Making Lemonade

 

They knew something was wrong. But no one spoke up.

When something terrible happens to fourteen-year-old Joanne Wilson, it shatters the heart of an ordinary street in an ordinary town. During the following twelve months, the residents of Station Square have their own stories and secrets to tell. Did tea-leaf-reading mystic, Maisie, see it coming? What about Joanne’s close friend, Adrian? Or her family friend, Elizabeth? Each of them faces an excruciating question: Could they have prevented this tragedy?

Making Lemonade is a poignant exploration of community, loss, and the cost of silence.

All profits will be donated to the charity PAPYRUS.

 

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This is one of the most extraordinary books I have read because of both its unique style and the involvement and empathy created with a young teenager, her tragic decision and the impact on all her neighbours. Each character in the story is written by a different member of the Canvey Writers group but these all connect in one satisfying sense of one novel. Debz Hobbs Wyatt has brought all her own short story, novel writing and editor skills to inspire and make this happen.
All the characters live on a fictional square and each story explores their connection to this young daughter of a neighbouring family. From the ‘good’ doctor to Piper an alcoholic actress with her own suffering and guilt all the characters reflect on the impact of a young neighbour taking her own life. What could each one have done to help? Why did no one notice the way Joanne was feeling?
Although the subject matter is harrowing the book explores this through different viewpoints and grips the reader to know more about all these different neighbours as each one has their own story to tell, idiosyncrasies and challenges. There is a connection to Joanne and her diary at the beginning of each chapter with a quote from the book she never finished ‘ Catcher in the Rye’ and a short sentence or two from her diary. There is a very powerful twist to these words at the end of the book. Certainly a book to talk and discuss with young people and show there can be ways to help or find help or another way forward when feeling so desperate. 

The Best of CafeLit 13

 

This year contributors were asked to select stories they enjoyed the most. For each story they had published, they could select one. This produced quite a long list. There is real mixture of authors here: ones we’ve published several times and know really well, others we are just getting to know, and some who are published with us for the very first time.

Each story in this little volume is the right length and quality for enjoying as you sip the assigned drink in your favourite Creative Café. You need never feel alone again in a café. So what’s the mood today? Espresso? Earl Grey tea? Hot chocolate with marshmallows? You'll find most drinks in our drinks index.

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Contributors: 

Jim Bates, Amta Basu, Lynn  Clement, Dawn DeBraal, Tony Domaille, Jacki Donellan, Jenny Edgerley,  P. A. farrell, Maxine Flam, Lynda Flynn, Sam Hendley, Gill James, Leonie Jarrett, Dawn Knox, Bonita LeFlore, Logan Markko, Eamon O' Leary, Jenny Palmer, Mari Phillips, Paula R.C Readman, Hannah Retallick,  Penny Rogers, Judith Skilleter, Kathrin Spinnler, Jane Spirit, Alllison Symes, Philip Temples, June Webber, P. A. Westgate, Robin Wrigley,  S. Nadja Zajdman, Sally Zigmond, 

 

Some very short indeed and some much longer. Some serious and some light-hearted. My favourite was 'Tick Tick' by Jacki Donellan in which people were likened to musical time signatures - an intriguing idea.
All the stories have appeared initially on the CafeLit website. This is the latest in 'The Best of CafeLit' series, featuring regular CafeLit authors, such as Allison Symes, Jim Bates, Paula Readman and Hannah Retallick. A thoroughly good read.

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The Best of CafeLit 12

 

This year we present a selection of some of the best stories from each month. There is a balance of longer and shorter stories, darker and lighter tales, serious and funny prose, experimental and conventional. Many of them invite you to reflect. There is also a welcome balance of old friends, writers who have contributed to CaféLit over the years, and of new voices.

Each story in this little volume is the right length and quality for enjoying as you sip the assigned drink in your favourite Creative Café. You need never feel alone again in a café. So what’s the mood today? Espresso? Earl Grey tea? Hot chocolate with marshmallows? You'll find most drinks in our drinks index.

