If you are a lover of short stories then you will be delighted to hear that Callan native Joe Kearney has just published his story collection, titled ‘The Beekeeper and the River.’ Joe Kearney is originally from Callan and is an award winning documentary maker, writer and contributor to RTE’s Sunday Miscellany.
The cover blurb will tease the reader: “A river flows through a small town. Its waters are witness to destructive passion, murderous secrets, heartbreaking love and complex revenge. The revelations shine a light into seeming everyday lives and into the moments and actions that shape who we are.
This evocative collection both dazzles and delights. The stories are drawn together and entangled by the river in a manner that is as satisfyingly crafted as a novel.
One of his short stories is called Moon Arch and the book cover gives the following synopsis:
“It became known that Bugler could tickle trout. Knowledge was power. He’d only go so far revealing his technique. Would never reveal the secret of how he’d work his fingertips gently up from the fish’s tail and massage the belly. When he reached the head he switched from gentleness to a fierce grip. Life could be like that, so why reveal your secret.”
An extract from another story: “ I never heard her approach. She carried her shoes in her hand. She was beautiful – really beautiful. Her hair, white blonde, gleamed in the moonlight and was arranged in a soft pageboy about her face. She wore a military style jacket draped about her shoulders. But the most remarkable aspect of her appearance was the saxophone. She carried a bright saxophone against her shoulder as someone might carry a gun. The instrument caught a shaft of moonlight that was reflected back at me like a signal pulse.”.
Joes collection of short stories, The Beekeeper and the River has just been published. It will be launched in January. Meanwhile it is available through Ballpoint Press at ballpointpress1@gmail.com, 086 8217631 or directly from Joe at 087 2633041
