2013: A Stellar Collection

by AEC Stellar Publishing, Amber Skye Forbes, Gregory S. Lamb

This collection is intended as a tribute to the hard work and tremendous support these authors have given AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. in our first year of business.

The collection includes a short story from each of our first eight authors and, as a bonus,from two key members of our marketing team.

Since the stories and writing styles range so widely by genre, each is preceded by a brief note from the author. You can find more about their books in the last few pages.

Any proceeds gained from sales of this paperback will be dedicated to continuing to market these great authors and their work.

Stories inside:
Oliver F. Chase - Synonymy
Val Vogel - Edge of Disaster
Sorin Suciu - The Mating Season
Raymond Vogel - The Best of You
Ryan Attard - Big Wolf on Campus
Amber Skye Forbes - I Am the Bell Jar
Shannon A. Thompson - Sean's Bullet
Gregory S. Lamb - Exit Strategy
Ky Grabowski - The Demons Inside
Heather Lucie Hebert - Family Tree

Genres: Short Stories

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Kristen Hope Mazzola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome collection! Each short is written by a different author that brings something different and refreshing to the table! Each author is wonderfully talented. I thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend it. It's a nice quick read that is very enjoyable! :)

[Raymond Vogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of hard work went into this collection, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it and to have gotten to read some of these stories in advance. Great job everyone!

[Laura May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, it has been a *long* time since I've read any short stories - but this was a great collection to come across. It was a bit of a mixed bag as far as genres go, but generally the quality was high. In brief:

'Synonymy' by Oliver Chase:
Tbh, this story was fine. Just fine. Too much of the mystery unexplained, and too much of the mundane described. Not surprising, not shocking, just a way to pass the time.

'Edge of Disaster' by Val Vogel:
Not being from the US and being untouched by Katrina, this was actually the most I'd ever read about it. It was okay, but I found the realist 'diary' style of this piece really bizarre compared to the generally urban/fantasy/sci-fi stories in this collection. I read it, but felt a bit like work.

'The Mating Season' by Sorin Suciu:
Firstly, a bit of a disclaimer in that I know the author.
Sorin knows I love his writing (and am continually asking for a follow-up to The Scriptlings). This short story was no different. It was an appropriate length, everything was covered and made *sense* (I stress this in particular, because people seem to struggle finishing a story when it's short for some reason?!), and also kind of adorable. NEXT BOOK PLEASE!

'The Best of You' by Raymond Vogel:
I enjoyed this story far more than I anticipated I would. It's a theme and general story-line I feel like I've read a lot of times before, but the approach in this story was fresh and interesting. I'm definitely going to check out Vogel's other writing.

'Big Wolf on Campus' by Ryan Attard:
I was introduced to Ryan's writing by Sorin, so had a bit of a look at his blog and was thereby put off actually *reading* any of his books. From recollection, I think I found the descriptions of the books and the text of his posts just *soaked* with rage. Is that a thing? I think it's a thing. Anyhow, I started reading this short with trepidation, like that horrible moment when you first start a late-running project and are pretty sure it's going to be more work than you anticipated (yes, yes I'm a student at the moment). I've gotta say though, this story really turned me around - after my initial cynicism I started enjoying it, and may have even giggled once or twice (oh egads). I'm now definitely going to be checking out his full-length novels.

'I Am the Bell Jar' by Amber Forbes:
Holy shit. That was my reaction to this story. It really threw me back to dating my first boyfriend (who was, as you'll quickly gather in the story as well, a pretty disturbed guy). I find that stories of bi-polar and/or depression particularly poignant, and this story was especially well executed. Definitely 5 stars.

'Sean's Bullet' by Shannon Thompson:
Not a fan of military themes or writing, and not a fan of this short.

'Exit Strategy' by Gregory Lamb:
Honestly, this bored the hell out of me, and I ended up pretty much skimming it. Again, not a fan of military themes or writing.

'The Demons Inside' by Ky Grabowski:
I couldn't even read this. Just no.

'Family Tree' by Heather Hebert:
Had promise, but really lost me. The ending felt very rushed, and my brain was scrambling to catch up. I liked the first part (flash-backs of the TV show 'Charmed'), but then it went downhill.


Annnnnd jazz hands to finish.

[Gregory Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at first reluctant to review or even rate the collection as I'm one of the contributing authors. Having some idea of what went into the production of this collection, I must say it was amazing to see it come together with such a diverse group of authors. Reading the contributions of the other authors that AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc is working with was a real treat for me. I was thoroughly impressed with the creativity and talent these authors put into each story of this collection.

This collection was so satisfying to read that I'm looking forward to 2014.

[Shannon Thompson]

I know. I know. Why read a review by one of the authors? Well, I'm ONE of the authors. Out of ten writers, I am very lucky to be a part of this anthology. I wasn't able to read all of the stories before it was published, but now that I have it in my hands, I have read them, and I found them all equally entertaining in their own unique way. There's humor, fantasy, contemporary fiction, thriller, and pretty much every genre you can think of. I hope you download your free ebook copy on Smashwords, flip through, and enjoy these stories as much as I have.

[Sorin Nistoroiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phenomenal

[Kyra Dune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synchrony 3 STARS
Edge Of Disaster 2 STARS
The Mating Season 3 STARS
The Best Of You 4 STARS
Big Wolf On Campus 4 STARS
I Am The Bell Jar 3 STARS
Sean's Bullet 3 STARS
Exit Stragety 1 STAR
The Demons Inside 2 STARS
Family Tree 3 STARS

[Julie Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this collection for an honest review and found them to be well written and all different in genres and writing styles and perspectives.

It's not easy to say much without giving away storylines, but for me the most chilling was The Best of Me as that kind of science fiction is so attached to reality and real possibilities and I was intrigued by I Am the Bell Jar as the mind mind is fascinating. And I always enjoy Gregory S Lamb's writing style even if this story wasn't one I would naturally read.

Overall a good set of stories and worth a look.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories from AEC Stellar authors, there's a little something for everyone. Action, sci-fi, paranormal, humor... Each author provides a well-written and unique example of his or her writing style, making this collection a great example of the eclectic work offered by AEC.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

2013: A Stellar Collection is a nice anthology of short stories. It gives a sneak peek into the writing styles of some authors that are new to me. I enjoyed the book.