I'd first heard of Sherry Isaac over at Brian Henry's Quick Brown Fox blog. Brian, a creative writing instructor (and editor and writer), features many of his past students on his blog and it's a great source for those of us looking to find new authors. Sherry Isaac was one of those featured whom I'd not heard of and decided to explore a little further. Isaac, it turns out, has wisely begun her own website, and provides links to some of her short stories, public reading schedule, and works in progress. It was here that I found my short story pick for this week, "Sweet Dreams," appearing at the New Mystery Reader Magazine site.According to Isaac's website her short stories "share the common thread of everyday life sprinkled with a dash of the unexpected." I can't think of a better way to describe "Sweet Dreams."
I was in the mood for a dose of domesticity this week. Debbie and I have been house hunting (for something with a bit more room) and the opening couple of paragraphs of "Sweet Dreams" really appealed to me. Since moving out from my parents house some 16 years ago, I've not lived in the same building for longer than 3 years. Something more long term, a place where you can plant some memories sounds appealing to me right about now.
But like Roald Dahl taught us in "Lamb to the Slaughter" sometimes we get a little too comfortable and let our guard down. The second I started realizing something was amiss in Isaac's story I jumped to all sorts of conclusions, mostly of a paranormal nature. While nothing supernatural ends up happening, what does I'll leave to you to discover yourself. It's a quick, fun story in its own dark way.
(Did you write a post for Short Story Monday? If so, please leave a link in the comments below.)
4 comments:
I like the sounds of this one - everyday life sprinkled with the unexpected.
Mine today is from an urban fantasy anthology.
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/a-questionable-client-by-ilona-andrews/
I forgot to give you the link to mine. I see you found it but here is is anyway. http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2010/09/missives-from-possible-futures-1.html
Sweet Dreams sounds like it would be a nice change of pace for me. I'll have to read it.
Glad you liked my story. How cool to learn that a link on Brian's website could lead to fans across the country. If you liked Sweet Dreams, you may also like The Visit, also posted on newmysteryreader.com. My most recent publication is in the 15th issue of award-winning children's magazine, Crow Toes Quarterly.
Sherry
sherryisaac.com
This short story won't disppoint. None that I've read so far did. You should also catch the excerpt from her novel published in Canadian Voices, Volume 1.
I connected with Sherry during a writer's online couse last January when we discovered a mutual sense of humor. She is one diverse, committed professional. I happily cross the border (from Texas) to chat with her daily about our goals. I think she's about to break out...
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