In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, Collected Short Stories by Mary Pat Hyland (guest post, giveaway)

NEW RELEASE: In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, Collected Short Stories by Mary Pat Hyland

PRICE: $2.99 / £1.92 / EUR 2,68

GENRE: Short Stories, Humor, Literary

SYNOPSIS:

By the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers in New York’s Southern Tier lies a verdant valley called the Triple Cities.

The shoe factories that originally drew thousands of immigrants from across Europe have long moved on.

What remains are the distinct ethnic flavors of a gritty community determined to overcome economic woes, adapt to the rapid changes in society and find true meaning in life.

Consider these eighteen stories as pages ripped from a sketchbook. Some are quick studies; others are more detailed portraits inspired by observed characters, whispered gossip, overheard conversations and the local lore of the residents whose neighborhoods are framed by the gilded Orthodox Church domes that span this valley.

You’ll find that each tale has its own tone: some are humorous or poignant, others are surprising and haunting.

AUTHOR BIO

Mary Pat Hyland is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author and has published six novels and a collection of short stories. Her stories have appeared in the anthologies Seasons Readings and Lost Love Letters: An Indie Chicks Anthology. In 2013 the Arts Council of Yates County selected her as an Artist in Residence. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and has worked in the commercial/fine art, journalism, education and culinary fields. Mary Pat resides in upstate New York, the setting for her novels, and enjoys organic gardening, gourmet cooking, visiting the Finger Lakes
and teaching the Irish language.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

PURCHASE LINKS

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Why my new book would appeal to people who don't normally read my genres

By Mary Pat Hyland

My latest novel, The House With the Wraparound Porch, was five hundred pages long and nearly took the starch out of me, as my grandfather used to say. Writing and editing the book took two full years and the subject matter was so close to me that it drained me emotionally as well.

I had the idea for a new novel in the wings, but decided I needed a change of pace. Over the thirty years I’ve been writing, when ideas came to me, quite often I would write them out as a short story first. At least two of those “grew up” to be novels when I revisited them for editing. There are others lying around that were magazine story contest entries. A pile of these has been collecting in a file on my hard drive. It was time to compile them into a single work, and that’s how In the Shadows of the Onion Domes was born.

Although a reader may prefer to spend the time it takes to meet all of the characters in a big novel and see where the plot will take them, sometimes life is too busy and you put off starting that book until the perfect moment arrives. In the meantime, allow me to open my “box” of a Whitman’s Sampler-style collection of stories. Some you’ll find nutty and funny. Others will give you something to chew on.

This collection of eighteen stories represents various genres of writing that interest me: family saga, chick lit, suspense and humor. They vary in length and style. Two are sudden fiction, less than 500 words each. Consider these as sketches of a single scene. One story, “The Reluctant Magnolia,” is a novella, and it’s guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings.

A connecting thread winds through all these stories and that is the location. Each is set in a differing neighborhood of Greater Binghamton in the Southern Tier of Upstate New York. This area has a strong mixed-ethnic flavor with residents who have a gritty determination despite the many economic downturns the community has suffered. I know the area well because it is where I grew up and currently reside. One of our most famous residents was Rod Serling who was also inspired by these neighborhoods to write and direct The Twilight Zone for TV and later film. And yes, some of my stories do have that Twilight Zone-y vibe.

As in my six novels, you will find memorable characters and fun, snappy dialogue. Some tales will also transport you immediately with their detailed descriptions of the scene and setting. The big difference between this book and my novels: you can read several stories in one sitting. Or if you have discipline, savor one a day.

Why not break out of your book comfort zone and give these stories a read? Like a box of chocolates, the unexpected flavors may delight you.

GIVEAWAY

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway contest to win an autographed copy of In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, copies of her ebooks or a piece of original art created by the author.

In the Shadows of the Onion Domes Rafflecopter giveaway