I love short stories and collections and was ecstatic when Donna published these! A Human Element still lingers with me and I’ve been waiting for a while now to read the sequel, A Hidden Element. The Dark Inside has me even more excited now. You get more of some of the old characters and are introduced to many new ones.
Check out the giveaway after my review.
The Dark Inside
These short stories contain characters from A Human Element and the soon to be released sequel, A Hidden Element.
The Well
It seems like no matter how hard he tries, Caleb can never be good enough in his father’s eyes. When he hears about the mission to the new world, he jumps at the chance to escape the dying planet and maybe get out from under his fathers disapproving control.
When his hopes are crushed, he’s devastated. And then his mother goes missing.
She’s disappeared without a trace.
The Well starts out being about Caleb and his conflicts with his father and his peers, and deepens into a mystery when his mother just vanishes. The author does a great job of misdirecting me, and I rushed to a wrong conclusion. This one is a deep, emotional read.
The First Time
X-10 is not going to give in. He’s not going to let the twisted Dr. Bjord control this experiment.
He’s scared of the human girl. Not for the usual reasons, but because he’s afraid he’ll give in to the rip, tear, kill, urges that are the base part of him.
It’s the first time X-10 has coupled with a female and he experiences some human emotions like nervousness, lust, and excitement. But can he control the monster inside, the one that needs to rend?
Donna, through her characters conversations, made the tentative bond between the monster and the prostitute endearing for me. I wanted things to be okay, wanted both of them to survive this experiment.
But she’s a prostitute, he’s a monster, and this is an experiment. A deadly one.
The Job
Felix is a Seeker. His partner, Maria, is all woman, all human.
He’s never felt attracted to her before, but he’s made a mistake. He’s let his guard down and things got messy. Now he has to clean it up.
I was surprised a couple of times with this one. Had a few, ‘what the???’ moments. This is twisted fun. Can’t help it. I sometimes laugh at the dark stuff.
Frat Night
Tara’s so excited. Tonight she’s going to do it with Jonah. She’s been lying to him, telling him she’s a virgin, so he’ll woo her, romance her. But she’s ready now. Tonight they’ll finally be together.
It was a beautiful spring night.
Kind of saw some of this coming, but still got a shock. I was grinning and thinking, yes!
The Tree of Sheltered Secrets
She was going to kill whoever did it. Whoever cut down her tree.
She’d spent her childhood hiding in that tree, escaping into her own world. It was the only happy memory in her miserable existence. And now someone had hacked it down. It felt like she’d been cut down too.
Someone had to pay.
I felt sorry for Hilary. She had a horrendous life and now the only thing good was gone. I felt her rage build and as I read on, I wanted someone to pay. Pay big!
The Beginning
They were seventy-five strong. Adrian and his crew silently entered the chosen town and quickly got what they needed with mind persuasion. No one realized the strangeness of these visitors.
But that wasn’t enough for Adrian. Oh no. He had to go and make it nasty, make two people do despicable things just for his pleasure.
He also made his son Caleb and the others watch. It was a warning and a lesson.
This one is so twisted. Adrian is a sick twist and I feel so sorry for Caleb. His hate for his father is changing him. Molding him. I hope he doesn’t follow in his fathers dark footsteps.
A Lucky Strike
Ben is all alone with his foster-father now. His foster-mother is now buried and Frank expects him to take over her duties. All of them.
As Ben fantasizes about ways to kill Frank, he knows it’s only a matter of time before things turn real ugly.
It’s time to flee, but has he waited too long?
I forgot this part in A Human Element. It’s disturbing and sad. You see where Ben came from, what he endured, what shaped him.
I’m surprised he survived at all.
Excerpt – A Human Element ~ Ben
This is an excerpt from A Human Element. It’s another short about Ben taking place later than in A Lucky Strike. I’ll give a tease and tell you what I got from it.
Ben had no business being in Hud’s Place.
