Home for the Holidays by Valerie Allen is a charming short story full of hope, forgiveness, and the power of music. When Mick shows up at Harmony House, a place for the homeless to receive a hot meal, Father Joseph welcomes him with open arms,...

Zack and Annie are eloping, but it will hardly be a happily-ever-after. Each of them has an ulterior motive for their whirlwind romance and marriage. The only problem is that each doesn't recognize that the other is only in for a marriage of convenience. There...

Watching a loved one struggle with memory issues is difficult. It takes a kind, patient person like Silvie to help. But, as the anger surfaces along with the confusion from lost memories, it makes the caring task more than just difficult. Silvie is very patient...

A License To Practice by Valerie Allen is a gripping short story about parenting, and how they can misjudge certain situations in their teenager's life. It shows how they can go off the handle at the slightest point of misinterpretation through snooping. A License To...

Holly and Grace are enjoying a lengthy discussion about holiday traditions. They argue about the restrictions placed on society to express their joy of the season, like saying “Merry Christmas”, and the weight of the political correctness society has been burdened with. The conversation comes...

Holiday House Rules is a story about a family that is drawn together during the Christmas holiday. What makes their relationship unique is that the main characters have secrets and they have to interact with one another. There is a slice-of-life appeal in this book,...

Mother Knows Best is a short story by Valerie Allen. Bobby has finished high school and is working as a dishwasher in a restaurant to pay for his car insurance while he continues to live at home. His parents Maggie and Jimmy are extremely agitated...

Holiday Joy by Valerie Allen is a heartwarming story about Christmas miracles. Christmas is a happy time, but Jesse has sad news for his family. He was informed that he would be losing his job. With all the pending bills and Christmas shopping to do,...

I knew Fit for Life by Valerie Allen was a short story going in, but I was disappointed that it cut off in the way that it did. I mean that in a good way. When I started reading, I was wondering if this book...

Valerie Allen’s First Love twists your expectation of romance and loss. In this flash fiction piece of just under 750 words, Dick and Jane sit in the kitchen and discuss their daughter Mary’s plight; her first broken heart. The heartbreak is so devastating that it...

In Father’s Day, a short story by Valerie Allen, it is the last week of school for Brandon, an honor roll student who will be starting his senior year at high school next year. Brandon's mother, Deanna, is worried about her son after his AP...

No Goin' Home by Valerie Allen is a short story that explores divorce and the impact it has on families. Why do people get divorced, and who is to blame? On the day that Clayton Oakley goes to pick up his two sons, he has...

Potty Talk is a short story by Valerie Allen that explores the little details that can make or break a relationship. While cleaning a restroom, Daine overhears two women talking about their divorces. One of the women, Iris, discloses that after leaving the courthouse, she...

Puppy Love by Valerie Allen is a novella that explores the intricate relationship between a mother and daughter. Veronica does not get along with her opinionated mother, Madeline, and tries her best to ignore her, but this does not work. Madeline does not seem to...

Happy Horrible Halloween by Valerie Allen is a sweet book about a girl who comes home feeling extremely upset and horrified about something that happened at school. Aubree confides in her grandma about what happened. She tells her grandma that her teacher declared it a...

The Penalty Box is a short story by Valerie Allen. Three men happen to share a bench at the mall while waiting for the women in their lives. Two are married. One has planned a surprise marriage proposal for his girlfriend. One of the married...