Author: Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie
Published: August 4th, 2014
Word Count: approx. 40,000
Genre: Short Story
Age Recommendation: 15+
Synopsis: Even In Death, a collection of ten short stories, explores the thin line between love and hate; extreme emotions even death cannot destroy.
Julie wants nothing more than to receive a flower bouquet from the hometown veterinarian. However, in “A Flower Story,” flowers are delivered long after a person is alive to smell them.
After purchasing their dream home, Sara and David feel truly blessed. Unfortunately, the couple soon discovers they’ve inherited a wicked curse. In fact, in “What’s Really There,” the former residents’ spirits refuse to move on.
In the title story, on the anniversary of his fiancés’ death, Mark realizes that he can see and communicate with spirits, including Amy’s. Can Mark and Amy’s love survive even in death?
“A Flower Story,” “What’s Really There,” and “Even In Death,” as well as the other seven stories in the collection are rife with emotion that will linger well after the last page.
About the Author
Longwood University, (pursuing a degree in School Library Media) blogger, short story
and Young Adult novel writer. When she’s not working, she’s traveling or dreaming
of traveling. She’s been on several cross country road trips with her mom. In fact,
Hawaii and Alaska are the only states she hasn’t been to.
Excerpt
“Oh, sweetie, what happened?” Olivia reaches across the sticky table for Angelica’s hands but she moves them
quickly; as if Olivia’s touch is a flame that will burn her beyond recognition.
Angelica chews on her bottom lip. “Nothing.”
“I’m worried about you.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Olivia.” She separates the ‘O’ from the ‘livia.’
A spunky orange haired waitress arrives at their table. Her name tag reads “Bad Susie” with a little devil sticker
next to it. “Can I take your order?”
“Plain coffee, please,” Olivia says.
“Same here,” Angelica says.
Susie places a hand on her hip. “You sure you don’t want pancakes? Eggs and toast?”
They shake their heads.
Bad Susie tilts her head, focusing on Angelica. “You’re worth so much more.”
“What?” Angelica winces.
“You’re wearing sunglasses indoors, long sleeves and jeans, and it’s like eighty degrees outside. And your makeup
is only partially covering your bruises. Obviously your boyfriend is a beater. Just know you’re worth more than that.”
Before Angelica has a chance to respond, Susie moves to the next table.
Giveaway
$10 Amazon GC (INT) and print copy of Even in Death (US)
J. Hooligan's Reviews
The cover was intriguing but I'm not usually big on short stories, but I felt I needed to broaden my reading so I decided to give it a try.
There are ten stories in this. All and all, I liked it. There were two of the ten that were freaking awesome, and another five that were pretty great. Definitely worth checking out.
The author also asked that I give her some feedback on each story, so here it is:
A Fine Winter Day-
This deals with abortion. I found it interesting, but there's a part of it where some dialogue that has nothing to do with the story pops in, randomly and with no explanation. It made the story confusing as I spent too much time trying to figure out what I missed.
The flow of it felt a little off, but I liked it. It amused me, and I felt the author did a good job writing from the point of view of someone with special needs.
This one amused me. It has some issues with grammar, but they're fairly easy to look over. I especially enjoyed the end of it. I laughed out loud!
I really liked this one. It focuses on someone who is going through an abusive relationship. Bad Suzie was really awesome. I also ended this one laughing out loud.
Oh man... this one... I mean, they're all in regards to something difficult to deal with. This one in particular clung to me. I feel like I am a recovered 'collector', and seeing stories like this always makes me think of what could have happened had I not realized something was wrong.
Holy crap balls. This is one of those stories that isn't exactly scary, yet it scared the crap out of me. I ended up turning on all the lights around the house once I finished reading it.
This was a cute story that focused on the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. I enjoyed it and it left me wanting to call my own grandma.
Wow. This story. It is hard to put into words. It was really freaking awesome. I understand why the collection is named after it.
Gawd damn. Talk about sibling rivalry. I've got 4 sisters, and they can be butts, so I can understand this story - to an extent. This one seemed so real, which is why it bothered me as much as it did.
I felt this one was a bit rushed. There were parts where I didn't know what was going on, even after rereading bits a few times. It was an interesting story, but it needs work.