And Then It Rained

by C.W. Lovatt

From the best-selling author of the Charlie Smithers books.

A collection of award-winning short stories.

Rain, that natural wonder, so natural, in fact that often it comes and goes scarcely noticed. However, metaphorical or otherwise, there are times when rain brings with it great change, causing the breath-taking beauty of rainbows or the cataclysmic destruction of floods, with equal indifference. This collection - an eclectic mix of humour, drama, and fantasy - is about those uncertain times. Dark clouds are forming, so you had better be prepared for the coming storm…

Genres: Short Stories

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2016

About the author

CW Lovatt is the award-winning author of the best-selling Charlie Smithers Collection and the critically acclaimed Josiah Stubb trilogy. He lives on the Canadian prairies and is the self-appointed Writer in Residence of Carroll, Manitoba (pop +/- 20). "Yuri & the Pig" is his latest novel.

Reviews

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most AMAZING collection of stories and I am utterly blown away by Mr Lovatt’s ability to tell a tale well.

From ‘Sean’s Lament’, a tale about greed, you will be hooked until ‘A Word’, a clever and insightful ending, this I guarantee you. Some are sad, such as ‘Highway Driving’ and ‘Angel’, while others are laugh out loud funny. ‘Angus Breaks Free’ caused me to snort laughter, while Mr Lovatt’s non-fiction insert about pantyhose made laugh so hard I’m sure he heard me up there in Canada!

Thoroughly enjoyable; this collection kept me up many nights reading! I cannot recommend enough to do it the justice it deserves. Read it and I know you will agree!

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean's Lament

Poor delusional Sean,he had high hopes for the girl of his dreams, only to be bludgeoned with reality. A down on his luck student with two jobs,can barely make ends meat,as a matter of fact,he spends his measly pittance on chocolate bars instead of meat.Suddenly all of that changes and trust me when I tell you, the spots he finds himself in are priceless. Oh ,how I laughed!!! You might think that's a horrible thing to say when clearly ,Sean had a massively tough time of it. Well I'm sorry,but the way C.W. Lovatt has with words just tickles me pink.This author has a way of forcing a belly laugh right out of you.I've laughed so hard I can barely see straight,but I must clear my vision because there are more short stories in this delectable book to read.

Tin Whistle

This story was about losing a loved one and the impossibility of moving on.The heart has a hard time letting go. A sad but lovely tale.

Fear Of Flying
I love this story,it shows that anything is possible if you but try.

Highway Driving
What should have been a happy occasion ended up being a pointless tragedy.

Angus Breaks Free
Crotchety old Angus thought he was done with his wife of 50 years. She, according to him, was the bane of his existence. Turns out,you'll have to read this awesome short to find out. A gem of a tale,this is.

Angel
Dealing with loss is something we all have to learn to do,sooner or later,and I think this story shows that we must still go on,because that is what our lost loved one would want.

Incomplete
A glimpse into the life of an author. Most people think that authors sit at their desks all day,writing til their hearts content.But the truth is,most authors have day jobs to earn ends meat,that however does not mean the stories are kept at bay,to the contrary,they do battle inside the authors head,begging to be let out.This is a very eye opening tale.

Drafting the Dodge
Two escaped convicts deciding that Canada is the best place for them,being that the people are so nice,the entire country is ripe for the picking. This was so funny,one mishap after another made me constantly,laugh out loud.

And Then It Rained
A typical day turns tragic,a sad story. It's true when they say, "When it rains it pours".

Baggage
Sometimes love breeds desperation and man oh man ,the consequences were brutal.

The Thing About Pantyhose
The logic of children is something to behold. I must admit,this story got a giggle out of me.

The Mathematics of Fate
We all have to learn not to jump to conclusions,because often,things are not as they appear to be.

Tharn!
A cheeky little tale about the differences between,males and females. And I must say,I have to agree with the statements.

Roll of Honour

War is never pretty,and the brave men and women who fight for their country do it for many reasons.Staring out,it's for glory and quickly becomes for the honour of protecting those they hold dear. They are true heroes. A touching tale.

Strange Love
How this couple reacts to the end of the world is,hilarious!!!

A Word
I loved this!!! The alphabet is a wonderful thing,without it,gloriously beautiful words could not be formed.

All in all,I loved every single story in this collection. They are all uniquely different and each left a mark on my heart.I invite you all to read these short stories,you will be left with a feeling of fullness in your heart. Thank you,C.W. Lovatt.
I shall cherish these always.

[B.A. Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I’ve been reading a number of short story collections and anthologies. I find it a great way to discover new authors and new genres.
In ‘And then it Rained’ I’ve discovered an author who has the enviable knack of evoking laughter and tears within the same pages.
Witty and with perfect comedic timing, the first story ‘Sean’s lament’ follows the antics of a young man who, in the name of love, endures all manner of alarming escapades. Visual and very funny, the tight writing keeps you on your toes until the final punch-line.
In complete contrast, my favourite of the collection ‘Tin Whistle’ is a Gothic ghost story with lyrical prose. Quite beautiful in its simplicity, the tale of much loved and much missed Emily is incredibly poignant and emotional.
There are many more, equally diverse in style. What they all share is incredibly good writing.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

AND THEN IT RAINED C.W. LOVATT
They say variety is the spice of life! That adage could not be any truer for this collection of short stories by a guy more known for his historic fiction novels. I highly recommend that you keep a box of tissue handy for stories like the TIN WHISTLE along with HIGHWAY DRIVING. However, you will chuckle during SEANS DILEMMA and DRAFTING THE DODGE.
At the turning of each page I marveled at the vast difference of each story from the next. I sincerely hope Mr. Lovatt writes more stories like the ones in this collection.
5 star reading for sure.

