I’m really delighted today to introduce you to a rather lovely collection of Christmas short stories, Silent Night: A Christmas Story Collection by Wendy Clarke, published on 16th September and available in paperback and for kindle. My thanks to Wendy for sending me an e-copy to review. I’ll admit that I’m very rarely a short story reader, but around Christmas – when it’s so difficult to find time to immerse yourself in a full-length novel – the format is absolutely perfect. I’m not a reader of magazine short stories either really, but I was already aware of the author as one of their most accomplished and popular writers.
Silent Night is a collection of thirteen Christmas stories by Wendy Clarke, a regular writer of fiction for national magazines.
All of these stories have previously been published in either The People’s Friend or Take a Break Fiction Feast. If you like stories with emotional depth and a satisfying ending, then this collection is for you.
What Shirley Blair, Commissioning Fiction Editor for The People’s Friend, says about the author:
‘Wendy Clarke has become one of The People’s Friend’s most valued writers, offering our readers a range of themes and a level of emotional satisfaction that is rare in the short story format.’
If you’re searching for the perfect stocking filler for an occasional reader, I couldn’t recommend anything more highly. But these stories are also extremely enjoyable reading for more regular readers too – each one ten to fifteen minutes long, beautifully written, with well drawn characters, really enjoyable and touching stories, and a touch of that much-needed Christmas warmth and sparkle.
You’ll find your own favourites, but I particularly enjoyed Project Christmas, where Andrew tries to create a Christmas his late wife would have been proud of (brought a little tear to my eye…): I really liked A Christmas Present Called Abbie too, when Dan’s plans for a perfect Christmas on his own are rather disrupted by the arrival of daughter Abbie. And the last minute search for the much-wanted Christmas present in All I Want for Christmas will resonate with most of us. Some of the stories are funny, some very touching, every one heartwarming – and some of them quite different and unexpected, like the lovely Silent Night. I really enjoyed this lovely collection – and I’m sure others will too.
About the author
Wendy Clarke is a writer of women’s fiction. Her work regularly appears in national women’s magazines such as The People’s Friend, Take a Break Fiction Feast and Woman’s Weekly. She has also written serials and a number of non-fiction magazine articles.
Wendy has published two collections of short stories, Room in Your Heart and The Last Rose and has just finished writing her second novel.
Wendy lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex and when not writing is usually dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!
Thank you, Anne, for this delightful review of my Christmas collection.
My pleasure Wendy – I enjoyed the collection very much xx