The Landing & Other Short Stories

The stories in this volume continue our tradition of bringing fresh and new tales to the printed page. The authors in this volume are not yet well-known. They are emerging authors. However, with such delightful and engaging writing, they are unlikely to remain unknown for long. It is my pleasure to present these tale-spinners and wordsmiths to our readers. Our opening story, Louie Centanni'¬"s '¬SThe Landing,'¬ will strike an immediate cord with every lover of music. It'¬"s a story of salvation, salvation through music as the instruments of a Jazz band come alive and literally speak to a young man, helping him find his way in this world. The next three stories all stand in the tradition of religious prose, but they do so in the best tradition of thoughtful characterization and realistic narrative. Stacia Levy'¬"s '¬STurning'¬ illustrates the Jewish concept of tishuva (which means turning or repenting) as her central character, a young ex-con with dreams of a more noble life, ponders both what could have been and what yet could be. Kathryn Pollard'¬"s '¬SHe Looked Like Quiet'¬ shows how a park bench encounter with a classic Christ-figure can make all things new. Finally, in this trifecta of religious fiction, Arch Barnes'¬"s '¬SAnglica'¬ mixes a classic romance tale of rekindled love with an angelic visit to reconcile a shattered marriage. Joshua Lane'¬"s '¬SC.O.D.A.'¬ and Joseph O'¬"Neil'¬"s '¬SSecret Agent Man'¬ rev up the action in the much beloved genre of spy stories. Lane'¬"s family of secret agents inhibits the world of the Conglomerate of Deaf Agents. In this story, Lane, an interpreter of American Sign Language, gives us an insider'¬"s view of the non-hearing world, while leading us on a suspenseful journey through North Africa as we participate in his preteen character'¬"s classic spy adventure. Joseph O'¬"Neil'¬"s '¬SSecret Agent Man'¬ meanders through the outwardly pleasant, but inwardly vicious, world of economic espionage, before ultimately rewarding the reader with a delightful plot twist. Death'¬ ;we all experience it, but most of us avoid devoting much of our mental energy to reflecting upon it. Well, Michael Bitanga, F I Shehadi, and Karen Scott think'¬ ;and write'¬ ;about death in the next three harrowing tales. Bitanga'¬"s '¬SLast Call'¬ contemplates death, suffering, and the loss of loved ones as a possible motivation for surrendering to suicidal ideation. Shehadi'¬"s '¬SShadow in Peripheral Vision'¬ reminds the reader that Death, the ever-present shadowy figure in the corner of our eye, lurks after all of us'¬ ;even when we least expect it. The Lord'¬"s Prayer, so familiar to Christians of all traditions, structures Karen Scott'¬"s lament in '¬SPrayer for the Dying'¬ as her main character mourns over the horrendous consequences of war in the kilt-strewn past of Scotland. Rohit Rangarajan'¬"s '¬SThe Chaperon'¬ is a classic '¬Swho dunnit?'¬ story with a jaded detective as the lead character. Rangarajaran'¬"s tight, but suspenseful, writing makes the conclusion fully believable, but not remotely predictable (the clues were there, but only subtly). Ian Pike'¬"s '¬STreasures'¬ has a culprit of another sort, a middle-aged collector'¬ ;and eventual dispenser'¬ ;of private things. The result is an open-ended character that we'¬"ll want to meet again.Our final two stories, Patricia Crandall'¬"s '¬SThe Pink Victorian Lady'¬ and Karen Bean'¬"s '¬SKatie'¬"s Garden,'¬ retell two sweet and familiar stories. The heroine of Crandall'¬"s romance overcomes black-mailers, an embarrassing past, and spousal fears to reconcile herself to her husband and justice. Bean'¬"s children story sees the stone and ceramic creatures of a backyard rock garden come alive through the visit of a tiny fairy and the power of a little girl'¬"s belief. (This story was originally written by a grandmother for her five year old granddaughter.)Phyllis Scott, series editor