Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

#NewRelease- In The Tree’s Shadow @DLFinnAuthor #shortstories


Today, I have the honor of sharing a favorite blogging friend’s new release- In the Tree’s Shadow by D.L. Finn!

Denise has a way of mixing suspense and fantasy together with a captivating innocence that makes her books hard to put down. Her mantra is ‘Embrace your inner child,’ one we should all take to heart. She is super supportive of other writers and regularly contributes to the popular Story Empire blog, Vocal, and her own site, in other words, a busy lady!

Thank you, Jacquie, for having me visit you today to discuss my short story collection, In the Tree’s Shadow.

BLURB:

A collection of short stories where dreams and nightmares coexist.

Nestled inside these pages, you’ll meet a couple in their golden years who take a trip with an unexpected detour, a boy desperate to give his brother the Christmas gift he asked for, a girl with a small glass dragon who is at the mercy of her cruel uncles, and a young mother who has a recurring dream about murder. You’ll be introduced to worlds where people get second chances and monsters might be allowed their desires, while angels and dragons try to help. Happy endings occur, but perspective can blur the line between good and evil in these twenty-seven tales. Since the stories vary between 99 and 12,000 words, whether you have only five minutes or an entire evening to settle into reading, there is something that will suit your time and taste.

“The Bench” was part of the missed and loved Suzanne Burke’s’ Fiction in A Flash Challenge!’ When I saw the image, I thought about how empty and alone that bench felt.

This story followed a period of time a couple of years ago when my husband lost two friends, my uncle passed, and two of our cats and one of our dogs crossed the rainbow bridge. That sense of loss and a glimmer of hope came out into the story.

Marsha is walking on a fall afternoon, thinking about her loss of a husband and pets. She feels very alone but is reminded that we never know what is ahead of us—waiting.

EXCERPT:

It was our bench. The pain of that familiar tug at my heart was always close by. I quickened my pace and maneuvered through the pungent orange, red, and yellow leaves, trying to outrun it. I hated making this walk alone through the fall splendor.

When something brushed against my leg, I jumped.

“Sorry. Lady escaped from her collar again.”

The pug sat at my feet with an amiable head tilt. “No problem,” I mumbled.

“She’s friendly if you want to pet her.”

I shook my head and stepped around the dog. I kept going past the brightly lit coffee shop that often provided me with a latte. Finally I plopped down on a cold concrete bench and was immediately greeted by a distant chorus of barking dogs.

A young boy burst through a door directly across the street. He was cradling a tiny black kitten.

“Can I name him Skitter, Mom?”

As the mother agreed, I returned to the day I brought my kitten home from this animal shelter. Felix died right before his eighteenth birthday. After crying for two weeks, I decided I didn’t want to endure that heartbreak again.

AMAZON PURCHASE LINK

FUN FINN FACTS:

  1. I once swam with dolphins by Santa Cruz, Ca, beach. Although the first fin I saw got my heart beating fast until I realized it was a pod of dolphins.
  2. I can no longer eat sugar, but at one point in my life, I could live off it.

BIO:

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, a unique autobiography, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

D.L. Finn Links:

Twitter

Bookbub

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

D.L. Finn blog

Amazon Page

My review of In The Tree’s Shadow

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Told through a series of short stories, D.L Finn proves once again how versed she is in creating tense, fantasy tales with heart.

“Lyrical Dragon” is one of my favorites. A cherished necklace comes to life in a unique and inspiring way.

In “End of the Road” a dispirited woman finds a fresh start with some guidance from above.

Being single grew on me in the same fashion as mold grows on shower grout. I kept trying to scrub it off, but it kept growing back.

Finn, D. L. In the Tree’s Shadow: A collection of stories that exist in your dreams… and nightmares. (p. 10). Kindle Edition.

Fans of speculative fiction will love this array of micro-fiction and short stories littered with nasty antagonists, angels, and spirits of the afterlife in settings to raise the hair on your arms!

