Irresistible Impulse and Other Stories, Kindle book by Barbara Alfaro

Congratulations to Barbara Alfaro — who contributed her writing to several Silver Birch Press anthologies — on the December 2013 publication of a Kindle version of Irresistible Impulse and Other Stories, a collection of short stories, selling at Amazon.com for just 99 cents!

Barbara — the author of the hilarious and touching memoir Mirror Talk, also available at Amazon.com — is one of our favorite contemporary authors. (See our post about Mirror Talk.) Take a break from the holiday bustle and treat yourself to a fun, fast (and inexpensive) read by purchasing Irresistible Impulse and Other Stories at Amazon.com.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: A well-read robot, an overweight ghost, and a redheaded avatar, as well as ordinary mortals looking for love are all here in this quick, fun collection of humorous short stories by award-winning author Barbara Alfaro.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Barbara Alfaro is the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award for her play Dos Madres. The paperback edition of of her poems called Singing Magic and the Kindle edition of her poetry called First Kiss are available on Amazon. Mirror Talk, her memoir about a Catholic girlhood and working in theatre won the IndieReader Discovery Award for Best Memoir.

Riley and Lulu, Story Poem by Barbara Alfaro

RILEY AND LULU

Story Poem by Barbara Alfaro

What’s your dog’s name asked a boy of a woman and not waiting her reply continued My dog’s name is Riley My dog’s name is Lulu said the woman just then Riley a red dog reminiscent of Irish setters and German shepherds and other miscellaneous breeds and Lulu a beige dog of even more dubious lineage than Riley interrupted their afternoon swim in the model boat pond to shakesplash their owners a portable radio a pair of shoes and me They swam again then galloped and chased on the wet concrete Lulu doing most of the chasing with the grassy abandon city dogs on park days know making strangers laugh out loud and now intimidated by the sailors who were not laughing these handmade or purchased boats cost four hundred dollars baby and the pond is after all for them not Riley and Lulu the older brother of the boy attaches a leash to Riley’s collar and the woman bribes Lulu into a semblance of quietude with pets and scratches but mind you Lulu and Riley are eyeing each other all this time they’re approximately five feet away from one another and What’s this Oh no a beagle well a partial beagle bouncing into the pond a stick between his teeth guarded as though it were the golden fleece and Lulu that hussy swimming after his neat patched little body as though absolutely nothing has happened between Riley and her for God’s sake chained and barking in pain while a bumble bee is bugging pun intended me and a little girl lopes by announcing Now my other front tooth is crooked!

Photo: Catori Charlie, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Mirror Talk, Memoir by Barbara Alfaro

MIRROR TALK

Memoir by Barbara Alfaro

I don’t have as much time for reading as I’d like – if it were up to me, I’d read as a full-time occupation, eight hours a day. Most of my reading these days is work related – material I’m editing, manuscripts I’m evaluating, or reference materials for writing projects. But once in a while I’m able to spend time with a book that’s so enjoyable the pages just breeze by – and, I’ll admit, books like these aren’t easy to find. I’m happy to report I recently encountered a book that succeeded on all fronts – beautiful prose, laugh-out-loud humor, as well as depth and introspection. The book is Mirror Talk, a memoir by Barbara Alfaro – winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award.

In the approximately 30,000-word book, available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle versions, Alfaro covers a lot of territory – from her Catholic girlhood in New York during the 1950s, her career as an actor and director during the 1960s and 1970s, and her eventual development as a poet, playwright, and writer.

The Mirror Talk chapter entitled “Make Mine Cognac” about an experimental play Alfaro appeared in was the funniest story I’ve read in years – and had me laughing, and laughing, and laughing out loud. Alfaro’s sharp, witty writing style is reminiscent of the wisecracking reporter Hildy Johnson in the Ben Hecht comedy His Girl Friday or even the ultimate wit – Dorothy Parker herself.

About the experimental play “smuggled from behind the Iron Curtain,” Alfaro writes: “After weeks of rehearsal, it became depressingly clear that no one in the cast had the slightest idea of what the play was about…the director said something about ‘symbolic juxtaposition.’ Finally, one of the symbols clanged. ‘What the hell is this play about?’ The director smiled that knowing, smug smile only directors and successful orthodontists seem able to accomplish…”

If you’re looking for a quick, fun read with a lot of heart and soul, check out Mirror Talk by Barbara Alfaro, available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version, available, here is just $1.99!