Judges comments:

Arresting openings, satisfying conclusions, excellent use of language … and a high level of readability …

Loved them all. Well-rounded and well-paced. Fantastic story ideas and with twists too … Candice Lemon-Scott

Quirky, thought provoking, humorous and original.

Strong characterisation, sense of place and observational power… Fellowship of Australian Writers

Intriguing stories and believable characters.

Vivid word pictures, with convincing metaphors, dialogue and scenes … Jean Brincat

Cultural, romantic and funny.

Thoughtful and family minded.

Alright I guess, but don’t forget to put the bin out … Elizabeth, John’s wife

Some say the short story form is in recent ascendency. Certainly it makes for challenging and succinct writing with no room for waffle, like now.

This collection of somewhat semi-fictional tales or as the author John puts it in automotive terms, frictional, somewhere between truth and fiction, attempts to put an atmosphere of love and realism into contemporary settings.

An ideal book to take on your travels with varying story lengths and themes to suit any length of trip and mood. This collection of shortlisted, commended and award winning stories has been combined with the author’s latest favourites.

Described as an emerging author, John has borrowed some snippets of other people’s lives and his own to create reading pleasure where smiling, cringing, tears and laughing are all possibilities. Overt signs of sighing, snorting, seat thumping in public are not obligatory so long as the book is held clearly in view. Promote local and Australian authors, OK?

Enjoy Wine by the Glass story by story if you don’t trust yourself with the whole bottle, sorry, book.