"Offline" a short story by Kealan Patrick Burke

"Offline" by Kealan Patrick Burke

"Death doesn't need a connection"

review by Robert Brouhard

Kealan Patrick Burke is one author of which I try to read everything he does (Ronald Kelly is another). His latest scoop-of-the-minute is "Offline" which he just posted today on Smashwords!

I think this might be his first digital-only release, and as an owner of an e-reader, but a lover of physical books...I...I'm okay with it. It is a NEW story by Mr. Burke after all!

At 5,730 words (aproxomiately, per the Smashwords site), it may be short, but the words are not wasted because it is almost all plot-driven "chat." There are no long wordy descriptions of the lint stuck in someone's naval or the moldy sandwich that was left in the dusty corner. The story is told through the transcripts of "Josh" and "Mandy's" online conversations on a certain social networking site. This style adds bits and pieces of wonderful "ah ha" moments to the reader slowly, and that really adds to the tension of wanting to find out what is going to happen as a result of this online relationship. The easy chatting style is all too familiar... and the creep factor may be too, but hopefully not. I felt like a voyeur going through someone's chat history at times, and I enjoyed every minute of it. For now it is on Smashwords in all eBook formats and it'll be on Amazon's site soon too).

The story is well worth the current ultra cheap download price. While you're there, pick up Kealan Patrick Burke's other great eBooks too! Some are even free! You will see amazing prices for amazing stories and every penny is worth the ride you are going to take! If you skip lunch tomorrow, you can probably afford every eBook he has available. I highly recommend The Turtle Boy/Timmy Quinn series as a great jumping-on point for Mr. Burke's writing (it was my first), and the whole series, so far, is available in one volume: Stage Whispers: The Collected Timmy Stories.

And with that, I'll leave you with a tasty excerpt from the "May 7, 2010" part of "Offline":

...

Mandy: lol. Blonde moment. Sorry.

Josh: yeah, but you're not blonde  : - )

Mandy: I am actually  ; - )

Josh: in your picture you are, but you're originally a brunette, right?

Mandy: how do you know that?

Josh is offline

...