Pshew! - E-book - ePub

Before beginning this project, I couldn't determine if I wanted to create another captivating novel, go into the complex world of novellas, or return to my favorite medium: short stories. After much deliberation, I decided to write a collection of short stories. The next task was to choose between fictional and real-life-inspired stories. Undeterred, I continued my exploration, presented with the theme question.
Should I take my readers to distant historical eras, load the book with romantic stories, whisk them away to mythical destinations, tickle their funny bones with humorous anecdotes, or keep them on the edge of their seats with suspenseful tales?I now needed to determine when my stories would take place. Should they be placed in the past, present, or in an unknown dystopian future? Each period brought its own unique set of challenges and opportunities, which would influence the characters, narrative, and overall setting of the stories.
In the midst of confusion, a moment of clarity occurred. I'd write short stories about whatever! Some might be fictional, while others would be nonfiction. I'd write stories in each genre, then specific stories set in the past, present, and future. There would be stories of adventure, love, humor, and introspection. The possibilities for storywriting were now limitless, and when I decided to write stories that were unrelated to one another, I broadened the genres to include a children's story, lots of useless trivia, factual data on various themes, a dystopian narrative, and an English language class.
I even decided to write an advice column, a stand-up comedy routine, and the lyrics for a new Broadway musical. The book title, Pshew!, can be pronounced in two ways: "puh-shoo" or "pshoo." I prefer the one-syllable version since it is straightforward yet effective. To summarize the mishmash of stories in this book, I could only think of one word: pshew! This is the title. I hope you enjoy it, and any Amazon reviews would be very much appreciated.