A Pool, a Suitor, a Cellist

Bright Shadows Series: Novelette Trilogies for Busy Folks

by R. Manolakas

A lonely and beautiful little girl with a strange friend, a shy, thoughtful young man searching for a purpose in life that will surprise you, and an elderly, sensual woman whose art warns her of the future, these are the spines of the bizarre novelettes featured in this first volume of an enthralling series of trilogies: Bright Shadows-Novelettes for Busy Folks. Due to our time pressures and the increasing stress of modern life, the reader and audiobook listener's appetite to "binge read" is increasing dramatically. These novelettes-or short novels of about fifteen thousand words each-are about three times as long as the average short story and about one seventh the average full novel's length, yet provide the subplots, complications, and wealth of characters and dramatic punch of full length tomes. Each novelette, also divided into three convenient parts, is a self-contained, satisfying, piquant slice of riveting and ageless fiction with fast moving scenes, snappy dialogue, and endings with a twist-much in the style of the Twilight Zone TV series

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

My new audiobook is coming along great, based upon my just-launched, riveting novel, "Palette Knife: A Novel of Love, Intrigue, and Nazi Terror". It's 1937 Berlin, and pacifist and Expressionist painter Max Bauer--war hero-- gets a gig from the artistic-minded and twisted Adolf Hitler, and he and his half-Jewish, physician wife Frieda are in for very rough times indeed. So are their foes--the Nazi brass and their star henchman, General Siegfried Hock. Freedom of expression crashes into oppression and terror--which resonates today. Max and his artist friends and family are in the middle. Does violence come to the rescue? Enjoy this new, action-packed historical novel that has strong romance and right-angle conflicts, and is based upon true incidents--on Amazon Kindle and paperback, soon to be audiobook!
Author product site: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_...

Reviews

[Grumpus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for providing a free download in exchange for an honest opinion. So, here we go. . .

I could not help but recall Dennis Green’s (head coach of the Arizona Cardinals) post game rant after the Chicago Bears comeback win against his team in 2006. In that rant, he exclaimed that, “They were who we thought they were!” It’s the same for these short stories. They are what they claim to be - - as the author states in his comments, ". . .a trilogy of three short novels (novelettes) in the "Twilight Zone" style”. That was my expectation and that is what was delivered.

I agree further with the author’s comment regarding the narration, “The narrator, John Bell, injects much life into the text with his astoundingly versatile and expert voice.”

So why 3 stars? First, as a market researcher, I think I’m a strict grader, secondly one bonus star for the narration, and thirdly,



I found the second two stories predictable and did not enjoy the first story very much. Maybe my interests as a history lover and a fan of historical fiction made me more likely to immediately figure it out. As a result, I'm probably not the target audience for this one.

Because of the reasons in the outlined in the spoiler, I think my rating and opinion will be in the minority on this one. So, if you are looking for short, twisty, Twilight Zone-esque stories with superb narration, don’t let my spoiler comments deter you from missing out.

[R. Manolakas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first volume in my brand new "Bright Shadows" series is a trilogy of three short novels (novelettes) in the "Twilight Zone" style, a style I personally love and have a great passion and feeling for. I hope it satisfies my readers (there is not only an e-book and paperback version put out by the astounding Amazon related companies, but a great audiobook version as well where the skilled narrator accomplishes a challenging task with style and taste). These short reads are meant for busy folks who want to get through a nice read (or listen) in a reasonable amount of time, and have strong hooks and plot points (and twisty endings) to keep one's attention. That is not to say that the endings will be a complete surprise to everyone. Nevertheless, for those that are not early twentieth century history buffs, there may be a bonus discovery at the end. If you are, you may even enjoy the ride even more along the way. I try to write as I would like to read, and I--like most readers--am very strapped for time. I hope that "A Pool, A Suitor, A Cellist" moves fast, with riveting scenes, snappy dialogue, and visual sequences--as in a good movie. I want to be entertained--and now--and I am sometimes a binge reader. I hope you feel the same way about this trilogy as you do with my new medical short story, "Lonely Pines; A Medical Short Story Wherein the Future Rescues the Past." These stories are not all dark--but have bright spots mixed in--much like our lives today. As I understand it, we may write reviews about our own books, so I thank Goodreads for giving me this opportunity, and my hope is that you are entertained in return for your valuable investment in time.

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a a threesome of short stories.I enjoyed #1 and #3 the best,the best being The PoolJohn Bell was a fine narrator.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

[R. Manolakas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my audiobook version of my latest fiction in a somewhat unique form--short novels (not novellas or short stories) of about fifteen thousand words each, packaged in an entertaining "trilogy" format with great variety and allure. These stories are set in the "Twilight Zone" style with dark shadows with "bright spots", with twisty endings, snappy dialogue, and fast moving, short scenes--much like a radio movie. The narrator, John Bell, injects much life into the text with his astoundingly versatile and expert voice. This audiobook production, as the title suggests, is for folks who want good entertainment now, and don't have the time to invest hundreds of hours and drop everything they are doing to "read a long novel". The quality audio format (produced through the great company Audible.com and distributed exclusively through the same and I-Tunes and Amazon sites) is an added convenience feature that allows the book enthusiast to enjoy this on an exercise bike, while cleaning the house, or sitting in gridlock. These tales have almost all the subplots, complications, and complexity of characters of long tomes, only more efficiently packaged. These bizarre, suspense gems have a touch of the supernatural or extra-ordinary, forcing us to look into life's crevices and our mind's hidden places, even seeing history in a different light. I hope that this unique and somewhat gutsy art form is received well and enjoyed--entertainment is my goal. A Pool, a Suitor, a CellistA Pool, a Suitor, a Cellist

[Gaele · Rating 3 out of 5]

AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall 3 Narration 4 Story 3

I am admitted fan of short stories, so this trilogy was an enticing review option. R. Manolakas presents these as being in the style of Twilight Zone, and while they were different and solidly written, there was just a little something missing to give me that moment of “ooh” that I remember from those shows.

A touch of the bizarre, where conundrums are created that don’t necessarily engage but serve the plot well starts this collection, and while the conclusion to this story managed to feel appropriate with the other two in this collection just didn’t seem to make sense as a triad. The last two stories are ventures into historical fiction, and while technically proficient and well-written, I was easily able to discover the mystery long before the reveal or conclusion. Again I still felt a bit disconnected and removed from the story, missing the promised feel of unique or otherworldly twists.

Narration is more than capably provided by John Bell. His voice was mellifluous and engaging, she smoothly navigated the dialog and characters, and presented the appropriate tone and enunciation to the work.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the author via AudioBook Jukebox for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

[R. Manolakas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite frankly, it is mine on audiobook on Audible.com.