Friday, January 13, 2023

Your Weekend Read: THE CLOCK IN MY MOTHER'S HOUSE by Annalisa Crawford

 


The lovely Sandra has invited me onto her blog today to help me celebrate the release of my new short story collection The Clock in My Mother’s House.

Thanks, Annalisa. I'm thrilled to have you. I'm very intrigued with your latest collection of shorts.


I started writing short stories when I was a teenager – they are my first love. Later I moved towards novels, but there’s something so satisfying about writing something small and complete and yet so encompassing.

A quick look at book charts – and a quick search for agents and publishers – will tell you that although people are coming around to the idea of short story collections, they’re still not as established as novels.

So, here are five really good reasons to read short stories and buy collections.

1.       They’re quick to read – you can easily fit them into a coffee break

2.       In a collection, you meet a variety of characters. A novel with an unlikeable protagonist can be tiring, but in a short story you can revel in their meanness

3.       If you really don’t like a story, there’s another one right after it

4.       There’s a quick pay-off – a brilliant twist, a moment of clarity, a lightning bolt of emotion

5.       If the collection happens to be an anthology of different authors, you might discover a new favourite genre/series/writer

 


 

Oh, I almost forgot: as Sandra likes to ask her quests about food, here are three things that are great to eat while you’re reading because you only need one hand:

1.       Cookies (from a tin – packets are hard to open single-handedly)

2.       Pizza (ones you heat up yourself because the base tends to be smaller and more solid, at least in the UK)

3.       A really large and luxurious box of chocolates – because chocolate is a daily requirement for me!

 

 


 

The Clock in My Mother’s House

Life can change in an instant, but that’s not always a bad thing.

A hotel explodes leaving staff and guests in peril; a woman retrieves an old clock from the attic with disturbing consequences; one man leaves heart break behind him, and another arrives to bring adventure.

In this haunting collection, Annalisa Crawford creates characters who will charm, captivate and intrigue you.

 


 

 

Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall, UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, and canine writing partner, Artoo. She is the author of four short story collections, and two novels.

Website: https://www.annalisacrawford.com/

Buy Links: https://books2read.com/clock-in-mothers-house

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annalisacrawford.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnalisaCrawf

 

 

22 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you both. Drat you both. I was severely tempted when Hilary featured this book on her blog, and the lust has only increased.

Donna said...

Sounds like a great read! Congratulations!
hugs
Donna

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations, Annalisa! Short story collections are best for quick reads.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Thank you so much for featuring me today, Sandra.

Elephant's Child - make sure you have some cookies while you read!

Donna - thank you.

Alex - thanks!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sandra and Annalisa - a great interview read ... just eaten two chocolates: none left now! Annalisa, your stories are great fun to read ... cheers to you both - Hilary

Valerie-Jael said...

Those storie are surely good, and I love your selection of one hnded food! Hugs, Valerie

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats Annalisa and you can have all of my chocolate.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Hilary - I've already had today's chocolate allowance - I have to ration myself

Valerie-Jael - it's a list designed through trial and error!

Annalisa Crawford said...

Diane - you're one of those people I've heard about who don't like chocolate? I thought it was a myth 😉

Adam said...

Happy Friday

Christine said...

Best of luck!

Sandra Cox said...

EC, Me too. It's a very intriguing set of stories.
It does, doesn't it, Donna?
Alex, Shorts are great for quick reads, aren't they?
Val, Those stories sound fascinating, Don't they?
Hils, Enjoy your chocolate;)
Diane, You're so generous;)
Adam, Happy Friday to you:)
Thanks for Annalisa's well wishes, Christine.
Annalisa, We're all excited to have you here:)

Jacquie Biggar said...

Everything is better with chocolate! lol. Your collection sounds wonderful, congrats!

J.P. Alexander said...

Suerte con el libro. Te mando un beso.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I almost never read short stories. To be 100% truthful, I probably hadn't read one since college English. But then I started reading yours and now I buy quite a few short story anthologies because they're like grabbing a cookie when you don't have time for a meal!

Computer Tutor said...

Congratulations on your book, Annalisa! It sounds like a wonderful read.

D.L. Finn said...

Congrats, Annalisa! I do enjoy short stories.

Sandra Cox said...

Jacquie, Innit the truth:)
J.P. Thanks for Annalisa's well wishes. Hugs
Elizabeth, A cookie. What a great analogy.
Jacqui, It does indeed.
Denise, You read a lot of shorts don't you. And poetry. And full length novels. Heh.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

This sounds like a fascinationg collection of stories. I like short stories and haven't read any for a while, so this is a number one item for me.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Christine - thank you

Jacquie B - my thinking exactly! Thank you.

Elizabeth S - I'm thrilled I inspired you to check out short story anthologies. It's such a great way to discover new writers.

Jacquie M - thank you

D.I - thank you

Elizabeth V - I hope you enjoy them!

Lowcarb team member said...

Many congratulations on your book, Annalisa.
I don't very often read short stories, but your book sounds good :)

All the best Jan

Annalisa Crawford said...

Thank you, Lowcarb!