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“She caressed the faded ribbon and thought of returning it to the secret drawer. Realising that this would only perpetuate the dream, she tenderly dropped it. The love knot burned, closing an unfulfilled chapter in her life.”

– from the story Kismet, published as part of Portraits of the Past, a collection of short stories and flash fiction by Michael Whelton (2018)

Life, death and all things in between, including the decisions that we make or have thrust upon us, and how we face the consequences; how we allow those consequences to shape our destinies. These are among the poignant moments and personal epiphanies skilfully captured in a carefully blended collection of bittersweet tales, told with honesty, candour, plenty of humour and never a dull moment, though the characters in these stories often seem to dwell in a certain twilight.

Written with keen observation and rare insight, these are moments that are meant to be captured, revealing as they do, the intensity of living in this world and the understanding of what it means to be alive within it.

The city of Cork, where the author was born and spent most of his life, is very much in the background but also to the fore in his writing. Much like what Joyce did for Dublin, the author does for his own native city, with his naturalistic depictions that allow time to stand still for just long enough to afford the reader a glimpse inside

Michael Whelton (born 1938) sadly passed away in 2020. At the time of his passing, he was a retired medical doctor who had also devoted a significant part of his life to arts, literary and other pursuits. He travelled extensively, having lived and worked in Ireland, Britain and the USA. He was also a devoted family man and is fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Published on this day in 2018 Portraits of the Past by Michael Whelton is a collection of short stories and flash fiction, published in Ireland under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print and e-book editions.