The Laughter of Small Gods

I've been remise updating this blog. But I have good excuses. We moved to France, baught a 365 year old estate in Occitanie and have been renovating it when not creating a massive garden, and of course, I've been writing. 

 I’m quite happy to announce that just in time for my birthday last year a new book of my writings was released. Titled The Laughter of Small Gods, it is a collection of short stories written between 2010 and 2024. It is available on Amazon either in print or Kindle and is also available at other major outlets. For those of you who are fans of my last book A Feast at the Beach, this is not a sequel, though food, friends, and the passions of life do play a part in more than one of these stories. 

 And its had some wonderful reviews, including: 

"As if the gods saw my need for something to chew on, The Laughter of Small Gods arrived and revived my interest in the well-crafted, (very) short story. 

Mr. Widmaier's "short stories, poetry, mumblings, and whispers" awakened me. 

Through the bramble of the snippets of life and fantasy in The Laughter of Small Gods, Widmaier snakes the slightly longer Madame Chou Chou stories—stories which involve the author and his French friend Nicola as they dine on French cuisine and imbibe expensive wine while philosophizing, tempting the small gods looking on to intervene. 

And so they do, successfully. 

I urge you to buy this book." 

--James Martin, Wandering Italy 

 "None of the 24 pieces in this pleasantly short book are written alike: expect to be swayed by the sensuality of a young flirtatious woman in a city that no longer is, to then be plunged into the sheer terror of discovering that an asteroid is coming straight at your house. 

This beautiful, loving mess is topped by tales of futuristic travelers, and a lonely warrior, with a sprinkle of French life and culture, for our utmost enjoyment. 

'Un petit bijou', as we say in French. A little jewel." 

-- The French Sophie 

 "When the large gods aren't playing havoc with our lives, the small gods chuckle at our insights and missteps during our less troubled hours. That's what the stories in William Widmaier's wonderful book, The Laughter of Small Gods, is all about. 

The small pleasures are numerous and eventually fill a plate… and then a platter. I read these slowly, carefully. Some are very brief, and often what's left unsaid is far more important than the words on the page, and the stories can reverberate with the impact of a small thunderclap." 

-- Bob Tarte, award winning author of Enslaved by Ducks 

 I do hope you find some stories here that entertain, and maybe even move you.

Amazon.com: The Laughter of Small Gods: A book of short stories, poetry, mumblings, and whispers. eBook : Widmaier, William: Kindle Store