An Anthology of California Short Stories

I’m reading It’s All in the Story: California (an anthology of California short stories) during 2020 – aiming for at least 4 stories per month. There are 24 short stories and so far I’ve liked all that I read. I created this page to make notes on the stories so I can remember them.

Title: It’s All in the Story: California: An Anthology of Short Fiction
Editor: D.P. Lyle
Publisher: Southern California Writers Association
Publication date: October 21, 2017
Pages: 224
Location: Various California locations – mainly Southern California
POV: Varies – there are 24 short stories by different authors
My Source: – I own a Kindle copy

I’m using a random number generator to choose stories and will add notes as I read them. My goal is to read four stories monthly until I’m done, but honestly, the stories I’ve read so far were so good, I’m feeling motivated to read the book faster. We’ll see what happens.

The Premise

California is a fascinating place with many talented authors.

Stories

#1
After the Wave Breaks, by Jo Ellen Pitzer … nice story – Gram’s in the hospital but takes great pleasure in seeing other people smile. Katelyn sees only the negative in life. Takes place in the hospital and on a Southern California beach. 7/15/20

#2
Angel of the Morning, by D.J. Phinney . . . fascinating! A waitress realized her customer is that young man she lost her virginity to many years before, who she hasn’t seen since because he left to go fight in the Korean War. Fullerton is the location. 7/15/20

#3
House at Pooh Corner, by Julie Wells …. Was this fiction? It read like a short memoir. A woman and two children meet with the unexpected on a snowy day in the South Lake Tahoe area. 6/2/20

#4
California Dreamin’, by Casey Pope

#5
Christmas in Santa Ana, by Biff (Harold D.) Baker . . . this story is a hot mess! It will leave you wondering what’s going on. It jumps from one topic to another mercilessly.

#6
Earth Angel, by Maddie Margarita . . . former angel in search of Jack. 7/5/20

#7
Filthy Lucre, by Andrew R. Nixon

#8
Full Service, by Steven G. Jackson . . . dark, dark, dark. This takes place at an isolated gas station and car repair garage in the Mojave Desert. 7/5/20

#9
I Love California, Except for the Flakes, by Wanda Green

#10
Just for Fun, by Glenda Brown Rynn

#11
The Kick the Bucket Tour, by Jo Perry

#12
Life Dies and Then You Suck, by Steven G. Jackson . . . a surprising story about William Randolph Hearst.

#13
Magdalena, by Lani Forbes . . . a young woman at the San Juan Capistrano Mission falls in love in 1812. 7/5/20

#14
Solving for X, by Anne Moose

#15
Splash, by D.P. Lyle . . . a female journalist hears a suspicious splash while kayaking near Newport. 6/23/20

#16
Steps, by Phyllis Blake

#17
The Inevitable Avocado, by Jeffrey J. Michaels

#18
The Quest for Avalon, by Catheryn Hull

#19
The Unpleasantness in Room 27A, by Dana Hammer

#20
The Untimely Death of Sweet Mims, by David Putnam

#21
Verity’s Truth, by Maddie Margarita …. This is dystopian and futuristic. 5/27/20

#22
You Can Bank on the Breeze, by PJ Colando …. A contemporary story about the financial stress so many people are experiencing these days; there’s a feeling of living on the edge and plenty of tension. 5/29/20

#23
Zolota: Another Gold Rush, by Rose de Guzman . . . an alternative history in which the Russians on the coast at Fort Ross (?) are the ones who discover gold in California. 6/22/20

#24
The Mighty and Me, by Janis Thomas . . . a woman is caught in the undertow while swimming in the Pacific Ocean. 6/22/20

This is an interview with D.P. Lyle, who edited this anthology.