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Colorful Characters and Their Banter
The audiobook Baseball Humor: A Collection of Stories from Master Storytellers takes readers on a delightful journey through the eccentricities of baseball as told by some of the greatest sports fiction writers of all time. What inspired you to put this collection of stories together?
I’m a big fan of baseball and love baseball fiction. Several years ago, I worked as a voice actor on a radio drama based on You Know Me Al by Ring Lardner and I really liked his writing style. Then, a couple of years ago, I narrated a baseball biography about a Major Leaguer named Cy Williams who played from 1911 to 1930. The author included excerpts from newspaper and magazine articles, and I noticed the “flowery” writing compared to sports writing of today. At that time MLB was the dominant professional sport and the sports stories were a major source of entertainment. So, I read more Ring Lardner. He started as a sports writer but also wrote satire for magazines. And I discovered that many other writers, not just sports writers, wrote pieces about baseball. It dawned on me that the colorful characters and their banter would work well in audio format.
This is an amazing collection of Baseball stories that many readers may not have ever found on their own. How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
The idea for the book was to find short stories that were both humorous and had dialogue that would be fun to bring to audio format. There first golden age of baseball started in the 1920s. I concentrated on that era. This project started out slowly. At first, I recorded stories in breaks in my audiobook narration schedule. It’s taken two years to complete but not full-time.
What was your favorite story in this collection and why?
I’ll say my favorite is “Alibi Ike” by Ring Lardner. It’s a satire about a talented ballplayer’s habit of making excuses about everything he does, whether good or bad, on or off the field. That earns him the nickname Alibi Ike from his teammates. He falls in love with the sister-in-law of the team’s manager. She mistakes his excuses for modesty and falls for him. She goes on a road trip with the team. He proposes and gives her an engagement ring but tries to keep it a secret from the team. In fact, one night he denies it. She finds out and walks out. He stops hitting, the team drops out of first place, and the irascible manager has to fix the mess. The story is almost entirely told through Lardner’s delightful dialogue.
What is the next book that you’re working on and when can your fans expect it out?
I’m working on a story about a courageous mayoral aide who is dealing with the squabbles in her city between a wealthy condo developer on beachfront property and the grumpy neighbors who oppose it. She leads a staff team on a retreat at a lake where they are instructed in sailing as a team-building exercise. While sailing she spots a man overboard and makes a rescue, and receives five million dollars. With that money, they come up with a solution to the property squabbles of which they had not previously thought. The timeline on it 6 months to complete but I’ll also be doing audiobook narration, which has deadlines that vary.
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Baseball Humor a Collection of Stories from Master Storytellers
Baseball, with its rich history and colorful characters like the irascible Yogi Berra, has enchanted fans for generations. Those who love the game revel in its subtle nuances, from every ground-rule double to dazzling outfield play. Yet, this sport, steeped in tradition, often ventures into the realm of the absurd and hilarious. The audiobook Baseball Humor: A Collection of Stories from Master Storytellers by Ward Paxton takes readers on a delightful journey through the eccentricities of baseball as told by some of the greatest sports fiction writers of all time.
This anthology is a cavalcade of excellent short fiction centered around baseball, with most tales originating from the 1910s and 1920s—a period when the game looked dramatically different from today. Readers will find themselves immersed in baseball’s bygone era, brought to life by literary titans such as Zane Grey and Ring Lardner. Paxton’s collection places readers in good hands. Passionate baseball fans will appreciate not only the meticulous dissection of the game and its cultural significance over a century ago but also the quirks and eccentricities of the fictional characters that make these stories special. While these tales are crafted from pure imagination, baseball historians will recognize the shades of real-life managers and players from the early years of the sport. In this collection, no one connected to baseball is spared from satire. The writers mercilessly ridicule managers, team owners, players’ wives, and even the fans. However, despite the frequent humiliation heaped on the protagonists, there’s an undeniable sense of admiration throughout.
