A Collection of Six Word Stories

“What happened to the remote batteries?”

The silent anticipation of another adventure!

Review of Broken Rhodes, by Kimber Silver

With Christmas in the rearview, I’m using the interlude between Boxing Day and New Years to post my last review of 2023. I hope each of you has been able to spend some quality time with loved ones while finding moments of restful solitude.

So, What’s It All About?

Kinsley Rhodes blows into Harlow, Kansas like a tornado, twisting Sheriff Lincoln James’ life into knots. Her grandfather has been murdered and she wants answers.

As if the town’s first homicide in twenty years wasn’t enough, the beleaguered sheriff now has to deal with Henry Rhodes’ bobcat of a granddaughter, plunging his life deeper into chaos. As a dark storm threatens, long-held secrets are exposed, placing Kinsley directly in harm’s way.

In a race against time, Lincoln’s prime objective is to discover the killer’s identity before Miss Rhodes becomes the next victim…

Just My Thoughts:

Kinsley Rhodes is the embodiment of a conflicted soul. In her youth, the abhorrent cruelty of her peers diverges the course of her life. The once shy, but trusting Kinsley, constructs an emotional safe room, keeping a distance from normal social interactions and relationships. At the outset, her innate characteristics surface in moments of perceived security, but are frequently shelved as real or interpreted threats arise. Towards the end, Kinsley has begun to heal from her trauma, perhaps at a tempo that may not accurately reflect reality. In fairness, I had to keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.      

Returning to Harlow brings her face to face with her tormentors and a dangerous criminal enterprise that stretches far beyond the town limits.

This is compelling tale of ancient grudges, buried family secrets, a healing journey, and the struggle against a psychopathic force that has poisoned a community for too many years.

If you possess an affinity for the underdog, a curiosity for what lies beneath, a taste for mystery, and a fondness of slow burn romance, this is your next read.  

Meet Kimber:

My love of reading began early, cultivated by my grandmother. I cut my teeth on the works of Louis L’Amour. Then my curiosity for other genres blossomed, and I spent any free time I had in the library. The stories took me away from the farm, and the small town I lived in, to a world so vast, that I felt I could achieve anything.

My imagination has always been vivid, and my grandparents encouraged me to write down the stories I regaled them with. I have never felt more alive than when I’m immersed in a new tale, as it takes form.

Visit her website and order your copy:

Kimber Silver

Review of, The Lilac Notebook, by Carol Balawyder

It’s not often that I review books by the same author consecutively. But here I find myself unable to resist. You can check out my review of Carol’s, Warning Signs, in my previous post.

So what’s it all about?

Three university friends. One in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, another out for revenge and a third murdered.
Holly Baranov is in the beginning stages of fast advancing Alzheimer’s at 40. Unwilling to care for her, Holly’s husband leaves her. While frightened to be on her own, Holly is relieved to be freed from the clutches of a controlling husband.
She moves out of her large home in the middle-class west end section of Montreal and into a small apartment near McGill University where she enrols in a poetry course in the hopes of stimulating her brain.
There she meets Kim Harris, a thirty-something beautiful but damaged law student and Amelia Rose, a twenty-year-old pole dancer in a seedy nightclub who wants nothing more than to graduate, teach high school, marry and raise a family. Both Kim and Amelia were victims of incest, though each see her perpetrator differently. Kim chose law so as to right the justice she was denied while Amelia is angry at the justice system for separating her from a flawed father who was nonetheless her whole world.
When Amelia is found strangled in her apartment, Holly becomes involved in the investigation, both as prime suspect and as a means to defend herself.
Detective Alice Vireovich and her rookie partner, Detective Dan Cardoni, currently investigating the murders of two middle aged men, are also tasked with investigating Amelia’s murder: They come to believe all three murders may be linked because of a Van Gogh Starry Night postcard found at the scene of all three crimes.
Holly’s health worsens quickly. She is transferred to a support facility. Along with her fading memory, Holly is also losing her ability to speak and write. She is uncertain whether she killed Amelia as her friend Kim, ex-husband Roy and the police suspect.
A niece (whom Holly doesn’t recognize and whose motives she distrusts for suddenly wanting to help her) visits Holly regularly and reads Holly’s notes about Amelia’s investigation. This eventually leads the investigation away from her as they seem to implicate Kim.
Kim’s law teacher at McGill agrees to take on the case pro bono, motivated by her interest in litigating whether damaging effects of childhood abuse pose the question whether murder can ever be justified in such cases.
The expanding investigation leads to more findings relating to the postcard found next to Amelia’s body, bringing into view a surprising new suspect.