“North of Hotel Street in Chinatown, or NoHo as it was called, carried its distinction as the known spot for prostitute action any time of the week. He swallowed the last of his beer and laughed to himself. SoHo could be a better name for the so-many-ho’s that could be had around here.”
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have got so drunk. And he definitely shouldn’t have stepped into it with the Marines.
If he thinks the ass-kicking he just got from them was bad, the locals that get a hold of him, set him straight.
If it weren’t for the tall man, the familiar looking stranger with the bright green eyes, he’d be totally screwed.
Ben just keeps putting himself in bad situation after bad situation. I hate seeing him in the self-destruct mode.
I’m curious about the tall man, why is he always showing up at the worst times? Why is he following Ben?
Seeing a character falter, make bad moves and stupid ones, helps me connect with them, makes them human for me. I’m connected with Ben.
I enjoyed all of these stories. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be…..Ha! Not gonna tell ya!
The Dark Inside gets Five Stars from me. Each story is distinct and wrings out my emotions.
Giveaway
For the giveaway I have five ebooks of The Dark Inside in any format.
This is International.
I also have one Paperback copy of A Human Element, Book #1 in the series to give away.
The paperback is for US/Canada Only. Sorry my International friends.
To enter, please leave your email address, state whether entering for e-book or paperback, and answer this question,
Why do you like short stories?
Giveaway ends March 28th.
Thank you for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
About the author
Donna Galanti is an International Thriller Writers Debut Author of the paranormal suspense novel A HUMAN ELEMENT and the author of the short story collection, The Dark Inside.
If she couldn’t write she would bike, hike, and kayak every day. She was stationed in Pearl Harbor as a photographer in the U.S. Navy followed by a career in marketing. Donna dreamed of being a writer at seven years old when she fell in love with Narnia and Roald Dahl. She lived in England at the time, attending school in a magical castle where her imagination ran wild in an itchy uniform. (bowling hat and tie included). She now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again.
Her blog: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor?-ref+hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonnaGalanti
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767306Donna_Galanti
Find all of her books here.
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I like short stories because I can read through them pretty fast and their always great stories. Its something i can do when i don’t have a lot of time to read an entire book so i can just pick it up read when i can and always finish at least one.also I can’t leave a book unfinished so short stories are perfect on some occasions in my case..
lori529@Comcast.net
It is easier to read short stories. You can usually read to the end without having to put it aside.
I like short stories because I’m able to read through them, even when I don’t have a lot of time left in my day to read. I’m entering for an ebook.
Great review, Laura. Thanks for sharing.
janna@jannashay.com
Hi Janna. I like them for the dentist or doctors office too. Can read one without becoming hopelessly lost in it and not hearing my name called!
Laura, love being on here again! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing THE DARK INSIDE. Yep, dark is here and coming again soon with the sequel :). Good luck everyone on the giveaway!
You’re welcome Doona. Love having you back and looking forward to it again with A Hidden Element. New and old characters to follow through another winding story.
I love shorts because they are so juicy, all the information comes rushing at you. However, I only like them if they are concentrated on a few characters. I would love an ebook. Thanks and lots of love, Emily
I agree. Too many characters gets cluttered and confusing. Feels rushed.
You have got me to come over to the short side. lol Great review and thanks for the giveaway.
I know and I’m lovin it!!
What I love about short stories is just like it states, they’re short. If I only have a small amount of time what better to read but a short story. Plus, it really show how creative an author can be because they have to get their tale told in a few short pages.
Lynn
lareynolds0316@gmail.com
I feel the same way!
I’m entering for the paperback. I love to read short stories because you get the whole purpose of the story, without so many words. Don’t get me wrong,I love a full novel; but there’s something nice about finding out what happens within a few pages.
I love both also. A good short story gives me just as much satisfaction
Yes, I like short stories because I can read through them pretty fast and so I can read more books 🙂
Exactly! More books!!!
