BOOK REVIEW - ROSALIND SMITH-NAZILLI: FOURTEEN Flashes of Fiction

FOURTEEN flashes of fiction by Rosalind Smith-Nazilli

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


(Author’s note – The best part of being a writer is becoming part of a community of extremely talented individuals who share the same passion as you do… writing, but more than just writing… telling a story.  'Writer’ may be what we tell people we are, but in reality… we are story-tellers; a profession as old and honourable as time itself.  One such person, whom it is my honor to call friend, is Rosalind Smith-Nazilli.  Rosalind recently published a collection of some of her brilliant flash fiction, and I had the opportunity to read it and offer a few remarks.  Thank you, Rosalind.  vmls)

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Gut punches... not a very lady-like expression, but that is exactly what I think of when I read FOURTEEN... Rosalind Smith-Nazilli's brilliant collection of flash fiction... fourteen jabs to the mid-section.

FOURTEEN starts with a sad little tale of woe – The Collector – that ends on a much brighter note than it began.  Rosalind deftly shows that noir isn’t all dark… the occasional ray of hope can shine through.

Of course, for Sally, a bit of luck doesn’t hurt either!

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Punch is a gritty little piece of flash with a ‘punch’ at the end that took my breath.  Nicely done, Rosalind… nicely done, indeed!

The last line in No Intervention chilled me to the core and raises the question… ‘What will we do the next time we encounter a similar situation?’

Problem Solved is a rather pragmatic look at problem solving… I quite enjoyed this one!

The ending in Overnighter gave me one of those ‘oh my god!’ moments.  Well written, Rosalind!

I love the beginning of The Five Year Plan… “It started with a kiss.  Didn’t it always?”  A bit cynical, but there is a note of truth to it.  Never underestimate a mother’s love.

I love the ‘voice’ in Dispatched… another of my favorites in this collection.

A former punter receives ‘correction’ in A Lesson For Freddie.

‘Not in my backyard’ is carried a bit far in Friends, when three young woman ‘mark their territory’.

The Girl With The Flame Coloured Hair is a taut little bit that left me wanting more.

In this little flash of noir, Sam is about to find out what real Retribution is!

Satisfaction reminds one of the dangers of short-changing a ‘working girl’.

Downloading Disaster… I love the double meaning in the title… is a collaboration between Rosalind and Graham Smith, a writer of some repute I am told.  This story is my first exposure to Graham’s writing… the lad shows promise. *wink*

Downloading Disaster gives a dystopian look at a future which bears an echo to the past… a dark part of man’s history on this fragile earth that one hopes will never be repeated. 

It is also a cautionary tale against…. oh, but wait… that would be giving it away.  We can’t have that, can we?

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Rosalind does an excellent job here… bringing us several ‘cautionary tales’… warnings of the consequences when we succumb to our darker urges, and when we are made victims of another’s.  A sharp mind with a keen understanding of noir, it is my privilege to know Rosalind.   She has encouraged me much in my own writing.

Probably my favorite in this collection is Remember Yesterday.  A poignant, moving story of love, sacrifice, and loss; Remember Yesterday is written with the compassion of someone who has experienced both in their life.  Re-reading it now, I am brought to tears… again.  There is a line in the story, near the end…

“The not knowing is what gave us hope, and the will to carry on, believing.”

Thank you, Rosalind, for a more than satisfying serving of flash fiction.

“More, please!”

~*~

Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

18 February 2012

Cannon Beach, Oregon

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The Lost Children Charity Anthology - On Sale Now At Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes and Noble

I join my colleagues in a very heartfelt thank you to Thomas Pluck, Fiona Johnson and Ron Earl Phillips for their tireless efforts in seeing The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology to its fruition.

Two special thank you's - To artist and photographer extraordinaire Danielle Tunstall for her generous permission to use one of her photographs on the cover of the e-book as well as The Lost Children Anthology websites, and to Sarah Bennett Pluck for her incredible work producing the cover for this anthology.

"Some children are lost before they have even started living. Some children are a throw-away commodity like a burger box that’s left to blow down the street in the wind and rain." - Fiona Johnson

This is how it started.

A prompt on Flash Fiction Friday - A Community Writing Project.  Guest moderator, author Fiona Johnson, asked us to write a story about lost children.  Our inspiration was the heart-wrenching photograph by Danielle Tunstall shown below.

Thomas Pluck offered to donate $5 for each story submitted to PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.  Fiona in turn pledged to donate $5 to Children 1st, a children’s charity in Scotland.  Together , $600 was raised for the two charities, thanks to the generous and creative writing communities of Flash Fiction Friday, Fictionaut; as well as the crime fiction community on Twitter.

43 entries were submitted.  The flash fiction challenge was such a success that Thomas, Fiona and Ron decided to take it further... they would publish an anthology, with 100% of the proceeds going to the two charities PROTECT and Children 1st.

Ron, Fiona and Thomas chose 30 of the best stories to put in a charity anthology, all proceeds of which would go to PROTECT and Children 1st.

50% of the proceeds will go to Children 1st, which is a children’s charity based in Scotland – see http://networkedblogs.com/p0GhX for more information about the charity and how you can help.

The other 50% of the proceeds will go to PROTECT:  The National Association to Protect Children.  PROTECT is based in the United States - see http://networkedblogs.com/p13Gv for more about them and how you can help.

And finally, please see http://networkedblogs.com/p8p99 for a little background on my story, ‘LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’.  I am humbled and and honoured to have my story selected and to be part of this amazing project.  By buying the anthology, you too can help a very worthwhile cause.

Lost Children: A Charity Anthology is now available for purchase on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.  Please help us support these charities and help a child.  Thank you.