And They Danced ‘Til
Midnight
D. Wilburn
ISBN: 1-4196-7213-4
ISBN-13: 978-1419672132
24 pages (including front and back matter)
Ordering Information:
Andtheydancedtilmidnight@yahoo.com
Variety is the spice of life—and of books—as
indicated in And They Danced ‘Til Midnight by D. Wilburn. This
captivating book of short stories is extremely well-written by a
talented author and addresses many different subjects that will keep the
eyes of readers riveted to the pages. There is definitely something for
everyone, and I personally found every selection to be mesmerizing; this
is very unusual for me as I have strong preferences as far as reading
material is concerned. How did the author accomplish this? I
don’t know other than D. Wilburn’s imagination and creativity spun words
and plots very precisely and craftily into webs of intriguing
entrapment. Also, it is obvious the author enjoys the art of
storytelling. In the next couple of paragraphs, I am going to provide
you with some teasing tidbits of information about some of the stories
and know that you will want to read more.
Imagine that you are the pet of a young boy named
David, and you watch from Heaven as your neighbors hungrily devour your
body! There’s more than one lesson to be learned here.
A sleepwalker, who suspects her boyfriend is
cheating on her, ends up being a suspect as other women are murdered
with their hearts being cut from their bodies. Though her heart was
broken, at least it was given a chance to heal.
Are there any individuals with compulsions reading
this review? If so, you will relate to Lisa who compulsively did many
things in fives. She was given some good advice that she didn’t follow
and ended up screaming five times and beyond. While on the subject of
advice, I suggest that when you love someone you tell them. When this
advice is repeated by many others—in supernatural ways—rush to that
person you love and say those three precious words before it is too
late. You will better understand this warning when you read Tell Him
You Love Him. And speaking of being too late, I think readers will
ponder the lessons in The Path to Odyssey. In order to save
their lives, would individuals leave the modern, comfortable, wealthy,
and technical world behind, surviving by learning the old ways of their
ancesters? What could have happened that would lead to such a
decision? Could it have been stopped?
Most readers enjoy time travel—whether into the
past or future. When you read David, you won’t stay in the
present, but ultimately will witness historical events and see that true
love is worth fighting for. How many individuals would be willing to
leave loved ones and risk death to find God in themselves? The author
addresses this in one of her shorter stories entitled To Find God in
Me, proving that stubbornness can resemble stupidity. Mrs.
Peterson and the Preacher was one of my favorites, although again, I
found myself thinking about the stupidity of people who learn lessons in
life too late. It is a horror story that you know is going to have a
bad ending, but unfortunately, we readers can’t warn the characters.
When I read I want to Live, it stirred up many emotions….most
of all, there was sadness. What happens when Janice sees the baby she
aborted standing before her as a living, breathing young woman? Even
more importantly, why had she come into her life? Was she on a
mission?
We hear many sad stories about stepfathers, but in
The Step Dad, we find one who actually rescues his stepdaughter
from a Closet Monster. There is much action and adventure in this
story.
In The Book of Kings, we learn how
far families will go in order to eat during a famine. Two families
participate in a plan to eat their sons but one mother doesn’t keep her
end of the bargain. In A Mother’s Love, readers are shown how
far a mother will go to get an antidote that will save her son from
turning into a bat.
The short stories that I have baited you with are
only bits and pieces from several of the fascinating ones included in
And They Danced ‘Til Midnight. The remaining stories are just as
unforgettable. If you are someone who enjoys reading short stories,
this is a “must read” book for you. I was impressed with the author’s
work and hope to read more of D. Wilburn’s writings in the future.
Bettie
Corbin Tucker
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
October 5, 2009
