Author: Janet Gershen-Siegel

Review – Sarah’s Invention

I really love Sarah’s Invention, because its message is, in essence, that you can pull yourself out of poverty using just your ingenuity.

Because my father is an inventor, I know his experiences were in the back of my mind when I started to write this one.

I wrote this story during first quarter 2021.

Background

Sarah and her family are poor. Her mother and her brother both work several jobs. She’s just a nine year old kid in elementary school, so she’s not working. Yet.
Like a lot of kids, she mainly wants to use her after school time to play. And maybe do a bit of her homework. She is certainly not trying to change anyone’s life.

Plot

Alone in the family trailer after school, Sarah combines the contents of a few dozen different flavors of toothpaste and some coarse salt. When she brushes her teeth with her new concoction, it tastes horrible. But her teeth are the whitest they have ever been.

When her invention whitens her mother’s teeth, and it completely clears up the chewing tobacco stains on her brother’s teeth, Sarah’s mother LaToya decides they need to talk to someone about what to do next.

Characters

The characters are Sarah, her brother Randy, her mother, and the members of the law firm—Jenkins, Rollins, and Joan, a legal secretary.

Memorable Quotes {This Section is from the POV of Jenkins, a Lawyer}

It has been the weirdest day in the history of days, or at least it sure as hell feels like it.

I was having one of these days where I just have no idea how or if I’ll ever make it in the firm. You’re supposed to be a damned rainmaker, and bring business in. But it’s not exactly easy. I’ve been having a lot of those doubtful days lately.

Then in walks this woman—Joan said she didn’t have an appointment but hey I was free, so could I? Sure, what the hell.

Her name was LaToya Carling. And she had a tube of toothpaste with her. At least, that’s what she told me it was, but it was in one of those old guacamole tubes from the local fast food place.

She told me it could whiten teeth, and it had cured her toothache.

Now, I’m skeptical by nature, so I asked a bunch of questions. But at least I have the mental wherewithal to not laugh at the poor woman.

She said if someone brushed their teeth with it, that she could prove the stuff worked.

I called Joan back in, and she said she’d do it. She’s an older woman, with the weight of the world on her face and, a bit, on her teeth, which were dull.

And I said ‘were’ because I’ll be damned. The stuff worked as advertised. The moment Joan had rinsed her mouth, I swore her to secrecy. I would have to talk to old man Rollins. Mrs. Carling gave me the tube and I promised to have it analyzed.

It was maybe seven before Rollins could see me. Joan, God love her, stayed late. And we showed it to him. He was impressed.

It was his idea to see if the invention could be duplicated. It’s the only really good way to secure a patent. He was truly flabbergasted when I related what Mrs. Carling had told me: it was the work of her nine-year-old daughter.

The next few days were kind of a blur. I spent half my time working with Mrs. Carling to help her get the raw materials together for her daughter—and not to say why she was doing so.

The other half was divided between working with an analytical chemist, sending both Joan and Mrs. Carling to a dentist to be checked out, and discussing money with Rollins.

I even went to the trailer to watch the girl, Sarah, mix up the stuff again. This time, I tried it, and it worked like a charm. A little too well, I’d say. I look like a damned Osmond.

Rating for Sarah’s Invention

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways for Sarah’s Invention

Sarah is just a kid and has no idea what she is doing. She isn’t trying to invent anything. She really just wants to combine a bunch of different toothpaste types and flavors to see what they taste like.

I like to think that if something like this ever really happened, that lawyers like Jenkins and Rollins would have the wherewithal to not only help the family get the invention to market, but to also not exploit them.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

So, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline is a short story I wrote to try to get into an anthology.

Review – Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline

Yes, it’s really about that Lizzie Borden, from Fall River, Massachusetts.

I wrote this story during third quarter 2024.

Background

The Lizzie Borden House and Riverdale Avenue Books teamed up to create an anthology all about Lizzie. One of the suggested genres was time travel. So, I took that and ran with it.

Plot

When temporal criminal Franklin Milhouse goes back to the 1890s to try to save the Bordens from their daughter’s axe, it’s not to help them out. Rather, it’s to get Lizzie’s father to slay Joseph Kennedy, the father of JFK. And by doing so, propelling Milhouse’s ancestor, Richard Nixon, to the White House in 1960 rather than 1968.