I like short stories because I can read through them pretty fast and I don’t have to worry about there being sequels! Haha. Nothing is worse then finishing a book with a cliff hanger and realizing you need the sequel!
lakeyg@yahoo.com
That just happened to me. Luckily the next 2 books were available and I got right out of bed and grabbed them off Amazon! No waiting:)
I love reading short stories when I am on the bus. They grab my attention and time flies and by the time I have finished one or more stories, I am at my destination having had a pleasant ride.
It’s great isn’t it!
I like short stories because they gove me a break from reading long novels or series. The ones that are written well pack in as much depth as full length novels. I think they also are a great way to try and author out or a new series an author is writing you may have not read.
Thanks for the giveaway, EBOOK please
They are like a tast,e, a sample but also have just as much impact.
This is right up my alley! I ‘heart’ short stories b/c they get to the meat of the story in a timely manner. I am quite busy with 3 people I take care of and w/out short stories – I wouldnt be able to get my read on! Ya dig?! lol
emilymarie070750@gmail.com
I dig Stephanie. I’m always trying to find time to grab a quick reading moment!
I am glad you agree and I see LOTS of other folks do as well. :o)
kelleeh.73@gmail.com I love short stories because the adhd in me likes to jump story to story and theres so much more to a book of short stories instead of 1 awesome story you get however many in a book. I love to read and I hardly ever not like a story so I think its awesome to have more than 1 story in a book!
I know. It’s like a smorgasbord of stories:)
Kellie. Please check your email. Sent you a message!
oh I want the ebooks thank you!
You’ll like these:)
I read a lot and generally prefer the longer stories, but sometimes, particularly after reading a long adventure, I like to have a little nosh to cleanse my reading palate. I had a discussion about short stories with a friend recently and she told me she loves them because of the time factor, she is generally always able to finish a short, and I really have to agree; especially on those days when I am sneaking five minutes here and there to get my reading fix 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us. I am in Oregon.
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
Hi Denise from Oregon. I’m down on the gulf coast!
My sister never used to read short stories until she one a collection from one of my giveaways. Now she’s hooked and likes to read them while sitting by her pool!
Howdy again! I have to admit it: the real reason I love short stories is because, at my age, the old attention span just isn’t quite… uh… what was I talking about? Oh, yeah… short stories. My attention span just “ain’t what she used to be” these days, so a short story works out perfectly for me. But I’ve always been a big fan of short stories, so I guess my attention span never was much to begin with! I would be delighted to win a copy of “The Dark Inside” ebook. Thank you! As always, acwa (at) netscape (dot) com
Well, hello there:) You’ll like these. They are quite dark and you’ll get to know Donna’s characters up close and personal. No sugar coating in these!
Not because they are short, but because the shortness is a constraint that forces the writer to tightly focus on the story. And I love a good plot twist at the end.
ebook please
neilshooter at rogers dot com
I like a good twist too. A well written short story can pull me in as much as a long one.
Why do I like short stories? Well because you get a quick to the point read! You get a great story, short, sweet and to the point!
I have 2 small children and a very damanding husband, not to mention a house and a job that needs to be taken care of daily! So I don’t have time for long novels most of the time, unless it takes me a while to finish it! Thanks for this AMAZING giveaway! 🙂
I would like to enter for the paperback of “A Human Element”. It sounds AMAZING! I like them kinds of books! 🙂
Here’s my email address: Vannah1028@verizon.net
I loved A Human Element. The cover art and title called out to me and the story sucked me in right at the beginning. Never a dull moment!
Entering for e-book as International (UK)
I love short stories as they are great when you want to try different authors. Also you get the acheivment feeling quicker with a short story too. Short stories are perfect for a journey, or when you are snuggled in a cosy warm corner with a cuppa. They are also great when you feel like a break of pace, when you don’t feel like commiting to a long book. Or like me at the moment I can only read short stories as my kindle is being exchanged (its casing is coming apart) so I dont want to get half way through a book and have to stop so I am reading shorter stories 🙂
All good reasons:) My favorite place to read them is at the doctors or dentists office. I’m never bored while waiting. In fact, I’m hoping I’ll have time to finish a story before my name is called:)
Reblogged this on The Legend Begins ….
