Verda

“Verda” is one of the stories in Real Dreams:  Thirty Years of Short Stories. It is also available to read on Wattpad. Visit www.mgedwards.com for more books, stories, and travelogues from author M.G. Edwards.

She rises in the evening sky like a beautiful green gem glowing in the early twilight. Watching over the earth, she bathes it in verdant light at the end of each day. She lies closer to our world than her barren twin, Luna, who shines brighter when the twilight turns to night. She is Verda, the green-tinged moon that orbits the earth. Also known as "Earth’s Sister," the small moon has long been an object of human obsession. For millennia, people have gazed up at her and wondered what secrets she has hidden in her veiled green atmosphere. It was not until the late twentieth century at the dawn of the Space Age, however, that many of her secrets were revealed.

Visit MG Edwards or Wattpad to read more of “Verda.”

© 2014 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover photo licensed from iiuri courtesy of Shutterstock.

Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories

A French prisoner struggles to survive in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. A delinquent youth is obsessed with a cemetery ghost. Good and evil fight over the soul of a zombie. A grandmother thought to suffer from mental illness predicts the future. Car trouble leads to an encounter with an angel. A chief must calm a volcano before it destroys his village. A human tries to dissuade elves and dwarves from going to war. A bride confronts deception in an effort to reunite with her bridegroom. A boy encounters superhuman army ants that escape from a military laboratory and move into his bedroom closet.

These stories and more are featured in Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories, a collection of 15 short stories I wrote between 1981 and 2011.

Each story reflects changes in my writing style and interests over time. I wrote the earliest story, How Little Big Chief Calmed the Mountain, in 1981 at the age of ten, and the latest, Evil | Live, thirty years later. The stories are grouped by genre to help the reader identify each style. They feature some common themes, including hope, dreams, light, darkness, perseverance, and spirituality, wrapped up in some novel ideas. Enjoy these diverse and timeless works three decades in the making.

Story Synopses

Vichy (1990) tells the story of Jean-Marie Daubert, a spy for the French Resistance during World War II who was captured and sent to Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Poland (then Silesia). It’s a sobering story of love and loss told through letters from Daubert to his wife Corinne.

The Ballick Eye (1988) is a ghost story about a delinquent youth sent by his parents to live with an aunt who is determined to straighten him out. Can a cemetery ghost turn his life around?

Evil | Live (2011) is a twist on the traditional horror story. Good and evil engage in an epic struggle for the soul of a zombie.

The Grandma Conspiracy (2004) tells the story of an elderly woman with the ability to predict the future whose family believes she suffers from mental illness. The story is narrated by one of her grandchildren who struggles to help her.

Room G-13 (1993) is a horror story with a twist. Strange sounds emanate from the maintenance man’s room at a college dormitory, leading one student to investigate what’s really going happening there.

The Factory Worker in the Corner Office (2007) is an allegory about a white-collar worker who deals with a difficult boss.

Saved by Hope (1988) is a true story based on an encounter I had with an angel during the summer of 1987.

Mysterius, Lord of the Unknown (1987) tells the tale of the Greek god of the unknown. The ancient Greeks dedicated some temple altars to an unknown god. Mysterius is an interpretation of this deity.

How Little Big Chief Calmed the Mountain (1981) is an allegory inspired by the May 1981 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. A village leader must appease an angry volcano before it erupts and destroys his village.

The Emissary’s Battle (2005) is a story set in a fantasy world. A human envoy must use diplomacy to diffuse a conflict between elves and dwarves before it leads to war.

Kirche and the Mirror (1992) is a religious allegory. On the day her bridegroom returns, the bride must confront deception and illusions before reuniting with him.

Suits (1989) is a science fiction short with an ironic twist. A child dreams of an alien invasion.

Verda (1997) ponders the existence of a second moon orbiting Earth capable of sustaining life and humanity’s efforts to colonize it. The story explores themes ranging from space exploration to environmental preservation.

G.I. Ants (1983) is a story about a boy’s encounter with a group of superhuman army ants who escape from a military laboratory and move into his closet.

High Flying Deutschman (1988) tells the story of a German exchange student’s quest to learn baseball and join a championship high school team.

Real Dreams is available in e-book format for only $2.99 (or equivalent in local currencies) at:

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Real Dreams is available in print for just $8.99 (or equivalent in local currencies) at:

• Amazon
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More About Real Dreams

• Real Dreams
• Real Dreams Featured in the Foreign Service Journal
• Real Dreams Now Available in Print
• Other articles

Superhero Author Interviews M.G. Edwards

Reblogged from KevinRau.com:

An Interview with M.G. Edwards

Many thanks to fellow author Kevin Rau for his invitation to interview me with a superhero twist! Although I am mortal, I’m happy to have the opportunity flex my lone superpower — my amazing ability to bend and twist prose. Thanks again, Kevin! I’ll try to keep this interview coherent and on topic. If not, just tell the words to get back in line.

When did you start writing, and was there a significant event that prompted you to do so?

When I was ten years old, my teacher asked our class to write tall tales in small groups and present them in class. Some groups chose to tell the story of Paul Bunyan and other well-known legends. Inspired by the 1981 eruption of Mount St. Helens, I wrote a tale called "How Little Big Chief Calmed the Mountain." Featured in my book Real Dreams, the story tells of how Little Big Chief made the ultimate sacrifice — offering what was most precious to him to appease an angry volcano. The role of Little Big Chief went to a good friend with cerebral palsy. His amazing performance is one of my fondest childhood memories.

Kev’s response: Hmm, I’ve always found that interesting. Personally, I have no memories below the age of 13 or so. None. I joke that I was hatched at that age. It’s fascinating to hear about others with their memories.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? (Assuming said power would be reasonably powerful.)

I would like the ability to clone myself like Michael Keaton did in the movie Multiplicity. Not that I relish dealing with multiple versions of myself and their escapades, but they sure would come in handy to help me multitask. One could focus on brainstorming ideas for novels, another on writing outlines, a third on drafting the manuscript, and a fourth on editing it. My productivity would soar! At least, that’s how it would work in theory.

Kev’s response: Just the ability to brainstorm ideas in a group for storylines would rock.

Do you have a favorite superhero from novels, comics, or movies?

I’m a big comic book fan. My favorite superhero — long before The Avengers movie came along — has always been Thor. I mean, how can you beat a demigod? I know that Ironman seems cooler, the Hulk is a force to be reckoned with, and Captain America is America’s superhero, but it’s hard to beat a Norse god and his mighty hammer.

Kev’s response: Thor is a full-blown deity, you know. Perhaps not in the Marvel Universe, however. He is filled with much awesomeness – and Chris Hemsworth has done an excellent job portraying him in the Thor part. 🙂

Click here to read the rest of my interview on Kevin’s super-fabulous blog!

About Kevin Rau

Kevin Rau is the author of six novels, including the H.E.R.O. series, an Illustrated Guide, and short stories in the SciFi/Superhero genre. He also does character art. He launched the Author Interview pages to promote fellow authors and create some cross-links back to their websites or social networks within the interview. Visit his interview page for more great interviews from other authors. For more information about his work, visit KevinRau.com.

Thor’s Battle Against the Jötnar (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge is public domain.