Publication Date: November 11, 2025
The first collection of award-winning short fiction from the author of Bellflower and Things to See in Arizona, whose writing reflects “how we can endure and overcome our personal histories, better understand our ancestral ones, and accept the unknown future ahead.”
In “Driftwood,” a woman in a sleepy desert town willingly jumps into the back of a stranger’s pickup. In “Griffin,” an organized wife struggles to keep her family together and manage her husband’s mental illness. And in the title story, “Resonant Blue,” an egotistical architect shatters everything around him as he tries to connect with his loved ones and build a better life.
A game show for those seeking love, a family wedding that unveils another secret union, a woman’s impulsive trip to Greece to find her first love… In these twelve stories, Mary Vensel White’s characters face turning points. Whether backed against a wall, reeling from a loss, or forced to confront a painful truth, they doggedly pursue the glimmer of possibility shining on the horizon.
Twelve short stories by Mary Vensel White offer insight into the painful truths faced by the main characters.
Resonant Blue and Other Stories is divided into easily digestible chunks, offering readers an opportunity to reflect. While the stories are well written, the challenge of a short story is providing sufficient information.
The author accomplishes this mission to an extent. Perhaps it is more of a personal preference, but short stories featuring a defined ending tend to clarify an author’s intent.
What troubles me is the sense of despair radiating from the characters. Whether it is the wife trying to handle her husband’s mental illness, the pregnant mother who knows about an affair, or an ode to a deceased loved one, the selections offer a rather grim perspective.
Resonant Blue and Other Stories provide insight into characters facing various struggles.
Mary Vensel White is the author of The Qualities of Wood, Bellflower, Starling, and Things to See in Arizona. She’s also an editor, a publisher, and an English and writing professor. She’s involved with her local writing community, most notably as the current president of the California Writers Club, Orange County branch.
