Curious

Demoralizing headline from newsmax.com: “Russia Poll: Putin’s Approval Shoots Up to 83%.” Let’s hope it’s rigged. If it’s not — geez!

According to an article by Breck Dumas at foxbusiness.com: “The average price of a gallon of gas is currently $4.46 in Illinois.” He says people along the state’s borders are filling up in Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Indiana. Love it!

I just finished a short story collection, Sudden Fiction International, published in 1989, still selling modestly at Amazon. As usual, I didn’t get at least half the 60 pieces, all of which are five pages or less. I was never able to crack such anthos, which had me thinking — and still has — I have no idea what constitutes a good short story and that mine must be lame. In the author profiles, one cited how he disliked stories based on one’s life, which is at least 50% of what I do. Anyway, the writers span the worldwide spectrum, including the USA. Many are renowned. The action is not confined to modern times. I was not blown away by any, but I liked The Grass Eaters by Krishnan Varma, which focuses on poverty in India. In Preparations by America’s Kenneth Bernard, I was impressed by this line: “…The hidden life that simmers or bubbles beneath the surface like some molten pool out of dim time…” And the highlight of the book came from another Yank, Ann Beattie in Snow: “…People forget years and remember moments. Seconds and symbols are left to sum things up…” 46 users at Amazon have rated SFI, forging to a consensus of four on a scale of five. I’ll go with three. Except for a few of the stories, the writing and translations are solid.

So the highlight of the first Academy Awards show ever produced by a black man is a black man striking another black man.

The temperature was high enough to take a bite out of the wind, so it was a pleasant stay for the floating book shop today on Avenue Z. My thanks to Cabbie, who did a two-for-four swap and buy of paperback thrillers; and to the elderly woman who did a two-for-two swap of hardcovers in Russian; and to the young woman who bought an illustrated version of Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye: A Graphic Novel in The Baby-Sitter’s Club series by Ann M. Martin (Author) and Gabriela Epstein (Illustrator); and to Dmitri, who’s about to take a test on proficiency in Italian, and who purchased my latest, Curious Sicilian, approximately half of which is comprised of my lame short stories, the other half essays on my life. That is the 1200th copy of my books that has sold, counting Kindles.

My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts

Read Vic’s Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza