The Twisted Road Ahead: An Anthology of Short Stories

* Finalist in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition - Short Story Genre (Florida Writers Association)

Our journey through life rarely follows a straight and narrow path. The road is filled with unexpected twists and turns and sometimes things are not as they seem. In The Twisted Road Ahead, John D. Ottini leads us on an excursion through eight suspenseful tales, each filled with joy, heartache, mystery, intrigue and a pinch of humor.

In "Tormented Heart" Austin Drummond discovers that fulfilling his departed wife's final request is more than he ever bargained for. When tragedy strikes, Blake Thomas is left with a broken heart and a guilty conscience. Rather than searching within his heart for the forgiveness he needs, he decides that sometimes it's easier to just "Blame it on the Weather.

"In "One Shot to the Head,"* Brie's longtime boyfriend takes her for a romantic dinner on Valentine's Day, so she naturally assumes that he will at long last propose to her. What she doesn't expect is an evening that ends in humiliation. Diana is having a difficult time coming to grips with the loss of her only child. If that isn't enough of a burden,

"Disturbing Conversations" are leading her to believe she's losing her mind. In "Words to a Kill,"* Lucy's erratic post-accident behavior troubles her husband Sonny. When his brother Marco makes an unorthodox suggestion to help Lucy, can Sonny stand by and handle the alarming result?

"A Toast to My Sorry Life" finds Lena Dancer coming to the sad realization that her life is nothing like she thought it would be. Sometimes when dreams vanish into thin air, the only thing that remains is a desire for cold, hard revenge.

Also includes: "Forgiveness" and "The Beckoning Sunrise"