But this is going to mess up so much of the timeline that time traveler Julia Rosen has to go back and undo it all. For bad news for the elder Bordens is good news for the timeline.

Characters

The future characters are time traveler Julia Rosen, her boss Sylvia Kowalsky, and Chief Engineer Kevin. Plus temporal criminal Franklin Milhouse. Future robotic AI characters are Grant and Betsy.

The characters from the past are Lizzie Borden, Andrew Borden, Emma Borden, and Abby Borden. These were all very real people.

Memorable Quotes {Julia’s Cover Story is She’s a Maid Named Julia Doherty}

A younger woman, her hair coming undone, looked in on the kitchen. “Are you the new maid?”

“Yes,” I said, elbows deep in suds.

“Of course she is. You’re such an ignorant girl, Lizzie,” said Mrs. Borden. “And you! Those dishes had better sparkle when you’re through with them. Don’t be taking all day, either. Oh, and, Doherty, a broken plate means you’re fired.”

“I understand.” Yeah, it’s official. I hate her.

“Could you also clean the front steps, please?” Lizzie asked me. “The pigeons made a bit of a mess.”

“You’ll do that on your own time,” said Mrs. Borden.

“Which one of us will?” I asked.

“Doesn’t matter to me. But while you’re paid by me, you’re working for me.”

I turned to Lizzie. “Sorry, but you’re on your own.”

“Ah, well, it was just a thought.”

“See, that’s your problem,” scolded Mrs. Borden. “Always trying to think when you haven’t got half a brain in your head. Such a stupid girl, don’t you think, Doherty?”

Well, this is awkward. “I, er, well, you don’t pay me to provide my opinions, ma’am.”

Mrs. Borden raised a hand as if to strike me, but then laughed. “See, Lizzie? You pay attention and you’ll get things right from time to time. Oh, and Doherty, you missed a spot.”

“I’ll go over that part again carefully. Thank you for your instruction.” And kiss my future ass.

Rating for Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline

The story has a K rating. Even though Borden probably really was a murderer, there’s nothing really about it on screen.

Takeaways for Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline

I think it’s okay. I was under a time crunch, and that probably shows. Also, while rereading, I discovered an inconsistency. Oh, well.

Short Stories and Novellas

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan could have been just another escape story. But I think it’s a bit more.

Review – Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan

I wrote this story during second quarter 2021. This was a year when I was writing every day, and I started the year off with various short stories. These were mainly from one-word prompts I wrote myself. For this particular story, the prompt word was X-axis.

Background

The vast, vast majority of the short stories from 2021 had no outline. There was no background, and no plan. I was flying by the seat of my pants.

But then again, so were the characters.

Plot

When four humans escape from a Ziranqui forced work camp, they do so in a stolen alien craft. They don’t understand the written language, and the instruments are unfamiliar.

And, they don’t even know how to point the craft toward Earth. But at least they’re free.

And then, they come across a planet…

Characters

The human characters are Chris Delaney, Lana Marshall, Zach Peyton, and Gail Aronovich. Tronian characters include White Wing, Golden Beak, Gray Down, Bright Plumes, and Gentle Whisper. If you haven’t guessed it by now, the Tronians are birdlike.

The story is from Lana’s point of view.

Memorable Quotes from Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan

Outer space is three dimensional. If you really want to get technical, all space is. But driving along on a country road on Earth, even if the road goes up and down in altitude, all you really need to know are two dimensions. Horizontal, the x-axis. And vertical, the y-axis. All the myriad variations on that particular theme are our directions. West, east, north, and south.

But space has more up and down, no matter what your garden variety science fiction show might lead you to believe. The familiar compass rosette goes in all directions, almost like a dandelion that’s gone to seed.

And so, our breakout from the forced labor camp is an extraordinary thing. I won’t deny that. But Delaney really has no idea where we’re going. I would tell him to pull over and ask directions, but I doubt speaking the right language for asking is possible. Or anyone knowing directions, anyway.

