Flashes of Lightning comprises fifty-two fiction stories (each one 101 words or less) that touch the reader's funny bone, heart, mystery-solving mind and sometimes, dark side. What drives this collection of economical stories are a medley of memorable characters and a tight combination of realistic dialog, interior monologues and irony. The cast of characters-both likeable and despicable-have motives varying from healthy to diabolical, despite the limited word counts preventing detailed back stories. The stories take place in a variety of settings, including the desert, forests, a funeral home, beaches, bayou, basements, bars, churches, a wedding reception, Ireland, New York City, and Paris. Characters include scoundrels, liars, cheats, murderers, hit men, psychics, ghosts, sleepwalkers, evil faeries, cats, dogs, a horse and a skunk.
Author Biography:
Neil Tarpey hails from New York City, and lives with his wife and their two dogs along Northern California's redwood coast. He gave up alcohol and other drugs at age thirty-one and enjoys sober living. He earned M.A. degrees in Teaching Writing and Counseling Psychology. He worked a combined forty-one years as a substance abuse counselor, college instructor and sports writer. Eighteen of Neil's micro or flash fiction stories have appeared in print or online. Flashes of Lightning is Tarpey's first collection of stories.
