Author Carol Mann grew up in western New York State along the banks of Ellicott Creek. She experienced its spring floods, summer ennui, autumn mists, and winter ice. Changes and barriers, natural or manmade, altered its course. Reflecting upon her early years, she was impressed by the similarities between the flow of a creek and the journey of a person's life. Obstacles and apertures direct a creek's path, just as challenges and opportunities write the human story. These complexities, these ebbs and flows, compose the songs of life. Thus, Creek Songs seemed a good fit for her collection of short stories. From the above perspective, readers are invited to meet the flawed characters of this concert of narratives. They're ordinary people living in an everyday world. When events of their lives don't flow smoothly, they must confront their decisions and deal with the consequences. Readers will find their minds and emotions engaged as they experience each character's tale and encounter their own lives, their own songs.