The Upside Down Jesus and other stories

Karen Jones launches her short story collection, The Upside Down Jesus and other stories today so I’m delighted to be able to blog it on FoxTales. The title story was a Mslexia winner and she has won or been shortlisted for numerous other awards. Karen was one of the first people I met in the online writing a decade ago and since then we’ve met in “real’” life quite a few times, even though she’s based up in Glasgow and I’m in the West Midlands. (Karen, with a bunch of other kind writers, nurtured and mentored me through my novel attempts and they are probably rather relived I’ve been concentrating on poetry lately.)
About the book:

The Upside-Down Jesus and other stories is a collection of published and prize-winning short stories, flash fiction and micro-fiction giving voice to a variety of different characters.

A child struggles to overcome her fear of the upside-down Jesus, a man dons his “egg-stealing coat” once a week, a teenager becomes obsessed with the colour purple, an old man keeps his wife closer than others would like, a psychiatrist considers the folly of his patients, and a little girl watches her neighbour slowly disappear.
Tracy Chevalier, judge of the 2010 Mslexia Short Story Competition, on “The Upside-Down Jesus”:

“ … a heartbreaker leavened by a gorgeous young Scottish narrator … the girl’s voice is beautifully sustained and so we feel we really know her by the end.”
Annemarie Neary, judge of the first quarter 2013 Flash 500 Competition, on “When No One Is Looking”:

“… close to perfect … expert writing – tight and rhythmical … deft evocation of the childish sense of impotence, of no one listening … excellent work.”

 

 

The Upside Down Jesus and other stories is available as a paperback from Lulu at £6.99 HERE. It will be available from Amazon soon. You can buy it direct from Karen for just £6 plus pp: email her at joneskaren902@googlemail.com for details.