Lives Reflected: Stories and Poems Looking Back At Choices Made In Life

By Shannon Muir

This eleven short story and twelve poem collection of works by Shannon Muir include many glimpses into the worlds of her series WILLOWBROOK SAGA, THE HEART'S DUTY, and THE PHOENIX COLLECTION, yet are completely enjoyable on their own. Many of the stories began as small teases on the Willowbrook Novels site and have finally been fleshed out into their own stories about the recent past of Willowbrook right before the Saga opens. A couple stories, such as the TOUCH THE STARS prequel "Star Gazing" (connected to the Willowbrook Novels) and "In The Phoenix's Shadow" (a story between the two books that comprise THE PHOENIX COLLECTION) have appeared in their entirety on the web. The tales "Arrow to the Heart" (part of THE HEART'S DUTY universe) and "A Somewhat Magic Man" are completely new to this collection. Additional all new offerings are the stories "Inspired by the Silver Screen" and "Showers," along with twelve new poems centering around choices made in life and the passage of time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shannon Muir
• Release date: Apr 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311942272

Shannon Muir

SHANNON MUIR's short stories include suspense and mystery elements such as those found in her first full-length story from Pro Se Press, CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS DOC AND SALLY IN "THE DEATH OF BUDDY TURNER". Additionally, she's written short stories for Pro Se Press such as “Tragic Like a Torch Song” in THE DAME DID IT from Pro Se Press, "Pretty as a Picture" in the anthology NEWSHOUNDS, “Tropical Terror” in CRIME DOWN ISLAND and “Hidden History” in EXPLORER PULP. She’s also written the Single Shot New Pulp tale “Ghost of the Airwaves,” a short story offered in electronic format only from Pro Se Press.From her personal self-published projects, her best known titles in this area include the rural crime series THE WILLOWBROOK SAGA.In other genres, Shannon's published short stories include “Meeting the Monster” in the Emby Press anthology SUPERHERO MONSTER HUNTER: THE GOOD FIGHT and "Cover Story" in ARIA KALSAN: MYSTERIES OF THE FUTURE.Shannon holds a BA in Radio-TV and English from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, which she considers to be her hometown. She also holds an MA in Communications from California State University, Fullerton, along with additional education in screenwriting, project management, library technician studies, and most recently a certificate earned with distinction in General Business with Emphasis in Marketing from UCLA Extension. Currently, she is working on a Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.She is married to FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY collaborator and fellow author Kevin Paul Shaw Broden. They live in California in the United States.She is a member of Sisters in Crime (national, Guppies, and Los Angeles, where she also served on the Los Angeles board for a two terms beginning in 2018), as well as the Toastmasters4Writers Chapter of Toastmasters International (where she serves as chapter Secretary), Women in Animation, and a Professional member of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Book preview

# # #

COPYRIGHT

LIVES REFLECTED: STORIES AND POEMS LOOKING BACK AT CHOICES MADE IN LIFE

Portions of this text are originally Copyright 2012, 2013 Shannon Muir.

Anthology Copyright 2013 Shannon Muir.

Smashwords Edition – First publication April 2014.

INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS edition – January 2017.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or an affiliated vendor and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

# # #

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COPYRIGHT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR'S NOTE

GRADUATION

THE LAZY D

WEATHER THE STORM

CALL TO FAMILY

MY LIFE WRITTEN IN FIREWORKS

INSPIRED BY THE SILVER SCREEN

TIME LIKE A SNAKE

IN THE PHOENIX'S SHADOW

SECOND WIND

STAR GAZING

MOVING OUT AND MOVING ON

SHOWERS

TO PAY THE COST

A SOMEWHAT MAGIC MAN

HOLIDAY DINNER

NEW BEGINNINGS

INTERTWINED

ARROW TO THE HEART

A NEW YEAR'S PROMISE

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

REFLECTIONS… TOO

COMPLICATED LOVE

NO REGRETS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

# # #

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This collection comes together at the end of what for me has proven a very eventful year. All the poetry in it is completely new. Most of the short stories are items I began as tidbits on the Willowbrook Novels site that I promised I would complete some time ago and only got to now. These titles are The Lazy D, Call to Family, New Beginnings, Enough is Enough, and Complicated Love (though this last piece appeared in its entirety). A book related to the Willowbrook Saga that also featured a short story previously published on the web, Star Gazing, also is represented here.

In addition, several tales come from other sets of stories. In the Phoenix's Shadow takes place between the two books in THE PHOENIX COLLECTION. A Somewhat Magic Man provides a different point of view for one of the characters from the TRUTH REVEALED universe. Arrow to the Heart takes place between the last chapter and Epilogue to THE HEART'S DUTY. However, they are written in such a way to be able to appreciate them in their own right.

The rest of the collection, including all of the poems, is completely new. The stories Inspired by the Silver Screen and Showers both came to me during the weekend that I wrapped up compiling this collection and I wanted to include them. Everything included falls into the theme of looking at life, either by looking back at the past or having to make present day choices that could affect the future.

I hope you enjoy the contents, and from there either may either be inspired to read other works of mine or better understand characters you may have already read about.

Shannon Muir

Glendale, CA

December 2013

ADDITION TO THE INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS EDITION

As mentioned here, many of these stories come from books in the SPONTANEOUS CHOICES series, or THE WILLOWBROOK SAGA. The TRUTH REVEALED universe mentioned above has changed into being the world of MYANNA MOORE, a private investigator I’ve started writing about in another line of books. Those events are now part of her backstory, and I encourage you to look into those stories to see what all is in store.

Shannon Muir

Glendale, CA

January 2017

# # #

GRADUATION

I look at you cross the stage

Paper handed to you

As you turn life's page

Dressed regal in cap and gown

Given keys to break life's cage

I wonder what you will choose

As your life's direction

And I realize that I

Cannot be protection

For you to be free and grow

Dreams must be your conception

Thank you, dear, for letting me

Lead you on to this place

With all my tender love

And heartfelt care and grace

Know I'll be always proud

Together we ran this race

# # #

THE LAZY D

James Daniels labored in the kitchen of the Lazy D Restaurant, a family barbecue joint that served as the labor of his love and life. An older man with hair just going grey, his portly figure indicated a love of cuisine. Ever since his darling wife passed away so many years ago, he took a barn on the property near the main road of town that used to serve as a common place for square dancing and other social gatherings and created the restaurant that became known as the Lazy D. Though in all honesty, the restaurant originally began as his darling Genevieve’s dream. As the oldest daughter, she’d inherited the family