Genre: Short Story
Description:
“What goes through the mind of a man lingering on Death Row when he
falls in love with a country western singer-songwriter he has never met?
A guitar picker is convicted of a crime he cannot remember committing.
He is sentenced to die by lethal injection for a murder he may not have
committed. While being booked into jail he is introduced to the music of Kayla
Ray. Her down to earth style and southern twang captivates him. The words of
her songs move him.
As the condemned man is waiting for his appeal to make its way through
the court system Kayla’s music fills him with melancholy and yearning he had
not experienced in years. He falls in love with her voice and the lyrics of her
songs. His love for the woman he’s never met sustains him though the lonely
days and the even lonelier nights in prison. As his date with death approaches,
the convicted killer tells his life story to a reporter. The young writer
promises to share the tale with the world.
Learn how an unrequited love can alter a doomed man’s outlook. How
does his love for a woman he will never meet affect his thinking? Will it help
him remember the details of the crime for which he’s been sentenced to die?
Does he ask forgiveness from a god he has never had any use for? And, how does
the reporter deal with the information that has been shared?”
Author:
A review of J.R. Wheeless’ available biographical information leaves
me better than clueless, but barely. It appears that he’s currently living a
nomadic lifestyle, mainly bouncing around the southwest US in an RV. He has several
books available that range from short stories to short story collections, to
collections of random thoughts, with a novel or two thrown in. For more, visit his blog or page on Facebook.
Appraisal:
It feels like I should lead off with a disclaimer. Whether a story
appeals to a specific reader or reviewer has a couple big factors. The first is
the obvious, how skillful the author was in weaving an entertaining story that
would appeal to many, if not most people. We differ enough that even this isn’t
always straightforward. This story got me in that way. The second is the unpredictable
factor, what is there in the story that resonates with the specific reader that
might not be nearly as meaningful to a random potential reader. This story got
me in that second way as well.
As mentioned, this story has both aspects for me. I found the story
compelling. The protagonist, Lyle, had stumbled through life, sometimes struggling
and other times seeming to be on top of the world. Music is one aspect of life
that is important to him, not only as a listener, but as a sometimes performer.
Then something happens and he finds himself arrested and waiting for the end on
death row. How the story evolves and works out kept me involved. I liked Lyle,
as I think most readers will. Whether or not he is guilty is up in the air. A
reporter, who makes a brief appearance at the beginning and end isn’t sure
either. Reading this may get you pondering the death penalty, whatever your
thoughts on it.
To most of you, Kayla Ray, the singer Lyle has fallen for from afar is
probably not one you’ve heard of. This is where I find myself in a different
place than the average reader. Music obviously plays a big part in this story
and I find Lyle explaining his musical likes and the names he drops falling right
in line with the music I gravitate to. Even Lyle’s obsession, Kayla Ray, is
someone I’ve heard a few times performing online on a Facebook page called
Sequestered Songwriters. Had someone set out to pull me in and to feel a kind
of kinship with the story’s main characters they couldn’t have done better.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 10-11,000 words
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