Böcker av Jim Shields

These are the people you could meet on any day in any town.Seasons of Affection is a collection of short stories set in the author's home town. A small, ordinary town inhabited by ordinary people, busy with the everyday task of living. Yet a central thread of caring pervades the days. Caring for partners and children, for wider family and friends. For the town itself; its heritage and history. Each of the characters is also searching for friendship, independence, affection, love and self-respect. As the seasons in the natural world transition in colour and personality, so too do the ordinary people in this ordinary town, revealing their hidden needs and their hidden selves in the pursuit of happiness.From tales set within the pandemic, as young and old feel their way through a dramatically changing world bedeviled by fake news, to tales from the Victorian era, it seems that the season may pass, but our affections remain true.

Life is a stage on which men, women, and children live daily dramas. These dramas shape and fashion our living. The street corners, homes, the everyday places are theaters, windows into a world of goings-on. Dramas are part and parcel of our existence, as we are all actors on life's stage without direction, constantly improvising and coping.As a child, observing grown-ups from a safe distance became a hobby for young Jim Shields. The stories in this collection have their origins in these observations, detailing lives of ordinary people coping with what comes their way. In the roulette of life, there is tragedy, comedy, sadness, and joy. Within the pages of this book, these all come into play.Shields writes from a small, sparsely furnished study-a haven of peace and quiet in the midst of the bustle of family life. It is here where he puts pen to paper. From the well of imperfect memory, inspiration grows, and black ink magically forms words. This collection is life as seen through a rearview mirror.