(Mostly) Short Stories

Tobias Wolff also says, "Most of us don't live lives that lend themselves to novelistic expression, because our lives are so fragmented." Before his death, Norman Mailer theorized that television is robbing newer generations of the ability to invest the three to fours hours required to both enjoy and absorb a complex novel. Finally, a novelist friend of mine believes short fiction is much harder to get right.

Two good reasons to aspire to getting the right word in the right place, sooner than later. I would add that, for me, the best entertainment enlightens. Other than from living, I've learned what I know about the human condition from fiction, and most of that from short stories. Sholem Aleichem; Bashevis Singer; Twain; Bellow; Welty; Munro - life as they knew it.

CURRENT FEATURED "FREEBIE:"

My latest; an apocalyptic (and personally cathartic) view of the neoconservative legacy - Reagan through Palin redux - from the perspective of 2035.

FIRST COLLECTION - WORKING TITLE: "FAMILY MATTERS"

Two rules, they say - one general, one tied to short stories:

1. Write what you know; and

2. A collection has to have at least 12 stories.

So, my first story collection, 12 tales loosely organized around contemporary family (including ethnic, communal, and crudely associative) kinds of life. Warning: a few exceed 7,500 words; according to the Nebula Sci-Fi Fantasy folks, those are "novelettes." Sometimes I can't help myself. Maybe you can.

Here they are; click on the title to begin reading:

	Ashley Alert A small girl, suffocating in the growing culture of fear around her, struggles to take the high ground.		Boys Will Be Men A recently-divorced father sharing custody of his young son learns about parenting in an unlikely place--Death Row.
	Chosen Adrift in his own life and desperate for a belief system, a young man finds direction and purpose from a surprising source.		Gemini Two brothers try to make sense of their lives after their domineering mother's death.
	Intentional Walk A girls' softball team rebels and instructs parents and coaches in the value of competition.		The Jewel of Genoa A retired cowgirl and her best friend resort to drugs, kidnapping, and interstate flight to escape the nursing home and reclaim their lives.
	Medalists A vignette, after infidelity was declared an Olympic sport.		Meridian An amnesiac accident victim recovers more than his health among strangers in a small Southern town.
	Pallbearer Two boys, one mother; two lives, separated from birth.		Pipe Dream A top-dollar attorney complains about the bill and unwittingly becomes his plumber’s Zen pupil.
	Robbin' Hood Worried about his sickly nephew’s future, a dutiful mob soldier finds inspiration an ocean and an age away.		Term Limit A scandal-plagued politician contemplates suicide, but checks in with his cousin first to sort things out.