Thanks so much:)
Short stories are nice when that’s all you have time for. They are also nice to have when you are waiting for another book to become available and don’t want to get consumed into other genres or series.
So true. Right now I have several series I’m reading. It can be confusing.
Please check you email! Sent you a message!
I don’t have a message. Would you please resend.
Just sent you a new email!
Got it! I replied. Thanks so much!
When you have time constraints short stories are the best! Thanks, and good luck!
~Donna
donna_michaels@msn.com
A quick story to feed me word fix!
I love short stories because they are short, sweet and generally to the point. It is hard to get sidetracked in a short story.
I would do the ebooks in mobi if I could.
My e-mail: mydemonkittie@gmail.com
With fewer words you get right to the focus of the story.
Cassandra closkot@hotmail.com
ebook please, and I like short stories for times when you have very limited time because I hate to put down a good book in the middle.
I know what you mean. I often stay up way too late so I can finish a book!
I think short stories are a great way to give the reader a glimpse of a completely different world without having to invest hours and hours of reading time. I absolutely love Ray Bradbury’s short stories, and this seems like something I might enjoy too! 🙂
jenminkman@hotmail.com
I really enjoyed these. Each one was quite different and I look forward to reading the second book in this series so I can really get to know the new characters.
Hi, I love short stories for a few reasons, one I’m a busy Mom and sometimes it is hard to find the time to read, two and this is the biggest reason, is when I start a book I find it hard to stop, I get wrapped up in the story and all things stop, no house work, no meals, etc…so short stories give me the opportunity to read and finish quicker…I know my family loves them for that reason! I read either on my computer pdf or on my shinny new kindle paper white:) These stories look fabulous, fingers crossed I win!!! purplelotus66@hotmail.com
I’m the same way. It’s “don’t bother me til I’m finished” mode when I’m hooked in a great book. Same goes for a movie.
All my long life I’ve been addicted to novels, but over the last year or so, I’ve become really intrigued with short stories, novelettes, and novellas. An author who can write in these shorter categories, and bring us characterization,plotting, setting, descriptive imagery, and so on, and make it work and work well, is amazing in my opinion. I will just mention 2 examples: Ronald Malfi does this extraordinarily in “The Mourning House” (novella) and “The Boy in the Lot” (short story) and Joe Hart in “The Edge of Life” and “The Outpost” (short stories). I think I’ve finally matured to the stage where I am looking at how well a work is done, not just if it catches my attention.:)
Exactly! I’ll check out some of these stories you mentioned:)
I love short stories because I can read a whole story in one setting. kaylalone@yahoo.com ebook
Finish just in time to take care of something you have to do! They are great when I’m waiting on the laundry to finish or sitting in a waiting room. Except when I say something out loud to one of the characters. Then I get funny looks:)
I like short stories because I am able to read more in short bursts. I am also able to check out more authors and find new favourites. They are great for passing the time when travelling as well. (I prefer paperbacks. 🙂
They are a great and fun way to get to know a new authors writing and see if their style is for you:)
I enjoy short stories because they require a talented writer to compose successfully. They’re an excellent way for a writer to hone her/his craft. Plus, these days, my eyes get tired much more quickly, so they’re a great fix when I crave a good read… I’d dearly love to win a paperback. Cheers!
torilridgewood (at) gmail (dot) com
I second you on all counts!
Please check you emails! I sent you a message!
Can you try sending again, please? Just in case, here’s an alternate: vwooldridge@me.com. Thanks!
Sent you a new message to the new email addy. Let me know if you got it:)
Thanks so much!
Got it, thanks!
I like short stories because they are different from your regular reads. They get to the point quicker, and teaches you a lesson better than a novel or regular book could because its short and straight to the point,.
My email is ramiyahw@yahoo.com……( really hope you pick me)
Wham, bam and on to the next story! Never a dull moment:)
Please check your emails! I sent you a message!
Hi, I am entering for the eBook. I love short stories because what they lack in word count they often make up for in content! Thank you 😀
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