74 Replies to “#NewRelease- In The Tree’s Shadow @DLFinnAuthor #shortstories”

  2. I’m so very happy for Denise and wish her all the best on this latest great read. Thank you, Jacquie, for featuring her today. Hugs to you both. 🤗

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Congratulations to Denise on a wonderful collection of stories. Best wishes with this release.

    Jacquie, I had to laugh (on Denise’s site) when I read your bio… the part about the Tim Horton’s obsession. When I lived in Ohio, we got a Tim Horton’s. I was also obsessed with it, as were my kids. They frequently asked to go there, and of course I “treated” them. My happiest trips there were the days they had beef barley soup. I liked the donuts and coffee (I mean, you know me and coffee), but that was the best beef barley soup I ever had. Even better than homemade. (Wish I had their recipe.) Anyway, thanks for hosting.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you, Staci 🙂 We don’t have a Tim Hortons here but the soup sounds amazing, especially since its cooled down much.

      Liked by 3 people

  4. Pingback: In the Tree’s Shadow – “The Bench” @JacqBiggar #writingcommunity #readersoftwitter #newrelease #paranormal #shortstories – Author D.L. Finn

  5. Another great exploration into your stories, Jacquie and Denise. Denise–you can’t eat sugar. I can’t eat chocolate, but that is a lot easier to avoid.

    Wait–is chocolate sugar? Hmmm….

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I haven’t had chocolate in a while but found a way around sugar by adding honey or maple syrup to it, Jacqui 🙂 Most chocolate does seem to be loaded with sugar… lol. I miss my youthful eating habits sonetimes.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Thank you, Jacquie, for sharing Denise’s newest book and your thoughts on it. Each story is unique and compelling. Congratulations to Denise on another wonderful release!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you, Jan 🙂 I had fun exploring with this collection and appreciate your kind words and Jacquies! Xo

      Liked by 2 people

  7. I appreciate the warm welcome and hospitality, Jacquie. Your review has me dancing through the woods! Hugs xo

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Thanks for sharing your thoughtful review Jacquie. I agree with you! Denise creates tense, fantasy tales with heart. I enjoyed reading them. Congratulations Denise.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Congrautlations to Denise. I’m pretty sure I already have this one on my Kindle. That sucker feels like it’s about to collapse with all the unread books I have on it. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you, Pete 🙂 I feel the same way about my Kindle its like going into the junk drawer and having no idea what’s in it but finding all kinds of treasures.

      Liked by 2 people

  15. Pingback: In the Tree’s Shadow – “Effervescent Potion” @Dwallacepeach #writingcommunity #readersoftwitter #newrelease #paranormal #shortstories – Author D.L. Finn

  16. I really liked this story. I could relate to the wonderful comfort that animals bring and how they often find us as we find them. Another wonderful tour stop and review! Congrats to Denise and thanks for hosting, Jacquie.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Diana 🙂 They do offer us a special comfort and relationship. They do seem to know who to go to.

      Liked by 2 people

  17. Hi both, I really like the promotional banner for this post. Very eye catching. Giving up sugar entirely is quite hard to do. Congratulations, Denise. Thanks, Jacquie, for hosting and sharing this lovely extract.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I agree, Jacquie made some great banners for this post! Giving up sugar was very hard to do. Although, I don’t miss it anymore. Thank you, Robbie 🙂

      Liked by 4 people

    2. Great collection, Robbie. Sugar (carbs) is hidden in so many things it’s nearly impossible to avoid. With my grandson’s Type 1, we learned cheese and meat are the only foods that are carb free. Even salad has carbs!

      Liked by 3 people

  20. Pingback: In the Tree’s Shadow – “The Bike” @YvetteMCalleiro #writingcommunity #readersoftwitter #newrelease #paranormal #shortstories – Author D.L. Finn
  23. Pingback: In the Tree’s Shadow Blog Tour- That Last Ride of the Night. #writingcommunity #bookrelease #readersoftwitter #shortstory – Author D.L. Finn

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