che si ribellano alla loro triste sorte, dei commessi del supermercato che diventano vampiri oppure zombie in tutte le salse. Alcune mi hanno fatto ridere, altre mi hanno lasciata perplessa e altre ancora mi hanno fatto sentire quel brivido di… disagio che di solito si ha quando si leggono racconti horror in piena notte a casa da soli (promemoria: non farlo mai più).
Un'altra cosa che mi è piaciuta sono stati i commenti alla fine di ogni racconto, brevi e divertenti, che spiegavano come era nata la storia o il suo significato. È stato un po' come vedere il 'dietro le quinte' della creazione del libro e inoltre sono stati molto utili per interpretare alcune delle storie più criptiche.
In definitiva devo dire che questa antologia è stata una bella scoperta. Breve, piena di racconti un po' per tutti i gusti, è un'ottima lettura per una serata di pioggia in cui il vento ulula, volevo dire, per una bella giornata di sole. Non sono una grande amante dei racconti brevi, ma l'ho apprezzata parecchio.
La frase che mi ha colpito:
To the quiet ones, the trodden on, the kids in the hall
The wolves in sheep's clothing, fooling them all.
Il libro è attualmente inedito in Italia.
Ringrazio Untold Press per la collaborazione.
Flashy Fiction is a very original anthology, with several very short stories which go from paranormal to horror; there are lots of different creatures: vampires, zombies and other weird characters like unicorns and teddy bears. The thing I liked about these stories is that there are always two on the same topic. The anthology has been written by two authors and they challenged each other to write a story on the same subject, but often the stories turned out in completely different ways!
Some of the stories are pretty dark, others a little bit lighter and there are some mysterious and creepy. Among my favorites there are Fireflies, Pumpkin carver and Little devil, maybe not the creepiest, but by far the ones that hold a very deep meaning; especially Pumpkin carver, which obviously takes place during Halloween, a very sad and sweet story about a father and his love for his sons. All the stories are fun in their own way; there are killer teddy bears (I will never look at teddy bears in the same way), unicorns standing up for themselves and fighting their sad fate, Walmart people turning into vampires and all kind of zombies. Some stories made me laugh, some others made me wonder and others made me feel that… chill down the spine that you usually get when you read an horror story in the middle of the night at home alone (note to self: don't ever do that again).
Another thing I like were the comments at the end of every story. Short and funny, they explained how the story was born or its meaning. It was like having a peek 'behind the curtains', to see how a book is created and they were also very helpful to understand some of the most cryptic stories.
Overall, I have to admit that this anthology was pretty nice. Short, with different types of stories, a lovely reading for a rainy, dark and windy night, I mean, for a sunny day. I don't really like collections of stories, but it was good.
My favourite quote:
To the quiet ones, the trodden on, the kids in the hall
The wolves in sheep's clothing, fooling them all.
I'd like to thank Untold Press for the review copy.
ITALIANO
Sommario: Un'altra antologia di cose strane, bizzarre e curiose.
Unicorni, zombie, demoni, sussurri oscuri, orsetti e... lucciole? Provate la scrittura di due autori fantasy molto diversi. Le flash fiction stories sono super corte e perfette per quando si ha 'solo un minuto'. Questa antologia contiene 15 storie di varia lunghezza scritte da Sean Hayden e Jen Wylie. Proverete moltissime emozioni con questo eccitante mix di storie. Humor, horror, dolcezza e un pizzico di perversione, c'è qualcosa per tutti i gusti.
Flashy Fiction è un'antologia molto particolare, composta da una serie di racconti brevissimi che spaziano dal paranormal all'horror, dove appaiono esseri di tutti i generi: vampiri, zombie e altre strane creature, tra cui unicorni e orsetti. La particolarità di questi racconti è che vanno 'a coppie'. L'antologia è scritta a quattro mani e molto spesso gli autori si sono dati un tema e si sono sfidati a scrivere un racconto che avesse per protagonista ciò che avevano scelto, quindi ogni tema ha due racconti diversi e spesso totalmente opposti.
