Today, I am happy to welcome fellow Story Empire contributor and blogging buddy D.L. Finn to Fiction Favorites. She has a new collection of stories to tell you about, and if these are like her others, this will be an enjoyable collection to own and enjoy.

Thank you for having me visit today, John, to share my short story collection, In the Tree’s Shadow.

“Lyrical Dragon” has an interesting beginning. While commenting on one of John’s posts, I forget what the post was about now, but words from the blog, lyrical dragon, inspired me. I mentioned in the comment that I’d like to write a story about those words. With John’s encouragement, that is just what I did. The blog became my muse.

At first, I wasn’t sure how the dragon would be lyrical. I knew lyrical meant a way to express emotions or thoughts. Dancers, artists, and writers can express themselves lyrically, but how would a dragon? Then it came to me, poetically. What if the dragon spoke in haikus? Although the story doesn’t center on that fact, it creates a creative way to get the dragon’s point across to the young girl, Janine, in the story. I know poetry can tell stories, but my stories haven’t included poetry. This was the perfect way to combine two things I love: storytelling and poetry.

John’s note: I was interested in which post the Lyrical Dragon was mentioned, so I looked it up. It was one with Lucy and Twiggy, where they tried on sweaters as possible dragon costumes in preparation for Halloween. Lucy declared herself a Lyrical Dragon since her sweater didn’t fit.

BLURB

A collection of short stories where dreams and nightmares coexist.

Nestled inside these pages, you’ll meet a couple in their golden years who take a trip with an unexpected detour, a boy desperate to give his brother the Christmas gift he asked for, a girl with a small glass dragon who is at the mercy of her cruel uncles, and a young mother who has a recurring dream about murder. You’ll be introduced to worlds where people get second chances and monsters might be allowed their desires, while angels and dragons try to help. Happy endings occur, but perspective can blur the line between good and evil in these twenty-seven tales. Since the stories vary between 99 and 12,000 words, whether you have only five minutes or an entire evening to settle into reading, there is something that will suit your time and taste.

EXCERPT:

The walk home from the general store was hot and dusty on the red dirt road. Sweat poured down Janie’s face as she labored to carry the burlap sack of provisions her uncles had sent her to get. Because of their poor farming skills, almost everything had to be bought, and what extra money they’d had in the past disappeared when her mother did. Her uncles wouldn’t comment on where her mother had gone, but Janie had her suspicions. The town’s rumor mill, overheard on one of her shopping trips, decided her mother had run off with a man. Janie knew her mother wouldn’t leave her only child behind with these lazy, no-good men.

“They will pay for whatever they did to my mother. I promise you that, Lyrical Dragon.”

Heat radiated from the tiny green dragon charm that bounced against what Uncle Barry called her flat-boy chest. The necklace was the only thing Janie had left from her mother, so she hid it well around her greedy relatives. They’d sell anything of value so they didn’t have to work. With her mother gone, she was the only one left to provide food. The rains had stopped, and the garden was withering in the scorching sun. Water was limited, and everything was fading away except her fat uncles.

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FUN FINN FACTS:

1. I try to write poetry in new places, including the back of the Harley.
2. I like to be surrounded by color and rarely tolerate a white or tan wall.

BIO:

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, a unique autobiography, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

D.L. Finn Links:

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D.L. Finn blog

Amazon Page