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Maryann Miller

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The Gift: A Short Story Kindle Edition

by Maryann Miller (Author), Dany Russell (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 41 ratings

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Ralph has been like a grizzly bear in a dark cave for too long, and Stacey gets a wild idea to buy him a puppy for Christmas. Maybe that will make him smile. But that plan gets detoured when she meets a homeless man who has much more to be depressed about than Ralph.

"The Gift" is a story to warm your heart at the holiday season, or any day of the year. It comes from the author who won the Page Edwards Short Story Award for "Maybe Someday," one of the stories in her collection THE WISDOM OF AGES, which is also available here on Amazon.

REVIEWS FOR THE WISDOM OF AGES
"These three gems will make you think about time and how you use it. Maryann Miller has a rare gift for taking the pulse of ordinary lives and spinning that into extraordinary tales." -- Craig Lancaster, author of 600 Hours of Edward and The Summer Son

"Miller shares her skills as a writer and her humanity in this inspiring glimpse into the realities of aging and the heartbreak of letting go." Paula Stallings Yost Editor/Author, What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest

"Sometimes the best stories come at the end of our lives, and so do the strongest lessons. Read Maryann Miller's poignant vignettes about aging and let them tug at your heart-strings. They capture the very essence of our tender humanity." ~ Dani Greer, author, editor and Special Projects Coordinator for Little Pickle Press,

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B018RJHPGW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ MCM Enterprises (November 29, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 29, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 321 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 10 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #3,105,749 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #10,916 in Holiday Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #19,418 in Holiday Fiction (Books)
- #43,205 in Single Authors Short Stories

Customer Reviews:
4.1 41 ratings

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Maryann Miller

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Maryann Miller, an award-winning author, has been in love with story-telling since she was a child and used to scare her sister with stories of the monsters in the cellar. Those tales were never written down. They were always whispered in the dark, and when Maryann started writing stories, they were different types entirely.

As a young child, she didn't consider that she would grow up to be a writer. She fancied herself quite the singer and thought she would someday sing in front of crowds of thousands. Alas, that proved to be more dream than reality.

At another point in her childhood, she dreamed of being an actress, but it took many years before she was brave enough to give it a try. For fifteen years she was the Theatre Directer at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts where she directed shows for some time before getting brave enough to step on stage. It appears she was more suited to acting than singing, and she has since starred in several productions at various community theatres in East Texas.

A diverse writer of columns, feature stores, short fiction, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Maryann has won numerous awards including being a semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for her screenplay, A Question Of Honor. She has also received the Page Edwards Short Story Award and the 2015 Best Mystery award for Doubletake.

Miller lives in a small town in NE Texas with one dog, and four cats. The cats rule! She has been writing all her life and plans to die at her computer.

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4.1 out of 5

41 global ratings

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Glenda

Give a Heartwarming Gift to Yourself and Share It...

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

The Gift is a gift for all readers who need a bit of heartwarming joy to brighten the day.

Stacey had been putting up Christmas decorations and asked her husband to go shopping with her. Ralph simply replied, "What for?"

Trying to help Ralph come out of a depression, she wasn't having too much success...

Many people do not understand that a depressed person cannot just snap out of it. Stacey realized that she needed to step in since her husband wouldn't seek help... You may think that the picture of the cute puppy was the answer, but you'll be wrong.

What really happens is a tiny little miracle that could not have been anticipated... That makes this story all the more heartwarming. Read it and give it to a friend...

GABixlerReviews

One person found this helpful

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Morgan Mandel

Great Characterization and Portrayal of the True Christmas Spirit

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2016

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I highly recommend The Gift: A Short Story, as a great thought-provoking, sweet read. The author does a marvelous job of getting into the minds of everyday people facing real problems.

The main character, Stacey's generosity reflects the true Christmas spirit. Her generosity presents a unique way to not only help a stranger, but also her own husband, through a difficult time.

One person found this helpful

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Heidi

A sweet story, but needed a bit more

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is one of those reads that suffers a bit due to its brevity. The reader doesn’t really get to know the characters well, not too much development happens, and the reader is left wanting more.

Though most of the story flowed fairly well, the ending was very abrupt. The resolution was concluded in one small paragraph at the end, and there were several questions left unanswered. With the ending, it didn’t really make sense with the storyline to have several days of the same routine, but then the next day everything changed. It would have been nice to see what was it that made the change occur.

Overall, this was a sweet story, but needed more depth and a more thorough ending. I would recommend this to those who like short, sweet Christmas stories.

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016

Verified Purchase

What a lovely story about the complex relationship between a husband and wife. Set during the Christmas holidays, this couple struggles to connect and find the joy in the season. However, this is more than a holiday story. It translates wonderfully as a reminder that we can find joy through the simple acts of thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity. This story reaffirms that we are all part of mankind. When we step away from our own troubles and look around to see that others also struggle, we can heal not only our own concerns, but change the circumstances for others - even complete strangers.

One person found this helpful

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N Costello

Nice story

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017

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Stacey's husband had a heart attack and is very moody and she doesn't know what to do to cheer him up. I was really enjoying this story but, to me, it ended too abruptly.

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Polly Iyer

A Lovely Story of Hope

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2016

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A woman's quest to bring her husband out of his self-inflicted depression takes a surprising turn when she buys him a puppy and gives the puppy to a homeless man instead. Two men, dealing with life in different ways, come together over a puppy.

One person found this helpful

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Kathleen

Somewhat disappointed

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016

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I'm sorry, but I could only rate this book with a three. To me, the story was just okay.I found the story was too short and had gaps. I didn't find the characters were developed enough. I was disappointed in the ending. No spoilers here, but I think the story could have been improved by knowing how the depression was lifted. I felt the ending was left open ended, perhaps on purpose so there could be a sequel.

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ChattyCathy

A LOVELY QUICK READ TO WARM ONE'S HEART

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2016

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A lovely short story of patience, kindness and love. What better could come from a Christmas story? The Author writes with such clarity into living with a loved one battling depression.

Although a short story, I hungered for more!

One person found this helpful

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R.M. Gauthier

Delightful Read

Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2016

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'The Gift' by Maryann Miller is a cute short novella about a woman attempting to cheer up her depressed husband for the holidays. The story was short and sweet offering an original idea I had not read before. The only problem with this story was that I wanted more. I wanted to know what when on with the men she was trying to help. This story was a delightful read especially at the holidays. Kudos to this author.

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