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Inspired By the Little Things in Life
The Inquisition and Other Stories is the second book in your collection of short stories. Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
I sometimes think that when it comes to story telling I’m a bit like a magpie in that I’m attracted to things that catch my eye (or my ear). Most of the stories were inspired by little things like an overheard snippet of conversation or a fleeting image of an interpersonal interaction. In other cases some stories are inspired by the arts; after all, a painting is just another form of story telling.
I enjoyed the creativity in each story. Which story from this collection is your favorite?
Of course, I’m biased and like all the stories for what each one has to say. Perhaps I can say that I get a lot of satisfaction from writing stories that involve a lot of research. In the current anthology, the story Catherine Lescault required considerable research about Nicolas Poussin and Honoré de Balzac. The story Cinderella involved learning about aphasia, and The Inquisition required learning about playwriting and cancer treatments.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in short stories?
Certainly who we are influences the way we write. However, I’m not a great fan of auto-fiction and do not like to inject myself into my own stories. To me, the challenge is to try and develop characters that are very different from myself in both personality and background.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’ve started work on a historical novel set in the C12th. If things go very well it might be finished in 2023.
The Inquisition and Other Stories
The Inquisition and Other Stories is the second volume of short stories written by Michael Tabor. This collection includes an eclectic mix of thirteen exceptional stories. Each of these fascinating stories has a separate setting and cast of characters so each one can be read on its own. The genres for each original story range from historical dramas to love stories and even mysteries. This varied collection will give readers plenty to look forward to.
Readers of this collection will find the gripping stories varied and well written making it hard to pick a favorite. Catherine Lescault is a historical drama that heavily features Nicolas Poussin. Bright Stars on the other hand is a clever little mystery story for any literature nerds out there. Without giving away spoilers it is a story in which Keats shadow looms large. It’s a clever story and really demonstrates Tabor’s love of literature as an academic. This love of literature is evident in Tabor’s writing. Tabor plays with literary devices constantly.
The collection could almost be used as a textbook for creative writing classes. However, Tabor never forgets that a story should be entertaining first. Each of these gripping stories is a fun and often challenging read. The pacing is excellent. Each story is given its own time to breathe without feeling rushed. Some of them could most definitely be turned into full novels, but they do not suffer from being in the short story format either.
The Inquisition and Other Stories is a riveting and thought-provoking collection of short stories. With Tabor’s imaginative and suspenseful writing style readers of all kinds will find something they enjoy in this collection. Anyone can pick it up and enjoy it but there’s even more for history and literature fans to enjoy here.
Pages: 264 | ISBN : 97809986778
LITERARY TITAN 