Odd Voices In Love by Charles Harvey

For those who love short stories.

This collection, Odd Voices in Love, includes the short works of prize-winning author Charles W. Harvey.

The title bears witness to love in lust and trouble. Unlike romance novels and stories, these epistles attempt to paint a candid picture of love and the yearning for love. You will note that unrequited or one-sided love weaves a subtle thread through these stories. Sometimes the object of the gushing affection barely acknowledges the bearer of the gift of love. The minister in Minister Q sees Sister Gloria as someone who merely vacuums the carpets. Cheeseburger, a young gang member in the story Cheeseburger, is unaware of Della and the life she's created for him in her head.  She loves him, and he unwittingly breaks her heart.

Love is troubling. Blues singers and poets have sung and mourned of "no-good women" and men long gone. Some love on the "down-low," as Avery and "Skate" do in My Manhood is Very Important to Me. Love is queer, violent, and even murderous. Serial killer Moses hoards his victim's underwear in a twisted effort to hold onto the essence of the men he meets and murders--It Began With Drawers. However, love is never dull. Affection expressed is often very explicit. Peep into Sister Gloria's bedroom as she and Robert X have sex. You've probably never considered a mouth of crushed ice to make your man happy.

Most of these stories have appeared in anthologies and even literary magazines--When Dogs Bark, Cheeseburger, and It Began With Drawers to name a few. However, Minister Q makes its debut in this collection. We apologize for the lack of Knights on white horses and damsels in distress. Then again, anyone in love is in distress.

In the end, I hope you've had a good reading experience and are moved to leave a review.