Alcuni racconti sono molto dark, altri più leggeri, altri ancora misteriosi e inquietanti. Tra i miei preferiti ci sono Fireflies, Pumpkin carver e Little devil, forse le meno spaventose, ma quelle che avevano un significato più profondo. Specialmente Pumpkin carver, ambientata ad Halloween, ma estremamente triste e dolce perché parla dell'amore di un padre per i propri figli. Tutti i racconti sono però divertenti a modo loro: abbiamo degli orsetti killer (non guarderò mai più un orsetto allo stesso modo), degli unicorni che si ribellano alla loro triste sorte, dei commessi del supermercato che diventano vampiri oppure zombie in tutte le salse. Alcune mi hanno fatto ridere, altre mi hanno lasciata perplessa e altre ancora mi hanno fatto sentire quel brivido di… disagio che di solito si ha quando si leggono racconti horror in piena notte a casa da soli (promemoria: non farlo mai più).
Un'altra cosa che mi è piaciuta sono stati i commenti alla fine di ogni racconto, brevi e divertenti, che spiegavano come era nata la storia o il suo significato. È stato un po' come vedere il 'dietro le quinte' della creazione del libro e inoltre sono stati molto utili per interpretare alcune delle storie più criptiche.
In definitiva devo dire che questa antologia è stata una bella scoperta. Breve, piena di racconti un po' per tutti i gusti, è un'ottima lettura per una serata di pioggia in cui il vento ulula, volevo dire, per una bella giornata di sole. Non sono una grande amante dei racconti brevi, ma l'ho apprezzata parecchio.
La frase che mi ha colpito:
To the quiet ones, the trodden on, the kids in the hall
The wolves in sheep's clothing, fooling them all.
Il libro è attualmente inedito in Italia.
Ringrazio Untold Press per la collaborazione.
December 18, 2012
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2
This collection of short fiction is actually co-written by Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden.
The basic premise of the work is that both authors take a common theme and write around it, so the readers gets two versions of each theme.
It is an interesting and challenging way to write, I'm sure. I wonder if the writing was done "blind," that is, not looking at the other work until both are finished?
This work highlights the differences in writing styles that I consistently find between male and female authors.
Jen's work tends to be more stylistically crafted, more flashy, and a bit more creative.
Sean's work is rougher around the edges, and at times feels as if it were bludgeoned into existence, rather than carved or crafted.
An example of this would be Sean's story Mr McClunkin. It has too many themes for a short, as if he started the work, then re-visited it several times over a longer period of time than one would normally spend on a short. Each time, the "emotional direction" he takes the reader in changes ever so slightly, which is fine in a longer work like a novella, but I find confusing and unfulfilling in a short.
Jen Wylie's version of the same theme, Just a Bear is more emotionally consistent throughout, in contrast. The path that you believe you will be following takes you to the destination you would expect.
Both versions leave you wanting just a few more paragraphs.
The stories that you want to immerse yourself in are over far too quickly, and leave you with many unanswered questions. I suppose that is the point of "flash fiction."
With that said, writing short fiction is difficult for any author. Writing it well is very difficult, and both Sean and Jen have pushed past the half-way point towards the better-quality writing you will find.
Disclosure:
As an editor, I have an extremely critical eye. I seldom if ever encounter a work that I feel is technically flawless, and that would not benefit from another round of edits.
I would have given this work 3.5 stars if it were an option, perhaps even 4, if it were just slightly tighter. It's that one awkward word or sentence construction that can take away so much from a good story, especially a short story.
With that said, Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2 is well-written and creative enough to stand out from the pack, and makes a great break or lunch-time read, because you can read a story or two in just a few minutes.
The works are funny and dark, heartwarming and depressing, and just plain fun to read. Definitely a good "curl up on the couch by the fire" Sunday morning read.
