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Perfect Timing: A Collection of 25 short stories
Whether we have long hours to fill, or not a moment to spare, time plays an important part in all our lives. We might not watch the clock, but we can't escape the impact of the seconds ticking away. Time waits for no woman, neither will it accelerate at her command. It's no more considerate of men, children and teddy bears.
Being a little early, or late, can have a big impact; it could mean missing a train, inheritance, or much needed meal. Or help us catch a crook, rescue a neighbour, show us what's really important. Maybe it's not our own timekeeping we have to worry about, but that of loved ones, colleagues or adversaries.
You can read each of the stories in this book in just a few minutes, or enjoy all 25 at once over several hours.
Being a little early, or late, can have a big impact; it could mean missing a train, inheritance, or much needed meal. Or help us catch a crook, rescue a neighbour, show us what's really important. Maybe it's not our own timekeeping we have to worry about, but that of loved ones, colleagues or adversaries.
You can read each of the stories in this book in just a few minutes, or enjoy all 25 at once over several hours.
151 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2018
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About the author
Patsy Collins
52 books52 followersPatsy Collins will write anywhere she can reach in her campervan and has written most of her books 'on location'.
She's the author of six novels; one murder mystery, four contemporary romances and one coming of age story with a difference. Hundreds of her short stories have been published in magazines or placed in competitions. Some of these stories have been included in over twenty themed collections of 24 short stories.
Patsy also runs the womagwriter blog and is co-author of From Story Idea to Reader – an accessible guide to writing fiction and A Year Of Ideas:365 sets of writing prompts and exercises.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2021
Slightly Uncomfortable But Interesting
The stories in this collection are truly short stories, literally only 4 to 5 traditional pages each. As you might imagine, they have little room for characterization or plot. I heard it said somewhere that if novellas and novels are about character and plot, then short stories are about ideas. That is certainly true in this case. As you might guess, all the stories in this collection deal with time and how it shapes not only our daily minutes, hours, and days but also events and sometimes even far into the future. Our perception of and dealing with time impact not only us and those closest to us but can ripple out to affect other people as well. As a voracious reader, I think that the shorter forms of fiction are hard to do well. So much needs to be accomplished in so little time—no pun intended!—and space. Pulling off short stories well is not an easy task. I was a little uncomfortable reading these short stories, needing to take time to do other things between stories rather than reading straight through. Often, a story had quick changes of scenes and characters that I found were a little jarring. Perhaps that was the author's intent. The author is from England, and that shows in her choices of words, phrases, and even terms of endearment. If you enjoy short-form fiction, you might like these stories that explore the function of time.
I received a free copy of this collection of short stories, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
The stories in this collection are truly short stories, literally only 4 to 5 traditional pages each. As you might imagine, they have little room for characterization or plot. I heard it said somewhere that if novellas and novels are about character and plot, then short stories are about ideas. That is certainly true in this case. As you might guess, all the stories in this collection deal with time and how it shapes not only our daily minutes, hours, and days but also events and sometimes even far into the future. Our perception of and dealing with time impact not only us and those closest to us but can ripple out to affect other people as well. As a voracious reader, I think that the shorter forms of fiction are hard to do well. So much needs to be accomplished in so little time—no pun intended!—and space. Pulling off short stories well is not an easy task. I was a little uncomfortable reading these short stories, needing to take time to do other things between stories rather than reading straight through. Often, a story had quick changes of scenes and characters that I found were a little jarring. Perhaps that was the author's intent. The author is from England, and that shows in her choices of words, phrases, and even terms of endearment. If you enjoy short-form fiction, you might like these stories that explore the function of time.
I received a free copy of this collection of short stories, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
April 26, 2021
A Matter of Time . . .
This is a group of 25 quickies that revolve around the theme of “time”, how it affects us, how it brings us to our destiny or makes us miss it! Here is your chance to play around with timing to see how it can be disastrous or put you in the “right place at the right time”. You’ll meet some fun characters and unusual situations, but a good story wraps around each of the titles. Enjoy yourself reading through these, and in any order you choose – “take your time”, because that is what you are being offered in this collection! And have fun!
This is a group of 25 quickies that revolve around the theme of “time”, how it affects us, how it brings us to our destiny or makes us miss it! Here is your chance to play around with timing to see how it can be disastrous or put you in the “right place at the right time”. You’ll meet some fun characters and unusual situations, but a good story wraps around each of the titles. Enjoy yourself reading through these, and in any order you choose – “take your time”, because that is what you are being offered in this collection! And have fun!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews