Blooming Tales


Book Description

What are the 5 characteristics of a short story? They are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short story: character, setting, conflict, plot and theme. The basic steps of a plot are: conflict begins, things go right, things go WRONG, final victory (or defeat), and wrap-up. The right-wrong steps can repeat. A novel can have several conflicts, but a short story should have only one. While we selected these stories out of a huge pile of submissions, some pieces stood out and clearly deserve a seperate mention due to their excellence: 1. Wine and Blood 2. I hope you never know 3. Pigeon 4. The Money Order 5. Eclectic Shorts 6. Enough 7. Irene 8. The Beginning of the End 9. Love in the Line of Fire 10. The Last Blink 11. An Adopted Dream 12. Zombie Train 13. Was She? 14. Platonic Love 15. paanch patthar Some of the stories that we compiled were simply selected on the basis of the themes chosen by their respective authors.A theme is something important the story tries to tell us—something that might help us in our own lives. Not every story has a theme, but it’s best if it does. While some others were selected due toi the authors' style of writing. The strongest stories have well-developed themes, engaging plots, suitable structure, memorable characters, well-chosen settings, and attractive style. Now you might argue that good writers often break rules—but they know they’re doing it! So our biggest recommendation for aspiring writers is to read more, write often but most importantly self-edit ruthlessly. Owing to the fact that we as a team aim to provide a platform for new a nd aspiring writers across borders, we named this volume -Blooming Tales. And now without further ado, we present blooming tales from our very talented writers.




Bloom


Book Description

Featured in The Guardian as one of the best picture books, and in The Sunday Times as children's book of the week. There was once a beautiful flower and a little girl who loved it. She talked to it every morning on her way to school. The owner of the flower shouted at her. The next day, the flower did not open. The angry man didn't understand. He tried watering it. He tried giving it shade and he tried talking to it. He told it how wonderful he was, how important his job was and how lonely he felt. But it still refused to open. So, he asked the little girl. "Why don't you tell it how wonderful it is and how much you love it?" she said. As he did so, his own heart filled with love. And the flower bloomed.




Romance Is My Day Job


Book Description

“Highly recommended for romantics of all stripes."—Library Journal, starred review Why isn’t real-life romance more like fiction? Patience Bloom asked herself this question, many times over. As a teen she fell in love with Harlequin novels and imagined her life would turn out just like their heroines: That shy guy she had a crush on would sweep her off her feet and turn out to be a rock star. Not exactly her reality, but Patience kept hoping. Years later she found her dream job, editing romances for Harlequin itself. Every day, her fantasies came true—on the page. Her dating life, however, remained uninspired. She nearly gave up hope. Then one day Patience got a real-life chance at romance, but Sam lived thousands of miles away. Was it worth the risk? Could love conquer all?




The Tragical Tale of Birdie Bloom


Book Description

“Charming and darkly funny, this debut has definite shades of Roald Dahl—it’s a natural successor to Matilda and The Witches. Middle-grade readers who like their fairy tales playing against the rules and their adventure stories with a dash of humor will gobble this up.” — ALA Booklist “I absolutely ADORED Birdie’s story from beginning to end. The most charming book, footnotes and all!” — Liesl Shurtliff, New York Times bestselling author of Rump “Dragons, witches, and resourceful orphans? Magic, adventure, and friendship? There is so much to love about Birdie’s tragical tale!” — Jessica Day George, New York Times bestselling author of the Tuesdays at the Castle series




Stars with Flaming Tails


Book Description

I traveled once around the world On stars with flaming tails, And touched the colors of my dreams Along some silver trails. Look out for best friends, pancakes, and Grandad singing; discover a river dolphin, a poison dart frog and the most dangerous animal in the world; imagine a talking nose, meet the Zimbats of Zingley Dell and find the color of your dreams. This collection includes poems to make you laugh, get you thinking and fill you with wonder - from an internationally renowned poet and illustrator, working together here for the first time.




Treehouse Tales


Book Description

Three chapters relate the experiences and adventures of three 1880s Pennsylvania farm children in their family tree house, which serves as a refuge, a source of adventure, a lookout post, and a frightening dragon's lair.




Bloomin' Tales


Book Description

Seven tales from Texas reveal the stories behind wildflowers as they were told by Native Americans, Mexicans, or European settlers. Includes "fun facts" about each flower and notes on the stories.







When Huai Flowers Bloom


Book Description

Set against China's turbulent years between the early 1960s and the late 1970s, When Huai Flowers Bloom is the literary memoir of a young girl who manages to sustain love, imagination, and strength during this most chaotic time. With twelve separate yet interconnected stories, Shu Jiang Lu alternates between storyteller and listener as she relays haunting memories and explores the devastating effect of Mao's anticultural Cultural Revolution. Lu weaves together the voices of multiple real and fantastic characters: her parents and their treasured yet forbidden bookcase; the mysterious vendors beckoning from Pear Flower Alley; the immortal martial hero; the reactionary opera singer and the black demon novelist; the whispering ghost and dancing fairy; and the author herself, discovering her storyteller's voice in the military camps of her youth. When Huai Flowers Bloom is a poignant, persistent journey toward voice and freedom.




Blooming


Book Description

Slumber parties, swimming pools, boyfriends, lakeside summers, family holidays--Susan Allen Toth has captured it all in this delightful account of growing up in Ames, Iowa, in the 1950's. Charming, wise, funny, poignant, and true, Blooming celebrates an innocent and very American way of life.