About the Book
Curl up and
enter the eclectic world of S. R. Mallery, where sad meets bizarre and
deception meets humor; where history meets revenge and magic meets gothic. Whether it’s 500 words or 5,000, these TALES TO COUNT ON, which include a
battered women’s shelter, childhood memories, Venetian love, magic photographs,
PTSD fallout, sisters’ tricks, WWII spies, the French Revolution, evil
vaudevillians, and celebrity woes, will remind you that in the end, nothing is
ever what it seems.
Praise for the Book
“Brilliant…
I stand in awe of S.R. Mallery’s ability to cobble something riveting out of so
few words. I can’t recommend this book enough!” ––Dianne Harman, The Coyote Series, The Cedar Bay Cozy Murder
Mystery Series
"S. R. Mallery takes you
on a truly unique, visual journey through time and place, with her imaginative
tales and unusual endings, stirring up the reader's curiosity and
compassion."
-- Lasher Lane, Deadlight
“Poetic,
startling, S. R. Mallery’s TALES TO COUNT ON will stun you into silence by the
outcome of these inventive stories and their elegant endings with a
twist.”
––D.K. Cassidy, Spilt Milk, Curious Reality
AUTHOR BIO:
S.R. Mallery has worn
various hats in her life. First, a classical/pop singer/composer, she
moved on to the professional world of production art and calligraphy.
Next
came a long career as an award winning quilt artist/teacher and an
ESL/Reading instructor. Her short stories have been published in descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions,
The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.
Read an Excerpt
GOOD
ADVICE
When the first call came in that
evening, Julia was more than ready. Strategically placed in front of her, her
fresh pile of blank intake questionnaires served as the cornerstone to an array
of pens, pencils, and resource books. Tools of the trade she called them; open
windows to the souls of women crying out for help.
“East Central Women’s Shelter.
May I help you?” she asked, glancing at the ‘panic’ button next to her desk. So
far, no one had ever had to use it, but being thorough, she had it checked out
with the local police once a year anyway, to make sure it still worked.
The voice on the other end had a
familiar desperation. “I can’t take it any more! He’s going to kill me!”
Julia assumed her ‘calm’ voice. “First
of all, can you tell me your name, address, and phone number?” Taking the
correct information was the key. Never rattle the women callers and let them
know you’re there for them. Above all, make it clear the shelter is a safe,
soothing place. Continuing, she gently
probed and coaxed until she had made complete arrangements for the woman to
enter the shelter with her children by midnight.
“God, Julia, you’re amazing!” As
always, her intern Barbara was visibly impressed. No one could do an intake
like her supervisor. No one.
Julia offered a tight, modest
smile and got up to retrieve some coffee from the kitchenette, moving slowly,
deliberately, like she had all the time in the world.
“How do you stay so peaceful? I’m
so wired when I leave this place,” Barbara admitted.
She enjoyed confessing to Julia;
it was a chance to get good advice. But
tonight, Julia obviously wasn’t in the mood.
“Barbara, life’s not perfect,”
the therapist muttered as she turned back to her work.
The persistent phone calls
swelled into a tsunami of women pleading for their lives. For most people, it
could become oppressive, but Julia took everything in her stride. Sympathetic,
yet suggestive, she never faltered.
By 12:45 a.m., the needy calls
had definitely slowed down. Barbara yawned, and watching her mentor tidy up,
said, “Time to go home soon, no?” She had had enough.
“You go on without me. I’ve got a
couple of things to do yet,” Julia replied, reshuffling papers on her
ultra-organized desk.
In the pitch-black parking lot,
Barbara darted to her car. She would have much preferred having Julia walk with
her, but her supervisor never went home on time, and tonight was no exception.
Sliding into the front seat, her peripheral vision caught something, but when
she swiveled left, there was only darkness. I
must be getting paranoid, she thought as she shook her head, locked her car
door, and flipped on the ignition. Suddenly, images of her comfy bed and a good
night’s sleep trumped everything.
Inside the shelter, the clock
read 1:12 a.m., and Julia knew it was finally time to go. But it wasn’t until
two seconds later when she stood up that she heard the hammer click on the gun.
Pivoting, she faced the man
straddling the doorjamb. “Look at me,” he said softly, coldly.
She tried to shift towards the
panic button, but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Look at me, Julia,” her husband
repeated. They were the last words she
heard.
MY LINKS:
Website/Blog: www.srmallery.com
Twitter: @SarahMallery1
Facebook:
Goodreads:
Pinterest: (I have some good history boards that are
getting a lot of attention—history, vintage clothing, older films)
READERS CAN FIND
MY BOOK:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1x8QqyD
Kobo:
Skribd:
iBooks:
Other works by S.R.Mallery
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| My Review http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/2014/09/unexpected-gifts-by-srmallery-virtual_9.html |
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| My Review: http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/2014/12/sewing-can-be-dangerous-and-other-small.html |
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