Publisher's Synopsis
The Early Short Stories and Poems by American author Sam Figura includes 21 short stories and 16 poems published at the young age of 26. Sam Figura graduated from Lane Community College in 2017 and the University of Oregon in 2020, and his focuses were theatre arts and creative writing. Each short story and poem connects to the author's life in Oregon and his various passions and hardships along the way. Masterfully crafted and well-written, these stories were fictionalized to suit a general audience of readers. Written throughout the author's early life, these stories were compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic, revised multiple times, and dedicated to his Grandmother Laura Bonnie, who passed away during the pandemic because of advanced Parkinson's disease.
The first story Downstream Willy features an angler who encounters a large bear while fishing in the Siuslaw River. Mr. Biscuit is a comedy/drama about a family who brings an American Mammoth Jackstock Donkey into their duplex. A Stage Far Away is a tragedy about the unpredictable world of theatre arts. Who She Was is a creative nonfiction about the author's early upbringing and the experiences with his birth mother. Sachsenhausen follows an American exchange student to a Holocaust memorial site where he and his native German friend get so lost in the history, they get trapped there at night. The Persecuted Ones features the theme of Christian persecution in a public university. A Bird's Eye View is the author's earliest story which awarded him the EHS Creative Writing Award in 2013. Trapped takes readers into a creative writing workshop. The Autographs is about a best-selling author who experiences a tragedy at a book signing. The Grocery Store Robbery features a young teenager who makes a terrible mistake and has the help of a pastor to rescue him from his own bad choices. Once Upon a Dead Body connects to the final short story Voodoo Creek Road and features a group of innocent children who come across a dead body on the side of the road. Laura's Story is a creative nonfiction about one of the last moment's the author spent with his grandma, who taught him a lesson about anxiety and death. The final short stories The UFO, The Ice Dragon, 1868, The Werewolf on Hunter Street, Paralyzed, The Skateboarding Contest, Sparks from Fingertips, That First Cigarette, and Voodoo Creek Road follow the protagonist Seth Conway as he learns that certain events, whether good or bad, sometimes happen for a reason. Seth Conway is a skateboarder who experienced vivid dreams and nightmares, a mysterious notebook, sleep paralysis, a skateboarding contest, love at first sight, his first cigarette, and a killer who comes after him and his friends. All these experiences point to his belief that sometimes certain things in life happen for a reason. The book ends with a collection of poetry that connect with the author's faith, hardships, and passions. This collection of short stories is sure to bring you suspense, excitement, thrill, and laughter as you read through this 300 page book, each story different from one another, but connected in a unified way that is unique and special. You won't want to miss the Early Short Stories and Poems by Sam Figura.
