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Guest Author Lisa Kessler

Hi everyone –

Thanks to Sarah for allowing me to visit her blog today…

I wanted to talk about short fiction today. I fell in love with short stories in English class back in school. Remember the horror you felt the first time you read “The Lottery”? Wow that shocked me! LOL And I vividly remember reading “The Most Dangerous Game” and being completely fascinated once I realized how dangerous that game actually was!

Many of the literary masters wrote short stories that packed a punch. I’ll never forget Edgar Allen Poe’s Pit and the Pendulum or the Tell-Tale Heart. Yikes!!!

More recently, Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, also turn out short stories that leave an impression long after you reach the end.

There’s a thrill with the pacing of a short story. The reader falls right into the scene and hits the ground running. A good short story keeps the reader turning pages and leaves them with a great pay off at the end.

And short fiction requires a very small time commitment! Perfect for our crazy busy world, right?

I got my start writing short stories. The first short I ever published in an anthology ended up being a finalist for a Bram Stoker award from the Horror Writer’s of America. Immortal Beloved told the story of a vampire who loved Beethoven. Literally. But it never could have worked in a novel length.

There are stories that derive their strength in the minimalist amount of words in a short story. A novel length would weigh them down and dull their beauty. The thrill is the pacing and knowing the end is right around the corner.

I write short stories, knowing they’ll never top a bestseller list. They’re simply a labor of pure love.

And what better reason to write, right? LOL

I’m excited to share, Forgotten Treasures: 25 Short Fiction Tales. My first short story anthology! 🙂

BLURB:

Spooky tales told while huddled around a campfire


Memories of “the good old days” shared by grandparents.


Alien invasions by flashlight, under the covers, after bedtime.


Short stories are like Forgotten Treasures you find in a trunk in the attic, just waiting to be discovered.


Inside this book lurks a Christmas loving demon, a pirate ghost who becomes flesh only one night a year, and an ancient Egyptian god who longs to be a god of rock-n-roll. These tales, and many more, are anxious for you to open the cover and dust them off.

Buy Now at Amazon
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Thanks for celebrating this labor of love with me!

So let’s talk short stories… Do you remember any you’ve read that stuck with you? I’d love to hear…

Lisa 🙂
http://lisakessler.wordpress.com
http://goodreads.com/LisaKessler
http://twitter.com/LdyDisney
http://facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter

10 Comments

  1. Hi Vicki –

    Good luck with your short stories!!! 🙂

    Have you been submitting them? There are lots of great short story anthologies coming out from some of the small presses…

    Thansk for commenting Vicki!

    Lisa 🙂

  2. Hi Lisa, I remember loving the short stories we read in class. I've written a few, and I do enjoy the challenge of having only a certain amount of words to make a good story.
    great success with your new anthology!

  3. Lisa, I wish I could remember that far back, lol. I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on. But I cannot recall any short stories that stood out.

    Good luck with your anthology. What an ambitious thing to do!!!

  4. Hi Gerri –

    Thanks for the good wishes!!! 🙂

    I agree about the challenge of writing short too! I love having that cap and making sure that each word really counts.

    It's a great exercise to tighten up novel writing too…

    Thanks for commenting!

    Lisa 🙂

  5. Hi Jannine –

    Thanks for the good wishes and the comment! 🙂

    You should give short stories another shot now that you're older and wiser… 🙂 You might love them! LOL

    Thanks for stopping by!

    *HUGS*

    Lisa 🙂

  6. I don't really remember any short stories that have stood out, but I do have an appreciation for them! I think in some ways they're trickier than novels. I'm totally looking forward to reading Forgotten Treasures! 😀

  7. Hi Lisa,

    I've taken your claasses and I just ordered your book of short stories. Can't wait to read them.

    I also recommend your short story class to anyone interested in writing short.

  8. Hi Sarah –

    Thanks for letting me have a spot on your blog today!!! 🙂

    I hope you enjoy Forgotten Treasures!!! 🙂 I had so much fun writing these stories, and I hope it shows in the writing…

    Lisa 🙂

  9. Hi Pat –

    Thanks so much for grabbing a copy of Forgotten Treasures!!! I hope you enjoy the stories!!!

    I'm running the class on placing your short stories again in July if you want to come back and write with me again! 🙂

    Thanks for commenting and let me know what you think of the anthology…

    Lisa 🙂

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