Close to a Flame

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Named one of Literary Hub's 100 Notable Small Press Books 2025FINALIST, Literary Fiction, Midwest Book Awards (2026)FINALIST, Fiction, Society of Midland Authors Awards (2026)FINALIST, Short Stories, National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA) (2025)From a dive bar in Big Rapids, Michigan, to nowhere Ohio, and back, the characters in Close to a Flame are broken in the ways all people are. On a cross-country road trip, Robin can't stop thinking about her ex-boyfriend. Carol has grown increasingly unhappy in her long marriage to Gerald. On a summer Saturday, Christine comes through for Dalia in an important way. Pat takes his girlfriend, Katie, to San Francisco for what he hopes will be a romantic proposal. Beth's son, Jonah, gets called to the principal's office; and Jamie gets a scare from her elderly mother. With her radiant stories, Colleen Alles wants to tell you it's often the case that deep connections to other people . . . sometimes friends, sometimes sweethearts, sometimes spouses . . . help restore what's broken.

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Pages: 182, Paperback, Cornerstone Press