***** Terrific Shorts Review by Rox Burkey
Author Patricia A. Guthrie brings together four very different short stories to excite teen and young adult readers. Sarpati, The Slot Machine, Broken Toys in the Attic, and The Fair Lady are all fun. But I must admit the Adam and Eve spoof hit the mark for me. I loved Sarpati the snake and his logical little reptile mind. He is deliciously evil and easily manipulated. The following excerpt will give you a hint of this fun.
“Don’t ask me. I don’t know. I just know we don’t touch the apple trees.”
“Okay, okay. They’re probably wormy apples anyway,”
the other man replied. “Yeah, yeah,” his supervisor said. “Maybe on the way back we can stop in Havilah. You’ll love the city. Paved with gold. We can catch the ‘Neanderthal Ladies’ act, at the Midas Touch Cabaret. Their voices drifted off as they dragged the trees down into the cargo hold.
Sarpati picked up his scaly head and suddenly knew what he had to do. Aha . . . that’s the key. Knowledge. . . the tree. I’ll bet they’ll want to know stuff. With that, Sarpati slithered into a crate of oranges and feeling smug, coiled himself up into a ball and took a nap. He didn’t even wake up when the crate was carried onto the ship.”
Each of these four stories are not only entertaining but have some great messages. I enjoy the variety of this collection of shorts and appreciated that they applied for teen and young adult readers. Not only do I highly recommend this collection, but it makes a perfect gift for the upcoming holiday season.
About the Author
“Every experience is potential fodder for a novel.” Patricia A. Guthrie
Patricia A. Guthrie is the author of romantic suspense, paranormal, mystery novels and short stories. Her current published novels ‘IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY’ ‘WATERLILIES OVER MY GRAVE’ and ‘LEGACY OF DANGER’ and her short story ‘WILLED ACCIDENTS HAPPEN’ are available in online bookstores such as Amazon.com. She also has short stories published on Amazon, Skyline Magazine and Affaire Du Coeur and non-fiction articles in the Collie Cassette and the online ‘Nature Journal.’
Guthrie is an accomplished musician: opera singer, church soloist and music teacher. After leaving the opera, Guthrie became a music therapist in a school for children with special needs and then went on to teach music in the Chicago Public School system. She resides in the Chicago area with her cats, Archie and Kitzy Kitty, and her horse, Dixie, who help her write every chance they get. Pat’s an avid animal lover and advocate.
Regarding biographies, “It’s amazing how your life can be reduced to 150 words.” Bruce Berg.
Find and follow Patricia on Amazon
