In "A Select Assortment of Mini-Short Stories," author Leif E. Trondsen provides an anthology of his own selection of his best works to date. For this new work, Trondsen has selected 12 mini-short stories, those bite-size tales comprising some 500-2,500 words, by including four of his "personal best" from each of his previous three books: "The Art of the Mini-Short Story," "A New Assortment of Mini-Short Stories," and "A Fresh Festoon of Mini-Short Stories." These 12 truncated tales display the spectrum of the author's literary interest and the development of his writing style.
Additionally, Trondsen reflects upon his mini-short story writing career over the past year and a half. In a candid evaluation, he assesses the strengths and weaknesses of his fictional writings based upon Stephen King's "20 Rules for Writers." Such periodic and critical self-reflection an important trait for any writer, whether a novice or seasoned one. Lastly, the author has decided to take a brief hiatus from fictional writing to better master the basics of this elusive craft. Additional volumes of his truncated tales, however, will undoubtedly be forthcoming.
The 12 mini-short stories included in this volume cover a wide range of literary genres, such as horror, science fiction, satire, and social commentary. All, however, conclude with Trondsen's tell-tale "twist" endings, in the style of his favorite short story writers Edgar Allen Poe, Ambrose Bierce, Saki, and O. Henry. A sampling of the author's "personal best" includes: "The Confession," an unusual story about an old Irish priest who hears the confession of an unexpected and potentially lethal penitent; "The Color-Bearer," a harrowing Civil War tale of a 12-year-old drummer boy thrust into the bloody maelstrom of battle; "The Question," an unsettling story based upon the biblical story of Job, which ponders the question of "why" such momentous misfortunes afflict us all in our daily lives; and "The Governess," a chiling Victorian Gothic tale of a new governess and the "unusual" child for whom she must care and tutor. These mini-short stories are intended to "entertain, inspire, enlighten, challenge, and, yes, even shock their readers."
Beautifully set in Perpetua type and illustrated with color photographs, "A Select Anthology of Mini-Short Stories" is a welcome literary departure for all readers seeking a "good read" beyond the common pale of most contemporary fiction.
About the Author: Born in Lillehammer, Norway (site of the 1994 Winter Olympics), Leif E. Trondsen received his B.A. in History from California State University, Long Beach and M.A. in History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he was a doctoral student specializing in the classical world of Greece and Rome. Leif eventually hopes to complete a Ph.D. in History or pursue a M.A. in Theology, depending upon where the Spirit leads. He currently works as a part-time writer and historian as well as a full-time caregiver for his 5-year-old grandson Dominic, who has autism. (Sadly, 1-in-68 American children suffers from some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD!) Leif lives in Orange County in Southern California - deep behind the conservative "Orange Curtain," an awkward home for a lifelong Democratic Socialist.
