Available in the Following Formats
- E-book ASIN: B09KML7J5S
- Paperback ISBN: 979-8-4912-4704-2
View an Excerpt
Mementos - A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction - Book 4
People ask: "Why do you use photographic prompts when you write short stories and flash fiction?" Larry Sultan, an American photographer
from the San Fernando Valley in California, provides one answer: "Photography is there to construct the idea of us as a great family and
we go on vacations and take these pictures and then we look at them later and we say, 'Isn't this a great family?' So photography is
instrumental in creating family not only as a memento, a souvenir, but also a kind of mythology." Beyond the physical, however, lie our
memories and in them, the pictures stored in our minds' eyes. As writers, aren't these memories - both the physical and the "mementos of
the mind" - the essence of our works, the prompts we use to spin words and phrases into literary tapestries our readers can use to discover
something about life, a bit about us, perhaps, and, in the process, maybe even a little about themselves?
In this volume, you’ll find a story about an FBI agent who ended up accidentally, on purpose, dead. In another tale, we wait with Mildred, an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's, her son, and her daughter-in-law at Gate 6 in Philadelphia International Airport for Mildred's husband's plane to arrive. How long must they wait? And what are we to make of the true origins of the Broadway play West Side Story. You may be surprised to learn the production almost never happened. In short (pun intended), there is something in this book for almost every genre and taste.
Featured Review
"Mementos by Theodore Jerome Cohen is a compilation of original flash fiction and short stories, and book four in the author's series, Mementos Anthologies. Using stock photography and photographs taken by others that depict a scene or a person as a prompt, Cohen weaves bite-sized tales ranging from the tragic, such as Bubbles, where a family photo from a day at a funfair preserves a heart-breaking moment in time, and Gate Six, where a mother waits for her husband to disembark from a plane that will never arrive. Others elicit a laugh, such as Cactus, the story of a couple who are definitely not taking the high road.
"Mementos offers a total of thirty-nine stories in all, each easy enough and short enough to read in those precious moments of calm in lives that are usually moving from one personal commotion to the next. My favorite is the flash fiction Stir, a tale that begins with a man dedicated to his annual entry to a chili competition, absolutely certain he will make a memorable mark on the judges and revealing the "important day" that will ultimately be memorable for entirely different reasons. I enjoyed the use of pictures and the benefit of stock is crystal clear where images feature the work of K.S. Brooks in Snap and the monochrome vintage photograph of a woman writing Her Last Christmas Letter preempts a story formatted as the same. The writing is clean and Theodore Jerome Cohen is incredibly adept at developing characters and scenery in a tight space, consistently delivering quality, thought-provoking fiction."
Praise for Theodore Jerome Cohen's Writing Style
"A signature style that weaves fact with fiction." ~ Mark Mitchell, former editorial page writer for the Wall Street Journal"Prolific!" ~ Gary Sorkin for Pacific Book Review
"A unique, creative imagination." ~ Richard Blake for Readers Views
"Evokes a deep connection with the characters." ~ Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite
"Smart, mature characters." ~ Krista Schnee for Hollywood Book Review
* Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Star