Random Amusements: Quick Reads #1, Short Stories and Flash Fiction

by Phoenix Reads

RRANDOM AMUSEMENTS

Quick Reads Collection Series #1

Multi-Genre Short Stories and Flash Fiction: Romance, Action & Adventure, Fantasy
Sometimes a person needs a break. A short story is a perfect antidote.
How short is short? There are general guidelines for each literary category: Short stories range anywhere from 1,500 to 30,000 words. However, Flash Fiction is becoming very popular and is super short.
“For Sale, Baby Shoes: Never Worn.”
—Ernest Hemingway

This is one of the shortest possible stories to write, and it is called micro-fiction, told in three hundred words or even as short as a few words. It gives you a glimpse into life, a kind of Instagram image.
Flash fiction is a super short story typically told in under one thousand words. Both types of stories seek to give a quick snapshot into a person or a type of situation, a brief glimpse into some aspect of life, creating an emotional impact and then turning it over to the reader’s imagination to take it from there.
Our stories appear first on our blog. This our first installment to a series.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DRINK OF WATER, A Short Story
Truman no longer wants to work on the railroad. Can he get out?
OUR FROZEN WORLD, Flash Fiction
Will they be able to escape and to save their lives?
SNOWBANK, A Short Story
Not our usual speculative fiction story, but we imagined what it would be like if your car became covered in snow and you were trapped.
MY BELOVED GHOST IN THE AMAZON, A Short Story
Sometimes, a man has to find his way out a jungle. A modern take on Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest (1904) by William Henry Hudson, with a haunting new twist and a very different ending.
DUKE’S THROW, Flash Fiction
PROOF THAT FAIRIES EXIST, Flash Fiction
THE PREDATOR, Flash Fiction
Does that sound fun?

100 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 20, 2108

About the author

We are the co-writing team, FICTION BY PHOENIX, Lee & Gary Jordan, co-authors of Magical Realism, which takes place in a world that resembles our own, except for the introduction of magical elements, which cannot be explained by the conventions of our reality.

With love for the supernatural, we ask, “What if…?” What if the myth of the Loch Ness Monster is true? What if there was a secret society of paranormal people? What if we could figure out how to travel in time?

Our stories take place in the real world but bend reality.

Why? Because reality is boring.

That opens up whole worlds to write about and could include a mix of romance, fantasy, science fiction, alternate history, action adventure, weird tales, time travel, and most anything. However, they can tell you this: none of them is a usual story and will take you to a place you have never been to before.

We live in Hollywood, but we don't spend much time in the wonderful California sunshine. Instead, we are maniacs who sit in front of our computer screens, weaving tales we hope you will enjoy. At the end of this book, you can find ways to contact us or interact with us on the Internet. We would love to hear from you.

Reviews

[R.M. Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories within Random Amusements quick-fire my core emotions while touching on my natural leanings toward ghost, fairies, mundane lifestyles flipped sunny-side up. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting a Jake's ghost in the amazon, an open-minded scientist jarred out of the mundane by a discovery of fairies, and Truman, a free black man laboring amid the great race between the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad. It's all great reading. Random Amusements quickly satisfied my quest for small packet entertainment.

For several years now, I've followed Lee and Gary Jordan. It began when I took advantage of their outstanding Fiverr offerings under editorial and beta review services. Later, I began reading their Phoenix book line. This is my first review. It won't be my last.