Or even effectively and semi-safely pulling over, for that matter. I’m sure he really doesn’t know how to fly this thing. We could be flying the alien version of going backward, and we would never know.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame Delaney, and I don’t mean to sound so critical. He got us out of the camp, and that was truly amazing all by itself. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. We all owe him our lives. But never has the expression ‘going from the frying pan to the fire’ ever been more apropos.

Rating

The story has a K+ rating. The characters have just gotten out of a horrible place. But they don’t really talk about it all that much.

Takeaways for Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan

One rather subtle bit is a callback to another short story I wrote in 2024, Alix’s Apocalypse.

When Gail mentions the Earth being hit with a ‘poisoned radiation beam’, it’s the exact same weapon which hits the planet in Alix’s Apocalypse. I like to think of them as being in the same universe and timeline.

Maybe Chris, Lana, and the others can come back and save Alix in some possible future sequel? I currently have no intention of writing a sequel. But never say never!

And as for the bad guys, the Ziranqui? I’ve used them in a few different stories, and I do believe they will show up in the third Obolonk trilogy as well.

I like Frozen Assets, as it’s a latter-day crime adventure, with a twist or two. In some parts, it’s almost like a caper story. Plus, I bet there are people who have really thought of doing this.

Certainly, after the killing of CEO Brian Thompson of United Healthcare, it’s obvious that a lot of people take exception to America’s current healthcare system and insurance coverage in general.

Review – Frozen Assets

I wrote this story during third quarter 2021. This was a year when I was writing every single day.

Background

Medical bills are outrageous in the United States. And what’s more expensive than organ transplants? But what if, somehow, that could change?

And would you help change it if it turned out the means were less than legal?

Note: I wrote this story long before Brian Thompson’s murder.

Plot of Frozen Assets

Grace and Theo stare down bankruptcy when Grace’s mother dies, leaving them with nearly a million dollars in unpaid medical bills. Complicating matters is the fact that Grace’s mother sometimes used her daughter’s insurance card, and Grace and Theo cosigned on the bills.

This means the debt survives even though Dottie did not. And it’s bills for procedures and transport like a transplant and a Medevac (medical evacuation via helicopter). That is some really big bucks, right there.

As they consider their next financial moves, Theo and Grace realize the solution to their financial issues is staring them right in the face: harvesting organs and selling them on the black market.

And that’s when the fun begins.

Characters

The characters are Grace (the story is from her point of view) and Theo Barton, retired doctor Max Schulman, Max’s daughter Laurie Drew, Robbie Drew, Gina Chun, and Max’s friends, Ben, Louie, Ken, and Harry.

Oh, and a winning Standardbred sulky horse named Alaskan Holiday.

Memorable Quotes

Laurie folded her arms. “He needs to nap.”

“Can we wait?” asked Theo.

“No. He’s got to nap now.”

Max’s shuffle had become unmistakable in the months they’d been getting together—and Grace could hear it.

So, why are you protesting all of a sudden?

And then Grace knew.

The holidays are coming up. And I bet you’re lonely.

“Laurie, would you like to come with us?” Grace blurted out as Max arrived.

Theo glanced over at his wife. Grace tugged on her right earlobe. It was an old signal they’d agreed upon decades ago. It meant tell you later. Theo nodded once.

“I’m sure Laurie would find our meetings dull,” said Max.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Laurie said. “Why don’t you let me judge for myself?”

“Er, okay,” said Theo. “Do you want to ride in our car, or should we take two?”

“Two, I would say.” Laurie looked at her father. “You need a sweater.”

“Bet you do, too,” Max said.

When they were in their car and had started driving, Theo turned to Grace and asked, “Why’d you invite her along?”

Grace put on her turn signal. “She won’t be happy until she can check us out. All we have to do is make the whole thing incredibly boring to her—but harmless.”

“So, we’ll be talking about the weather?” He snapped his fingers. “And we can discuss the finer points of the Designated Hitter rule.”

“Don’t make it so boring that even Max will be done with us.”

“I’m a retired accountant. I’m professionally boring.”

Rating

The story has a K+ rating. While nothing violent happens onscreen, there are a number of illegalities. And… you don’t want to know what’s in the ice cream truck.

Takeaways for Frozen Assets

The price of organ transplants and the existence of a black market are both very real issues these days. And while I don’t recommend a life of crime, something’s got to give.

