Available in the Following Formats
- E-book ASIN: B093174Z1P
- Paperback ISBN: 979-8-7321-0453-0
View an Excerpt
Mementos - A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction - Book 3
People ask: "Why do you use photographic prompts when you write short stories and flash fiction?" Larry Sultan, an American photographer
from the San Fernando Valley in California, provides one answer: "Photography is there to construct the idea of us as a great family and
we go on vacations and take these pictures and then we look at them later and we say, 'Isn't this a great family?' So photography is
instrumental in creating family not only as a memento, a souvenir, but also a kind of mythology." Beyond the physical, however, lie our
memories and in them, the pictures stored in our minds' eyes. As writers, aren't these memories - both the physical and the "mementos of
the mind" - the essence of our works, the prompts we use to spin words and phrases into literary tapestries our readers can use to discover
something about life, a bit about us, perhaps, and, in the process, maybe even a little about themselves?
In this volume, you’ll find a story about a chance meeting between a young woman and an elderly gentleman in a New York City park, who has to remind her they had met many years earlier when she was very young. In another story, we listen to a mother calming her distraught daughter before bedtime and assuring her that her father will return as soon as he takes care of some "late-night business" downtown. And what are we to make of the story about an angel dressed completely in black and the helicopter crew member shot down during the invasion of Baghdad? Why isn't she helping him? In short (pun intended), there is something in this book for almost every genre and taste.
Featured Review
"Theodore Jerome Cohen's eclectic Mementos - A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction, Book , reflects on both ordinary and extraordinary situations from the perspectives of diverse characters. In its first entry, 'Devil's Horns', a father and son survey the fire damage to the family's property in central California while searching and hoping that a missing family member and their dog will turn up soon. 'Sportscaster' is about a young radio sports commentator in the mid-1930s who would be eventually known as the influential voice of modern conservatism decades later. Literary and poetry enthusiasts will appreciate 'The Lamplighter' as a man reminisces about his deceased father, including Robert Louis Stevenson's poems that he read to and discussed with his son before bedtime. One of the poems is a metaphor for the bond they had before he passed away.
"The beauty of the violin and the spirit of Christmas are internalized in 'Foliage' and 'The Old Man' - brief insights into Cohen's own life including his eldest daughter. Epitomizing the reality of our world today, 'ICU' is about a patient who asks his friend for a favor just in case he doesn't make it. "I knew the dame was bad news the second she walked into my second-floor office.” Nostalgic, cynical, and fun, 'Film Noir' will delight fans of the genre; it reminds me of the old radio series The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective. As 'Idyllic' ends the collection on a beautiful but melancholic note, this wonderfully narrated compendium is filled with intriguing photos and endnotes providing information in true Theodore Jerome Cohen style. Mementos is truly another treasure trove of stories that encapsulate a panoply of human complexity, a gratifying gift of short and flash fiction from Cohen to his long-time fans."
Praise for Theodore Jerome Cohen's Writing Style
"A signature style that weaves fact with fiction." ~ Mark Mitchell, former editorial page writer for the Wall Street Journal"Prolific!" ~ Gary Sorkin for Pacific Book Review
"A unique, creative imagination." ~ Richard Blake for Readers Views
"Evokes a deep connection with the characters." ~ Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite
"Smart, mature characters." ~ Krista Schnee for Hollywood Book Review
* Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Star