Critics have compared her work to that of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston but J. California Cooper has a warm witty style that’s definitely her own. Each of her short stories is a gem of downhome wisdom polished with a bit of gossip some heartbreak and lots of humor. In 'Funny Valentines' a 'simple' woman draws one heart on Valentine’s Day and divides it among the people she loves until all but one of them lies in the cemetery. 'Living' portrays a man in midlife crisis who leaves his loving wife and pleasant country home for a taste of high city living and returns with a new perspective on life. 'Spooks' is the tongue-in-cheek tale of a man who masquerades as a ghost in order to outsmart an unscrupulous suitor and win the heart of a vulnerable widow. Sometimes sad sometimes funny and always touching J. California Cooper’s characters enlighten us and enrich us as they find love in unlikely places. The warm narrations give readers a sense of chatting with nosy but well-meaning neighbors over the back fence.
