Book of 25 Short Stories
Titles Include:
Sam, a story about a great dog. The title for An Irresponsible Reptile is a metaphor for the Latin Consul was revenged by an unlikely source. A Moment at Home, where a new inmate gets a lesson in prison etiquette. In Ablution a father says good-bye to his sons at their favorite fishing spot. Miami Beach Blow-Out is a parody of the hard guy novels. Rare Sonnets Surface in Prison is a satire about long lost poems of William Shakespeare. Retribution Day is a vengeance tale where a terrorist receives his just rewards in a public execution.
In The Hunt an junior professor evens the score during Halloween in Austin. Cyberdoc Squabble derives from an actual discussion between “physicians” who argue semantics and professional acumen in a chat room. My PEN winning story, Death of A Duke describes how power struggles on the cell block once came to a violent conclusion. In Me and Bob the reader questions who is really in charge as the dog tells the story. In Baggage three captives are forced to carry contraband across the Rio Grande. A hack writer in Baby Shoes Never Worn reminiscences about Hemingway’s prowess. The Three Graces is a priceless statue a jilted husband retrieves from his ex.
Wiznet is a dancer at a Washington DC party who might be more than she appears. In The Walk a bigot learns a valuable lesson about himself during a stroll across the tracks.
In Peripeteia (a fancy word meaning reversal of fortune) greedy heirs get more than they planned for thanks to the perspicuity of the aging matriarch. The Neighbor is a mysterious stranger who has the neighbors talking when he arrives in an old hearse. In Bledsoe, Hangtown will never be the same once they try to string up the town Casanova. Mariposa is a strange girl with two hearts looking for a friend. The Plan is a winding humorous tale how things can go awry when a postman tries to kill his neighbor’s pet alligator. Things get rough during the prison volleyball tournament in The Championship.
In The Boy with the Golden Shell a young boy is aided through a difficult time at home. Falala is the story about a young girl in a foreign land coming of age and her generous benefactor. And, in The Donor, a loving father makes the ultimate sacrifice for his family.