Close to a Flame

By Colleen Alles

Named one of Literary Hub's 100 Notable Small Press Books 2025

Finalist, National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA)

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1960329650
• ISBN13: 9781960329653
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Cornerstone Press
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"