NEAR TO THE KNUCKLE PRESENTS: GLOVES OFF – AN ANTHOLOGY

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When Darren Sant asked me to write a story for a new anthology he and Craig Douglas were putting together for their website, Near To The Knuckle (which was spawned from the eclectic Close To The Bone blog), I was absolutely thrilled!

"Wait a minute, Veronica... 'when Darren asked you...?"

Well, okay, so maybe he didn't exactly ask... I sort of snuck in when he was letting the cat out and after much pleading and a promise to bake cookies, he and Craig said they'd have a look at my story.

Now, I have been working on this 'noir' thing for a couple of years, trying to find a voice... a grit and darkness worthy of noir. I've had a few polite rejections... "it's a nice story, Veronica, but just a bit off from what we are looking for." ... I thought I just might have found that voice with The Way of Things.

 Darren thought so too... he accepted my submission and made a few editorial suggestions and next thing you know...

I'm rubbing elbows with some of the best talent in the genre today. I mean, look at these names....

Gareth Spark, Richard Godwin, Paul D. Brazill, Aidan Thorn, Pete Sortwell, B.R. Stateham, Brian Panowich, Ryan Sayles,Chris Leek, David Barber, Vic Errington, Graham Smith, Walter Conley, Tom Pitts, Allen Miles, Jim Spry,Mike Monson and Alan Griffiths.

We are talking MAJOR talent here, people!

I am totally chuffed to once again be appearing with two of my friends and mentors, Richard Godwin and Paul D Brazill... totally chuffed!

Thank you, Craig Douglas and Darren Sant, for your tireless efforts and all the hard work in putting this collection together.

And a special thank you to Steven Miscandlon over at Steven Miscandlon Book Design for the amazing cover art for Gloves Off.

Run, do not walk, over to Amazon and get your copy of Gloves Off today... you won't be disappointed! 

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Thank you.


Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw
28 March 2013
An undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest

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)

~~**~~

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!

~~**~~

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?

~~**~~

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

View all my reviews