The many authors featured in this anthology clearly cherish the game, even as they highlight some of its more ridiculous tendencies. This blend of good humor and genuine affection for baseball shines through most, making Baseball Humor: A Collection of Stories from Master Storytellers a true winner. Fans of the sport and lovers of well-crafted fiction alike will find much to enjoy in this engaging and entertaining collection.
Listening Length 8 Hours and 10 minutes | ASIN : B0CZF7JL43
There Are No Absolutes in Human Behavior
A Winter Gathering is a collection of historical fiction short stories focusing on the duality of human nature, showing readers the depth of good and evil that resides among us. What was the inspiration for this collection of short stories?
I reject the idea that there are absolutes in human behavior and instead believe that a person’s surroundings and life experiences shape who they are. I therefore make it a point to probe deeper and attempt to illuminate the motivations behind people’s actions. In both my writing and actual life, I do that. When I published my first novel, “Winter Pale”, I noticed in posts, reviews, etc., that several characters were being misinterpreted. So I began writing brief snippets of their narratives, and that gradually expanded, as more ‘small’ characters from “Winter Pale” surfaced with a desire to share their stories.
What draws you to the WWII time period and makes it so appealing for you to write your collection in this period?
Ever since I was a teenager and began reading classic literature, I have been captivated by stories that take place in a set of war. From “War and Peace” to “For whom the bell tolls”, and from “Gone with the Wind” to “All Quiet on the western front”, I saw how conflict impacted people’s otherwise typical lives and their rather common desires for love, happiness, acceptance or power. WWII is the period of such massive conflict closest to my generation, so it is something I can relate to, and there are many historical sources from which to gather information, but there are also quite a few oversimplified and clichéd interpretations for why this war happened and what was ‘good’ and ‘evil’ about it. For a writer like me, it is literally like a jar of honey. Anything from alternate history to romance, military action, espionage, resistance, even fantasy and science fiction, can be written about WWII. It’s a huge chapter in history.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Most of my works, including this collection, are centered around two main concepts. First of all, that there is rarely just black or white in what people do. For anyone who cares to look a little deeper, there will always be an explanation for one’s attitudes and behaviour. That doesn’t mean, of course, that evil is acceptable, only that it can be understood. When we understand something, perhaps there is a way to prevent it from happening again. Secondly, that it is universal human nature to desire love, acceptance, recognition, and the freedom to develop to the fullest extent possible. Understanding this basic idea helps tolerate others who are different from us. And greater tolerance means less conflict.
Will there be more books in this series? If so, when will it be available?
“A winter gathering” is already Book 3 in the ‘Winter Pale’ series. The first book is “Winter Pale”, a full length novel set in occupied Paris, about a young British woman’s struggle for strength, love and acceptance through her conflicting relationship with a French Resistance fighter and a German SS-major. The second book, “A sad Chopin waltz”, is a short story where Winter illustrates the healing power of music and friendship by recounting the tragic story of Louis, the pianist of ‘The Golden Doe’ club, and one of my favourite minor characters in “Winter Pale”. Book 4 of the “Winter Pale” series is currently on the works. It will transport the protagonist to post-World War II Berlin to settle some old scores with Erhard Blut, the former Gestapo interrogator, and Karl Freier, the SS-major’s childhood friend, both of whom have played an important role in “Winter Pale”. We’ve also been able to glimpse into critical moments of these characters’ past in “A winter gathering”, and even more revelations will come in the next book. It should be expected no sooner than the end of this year or even early next, as there is a great deal of “homework” to be done on the historical accuracy of this story’s background—something to which I am fully committed. Finally, since Louis has grown to be so close to my heart, there will undoubtedly be more on his heartbreaking and thrilling tale of bravery, love, and hope in the future.
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Meet Erhard Blut, long before he transformed into a formidable Gestapo interrogator, and bear witness to Georgette’s devastating journey from a loving sister to a traitor fuelled by deep-rooted hatred. Uncover the profound love that forever imprinted Louis’s heart and unlock the hidden secret harboured by Klaus Molnich. In a heartfelt and introspective letter, Oberstleutnant von H. bares his last thoughts to Winter, while Aunt Martha reflects on her desire for an ever-lasting reunion with her beloved, Johann.
