J. M. Levinton

COLORS: STORIES IN 5 SHADES IS HERE!

• August 08, 2021
• Blog
• 2 Comments

Colors: Stories in 5 Shades

Just for you, we’ve written five chromatically focused short stories.

• For fans of women’s fiction: Arielle Prose’s “The Green Monster.”
• For fans of lesbian fiction: Anne E. Wagenbrenner’s “Moira’s Magical Bottle of Apricot Brandy.”
• For fans of paranormal/supernatural fiction: R.G. Emanuelle’s “Out of the Rain.”
• For fans of horror/dark fantasy fiction: Carrie Vaccaro Nelkin’s “The Gray Dead.”
• For fans of urban fantasy: J.M. Levinton’s “Gold Sparks.”

Here are the five stories we’ve written for you:

• Cheating takes its toll on a marriage—even if you gave your husband permission to cheat, and even if you’re both from the Woodstock era. In our first story—Arielle Prose’s “The Green Monster”—we join Celia as she takes an unwilling ride on the merry-go-round of human emotion. It’s been twenty years since her husband slept with her cousin, and now these two are reunited for the first time, at a family reunion. Will Celia achieve the harmony she desires?
• A college friendship—purely platonic—between a lesbian and a straight woman. . . what could possibly go wrong? In Anne E. Wagenbrenner’s story, “Moira’s Magical Bottle of Apricot Brandy,” Harriet was deeply hurt in her twenties, when Moira, her closest college friend, suddenly dropped her—even un-inviting her to her wedding. Back then, Harriet was stymied as to why Moira took this drastic step. Now, years later, they’re about to talk on the phone, and Harriet prepares to finally solve the mystery of “why.”
• A luminescent purple sky, a frightening summer storm, and her life is gone. In R.G. Emanuelle’s chilling story, “Out of the Rain,” an unknown force, ushered in by a fierce hailstorm, steals Maura’s past, replacing it with a different, totally alien history. She is the same, but those closest to her have lived totally different lives—lives that she does not remember. Not knowing whether she is dreaming, is ill, or has lost her mind, she tries the only thing she can think of, in hopes it will return her to the life she knows.
• Fleeing her husband, she encounters something much, much worse. In “The Gray Dead,” by Carrie Vaccaro Nelkin, Sheila is in a little town in upstate New York, on the run from her abusive husband, Dan. She spots a “rooms for rent” sign, thinking to rest for a while. What she encounters is not rest, and not Dan, but something nonliving that hungers for her life.
• When you’re human, but have a terrifying talent, where can you feel at home? In our fifth story—J.M. Levinton’s “Gold Sparks,” it’s a Brooklyn brownstone. Mia, born with the power to cast a curse, struggles to fit in, and has compromised on fulfilling most of her dreams so that her ability won’t be triggered. When she moves to Brooklyn for a new job, she finds unexpected risk and friendship—even romance—with the three drop-dead gorgeous guys next door.

In these stories, color provides a focal point for our characters as they make their way through life.

We hope you enjoy them.

At Amazon: Colors: Stories in 5 Shades