“The Circassian Beauty”

by Tommie W. Whitener

Available for sale on Amazon

Even after Pavel stole her heart and whisked her away from her lout of a husband, the beautiful Natalia didn’t know if the dashing young cavalry officer could be trusted. He promised her a glittery new life in the best salons of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but would he deliver? As they loved and fought their way by troika, train and carriage from Russia’s untamed South to its more civilized North, he met every challenge with sincerity, bravery, and what seemed to be complete honesty. Nevertheless, her lingering doubt persisted. Only when they reached the opulent palaces and mansions of the aristocracy where Pavel had grown up, did he pass the final tests which would prove his lasting love for her.

“California Vignettes”

by Tommie W. Whitener

Available for sale on Amazon

California Vignettes, a collection of stories about twelve much different people, couples and situations is coming soon. Now going through a final edit, it should be available at Amazon and at selected books stories no later than December 15, 2021.

The idea for this collection came during a launch party for my last book, Tom & Leone: Star-Crossed Lovers, when several people, mostly my own age, expressed dismay that there wasn’t more fiction, and especially short stories, with people like themselves as protagonists. Instead, my friends and acquaintances contended, the majority of main characters in today’s literature is young, coming to grips with only recently having become adults and engaged in the same struggles we all went through at their ages. Of existential interest for them, of course, but for those of us who remember watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon, maybe not so much.

Not that the stories in California Vignettes are exclusively devoid of younger characters. As a matter of fact the very first story, and one of the best, “Too Many Memories,” has a twelve-year old protagonist. In the main, however, the stories are about mature adults, with themes along the lines of what those mature adults might be expected to be experiencing at this time of their lives.

As to sex, yes, some of the stories contain sex. However, I try never to write about it gratuitously or pruriently and when the story needs it to be richer or fuller or more explicatory, I don’t hesitate to include it. Take for example, “Starting Over,” about a man whose wife dies unexpectantly and he finds himself confronted with the necessity of exploring the possibility that he’s gay. To have omitted any description of his first fumbling attempts at love with a man would have, I believe, resulted in a much less captivating story.

I grew up in Los Angeles and have spent many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have explored the counties of California from Del Norte and Modoc in the north to Imperial and San Diego in the south. This is what I have written about, the California I know and love. That doesn’t mean that if you haven’t taken Topanga Canyon from Malibu to the Valley or have never been past the smelly cattle yard on Highway 5 near Kettleman City, that you won’t appreciate the stories. They are, after all, mainly about people, with the setting only a backdrop. So, I hope you’ll buy my book and I very much hope you’ll tell me what you think. Please tell me which ones you liked and why. Also, I’ve never read a short story collection that didn’t contain a couple stinkers. I assume you’ll think mine does, too. In respectful terms, please, let me know about them, as well.

Good Reading.

 

“Tom and Leona: Star-Crossed Lovers”

by Tommie W. Whitener

Available for sale on Amazon

As they bravely struggled against locusts, floods and Prohibition, Tom and Leona didn’t know about the evil star that had crossed their paths, destining their lives to end so much differently from what they had envisioned when they first met and fell in love. Fighting against external enemies, as well as his own internal doubts, while Leona fought her own battles for sanity in what was once called, “The Arkansas State Lunatic Asylum,” somehow against all odds, the couple’s four boys were raised to robust manhood.

“Endeavor: Stories of Struggle and Perseverance”

Tommie W. Whitener Editor-in-Chief

Available for sale on Amazon

REDWOOD WRITERS just published its 2019 anthology of short stories and memoir of which I was the Editor-in-Chief. The talented writers of California’s largest writing club have created a wonderful collection — diverse, inspiring and very readable.

“Wanda & the Watch and Other Stories”

by Tommie W. Whitener

Available for sale on Amazon
The Audio Book is available on Amazon

Building on the success of his debut novel, “Mother Earth: Three Couples” Tommie W. Whitener continues to write from his perch in Marin County, California, to reach back through a lifetime reading the short stories of the masters to put together this intriguing collection.

Writing in a style which will be appreciated by fans of Hemingway, Chekhov and even Stephen King, his plots and the dialogue of his characters are, with one exception, fully twenty-first century, while having the timelessness of the classics. As these literary giants did, he depicts people at their most interesting.

Review of “Wanda and the Watch and Other Stories”

“Mother Earth: Three Couples”

by Tommie W. Whitener

Available for sale on Amazon

When Alex, Roberta and Marie took vacations from their respective spouses to attend a series of personal development retreats in Northern California, they had no idea their lives would be changed forever.

Cathartic confession, a challenging ropes course high in the trees, love and even death, ensured that every participant would be would transformed and molded in accord with their true essence, an essence often revealed through tears and much soul-searching.

Returning to their sometimes unsympathetic spouses and friends, the now-enlightened participants were presented with unforeseen adjustments and challenging problems. Every relationship and marriage adapted and prospered, or did not. Personal development had been sought, encouraged and given free reign. Now, the consequences.

Reviews of “Mother Earth: Three Couples”