This collection of short fiction is actually co-written by Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden.
The basic premise of the work is that both authors take a common theme and write around it, so the readers gets two versions of each theme.
It is an interesting and challenging way to write, I'm sure. I wonder if the writing was done "blind," that is, not looking at the other work until both are finished?
This work highlights the differences in writing styles that I consistently find between male and female authors.
Jen's work tends to be more stylistically crafted, more flashy, and a bit more creative.
Sean's work is rougher around the edges, and at times feels as if it were bludgeoned into existence, rather than carved or crafted.
An example of this would be Sean's story Mr McClunkin. It has too many themes for a short, as if he started the work, then re-visited it several times over a longer period of time than one would normally spend on a short. Each time, the "emotional direction" he takes the reader in changes ever so slightly, which is fine in a longer work like a novella, but I find confusing and unfulfilling in a short.
Jen Wylie's version of the same theme, Just a Bear is more emotionally consistent throughout, in contrast. The path that you believe you will be following takes you to the destination you would expect.
Both versions leave you wanting just a few more paragraphs.
The stories that you want to immerse yourself in are over far too quickly, and leave you with many unanswered questions. I suppose that is the point of "flash fiction."
With that said, writing short fiction is difficult for any author. Writing it well is very difficult, and both Sean and Jen have pushed past the half-way point towards the better-quality writing you will find.
Disclosure:
As an editor, I have an extremely critical eye. I seldom if ever encounter a work that I feel is technically flawless, and that would not benefit from another round of edits.
I would have given this work 3.5 stars if it were an option, perhaps even 4, if it were just slightly tighter. It's that one awkward word or sentence construction that can take away so much from a good story, especially a short story.
With that said, Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2 is well-written and creative enough to stand out from the pack, and makes a great break or lunch-time read, because you can read a story or two in just a few minutes.
The works are funny and dark, heartwarming and depressing, and just plain fun to read. Definitely a good "curl up on the couch by the fire" Sunday morning read.
November 21, 2012
This time around, there were a couple stories where the authors decided to pick a topic and both write a story around it. The first was fireflies. Fireflies by Jen Wylie surrounds the magic you feel when catching fireflies. Security by Sean Hayden is about how catching fireflies can have grave consequences. These stories are both a little weird, but in vastly different ways. Just a Bear by Jen Wylie is about how sinister or safe a stuffed bear can be, and really made me appreciate the old stuffed animals that reside in my closet. Mr. McClunkin by Sean Hayden is a steampunk story (which I'm not usually very fond of) and walks a delicate balance between heartwarming and scary. It's really neat to see how both can take a subject and go in vastly different directions.
There were several stories revolving around zombies. The Zombie Apocalypse, Blue Moon, and Duck Hunting by Jen Wylie all have an undead aspect. The first is a new take on how it could happen; the second is about a deliciously vengeful witch, and the third is what happens when a writer is woken up from her beauty sleep by duck hunting season. The Zombie Dialogues is the only zombie related story that Sean Hayden contributed, and it was freaking hilarious. I would love to see more of the two characters he showed us.
Pumpkin Carver, GTMV-219, Bubba Fangs, and In Hell are Sean Hayden's other stories. The first is both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time as he writes from his heart; the second is a dark and twisted story about a virus and how it helps a young man get the upper hand; the third is a crazy combination of gross and hilarious as a "Walmartian" meets a vampire while on duty; and finally there's a story that makes you think about your beliefs in a funny way without getting all religious on you.
Jen Wylie's other inclusions are Little Devil, Whisperings, and Shadow of Innocence. The first is a devious twist on what it's like to raise a son by showing how some days are better than others; the second truly disturbed me as someone who frequently doesn't get enough sleep myself and is just really creeptastic; and the last is a fantasy about the darker, yet still noble, side of unicorns.
