Jennifer L. Moody
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:45:43 PDT

This Apocalypse Won't Last Long Enough is a collection of short stories about people facing a crisis -- their own personal apocalypse. Each character struggles with a relationship that is either helped (or most often, hindered) by the past. In "In Miniature," an older man is haunted by the recent popularity of his old TV repair shop commercial as he struggles to prove to his wife that he's still a viable mate. "Hollywood Magic" is a young girl's quest to save the life of her teen idol, but she's surprised when she travels back in time and learns that he is a jerk. "Libration" is a double narrative of two sisters who, like the moon's wobble, are able to see a little bit more of their father than the other. "Time Lines," a young man cuts himself in order to relive memories of his ex-girlfriend. "This Apocalypse Won't Last Long Enough" follows a young musician in the aftermath of a tornado's devastation, and the dissolution of his romantic relationship. In "Spirited Art" a young woman takes a special art class in order to reunite with her deceased mother. In "In Vivo, "a young woman rescues a rabbit from a laboratory, and discovers that it has strange powers. "Poppies Will Make Them Sleep" features a middle-aged narrator who covets youth's beauty, and discovers that she has the strength to steal it. The final story of the collection, "Helpline," describes the life of an elderly man who works a telephone helpline in order to make up for his troubled past with his son. In this collection, each character must confront their past in order to move in to the future.