From the Foreword written by Matty Dalrymple: "Choice is the basis of every great story. Will Frodo accept the challenge of the One Ring? Will McMurphy flee or stay to stand up to Nurse Ratched? Will Neo choose the blue pill or the red pill? Authors and moviemakers have even explored the results of different choices within one story: Ambrose Bierce in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Frank Capra in It's a Wonderful Life, Blake Crouch in Recursion.
We turn to fiction because it lets us walk paths we may never take in life. Within the safety of the page, we can make the dangerous choice, the selfless choice, the foolish or the heroic one-and experience the consequences without suffering the costs. The act of reading becomes a rehearsal for living: a way to assess life's crossroads and return to our own lives with new insight and understanding.
In this second volume of Behind the Revolving Door, an Anthology of Choices, Ann Stolinsky and Ruth Littner have brought together a fantastic selection of stories based on choice: whether to relive one's past if there is no chance of changing it, whether to take action even if the consequences are unknowable, whether to trust or not to trust, whether to speak or be silent, kill or be killed. The contributing writers explore situations where the choice will have life-changing personal consequences: oblivion or memory? Family or friend? A path to one's heart's desire or to loneliness (seems like an obvious choice ... but is it?). The stories explore choices from the most personal to the most far-reaching-even the ultimate choice between saving humankind or saving the planet. Often these choices are made by the protagonist. Sometimes the protagonist suffers or benefits from the choices made by others.
The characters must pick which door to pass through, literally or figuratively ... and they invite you to join them.
So step through the door of this volume and join our heroes (and anti-heroes) as they make their choices."
Authors and the titles are: Joanna Galbraith, "The Jar of One Thousand Things;" Chester Rogalski, "Clear Blue Skies;" Elana Gomel, "Where the Forest Meets the River;" Ahmed Khan, "Traveler from an Antique Land;" Karen Keeley, "Shadows in the Moonlight;" Sarina Dorie, "Cinderella's Holo-wand;" Daniel Kason, "The Only Real Thing;" Jessie Keith, "Paths of Red;" C Lenz, "The Suitcase;" AM Sutter, "Liminal Messaging"; Glen Held, "Eliminate the Impossible;" Fendy S. Tulodo, "The Ledger of the Drowned Saint;" Cheyanne Brabo, "Heart of a Star Catcher;" Mark Granger, "The Valley That Wasn't There;" Stephen Coghlan, "No Mortal Shall Choose;" Laura J. Campbell, "Beholder;" B. Garden, "Pick a Door;" Diana Olney, "The Apples Are Always Ripe Now;" Isaac R Howard, "Articulate;" RL Schumacher, "My Own Worst Enemy;" Yvonne Ventresca, "Silence;" Camden Rose, "Scribbles;" Melinda Brasher, "Foolish Promises;" Kevin Novalina, "Against All Odds;" Mia Dalia, "Sunshine Girl;" Floyd Largent, "On the Fence;" David Harten Watson, "Escape from Reality;" Rosalie A. Peng, "The Dealer;" and Jennifer Lesh Fleck, "Cakes of Magnificence and Gravitas."