Incredibly well-written collection of short stories, Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2 is just as fascinating, spooky, and funny as the first - maybe even more so. Like before, there's a little bit of everything for all reading tastes. There's a little science fiction, some steam punk, same fantasy, some paranormal, and even a hint of contemporary. Be ready to sit and read it all because infused with humor and/or horror, every story will hold you breathless with anticipation.
There were several stories revolving around zombies. The Zombie Apocalypse, Blue Moon, and Duck Hunting by Jen Wylie all have an undead aspect. The first is a new take on how it could happen; the second is about a deliciously vengeful witch, and the third is what happens when a writer is woken up from her beauty sleep by duck hunting season. The Zombie Dialogues is the only zombie related story that Sean Hayden contributed, and it was freaking hilarious. I would love to see more of the two characters he showed us.
Pumpkin Carver, GTMV-219, Bubba Fangs, and In Hell are Sean Hayden's other stories. The first is both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time as he writes from his heart; the second is a dark and twisted story about a virus and how it helps a young man get the upper hand; the third is a crazy combination of gross and hilarious as a "Walmartian" meets a vampire while on duty; and finally there's a story that makes you think about your beliefs in a funny way without getting all religious on you.
Jen Wylie's other inclusions are Little Devil, Whisperings, and Shadow of Innocence. The first is a devious twist on what it's like to raise a son by showing how some days are better than others; the second truly disturbed me as someone who frequently doesn't get enough sleep myself and is just really creeptastic; and the last is a fantasy about the darker, yet still noble, side of unicorns.
Incredibly well-written collection of short stories, Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2 is just as fascinating, spooky, and funny as the first - maybe even more so. Like before, there's a little bit of everything for all reading tastes. There's a little science fiction, some steam punk, same fantasy, some paranormal, and even a hint of contemporary. Be ready to sit and read it all because infused with humor and/or horror, every story will hold you breathless with anticipation.
December 4, 2012
Having previously read, reviewed and enjoyed the first Flashy Fiction novel by authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie I jumped at the chance to review the latest addition of spooky tales. When reviewing anthologies, I like to give each story its own rating with a rating of five stars being ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, 3 stars being Meh, It Was Okay and 1 star being Could Have Went Without Reading. My rating for the stories included in Flashy Fiction 2 are as follows:
Fireflies– 4; This story of an elderly woman who passes over to the other side was told quite well. I enjoyed reading about Aggie and her journey to the great beyond. The ending was a bit unexpected and a bit melancholy to me. However, it was a nice little twist on fireflies.
Security– 3; Yeah. No. This story was another variation of The Monkey’s Paw. There was definitely nothing “feel good” about this gruesome bit.
Just a Bear– 3; Teddy bears to the rescue! An endearing tale that will appeal to those of us who possess a cherished stuffed animal.
Mr. McClunkin– 3; I couldn’t quite tell if this story was steampunk or told in a post-apocalyptic setting. Either way it was pretty darn gruesome.
The Zombie Apocalypse– 4; A great take on how the zombie apocalypse might get its start when…er, if it should take place.
The Zombie Dialogues– 3; Yeah. So, if I happened to run into these two during the zombie apocalypse, I’d do them and us all a favor and give them each one to the old noggin. Annoyingly irritating is an understatement.
Blue Moon– 3; Cute tale of revenge.
Pumpkin Carver– 4; A truly heart-warming tale.
Little Devil– 3; Cute story.
GTMV-219– 4; Awesome tale of betrayal and revenge!
Whisperings– 3; Good story but kind of confusing.
Bubba Fangs– 4; One of my favorites in the collection!
Duck Hunting– 4; Short but sweet. It delivers quite a punch at the end. Another favorite.
In Hell– 3; The ending was a bit confusing to me. I did enjoy this take of judgment day.
Shadow of Innocence– 4; Wow! Beautiful story! My favorite story in the collection.
(Originally Reviewed for Risque Reviews)
Fireflies– 4; This story of an elderly woman who passes over to the other side was told quite well. I enjoyed reading about Aggie and her journey to the great beyond. The ending was a bit unexpected and a bit melancholy to me. However, it was a nice little twist on fireflies.