[Diana Ridout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading is one of the great joys of my life. Deprived of a book I will read the sauce label and the microwave instructions, the small print on an insurance document - anything so that I can feast my eyes on the printed word. Reading so much, one could be forgiven in thinking that I have a whole arsenal of unforgettable books in my head, books that will stay with me forever, but no. I had four, and now I have five. ‘And Then It Rained’ will never leave me, tugging at heartstrings, making me smile, making me want to cry, to laugh, to live.
The book is from C.W. Lovatt, the best-selling author of the Charlie Smithers series and the much acclaimed Josiah Stubb. It is an eclectic collection of award-winning short stories, a genre in which Lovatt excels. (Saying that, I have not yet found a genre in which this incredible author does not excel.)
I first came across C.W. Lovatt’s work by accident, finding a compelling ‘flash fiction’ short called ‘Baggage’ in an unrelated Google search – unrelated unless, of course, ‘Baggage Allowance Finnair’ is considered related! The story is entirely in dialogue, no ‘he said’, ‘she said’ and it works so well. I read it and re read it and eventually printed it out, framed it and hung it (levelly) on the studio wall. It is still one of my favourite pieces of writing and I was delighted to find it included in ‘And Then It Rained’.

The most incredible thing about this collection of stories is the ‘voice’. Each story has such a different subject matter, such different characters and is written in an entirely different voice, not in the way of some lesser author, struggling to find their personal ‘voice’ and testing out various approaches, but with the confidence of a writer of extreme merit who knows his place in this world. I use the word confidence, but never does Lovatt’s writing become arrogant and somewhere, deep underneath the compelling penmanship, coming out through some of his characters, we spy an engaging humility and deep sense of humanity.
The nearest simile I can use to describe the power behind the ‘voices’ is to liken it to method acting -
“a technique of acting in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part”. The emotions and personae are so accurately portrayed it would seem that the author has
taken on the emotion of that particular character for the duration of the story.
The timing is perfect, whether used for comedic effect or for a dramatic twist, the laughter or the gasp of horror from the reader is guaranteed. Dialogue flows easily and naturally, as can be seen in this excerpt from the first story in the book, Sean’s Lament, a delightfully funny story about the gullible Sean who can never quite believe that the love of his life could be cheating on him:

"Then she snuggled up to me, her breast – done with flirting – had decided to get down to business and flattened itself against my chest. I almost heard the ‘prong’ as a tent pole sprang up halfway down the covers. Her voice was warm and moist in my ear when she asked, “But you want to know the best part?”

“What?” I shivered, fumbling for the light switch.

Her hand drifted beneath the covers until it found me and took hold. “Boy-oh-boy,” she giggled, low and husky, “you is hung!”"

I found myself enchanted by the miniature perfection of each and every story, marveling in them in the same way that I stare in rapt enchantment at the miniature portraits of Hans Holbein the younger.

I cannot read the stories fast. Each word needs treasuring. Every word has so much weight, import and value that every word needs savouring and valuing. Throughout the whole of the book, throughout everything that I have read of this major wordsmith, each word is there because it has to be there, in perfect partnership with the words before it and the words after it, balanced, weighed, carefully positioned and counter balanced.
Here is an example of that total perfection, balance and symmetry: "There she lingered to my heart’s content, every moment even more rapturous than the unparalleled one from before, until at last – while the world around me shattered into erupting volcanoes, and torrents of tsunamis washing away entire civilizations – she had supped her fill."
Lovatt has a remarkable way of making the reader be able to picture perfectly the physical appearance of the main character, but without lengthy descriptive passages.
How? This is a total mystery to me. I have read and reread several of the stories searching with a fine tooth comb for the answer, but to no avail.
I have to conclude that it is either magic or another mark of the total genius of the man.
One example of the author summing up the whole of a space with a few choice words is found in the story that lends its title to the book, ‘And Then It Rained’, a heart wrenching short that had me damp eyed:

"He entered into a clean but aging kitchen. An ancient refrigerator sagged against one wall, emitting a long-suffering groan. A well-used stove crouched patiently next to it, surrounded by plain wooden cabinets, with a counter of chipped and stained Formica. A stainless steel sink completed the triangle: it was a habit that his eye could never quite relinquish after forty years in the trades – and he noted that the sink was too far left, slightly off-centre to the window overlooking the driveway. Mrs. Woodson ushered him into the living room...”

The final story, ‘A Word’, is the most beautiful thing I have ever read and it was with a real sense of sadness that I closed the book at the end. It will take a while before I can find something to enjoy as thoroughly as I have enjoyed this.

[Janice Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collections of stories: some humorous, some poignant, many including ironic twists. The only thing it lacks is proper Kindle formatting with an interactive TOC.