Mark’s Comments (group member since Feb 12, 2008)

Mark’s comments from the Flash Fiction group.

A newly released Kindle version of my celebrated novel-in-flashes. An Extended Edition.

A mordant dreamer, the protagonist of this first novel is deliciously at odds with his comrades in Russia; in college, the son of Jewish refugees disses a Chechen brute and barely escapes a mugging. ... this soulful tale about a perpetual outsider marks a debut well worth celebrating.
--People Magazine

From School Library Journal
This debut novel presented in brief stories of fewer than 1000 words is a semiautobiographical account of a Russian Jewish immigrant, Alex, from his childhood in Communist Russia during the 1950s through the present day when he is in his midfifties, settled in Upstate New York with a wife and two daughters. Snapshots of Alex are presented as he goes through typical schoolboy antics and falls in love at an early age with his cousin Annie, whose family has moved to America. Alex goes to college, works briefly as a movie extra, is enlisted in the military, and finally marries a doctor named Lyuba, who reminds him of Annie. They immigrate to America in the 1980s, and he finally gets to meet Annie, who has no idea about his long-standing obsession with her. Against a backdrop of such historical events as the demise of Soviet communism, Alex deals with losing his job, raising children, and struggling with a writing career. There is little character development and even less plot or intrigue in this sketchy record of events. The novel reads more like a family blog and offers few tangible rewards.—David A. Beronä, Plymouth State Univ., NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JRW5DVD

Thank you for making my book #17 in Satire (Kindle Store). It's free today.
https://amazon.com/dp/B071LJ9QMY

When he was twelve, Henry translated War and Peace into Vulgar Latin, against the advice of his father, who wanted him to translate it into Pig Latin. Upon reading the manuscript, his father said vox nihili, and pushed it across the desk back to Henry.

http://puritan-magazine.com/the-roads...

#Halloween2018 spirit? Read the winning entry to the Tombstone 2018 contest.

http://www.vestalreview.org/tombstone...

Please vote for your favorite entry in the Tombstone contest. You have until October 30 to do it.



http://www.vestalreview.org/tombstone...

Kenny wrote: "Excellent! Thanks for all you do Mark!"

Thank you, Kenny.

Our 4th annual VERA award for flash fiction. The winner gets $100 and publication in Vestal Review, and the runner-up will be published. No nomination fee.

The final judge this year is Michelle Richmond @michellerichmon.

Deadline 6/30 2018.

https://vestalreview.submittable.com/...

Thank you, Kathi.

Mark

Thank you, Kenny.

https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog...

Congrats, Minyoung.

Our 4th annual VERA award for #flashfiction. The winner gets $100 and publication in Vestal Review, and the runner-up will be published. No nomination fee.

The final judge this year is Michelle Richmond @michellerichmon.

Deadline May 28, 2018.

https://vestalreview.submittable.com/...

Vestal Review's 18th anniversary is this March. Please help us to celebrate by publicizing this event. Please follow us on Twitter @vrflash, @oneill_susan, and @VestalReview, and like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VestalReview/.

Congrats, Kenny. This is great.

Congrats, Kenny.

In the spirit of the holidays, we reopen the VERA award nominations for 10 days, until 12/16/17.

Dear editor,

Please feel free to nominate one story under 500 words published by your magazine in print or online in 2016. The winning selection receives a prize of $100 and a publication in Vestal Review, both in print and online, and the runner-up entry gets publication in Vestal Review at our usual terms. There is no nomination fee. Only a magazine editor is eligible to submit a nomination. One story per magazine, please.

http://www.vestalreview.org/vestal-re...

Thank you, Kenny.

Issue 52 of @VestalReview is up, featuring @flashfiction of
@Jayne_Martin
Michael Chapey
Rob McClure Smith
David Galef
Merran Jones
@bentcountry Sheldon Lee Compton
Marge Simon
Riham Adly
Jennifer Wortman

http://vestalreview.org

Please vote for your favorite Magic Monday Story so far:

http://www.vestalreview.org/magic-mon...

The best published story selected by the reader’s poll will be included in the next issue of Vestal Review with our standard publication pay.

Congrats, Eva.