Security– 3; Yeah. No. This story was another variation of The Monkey’s Paw. There was definitely nothing “feel good” about this gruesome bit.
Just a Bear– 3; Teddy bears to the rescue! An endearing tale that will appeal to those of us who possess a cherished stuffed animal.
Mr. McClunkin– 3; I couldn’t quite tell if this story was steampunk or told in a post-apocalyptic setting. Either way it was pretty darn gruesome.
The Zombie Apocalypse– 4; A great take on how the zombie apocalypse might get its start when…er, if it should take place.
The Zombie Dialogues– 3; Yeah. So, if I happened to run into these two during the zombie apocalypse, I’d do them and us all a favor and give them each one to the old noggin. Annoyingly irritating is an understatement.
Blue Moon– 3; Cute tale of revenge.
Pumpkin Carver– 4; A truly heart-warming tale.
Little Devil– 3; Cute story.
GTMV-219– 4; Awesome tale of betrayal and revenge!
Whisperings– 3; Good story but kind of confusing.
Bubba Fangs– 4; One of my favorites in the collection!
Duck Hunting– 4; Short but sweet. It delivers quite a punch at the end. Another favorite.
In Hell– 3; The ending was a bit confusing to me. I did enjoy this take of judgment day.
Shadow of Innocence– 4; Wow! Beautiful story! My favorite story in the collection.
(Originally Reviewed for Risque Reviews)
December 1, 2012
This is an anthology made up of short stories by Authors Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden.
Right off the bat this was a quick and enjoyable read and is well worth picking up a copy, though these are short stories each leave a tingling feeling to your brain or wide eyed with a lingering feeling of wanting even more! Luckily, there are several short stories to be read.
My favorite out of all the ones Jen Wylie did for Flashy Fiction 2 had to be Shadow of Innocence.
Why?
Not only because of the mini explanation for the inspiration of the story in the notation at the end but because you get this feeling of freedom and finally standing up for yourself, even before I read Jen notation I right away fell in love with the overall theme of it.
My favorite from Sean Hayden has to be Security.
This is one of those perfect stories that emphasizes on "Be careful what you wish for." Literally. It was the perfect length and was able to fit in the whole story the ending reminded me the monkey paw in a way except the person doesn't disappear and there is no wishing it away. I don't want to give much about just because I want you to pick up a copy and read this book in general yourselves!
Overall an enjoyable read and can't wait to see if more anthologies from these two amazing Authors will come in the future.
5/5 crescents
~Marie
Right off the bat this was a quick and enjoyable read and is well worth picking up a copy, though these are short stories each leave a tingling feeling to your brain or wide eyed with a lingering feeling of wanting even more! Luckily, there are several short stories to be read.
My favorite out of all the ones Jen Wylie did for Flashy Fiction 2 had to be Shadow of Innocence.
Why?
Not only because of the mini explanation for the inspiration of the story in the notation at the end but because you get this feeling of freedom and finally standing up for yourself, even before I read Jen notation I right away fell in love with the overall theme of it.
My favorite from Sean Hayden has to be Security.
This is one of those perfect stories that emphasizes on "Be careful what you wish for." Literally. It was the perfect length and was able to fit in the whole story the ending reminded me the monkey paw in a way except the person doesn't disappear and there is no wishing it away. I don't want to give much about just because I want you to pick up a copy and read this book in general yourselves!
Overall an enjoyable read and can't wait to see if more anthologies from these two amazing Authors will come in the future.
5/5 crescents
~Marie
January 10, 2013
This is an anthology made up of short stories by Authors Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden.
Right off the bat this was a quick and enjoyable read and is well worth picking up a copy, though these are short stories each leave a tingling feeling to your brain or wide eyed with a lingering feeling of wanting even more! Luckily, there are several short stories to be read.
My favorite out of all the ones Jen Wylie did for Flashy Fiction 2 had to be Shadow of Innocence.
Why?
Not only because of the mini explanation for the inspiration of the story in the notation at the end but because you get this feeling of freedom and finally standing up for yourself, even before I read Jen notation I right away fell in love with the overall theme of it.
My favorite from Sean Hayden has to be Security.
This is one of those perfect stories that emphasizes on "Be careful what you wish for." Literally. It was the perfect length and was able to fit in the whole story the ending reminded me the monkey paw in a way except the person doesn't disappear and there is no wishing it away. I don't want to give much about just because I want you to pick up a copy and read this book in general yourselves!
Overall an enjoyable read and can't wait to see if more anthologies from these two amazing Authors will come in the future.
5/5 crescents
~Marie
Right off the bat this was a quick and enjoyable read and is well worth picking up a copy, though these are short stories each leave a tingling feeling to your brain or wide eyed with a lingering feeling of wanting even more! Luckily, there are several short stories to be read.
My favorite out of all the ones Jen Wylie did for Flashy Fiction 2 had to be Shadow of Innocence.
Why?
Not only because of the mini explanation for the inspiration of the story in the notation at the end but because you get this feeling of freedom and finally standing up for yourself, even before I read Jen notation I right away fell in love with the overall theme of it.
My favorite from Sean Hayden has to be Security.
This is one of those perfect stories that emphasizes on "Be careful what you wish for." Literally. It was the perfect length and was able to fit in the whole story the ending reminded me the monkey paw in a way except the person doesn't disappear and there is no wishing it away. I don't want to give much about just because I want you to pick up a copy and read this book in general yourselves!
Overall an enjoyable read and can't wait to see if more anthologies from these two amazing Authors will come in the future.
5/5 crescents
~Marie
November 12, 2012
I have not read Flashy Fiction 1 but I plan to. This book is definitely a book that I loved. It is very Twilight Zone-ish but with short stories. The writers are able to elicit a great deal of emotion with each story in such a short span of time. I will say my favorite story in the entire book was Fireflies – the very first story. I imagine that is a response to not at all expecting a story such as that one. Once I read that story I had more of a clue what to expect. Because the stories are short – they can be quite intense making it difficult to read more than a few in one sitting – so take your time, enjoy them and feel them. I know that sounds strange – but you will. You will read them remembering good and bad memories from your childhood. You will personalize the stories and be shocked by how your memories are illusions within the framework of Flashy Fiction. Definitely a 5 star our of 5 book.
I received this complimentary copy of Flashy Fiction 2 from Untold Press. All opinions are mine.
I received this complimentary copy of Flashy Fiction 2 from Untold Press. All opinions are mine.
November 24, 2012
After Ms. Wylie and Mr. Hayden’s successful Flashy Fiction 1, they decided to do a second one. I really enjoyed the first one, and was very glad for a chance to read and review the second. In this installment several stories have something in common, such as Firefiles by Ms. Wylie and Security by Mr. Hayden. They both involve fireflies and the paranormal, but they are vastly different tales. Some don’t have counterpart stories, like Shadow of Innocence is the only unicorn story. Some of the stories are longer, some shorter but all quite well written and entertaining. A few are rather horrific and some are tear jerkers.
My favorites are Fireflies and Security and Shadow of Innocence. I love fireflies and these stories are intriguing and twisted takes on the little bugs. I’m a sucker for badass unicorn stories and Shadow of Innocence satiates that desire perfectly.
I highly recommend this collection to lovers of twisted, dark fantasy of all sorts and lovers of short stories.
My favorites are Fireflies and Security and Shadow of Innocence. I love fireflies and these stories are intriguing and twisted takes on the little bugs. I’m a sucker for badass unicorn stories and Shadow of Innocence satiates that desire perfectly.
I highly recommend this collection to lovers of twisted, dark fantasy of all sorts and lovers of short stories.