Twelve characters with little space but huge impact in the award-winning Historical novel ‘Winter Pale’ share their sweet and unkind, heart-warming and upsetting, mellow and spicy tales in this short stories collection of good and evil, light and darkness, that will thrill lovers of anthologies like the Fall of Poppies and Frozen in Time, as well as readers who enjoy character-driven plots with the ambience of 1930s and WWII London, Paris, and Berlin. Their tales can be enjoyed independently as a set of heartrending vignettes but will be better appreciated if read together with the previous two books in the series.
A Winter Gathering: Sinful Confessions and Intimate Revelations From the “Winter Pale” World
Marina Koulouri’s anthology, A Winter Gathering, skillfully assembles a series of short stories, each delving into the intricate facets of human nature. The narrative traverses a wide spectrum of themes, from the pangs of unrequited love and the harsh reality of loss to the profound impacts of war and societal norms. Each story, distinct in its character and plot, unites under the umbrella of exploring human complexity.
In A Train to Dresden, the narrative poignantly portrays the harrowing consequences of prejudice, depicting protagonists faced with a heart-wrenching decision against the backdrop of the SS-men’s pursuit. Similarly, Liebe Mama offers an intimate glimpse into Peter’s war experiences through a series of letters to his mother. What a Traitor Looks Like further explores war’s lingering effects, focusing on Georgette’s transformation and the resulting implications of her actions.
Koulouri’s work shines in its portrayal of the human condition, illustrating the intricate blend of virtues and vices that compose our nature. This thematic exploration emphasizes the inherent complexity of humanity, steering clear of oversimplified notions of inherent good or evil.
The stories, characterized by their emotional depth and captivating characters, are further enhanced by Koulouri’s first-person narrative approach. I believe this style, while engaging, occasionally introduces challenges in clarity, particularly with the seamless transitions between events and the characters’ introspective monologues. Despite these periodic moments of complexity, the narrative remains engaging and thought-provoking.
The blend of politics, espionage, love, and the turmoil of war in these stories makes this collection a compelling read, particularly for those with an interest in historical fiction and romance. However, due to mature themes, it is more suited for an adult audience. Koulouri’s A Winter Gathering stands as a testament to the power of storytelling in capturing the essence of the human spirit.
Pages: 257 | ASIN : B0CKLD8TJW
Lessons from the Sidewalk: Encounters with the Discarded
Barry Robbins’ Lessons from the Sidewalk is a heartwarming and insightful read that takes readers on a journey through the lives of history’s most prominent figures, those marked by lessons learned from the most unexpected places – the sidewalks. With an eloquent and often humorous narrative, Robbins invites us to look at the world around us with fresh eyes and an open heart.
The book is structured as a series of short stories, each one a vignette of experiences and encounters. Through these seemingly mundane moments, he manages to extract moving insights about life, love, and the human condition. From chance encounters to reflections on his own personal challenges, Robbins weaves a rich tapestry of wisdom that is both relatable and inspiring.
One of the most striking aspects of Lessons from the Sidewalk is Robbins’ ability to find meaning in the everyday. He reminds us that life’s most valuable lessons often come from the simplest and most unexpected sources. His writing is filled with warmth and authenticity, making it easy for readers to connect with his stories and the universal truths they convey.
Robbins’ storytelling is a true strength of this book. His anecdotes are vividly described, allowing readers to picture the scenes he paints with his eloquent words. Whether it’s a chance encounter or a moment of introspection while strolling in the rain, Robbins’ prose is both evocative and emotionally resonant.
Lessons from the Sidewalk offers a beautiful message of hope and resilience. Lessons from the Sidewalk is an emotionally resonant book that reminds us to slow down, observe, and appreciate the world around us. Barry Robbins’ unique perspective and storytelling prowess combine to create a work that is both thought-provoking and heartwarming. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking wisdom and inspiration in the ordinary moments of life. It’s a testament to the idea that profound lessons can be found right under our feet, on the sidewalks we walk every day.
Pages: 258 | ASIN : B0CG6TKT4D
LITERARY TITAN 