Review – A School for Scavengers

Here’s where art imitates life. For I wrote A School for Scavengers while I was working part-time for an educational technology (edtech) company called Lexia.

I wrote this story during third quarter 2024. This is a quarter when I was writing every day.

Background

I had created the Ziranqui before and felt there could be more occasions to use them. This story turned out to be perfect for them. And I will most likely use the Ziranqui again!

Right now, they are serving as my pet bad guys.

The title is a reference to the Richard Sheridan book, The School for Scandal.

Plot for A School for Scavengers

After a devastating alien germ warfare attack that takes out nearly all of the adults, untrained Ava takes up the daunting task of teaching the surviving children around her how to read.

Characters

The characters are Ava Hillman, Randy, Troy, Tina, Frankie, Christy, Debby, and Sally. Eventually, I add a character named Jake. Ava is the main character, and I tell the story from her perspective.

I named Ava after my first grade teacher, Mrs. Hillman. Apparently, her first name was Marjorie. She also drew a picture of a bump and a stick figure to illustrate her name for the kids who couldn’t yet read.

That was … a while ago.

But back to Ava. She’s only alive because she was in a special program. But other adults were not so lucky.

Memorable Quotes

“Yeah, I guess it was. But let me get back to what was going on just before the Ziranqui arrived. See, we had ways of communicating over vast distances. Before anyone asks how we how that works, my answer is: I haven’t the foggiest.”

“Why don’t we have these things now?” asked Christy.

“Blame the war,” said Ava. “All the stuff needed to keep that stuff going? It just fell apart.”

“Will it ever go back to the way it was?” asked Sally.

“I don’t know. I hope we can at least get some of it back.” God knows I would love for there to be electricity again before I die.

“You were talking about these communications things,” said Troy.

“Yes. Well, even from outer space, the Ziranqui could hear a lot of the signals we were broadcasting. So, they started to manipulate it. And, in turn, they started to manipulate us. They did so by spreading what’s called misinformation. They cause one country to think another one was going to attack them. They did that a lot. So, a lot of countries went to war.”

“Why did they do that?” asked Sally.

“They did it because, fundamentally, the Ziranqui are lazy. They didn’t want to have to trouble themselves with conquering us if they could have us take care of the first third to half of our destruction all by ourselves.”

Rating

The story has a K rating. While it is post-Apocalyptic, the characters are all decent people. Ava swears maybe one time.

Takeaways for A School for Scavengers

This one has two possible endings. It’s really whether you want to end with something downbeat, or with something more positive. Frankly, while I’m a sucker for a happy ending, I think the downbeat ending is better.

The happier ending is a bit more tacked-on, I feel.

Review – A Chance Encounter in Time

One of the more notable things about A Chance Encounter in Time is that it represents the first appearance of character Sharon Ensley. I grew to really like Sharon, and would love to create a series for her.

I wrote this short story during second quarter 2021. This was a year when I was writing every single day until November, when I switched over to NaNoWriMo.

Background

While I was not exactly looking for another way to use the Obolonk universe, it almost chose me. So, in a way, this story is a way to find other uses for that universe. After all, it’s far too well-developed to just forget about it.

I also was not necessarily looking to write a story about the West Islip Public Library, but here we are anyway. With my mother’s death in 2023, any writing about WIPL is kind of special. It was her last employer.

Plot

Time traveler Sharon Ensley seems to be stuck in August of 2001 when her temporal disc cracks. But when she meets Tim Parker and he offers to try to solder her disc back together, the two start to work together.

But then Sharon uncovers a major change to the timeline which is clear proof that someone has tampered with the events of 9/11.

Characters

The major human characters are Sharon Ensley and Tim Parker. There are some more minor human characters who are Sharon’s colleagues. The only one with any real screen time is Marlon.

Obolonk characters are They Say This One is Very Efficient (her assistant) and They Say This One Holds Time Close. The latter runs the time travel organization.

Sharon mentions a temporal sensitive like Josie James, but never identifies that person.

Memorable Quotes {Sharon Explains Hawhoa to Tim}

“The disc creates the field after I give it a command. And then away we go. But no matter what, I should tell you about Hawhoa.”