My Takeaway:

The substance of any great story is relatable characters that inspire genuine emotional connections or reactions. At least for the main antagonists/protagonists.

Here we have three women from different backgrounds and stages of life, yet all have been abused in some form or degree by those who should have been their biggest supporters. The abuse by a loved and trusted one is vile beyond words.

Carol adroitly portrays the varying coping mechanisms utilized by each of these victims.

Though I felt tremendous sorrow for all of these unfortunate women, I found my heart going out to Holly the most. Yes, she had the advantage of growing up in a loving home, but she won me over with her kindness and courageous resilience.

Holly continued her investigation of Amelia’s death even as dusk descended on her memory; even while fighting valiantly to retain a shred of independence. She always found something to be thankful for, whether it was freedom from her controlling husband or the preservation of her sense of smell.

Again, I’d like to offer Carol a nod for creating a suspenseful read without resorting to gory details.  

Meet Carol:

I hold an undergraduate degree with a major on English Literature and a graduate degree in Criminology. I taught Criminology in Police Technology and Corrections programs in Montreal. My area of expertise was in drug addiction and I worked in a methadone clinic with heroin addicts. I helped set up a writing workshop for women in prison and worked in halfway homes and drug rehab centers.

My short stories have appeared in Room Magazine, The Canadian Anthology of Fiction, Mindful.or, Between the Lines and Carte Blanche. I was awarded an honorary mention for a play submitted to The Canadian Playwright Competition.

I manage a blog where I write about: Women Nobel Prize Winners for Literature, Famous Writers’ Desks, Femmes Fatales, India, Book Reviews and my dog, Bau. http://www.carolbalawyder.com/blog

Photos With Captions To Make You Smile.

Well, Fall has firmly plunked itself here at 44.2148 Degrees North, and night now draws the curtains at 6:21 pm and they don’t open until 7:25am. I’m not sure why I’m being so specific today, guess I’m just in the mood for trivial facts. Hey, who knows if they might appear on some game show? Could help you win a car or a boat! 🙂 Or an espresso machine or even work socks.

My next post is going to be a book review, but the reading part is not finished. Meanwhile, here’s round of what the title says. Some of them are repeats, but I hope they still work to brighten your day.

Me, after I’ve been verbally outwitted by my teenager, and she’s waiting for my reply.

“Hi! I’m, uh, Jannabelle! I like you! Can I go home with you and be your friend? What time do you go to sleep?”

“Anyone know what happened to the batteries for the remote?”

I’m seriously considering installing a GPS tracker on my eye glasses that syncs to my phone; as soon as I find THAT.

It’s Been Ten Years Already!

Those who have known me for awhile may be aware that I was once a Correctional Officer. Today I received a ‘memory’ notification on Facebook, dating back to September 28, 2013. This was my last day at working at Kingston Penitentiary. The prison closed for good just a few days later, on September 30th.

Built in 1835, Kingston Pen (or KP) was one of the oldest continuously operating prisons in the world. Today it’s a major tourist attraction, our version of Alcatraz, and plenty of movies and television shows have been filmed there. I often see shots from KP in popular movies.

However, no movie scene, or guided tour can ever recapture the true ambience of an active prison. I wrote and posted this tribute below on the day that heavy steel door slammed shut behind me for good.

Today, I closed the door on 178 years of history. I’ve been part of the last thirteen years of those. As I drive away from the walled fortress for the last time, ghosts appear in my rearview mirror. No, not the spirits of the countless who perished behind those walls; these phantoms are memories. Memories of things I’ve witnessed and been part of. Incidents and characters too many to name. Some hilarious, others mundane, many terrifying and tragic; a large segment just plain bizarre. Enough ghosts for a lifetime. Goodbye KP . . . it’s been quite a ride!

Looking up at the ‘Dome’ inside KP.

The school and workshop area. Note the staircase, it’s made of limestone