BOOK | FICTION | LITERARY
AN AMERICAN POPE
PAUL XYLINIDES
RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★
A modernizing American has assumed the papal throne. One of His first acts is to select a seventeenth century priest for canonization. The Congregation for the Causes of the Saints recoils in horror at the new pontiff’s choice. Against a backdrop of Vatican intrigue and infighting, a long-unsolved crime comes to the attention of a retired detective. The forces that contribute to it reach far back into the distant past. No one can truly fathom the life of the candidate for sainthood including the nun and priest who join forces to prepare the submission to Rome.
Many thanks to Lee Hall for reviewing my latest novel THE GOOD KILL. It’s such an honor and so very rewarding when someone like Lee gets your work.
You really need to learn more about Lee if you are just now being introduced to him. He is not only the creator of fine, independent literature himself, he is also one of its biggest supporters with his willingness to focus so much of his time and effort in reading and prolifically reviewing the work of so many other independent authors, authors who I am sure are just as grateful to Lee as yours truly right here is.
An enthralling, gripping tale of epic proportions taking the reader on a ride full of twists, turns and action…
Kurt Brindley has constructed an intricate story that immediately immerses readers into the brutal world of organised crime, drug and sex trafficking and a gangster underworld all of which is centered around main character Killian Lebon. This warrior and former navy seal embarks on a journey in search of answers and revenge while also dealing with a huge level of trauma. He’s a character that for all of his flaws and even dark moments you cannot help but admire and get behind.
The story unfolds gradually via a gripping and very readable style with the emphasis on Brindley’s descriptive full sentences (proper sentences, how I have longed for thee…) with a series of stories and characters that all eventually find themselves linked later on. There are a wealth of three dimensional realistic characters…
For years my barely read first novel INSIDE THE SKIN (formerly The Sea Trials of an Unfortunate Sailor) had been pegged at 15 meager but oh so appreciated and loved Amazon reader reviews…
1977 He drove to a secluded, leafy spot, and looked at Cocoa covertly when they stopped. She patted her blonde wig, contrasting her chocolate skin, and popped her gum, pretending not to notice him pulling out a pair of nylons. Cocoa slammed his head against the steering wheel before he could act. He was out cold. Cocoa handcuffed him to the steering wheel. Vice arrested The Pantyhose Strangler. However, his car remains where he intended to assault and kill his fourth prostitute.
It is my pleasure to announce Author Sean C. Wright-Neeley as the winner of our little spur-of-the-moment-100-words-or-less flash fiction contest.
For Sean’s noble and winning efforts, she will receive a copy of my latest release, THE GOOD KILL, the same copy as seen below in fact, signed, sealed, and delivered with great admiration and affection to her by yours truly.
Visit Sean’s website to read more of her short stories and all the other good stuff she has to offer — seanarchy.wordpress.com
When it came down to selecting a winner, which was intended to be decided by the number of likes the stories received, it was inevitably left up to moi (that’s French for yours truly) to decide because it came down to a tie between the stories by Sean and Shanza*.
And both Sean and Shanza’s are equally fine stories, indeed.
What was the deciding factor for me in my choice was the title of Sean’s story. I mean, come on. She had me at Cocoa Fierce. Let me tell ya, I sure hope Cocoa has a life beyond this diminutive story she’s presently starring in because I need to know more about her…
A lot more.
I’d like to thank all the authors who participated. Please check out their stories found in the comments section of the “There’s a story in here somewhere” post. And then, while you’re at it, go ahead and give them a visit at their websites and show them your further support. Wadduya say?
*There were actually more than two submissions with the same number of votes; but because one of the voters also happened to be one of the authors graciously showing her support for the other authors, I had to discount those votes, which left us with just Sean and Shanza’s stories with the same number of votes.
This abandoned car is oh, I don’t know, maybe a half mile or so from my humble yet lovely abode and it’s been parked right there for as long as I’ve lived in my said humble yet lovely abode, which has been oh, I don’t know, maybe eighteen years or so.
Every time I pass the beautiful, wabi-sabi of a relic on one of my walks, I always think to myself, I bet there’s a heck of story to go along with that thing…
And I also always tell myself that one of these days Ima gonna write my own story about it.
And by it, I’m referring to the fact that in order to be able to post a review on any of Amazon’s products — for example: a review for a favorite book — one must have spent a minimum of $50 (or your country’s currency equivalent, I’m assuming) within the past twelve months.
