A Life in Progress

by Tracy Million Simmons

In this collection of short stories, Tracy Million Simmons captures slices of life, glimpses of everyday people and everyday thoughts and actions, and the many moments—touching, amusing, happy, sad—of lives in progress. This book is an intimate peek into a writer’s stash, written across the decades, an experience of timelessness and the human condition. Through fiction, these stories reveal relatable truths. “Like Oreo cookies, I kept reaching for another until the whole package was gone.” ~ Michael D. Graves, author of To Leave a Shadow “In this big-hearted book, we see the lives of Midwesterners through their own eyes. Tracy is our own Emporia version of Grace Paley, and she moves with compassion and empathy from stories of childhood to stories set at the nursing home, always with that kind of plucky magic for which Kansas storytellers are known, a wise twinkle in their eyes.” ~ Kevin Rabas, author of Songs for My Father “Tracy Million Simmons shows clearly the moving parts of relationships. Her stories reveal the irreversible ties of family. She shows the push-and-pull between spouses, between parent and child, between dear friends, and we see how we’re all recklessly and joyfully bound one to another.” ~ Cheryl Unruh, author of Walking on Water “A Life in Progress is filled with a variety of diverse and in-depth studies and stories about people of all ages and for readers of all ages. Tracy Million Simmons shows astute awareness and intuitive chameleon-like ability to be inside the head of both male and female, young and old, and across a diversity of cultures. Her work is not only emotional and heartfelt, but astoundingly on target. The price of this book is worth it for each story. A highly recommended read that kept me satiated with unexpected surprises and delights.” ~ Ronda Miller, Life Coach and author MoonStain (2015) and WaterSigns (2017) “...so many thought provoking stories that live in your head long after reading them.” ~ Yvonne Evie Green, Write Stuff Coordinator, Topeka, KS

186 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2017

About the author

Tracy Million Simmons is a Kansas Arts Commission mini-fellowship winner, a Kansas Voices honorable mention, and a member and the yearbook editor of the Kansas Authors Club.

Reviews

[Jim Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books that divide us and books that respect us. This is the latter.
A Life in Progress and other stories, by Tracy Million Simmons, is a collection of fifteen short stories, a majority of them award winners in their own right. They are all well-crafted and memorable.
I was mesmerized by the author’s enchanting, imaginary world and her trusted, narrative voice.
My favorite story was, “In America,” for its perfect pacing, powerful words, and courageous characters.
Like an addict, as I neared the final short story, I wanted just one more!
--Jim Potter, author of Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short story collection, A Life in Progress, by Tracy Million Simmons, runs the gamut from fantasy to vivid realism. The stories are well-written, and the author populates her work with skillfully drawn characters of all ages. The complexity of aging, and how to deal with it, is a major theme running through the book. Her older characters confront loneliness, adapt to change, take chances on new relationships, and deal with Alzheimer’s. My favorite pieces, “Glorious,” “In America,” and “A Life in Progress,” all feature these more seasoned individuals, and of these three, the title story, “A Life in Progress,” is the most captivating. Chelle, the female protagonist, reflects on her professional success and past relationships. She is vibrant and has plenty left to contribute, but Chelle also poignantly realizes what is and isn’t possible for her at age 67. Readers will enjoy all the stories in the collection, but the author’s talent in painting rich, layered portraits of those in their later years was the highlight of this book for me.

[Julie Ann Baker Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful variety of slices of life

Ms. Million Simmons has a gift for speaking in many voices. From one poignant story to the next she channels a school girl, a rural widower, a young bachelor, and other assorted characters. In some ways it is “light reading,” because of the short, easy to read stories, and in some ways it is not, as she tackles subjects such as racism and xenophobia, Alzheimer’s, and the death of loved ones. But she does so in heartfelt, engaging chapters that made me wish each short story were part of a novel. Many of these characters felt like family members, even in the short time it took to get to know them. And it is interesting to speculate which story elements might have been autobiographical, and which were purely imaginative. Either way, the details and descriptions made each experience real. (I had previously posted this on Amazon; just trying to get caught up on Goodreads ... though I know there's never a real possibility of getting caught up!)

[Sandra Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories written by Tracy Million Simmons. The last story was written for her eighth-grade English teacher. The beauty of the selections is that it demonstrates the author's personality and her love for her home state of Kansas.