Jennifer Fallon, Author of Demon
Child Trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, The Tide Lord Quadrilogy, The Second
Sons Trilogy, The Rift Runners Trilogy and The War of the Gods Trilogy, wrote the foreword for my short story collection, Shifting Worlds.
Here's an advance peek at what she said:
Shifting Worlds Foreword
Any experienced writer asked to judge a short story
competition would probably confess they approach the task with a mixture of
caution and trepidation. For every gem one reads, there are ten less shiny
baubles that need polishing, cutting or simply throwing back into the grinder
for some serious reworking.
Imagine my delight, if you can, in stumbling across the gem
I was hoping for in a pile of rather ordinary entries into a writing
competition I had been asked to judge. This was my first taste of Darian Smith.
His intriguing mix of superpowers and Pasifika simplicity made his story stand
out, head and shoulders above his competition.
I had no idea who Darian Smith was at the time. The entries
were unmarked, so I couldn’t tell anything about the author, other than he made
me sit up and take notice. It is a delight to recognise one is reading the work
of an author with true talent, rather than someone who simply wanted to write.
Darian continues to intrigue and delight me. “Shifting
Worlds” features stories from the realms of fantasy, sci-fi, and literary
fiction. All of them challenge their protagonists by fundamentally altering
their reality in some way. Whether the poignant personal touches of stories
like Atrophy, Spring or Seahorses, the
thought-provoking The Girl in the Window,
the mischievous, Cut and Colour,
the delightful Drag Marks, or the
intriguing Banshee, Darian never
fails to entertain and surprise the reader with his skill and his insight into
to the human condition.
As a bonus, Darian offers a peek into his private world with
a short explanation of his inspiration, motivation and sometimes raw, personal
connection to each story, making you want to go back and read them again with
the knowledge of what inspired it breathing new life into each story, doubling
the reader’s enjoyment with the benefit of this additional insight.
And then there is A
Suitor, which begins: It is my
wedding night and I’m holding a knife stained with blood. By far the best first line I have read in
a long, long time.
This collection has it
all. Honesty, insight, mischievousness.
And fearlessness. It is also a great read.
I hope you will enjoy reading it as much I did, and maybe,
if you’re lucky, as much as Darian obviously did writing it.
Jennifer Fallon
Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at www.darian-smith.com
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