Smorgasbord Bookshelf – Summer Book Fair 2022 -#FlashFiction Annette Rochelle Aben, #Biography S. Bavey

Over the course of the summer months I will be sharing the recommended authors who feature in the Smorgasbord Bookshelf along with their books and a selected review.

First a collection by Annette Rochelle Aben comprising 75 flash fiction of 99 words that I can highly recommend along with many others. Tell Me A Story in 99 words.

About the collection

It has been a desire of mine since I was a young person to write stories. I had to start somewhere, so I chose to start by writing very short stories.That bring said, I welcome you to a collection of short stories, very short stories as each of the stories is only 99 words in length. Meet memorable characters. See something of yourself in many of the scenarios. Experience a wide range of emotions. Be inspired to write stories of your own. Return to your favorites and enjoy them again and again.

One of the five star reviews for the collection

JanS Flash Fiction at its best!

I’ve been a fan of Annette Rochelle Aben’s poetry for quite a few years, and when I saw she had published a book of flash fiction, I knew I was in for a treat. And a treat it is! Anyone who is a writer knows what a challenge it is to write a story in 99 words. The writing has to be concise and tight, and that is exactly what Ms. Aben managed to do. I found stories with humor, satire, wisdom, the complexity of the human mind, and family. A few stood out to me personally as favorites. “Advancement” is so insightful about a strong woman, as is “Eyes Forward.” “Bedfellows” is such a realistic story about a girl with too many brothers and an abusive father. “Cash For Cars” moved me. “Drops In The Bucket” relates the daily grind cycle in which rewards are small. I’d venture to say there is a story for everyone in this collection. It’s a quick, easy read and is so well-written. I highly recommend this book.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A selection of books by Annette Rochelle Aben

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Annette: Goodreads – Blog: Annette Rochelle Aben WordPress – Twitter:@YouAreTheExpert

About Annette Rochelle Aben

Words are like threads that when woven together with passion and purpose can create a tapestry in which you long to wander. That passion was ignited in me when I was a small child and continues to burn bright even today. I was encouraged by educators who challenged me to try and by career paths that demanded I become a proficient wordsmith. I would like to think I have done them proud.

Over the years, I have won awards, been nominated for an EMMY for television writing, and penned a #1 Best Selling book of poetry. My collection of books available here on Amazon include self-help, inspirational, and of course poetry. I have been invited to participate in anthologies and collections, several of which are here as well. Welcome to my world of words. Should you find something in which to lose yourself, I shall raise my glass in a toast to your happiness. Thank you for your kind attention.

The next featured book that I can recommend is the biography by S. Bavey about her grandfather who led a very full and colourful life by the sound of it. Lucky Jack (1894-2000)

About the book

“One of the perils of being a sniper during the First World War was the likelihood of a grenade going off right next to you and burying you alive”.

Meet Jack Rogers. Born in 1894, he once locked eyes with Queen Victoria and was one of the first travellers on London’s ‘Tube’. An early car owner, he had many escapades on his days out to Brighton, including a time when his brakes failed and he had to drive through central London without them!

His skills as an entertainer earned him popularity throughout his life, and kept him out of the deadly mines while a prisoner during the First World War. At the tender age of 103 Jack earned the title of ‘The World’s Oldest Columnist’ as he began dictating his life’s exploits to a reporter from the local newspaper.

My review for Lucky Jack 16th April 2022

An inspiring story of 106 years of living life to its fullest by a compelling storyteller.

I felt I was sitting drinking a cup of tea and listening to Henry Jack Rogers (Jack) recounting his adventures. It is wonderful that at over 100 years old he was able to tell his story in newspaper columns and on radio as it is certainly a life worth sharing, as his granddaughter has done in this biography.

Jack was born in 1894 and shares stand out moments in his long and hard working life from being held aloft on his father’s shoulders and getting a special wave from Queen Victoria, to receiving the telegram for his 106th birthday from Queen Elizabeth II.

What came across from the first page to the last is that Jack was not just lucky, but also courageous, hard working, kind hearted and entertaining, especially when things were tough.

There were so many ‘firsts’ during Jack’s lifetime including cinemas, cars, radios, televisions, which he embraced as soon as he could with some hair raising escapades driving on excursions with family. What I found particularly entertaining was his recollections of travelling on the first tube trains in early 1900s, visiting travelling fairs including seeing Buffalo Bill Cody, and his life long love of entertaining others.

From 1914 to 1918 Jack was in the Sherwood Foresters and saw action in the major battles as a sniper and observer before being captured. As a prisoner of war Jack and his comrades faced untold hardships and this is when his spirit really shone through keeping him alive to enjoy the rest of his long life.

The book is easy to read, well written, and entertaining and I can highly recommend.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US and Amazon UK

Anthologies S. Bavey as contributed to.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – Website: Sue Bavey WordPress – Facebook: Sue Bavey – Twitter: @SueBavey

About S. Bavey

Sue Bavey (writing as S. Bavey) is an English Mum of two, living in Massachusetts since 2003 with her husband, kids, a cat named Midnight, a bunny named Nutmeg, a leopard gecko named Ziggy Stardust and occasional frogs and salamanders.

“Lucky Jack is the first book I have written and is my grandfather, Henry John Rogers’ biography. Grandad lived with us when I was born, until we moved when I was six years old. Then he came back to live with us in my teenage years and we were very close.

He was my father’s father, but my Mum diligently collected the newspaper columns he dictated to a local reporter, and kept them in scrapbooks in her attic, where they gathered dust and yellowed over time. A few years ago I moved my Mum into an apartment and found all the scrapbooks in the process. I wanted to get all of those stories into a book for my kids to read. That was the germ of an idea which – thanks to my having time during Covid lockdown – has now resulted in the life story of my grandfather, Jack Rogers being written.”

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you will be leaving with some books