Cats & Other Tales Stories About People Hardcover Genesis Press, Inc. Twenty-nine Stories ISBN# 1-885478-85-2 List Price $15.95 by Marilyn Schoefer WagnerTable of Contents       Purchasing       Reviews |
![]() ![]() Author's CommentI am a story teller. As a child stories floated to my ears, but no one suspected I was listening. As I grew older, stories came to me with the intensity of whirlwinds needing to travel to another place. I am a conduit. "Hear my story," strangers plea, "for I cannot tell it further." Their faces disappear from my life, but their tales live in my heart. Like a stew that must simmer to become rich, Cats & Other Tales gestated in my head until I took up pen and gave the stories life. Some evolved from deep in my memory and are told by the voices of children. Others surfaced from encounters with internationals as well as quirky characters festering in small town America. Table of Contents1. Cats - a peculiar man tweaks cat lovers2. Pas de Deux - a widower's children's mischief 3. Thai Bride - escape from exploitation 4. New Shoes - if dogs could talk... 5. Rattlesnake Grass - sibling rivalry resolution 6. Golfer - managing an encounter 7. Hidden Baggage - an escapee projects the image of an innocent 8. Slime-Bucket - a ghoul makes his play 9. I'm an American - the predicament of abiding by the customs of ancestry. 10. Mailboxes - drive-by snooting 11. Cacophony - the stress of pretension 12. Upset Stomach - an excuse 13. Lazy Day Before Thanksgiving - a love story 14. Secret Agent - of romance and betrayal |
16. Second Helping - a persistent old roué plies his trade with a young woman 17. Counter Intelligence - compassion and avarice in conflict 18. Soccer Groupie - a child's secret 19. Night Assault - any port in a storm 20. Bar Flies - friends or lovers? 21. Cat Lady - house sitter from hell 22. Impromptu Fantasy - coping with the stranger she loves 23. Lulu Switches Lanes - futility in an abusive situation 24. Fraidy Cat - fear's solution for a disabled woman 25. Listening - a writer's unblocking 26. Yacht Club Trophy - Connie's quest for acceptance compromises her 27. Trepidation - not all first impressions are right 28. Lampshade - a stalker -dog thief pursues an undercover agent 29. Elizabeth Amelia - an identity crisis Purchasing |
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Reviews
Bonnie Hearn The Fresno Bee
Once in a great while a writer comes on the scene who has the unique ability to observe all that makes us human, and then give it back to us in haunting stories that once read, remain a part of us forever; Marilyn Schoefer Wagner is such a writer. Her debut collection of short stories is a smorgasbord of character studies, morality plays, and human insights.
Reading Cats and Other Tales is like spending an evening in an art film theatre, seeing a series of suprising and subtly crafted stories.
I loved Cats & Other Tales. In fact, I stayed up late to read the entire book in two nights. The vocabulary was impressive. I loved the diversity of words which was hard reading for me--I am French-until I picked up the rhythm. I could not put the book down.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cats. Marilyn Schoefer Wagner's stories have great variety and surprising depth. I am so glad to have the opportunity to read them at home and in the quiet.
Marilyn Wagner, she does write; writes well with a good ear and eye. Her people are absolute originals - often oddballs and misfits, troubled souls. It's always a joy to get to know them.
Over the past years it's been my delight to publish a number of Marilyn Wagner's provocative pieces of short fiction and, as do all editors, I relished the thrill of having "discovered" an exciting new talent. The first piece we offered dealt with a fellow who served croquettes made of the meat of cats to cat fanciers, which was not what I'd expected from the sophisticated woman who'd told me, shyly, that she was a writer. And what a writer she turned out to be!
Wagner's stories in Cats & Other Tales make you feel they really happend and you were there. Her insights reflect her varied and rich experiences. Marilyn's sensitive handling of characters causes the reader to reflect on his own experiences.
After retiring from our San Francisco careers and moving to the Northern California coast several years ago, we began searching for new interests to replace the tired old city stuff. We were pleased to find a lively and creative literary environment permeating the area, from the ocean bluffs to the coastal valleys. However, many of the local authors soon became predictable. Eventually we chanced to read a short story entitled CATS by Marilyn Wagner in a local literary journal. CATS was a delightfully naughty story about a Cuban gentleman's unusual dinner menu. The story's lack of political correctness made us smile then howl with laughter. We have since looked forward to each new story by Ms. Wagner and have not been disappointed. Each story seemed to have been snagged like a fly ball headed over the outfield fence. Imagine our surprise watching one of Marilyn's footballs or basketballs as it ricochets off some poor soul's bat. We hope that she never learns the rules of the literary game. |