“Ha-what?”

Sharon smiled for a second. “We don’t use pure water anymore, not really. We use Hawhoa.”

“Use?”

“Yeah—to drink, bathe, flush, water the plants, you name it.”

“But don’t we need water to survive?”

“We sure do. But see, there’s a ton of space in atoms. And…”

“Excuse me? Aren’t atoms really tiny?”

“Yep. But there’s empty space in them. Hawhoa takes the two hydrogen atoms and the one oxygen atom in regular water, and it crushes everything together slightly.”

“How slightly are we talking about?”

“Smaller than bacterial flagella. To use the technical term, teeny weeny.”

“Technical, heh. Why is that done in the first place?”

“The very slight increase in density makes it possible to use fewer water molecules to accomplish whatever you want to do, like wash your socks.”

“Wait, so this is a form of recycling?”

“More like cutting waste, but yeah. It makes it possible for more people to live in one space or another.”

“So, the future is crowded?”

“Yep. And Hawhoa is a bit more viscous than regular water. Don’t want you to try to take a shower and think it’s just clear jelly coming out of the showerhead.”

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways

I really love some of the inventions that I came up with to move this story along, including multiphasic glyphs, Hawhoa (pronounced hey-whoa), and the Sapient Timeline Theory. Oh, and Carter Bando’s Rules of Time Travel. There are also a transportation disc (I also call it a temporal disk), a utility disk, and an information disc.

The transportation disc is fitted with a semi-living organism that helps to direct time travel. In a way, it ends up giving more depth to the time travel technology which I showcase in Time Addicts. Since Sharon is from a lot later than Josie (I may change that), it makes sense that the tech would change.

I like Sharon a lot and this is a great story to use as a springboard to maybe an entire series about her. We’ll see.

But the Obolonk universe is a mighty big tent. It would be a shame to waste it.

Review – A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

In the quest to write the ultimate ‘fish out of water’ story, I wrote A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults.

I wrote this story during second quarter 2024. This was a quarter when I was writing every single day.

Background

I love the idea of someone just kind of being tossed into an odd situation not of their own making. Because that is precisely what happens to both Flora and Thomas.

Plot of A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

When Flora Levy receives her inheritance, it’s just a stack of books. But one of them is Fairy Tales for the Skeptical Adult.

And when she starts to read the book out loud, a sudden crash alerts her to the fact that this has somehow summoned a character from the book.

Can a modern woman and a character from a book fix problems in two very separate worlds?

Characters

The human characters include Flora Levy, Florence Levy (her great-grandmother), Prince Thomas, King Richard, Queen Catherine, and Constance Selene. Animal characters include Auburn, Robert, Brownie, Quicksilver, and Swift.

Much like a lot of other fantasy tales, the animals talk. And to make them a bit like I suppose the Disney version of Cinderella, the animals even help out. Therefore, you see Auburn (a red fox) arranging Flora’s hair for a banquet. Robert the mouse is a scribe and does calligraphy.

In fact, the animals are considerably more trustworthy than a lot of the humans turn out to be. #spoileralert

Memorable Quotes

Flora cautiously crept toward the source of the crash. It was the next room—the Victorian house had a lot of small rooms—a place where she grew plants, both flowers and some vegetables.

She turned the corner in the small hallway and came face to face with the source of the crash. It was a man of perhaps forty, wearing breeches, stockings, brogans, and a brocaded cloak over a cambric shirt.

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, open-mouthed. The intruder was… different.

You make no sense. Finally, she found her voice and, absurdly, brandished the thermos. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?”

“I, I,” he began, in an upper class British accent, “I’m the man of your dreams.”

Say what? “Buddy, you have no idea what is in my dreams.”

“I, I still am. It is I, your, your dream.”

“I’m not interested in some reject from a Renfest. And how the hell did you get into my house in the first place?”

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways for A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

I am not so thrilled with how I ended this one. It just kind of runs out of gas. But apart from that, I believe it works pretty well. Flora starts out a little like Sandra Bullock at the start of The Net. That is, she’s essentially alone.

I do like that this is one of the things that changes about her. But it’s not necessarily what a reader would expect.