November 19, 2012
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2 (Jen Wylie & Sean Hayden)
A book of short stories. I loved how each other took the same topic and each come up with their own story. Very Original and I loved it. Each story was unique, some bizarre, others spooky, some fun and others twisted.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and look forward to reading their first:
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales
I am a fan of Jen Wylie and now would love to read more by Sean Hayden
A book of short stories. I loved how each other took the same topic and each come up with their own story. Very Original and I loved it. Each story was unique, some bizarre, others spooky, some fun and others twisted.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and look forward to reading their first:
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales
I am a fan of Jen Wylie and now would love to read more by Sean Hayden
March 28, 2013
Jen Wylie & Sean Hayden
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2
Another anthology of the strange, bizarre, and just plain weird.
Another great anthology from these two authors. A quick and easy read, you’ll be able to pick this book up anytime, even if you only have ten minutes. Thoroughly enjoyable, no matter what your favourite genre is there will be something you will like.
My favourite in this anthology is definitely The Zombie Dialogues, and I would love this story to go further, would definitely keep me entertained. What did this book teach me? Never catch fireflies in jars, teddy bears (esp. robotic ones) are scary, and I always knew unicorns had a dark side.
Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2
Another anthology of the strange, bizarre, and just plain weird.
Another great anthology from these two authors. A quick and easy read, you’ll be able to pick this book up anytime, even if you only have ten minutes. Thoroughly enjoyable, no matter what your favourite genre is there will be something you will like.
My favourite in this anthology is definitely The Zombie Dialogues, and I would love this story to go further, would definitely keep me entertained. What did this book teach me? Never catch fireflies in jars, teddy bears (esp. robotic ones) are scary, and I always knew unicorns had a dark side.
October 17, 2012
I really enjoyed this volume! I think Jen and Sean have gotten more creative this time around and i cant believe they were written in the span of 2 days each! One of my fave stories is Whisperings, i want a whole novel of this! I also love the teddy bear one and the firefly one with the violet faerie. It was such a fun read that i highly recommend it to anyone who loves paranormal stuff.
February 5, 2013
While the stories were very good in this book, they were so short that they left me feeling a bit cheated. I would have enjoyed it much more if they were fleshed out a bit. All of them were excellent beginnings to wonderful stories :) I certainly hope both authors use a few of them as a base for a full length book.
December 4, 2012
This collection of tales was spooky-with a twist. It makes you think and the writing is awesome, polished, and has great flow :) Gonna have to read Vol. 1 now
July 2, 2013
Some of the stories here are great, others less so. I consistently liked Sean Hayden's stories more than Jen Wylie's, largely because I enjoyed their dark humor -- something that Wylie seems to lack. I had never heard of either author prior to picking this up.
Considering this is flash fiction and therefore an impressive feat, I would give this 3.5 stars. I'm rounding to 3 instead of 4 because the little "story explanations" placed at the end of each brief tale really brought the book down for me, drawing far too much attention to the authors' process and detracting rather than adding to the reading experience. These notes need not have been omitted entirely; it would have been nice to see them placed at the end of the collection instead.
Considering this is flash fiction and therefore an impressive feat, I would give this 3.5 stars. I'm rounding to 3 instead of 4 because the little "story explanations" placed at the end of each brief tale really brought the book down for me, drawing far too much attention to the authors' process and detracting rather than adding to the reading experience. These notes need not have been omitted entirely; it would have been nice to see them placed at the end of the collection instead.
August 13, 2013
Twighlight Zone Meets Tales From The Crypt! This book of short stories was so good I read it twice.
Brilliantly written by two very clever authors, Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden are definitely names I will be looking out for in the future!
Brilliantly written by two very clever authors, Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden are definitely names I will be looking out for in the future!
April 22, 2013
Second collection of short, some very short, paranormal/horror stories. Well written, very thoughtful. Good variety. Both authors are very talented. I enjoyed the short author's notes after each story. Look forward to reading more from these two.
Good Read!
Good Read!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews