January 12, 2017 · 1:01 AM

In a Small Compass, on Lisa Burton Radio

Welcome to another edition of Lisa Burton Radio. I'm your host, Lisa the robot girl, and with me today is author, James Ferris Wheeler. “Welcome to the show, James.”

“Thank you, Lisa. I feel very honoured to be invited by a charming celebrity like you.”

“Why, thank you. I understand that you just ordered a new suit. Can you tell our listeners why?”

“It is still hard to believe, Lisa. You must know, my previous books, well – they are good, and they sell. And I always craved for a little fame. What the readers say: 'Great books. Who wrote them? Sorry, that name slipped from my mind.' After years of writing one book after the other – my latest novel, “Dagger in the Rock” was nominated for the MFBS Award! The Most Fascinating Books Society is very fastidious and secretive about their nominations.”

“How exciting. This award sounds like a big deal. Tell our listeners something about it.”

“The award ceremony is going to be held in the Royal Hall at the famous Eden University. The TV crews are certainly already setting up their gear, proving once again that red carpet, purple drapes, and shimmering candelabras enhance this prestigious event. Evening attire is required, hence the new suit. Imagine – only the best authors receive a nomination. The respective winners receive a statuette and 100,000 GBP, and continuous news coverage.”

“Sounds like a great place for a red carpet broadcast. People in beautiful clothes entering a beautiful hall. I'll bet your wife is really excited for such a big event.”

“Angela is overjoyed! She knows how I feel after even the tiniest rejection. I tend to assume the worst, I get nervous without a reason, and Angela is there for me, she is my rock, she is my anchor. Ever since receiving the invitation – I am a nervous wreck.”

“Why would you need to keep it together? Most of the time a nomination is great publicity. Winning is awesome, but there are no losers.”

“I am an introvert. Meeting strangers gives me the creeps. It is devastating to know that my readers keep forgetting my name. Angela knows me, she knows how to lift my spirits. She is a real blessing. I have this recurring dream…We are at the award ceremony, and when it comes to my category, Georgia Cartwright opens the envelope, saying 'And the winner is…' – and I wake up before I know the winner's name. Angela keeps telling me to consider this a dress rehearsal. It helps – at least a little. I need to win – for my sanity. I don't want to be second-best for once.”

“Aww, poor baby. There are a lot of introverts in the writing business, and I work for one of the biggest ones you ever saw. You should be enjoying this moment and not dwelling on the actual award quite so much. It sounds like Angela's a keeper and you should listen to her.”

“I love Angela, my guardian angel. But you have to understand that there are a lot of great British writers out there. Some of them have been nominated for the umpteenth time! They know how to socialize, they know how to promote their work. You may now ask yourself why I can talk with you so freely. The answer is easy: The audience does not see me.”

“What if they wrote better stories? You've obviously been nominated, so your work is good too. At that level everything is subjective. Ask five different people, you'll get five different winners. So tell me about this suit. What did you order?”

“I selected a slightly shimmering slate grey one – it is accentuated by the silken bow tie Angela bought me. I have to look my best as the event is shown nation-wide.”

“Sounds very posh. What's Angela wearing?”

“Angela's wearing a charcoal grey dress with turquoise accents – she looks stunning in that dress!

“You don't understand how difficult it is being a fictional author. I thought Karen would never finish my story. Can you imagine that the kept interrupting my story due to her craving for coffee?! Did I mention that she was writing other stories in parallel? How dare she!”

“Oh, I get it. I'm a personal assistant to an author myself. We've had a guy living at the writing cabin for a year now, and his story still isn't finished. So when you talk about these other stories, it's probably a good time to mention this is a collection of short fiction.”

“Yes. There are 15 contemporary short fiction stories with paranormal streaks taking the readers to Boston, Dublin, Dundrum, Galway, Heidelberg, London, Munich, Nuremberg, Skerries, and other places. London, that's my story! The other stories introduce quit normal people and some strange occurrences:

– Rachel has a recurring nightmare. > poor woman!

– Madelyn and her marble. > has the poor girl lost her marbles?

– Jenny and the shadow. > why doesn't she switch the light on?

– Louise and her hunches. > has she visited the lady with the crystal ball?

– Ted and the noises. > try earwax, man!

– Dee and her prison. > poor woman – let her out!

– The heatwave in Willowsend. > a fictional town and a grandfather.

– Judy and her projections. > why don't you join a circus, girl?

– Joe and a voice. > hey Joe, keep cool.

– Roberta and Laura. > a multi-cultural encounter.

– Marty giving directions. > hey boy, it's great that you care.

– James Ferris Wheeler and the award. > my story – I'm so excited!

– Aoife at the Dundrum Town Centre. > hey lass – you're funny!

-The secret of the blue window – with two alternative endings.

These story variants are based on human curiosity. If I had seen that blue window – I would've wanted to find out why it is blue!”

“We love collections and anthologies around here too. They're getting really popular and I think you're going to be pretty successful. The anthology is called In a Small Compass: Volume One, and it's available right now. Pick up a copy for free and find out if James wins the MFBS award. I'll include all the details on the blog site. Any closing words, James?”

“Thank you so much for having me on your show, Lisa. It means a lot! And it helped in keeping my frustrating dream at bay. Have a lovely day.”

“Best of luck to James, and his lovely wife Angela. For Lisa Burton Radio, I'm Lisa Burton.

“Don't forget to hit those sharing buttons on your way out. It won't cost you a dime, and when your character is on the show you'll really appreciate it.”

***

In A Small Compass

15 contemporary short fiction stories with paranormal streaks take you on a journey to Boston, Dublin, Dundrum, Galway, Heidelberg, London, Munich, Nuremberg, Skerries, and other places.

Find out more about:

– Rachel and her nightmare.

– Madelyn and her marble.

– Jenny and the shadow.

– Louise and her hunches.

– Ted and the noises.

– Dee and her prison.

– The heatwave in Willowsend.

– Judy and her projections.

– Joe and a voice.

– Roberta and Laura.

– Marty giving directions.

– James Ferris Wheeler and the award.

– Aoife at the Dundrum Town Centre.

– The secret of the blue window – with two alternative endings.

Karen was born in Central Europe, discovering her love for languages at an early age. She is a linguist, translator, and technical author; writing is done in her spare time. She spends her time mainly in Germany and Ireland, collecting her inspirations on the go.

Her stories comprise some hobbies, favourite locations, animals, topics, beverages, etc. Most of the locations do exist; pubs and/or shops might be gone; people are fictional unless stated otherwise.

+++ Upcoming: “Neighbors!” (a flash fiction series) +++

Karen's personal motto:

Don’t look back in anger!

Karen's 10 statements

A typical work day begins with… black coffee and my schedule.

I lose track of time… when I am reading.

I have always… wanted to live in Ireland.

I have never… been bored.

Home means to me… being with the ones I love.

I am inspired by… almost everything.

I would like to meet… (and discuss with) the Dalai Lama.

My worst character trait… impatience.