 

RRP £9.00

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First, I loved the structure of the book, with stories assigned to each month and with each one designated a drink to enjoy while reading. Brilliant idea. The stories are all a pleasure to read and so diverse. I was particularly struck by the portrayal of extreme cold in January’s offering by Jim Bates, the poignancy of the disappointment of Ma in Never Count Your Chickens, the true-life pain and reconciliation in S. Nadja Zajdman’s How My Mum Came to Forgive Omar Sharif and Dawn DeBraal’s Good Times with a portrayal of a burgeoning friendship between two senior citizens. But every story brings something different and as each one is short, it’s the perfect book for the bedside table or the sun lounger. And add a drink of your own choice, of course!

 

I have to declare an interest here as one of the authors represented but this is a fine collection of short fiction to dip into and out of as you please. There are perspectives from across the globe and its cultural variations. Well worth snuggling up with, accompanied by your favorite drink. 

 

 

Contributors:

Swati Moheet,Agrawal,,Lynda Baker,Jim Bates, Anna Braverman, Lynn Clement, Sue Cook, Liz Cox, Chris Darrock, Mary Daurio, Dawn DeBraal,Tony Domaille,Jane Edgerley, Stacie Eirich, Lena Green, Clive Gresswell, Doug Jacquier, Gill James, Sara Jenkins, Rosemary Johnson,Dawn Knox, Henry Lewi,Eamon O 'Leary, Fleur Lind, Chris Pais, Jenny Palmer, Mari Phillips,  Hannah Retallick, Judith Skilleter, Roberta Smithies, Phyllis Souza, Jane Spirit, Allison Symes, Julie Wise,Julia Wood, S.  Nadja Zajdman. 

The Memory Keeper

 

 

In these eighteen linked stories, the reader accompanies our heroine Noela (“born on Santa Clause’s Day!”) as she develops from an insecure Daddy’s Girl into a woman willing and able to stand on her own. Go on this journey with her as she meets challenge after challenge and as her relationships with all around her change.

The Memory Keeper is a collection of tales about a life well learnt in S. Nadja Zajdman’s distinctive story-teller voice.

RRP £9.00

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This is a delightful collection of memoir-style stories. Some are quirky, some funny, and some touch on the harrowing; but they are always engaging. They have a wonderful sense of tenacity and an accuracy that is uncompromising when it comes to family relationships. I found myself wishing there were more. I also like the fact that this author doesn’t spoon-feed the reader – sometimes you have to work at it to understand who is speaking, but it is always worth the wait. A really lovely collection -I’m going to read mine again.

What if .... by Anne Wilson

 

“What if?” An unanswered question. The unexplained, a mystery, a road not taken.

This is a collection of dark fiction injected here and there with glimmers of humour.

The author takes us on a surreal and ghostly journey from Latin America’s Day of the Dead, through the coastal towns of Lancashire, a pig farm in Denmark, a high-rise in Mallorca, a haunted vicarage at Christmas and a town centre coffee bar. The voices we hear are variously plaintive, nostalgic, and occasionally vindictive or vengeful: the testimonies and fears of the living and the dead.

Anne Wilson, writes about places she knows, imbuing the natural world and the everyday with disturbing fantasy and the supernatural.

RRP £7.00

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Some really effective and enjoyable stories, from the spooky to the deeply creepy, and deserving of a wide audience. The characterization of this collection is a particular strength, with every story having a distinct voice through dialogue or monologue.

Tony Fyler, Editor-in-chief Jefferson-Franklin Editing

 

 

he author weaves a thrilling web with her prose, creating delightful pocket worlds to entice and entrance the reader. These are stories that linger long in the mind after reading.  

 

In these short stories Anne Wilson takes everyday situations and adds an otherworldly twist. Suited for a bedtime read or for a brief commute to work, each tale, sad or sinister, is a self contained gem. Should be on radio or TV but perhaps with a trigger warning for the faint of heart. Loved it! 

 

Read a sample here: 

On the Day of the Dead

Mathias Mori stirs; his body stiff from the chill night air. His nose twitches under the old fedora covering his face, as an ant becomes separated from the detachment marching purposefully across his hat and finds its way into his moustache. Cautiously he raises his head to look around himself and winces with discomfort as the pistol tucked into his belt presses against his lower ribs.

Midnight is approaching and the little graveyard is quiet in the darkness. Here and there Mathias sees the low glow of still-flickering candles. Their light picks out remnants of food, sugar skulls and elaborate floral tributes. He sees a few remaining hushed and huddled figures: the weathered faces of the elderly, the painted faces of the young, craving the company of revenants.

Pale moonlight throws nearer marker crosses and stone memorials into black relief.