BooksChatter: ☀ Short Stories: Short Stories [1]

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Short Stories by Thomas Ryan (14 January 2014, Far and Wide publishing, 138 pages).

This is the first book in the Short Stories series. Find information about the other book in the series below.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first chapter with Amazon Look Inside. Short Stories is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Author Thomas Ryan will be awarding a $5 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Synopsis

From Best Selling Author of The Jeff Bradley Thriller Series Thomas Ryan is a collection of suspense/thriller short stories.

Award winning thriller novelist, Thomas Ryan, is a prolific writer of short stories. Ryan’s short story’s span the spectrum of human emotions, from the creepy ‘Nightmares’, to the fun and humour of ‘The World’s Biggest Bun’.

Ryan believes all good short stories should have unexpected twists and turns. Applying his thriller writing skills he manages to achieve this end and readers will find Ryan’s short story writing gripping but also easy to read.

Quoting a recent review, ‘these are very intriguing, original stories, all well written and enjoyable. Ryan really gets inside his characters and makes their world our world, whatever its moral code or unwritten rules. These stories are powerful and stay with you once you've finished them.

Teaser: Excerpt

Ruth

     After hitting the kitchen floor and suffering the sickening sensation of her head bouncing off the grey slate, Ruth Deverett found her vision blurry. Squinting eyes couldn’t make out the position of the hands on the wall clock above the fridge. No matter. She knew it was six o’clock. There was no mistaking the news signature tune streaming from the television set in the lounge. And the day?
      Easy.
      From the cheese and garlic aromas in her nostrils, the dish now splattered across the floor could only have been lasagna. Robert demanded she keep a strict mealtime regimen. Roast on Sunday, steak on Monday, curry on Tuesday and….
      Lasagna on Wednesday.
      So, Wednesday it was.
      A cautious hand lifted from the tiles and drew up the rough weave of her husband-prescribed white linen apron. Tips of fingers gently patted the side of her head. A wince as Ruth encountered a newly formed lump.
      Her head never used to jar this badly when it hit vinyl. She had argued with Robert against replacing the vinyl, but as usual a forceful justification of the soundness of his decision had silenced her. How fortunate, Ruth continually reminded herself, to have a husband who was so supremely confident of the correctness of his opinions.
      Out the corner of her eye she caught sight of a movement. A defensive hand flew to her side. A boot deflected off her wrist and into her thigh. Needles of pain stabbed through her upper arm. She knew another blow would come and squeezed her eyes tight. She worried her wrist might be broken. How could she iron Robert’s shirt in the morning with a broken wrist? Her own fault really, she should not have tried to defend herself. Robert had repeatedly yelled at her not to do so. It only made him angrier.
      She should apologise for her foolishness. After all, Robert only ever offered helpful advice.
      Without opening her eyes Ruth curled into a fetal position and waited. The toe of Robert’s boot tapped against the table leg. She sensed him looking down at her, almost certainly disgusted by her weakness and deliberating his next move. This usually meant he was calming. She held her breath, guarding against sound. A groan would set him off again. She ached, but it wasn’t so bad. Not as bad as other times.
      She heard the news reader introduce a news bulletin.
      That meant the ad break was over. Robert would not miss the news, not on her account.
      A bowl smashed against the wall. Ruth flinched. Lettuce and tomato sprinkled across her exposed calf. Shards of crockery skittered across the floor. This was a good sign. Robert only threw dishes at the wall when it was over. A final vent. Footsteps moved away from her. The sound became muffled. He’d reached the thickness of the broadloom carpet in the sitting room.
      “Don’t move yet,” she whispered. “Not yet.”

Short Stories - available NOW!

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The Series: Short Stories

Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

Volume 2 [2]

Award winning thriller novelist, Thomas Ryan, is also a prolific writer of short stories and he brings more of his sense of fun and adventure to his new collection, Short Stories Volume 2. From the creepy ‘Gerry’ to the humour of ‘Holmes for Christmas’ and the human drama of ‘The Best of Times’, there is more than enough variety to keep readers captivated.

Ryan believes all good short stories should have unexpected twists and turns and be entertaining to read. Applying his thriller techniques he manages to achieve this end with the suspenseful ‘Wooden Sword’ and ‘The Chest’ but it is in one of the short story’s ‘John Wayne’ Ryan displays his accomplished storytelling skills as he follows an episode in the famous actor’s life where he almost brought about an end to the Second World War and walked on a beach with Eva Peron.

Quoting a recent reviewer of Thomas Ryan’s work, ‘these are very intriguing, original stories, all well written and enjoyable. Ryan really gets inside his characters and makes their world our world, whatever its moral code or unwritten rules. His stories are powerful and stay with you once you've finished them.’ Readers will find Ryan’s short story writing gripping and easy to read. Short Stories Volume 2 by Thomas Ryan are a must read. [Published 28 February 2015, 101 pages]

About the Author

Award winning novelist, Thomas Ryan, has been a soldier in a theatre of war, he has traded in Eastern Europe, trampled the jungles of Asia, and struggled through the trials of love and loss. Armed with these life experiences Ryan turned to writing thriller novels and short stories.

Ryan considers himself a story teller, a creator who has enthusiastically plunged his psyche into the world of creativity and fantasy. With the reader in mind he weaves colourful characters into the threads of his riveting storylines. Taking readers on a thrilling journey is what motivates Ryan as a writer.

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