Murder & Death

Most people avoid short stories. There is something built-in in readers, a sort of dislike, because they've been cheated out of a longer version of a story which they'd like to settle in on for a nice long read. But short stories have their own allure and use. They are great for a coffee break, a lunch-time read, when time is short.
I like to look at short stories as pretty flowers, each chapter a petal of beauty, constructed by a skilled craftsman. The plot may unfold with tragic events, but how it unfolds, now that's the beauty in the hands of a skilled craftsman. "Love and Lust", "Murder and Death", or stories "Just for Fun", are themes in human life to which we all, at some point, can relate.
Some of my short stories are actually excerpts of brief chapters from my longer novels. They might even entice you to read the longer versions from which they came.
I've found that when I write a novel, there is more work involved, more research and a bigger vision for branching off to sub-plots and character development. But the longer stories aside, short stories, in brief, are just plain fun. I hope you enjoy the little slices of human nature that I give you in John's Short Stories.