A drunk finds an angel on a Greyhound bus, two old codgers stir up trouble at a retirement home when they open a sports book, family and friends of a Lutheran bride suffer through a wedding in a Catholic church. You'll find these stories and more in this delightful garden of fictional tales.
"It's funny how some people can make difficult things look so darn easy. [Swenson's] topics are often difficult too, like religion and war, and he finds a way to take the edge off and keep it honest." --Erik Deerly, Editor and Publisher
A drunk finds an angel on a Greyhound bus, two old codgers stir up trouble at a retirement home when they open a sports book, family and friends of a ...
A hit man gets some work in Sin City, a tryst goes awry for a pair of senior citizens, an alcoholic cop makes a dramatic appearance at a rehab, a young man makes a midnight visit to some friends' bedroom. All these tales and many more in "Menage a Trois & Other Stories," a book of flash fiction by Jack Swenson.The prose snapshots in this book crackle with energy, irony, and humor. Less is more, indeed, in this collection of stories from the author of "Bad Apples." Some of the stories are only a few hundred words long, but they pack a punch. The writing is lean and mean, often humorous, and...
A hit man gets some work in Sin City, a tryst goes awry for a pair of senior citizens, an alcoholic cop makes a dramatic appearance at a rehab, a youn...
People have asked me why I don't write a novel. Well, one or two people have asked me that. I always reply that I am a sprinter and not a long-distance runner. Indeed, I prefer the fifty to the hundred-yard dash. The short form is a lovely thing. For years I have admired its economy, its punch, its subtlety. It's a perfect vehicle for me because I like to cut to the chase, and I don't like long-winded descriptions. Then, too, I see life as a comedy rather than a tragedy. Tragedy works better with lots of words; whoever heard of a five-hundred-word tragedy? On the other hand, comedy can be...
People have asked me why I don't write a novel. Well, one or two people have asked me that. I always reply that I am a sprinter and not a long-distanc...
Some of the stories are rewrites of old ones, but most of them are new. In this collection I have tried to avoid cute or self-promoting stories, some of which polluted my earlier efforts. There's nothing heroic, nothing cute here. At least that was my goal.
If you like bite-sized reads, I think you will like these stories. You can read the book at a sitting or a story or two at a time. Take the book to bed with you and read a couple of these little tales before the Sandman gets there. Pleasant dreams.
Some of the stories are rewrites of old ones, but most of them are new. In this collection I have tried to avoid cute or self-promoting stories, some ...
Jack Swenson has yet to be nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and his submissions are snubbed by many prestigious journals, which in his opinion is shocking and disgraceful and smacks of bias against old, straight, white men. Legal action is pending. Meanwhile, he carries on, scribbling his stories on scraps of paper and the sides of barns. His fiction has been described as bold, wise, funny, courageous, and aware. He is the author of five self-published books of short fiction. (He plans to sue the major publishing houses, too.) In spite of the lack of demand for his voluminous output, he labors...
Jack Swenson has yet to be nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and his submissions are snubbed by many prestigious journals, which in his opinion is shock...
Read these stories carefully. They're large. Read them one, two, three times. There's more here than meets the eye. Some of the stories are jokes, some confessions, some mysteries. There are rewrites of stories written earlier, too. My favorite stories are those where there's something left out, where you can't see the whole tapestry, just a single thread. Pull on the thread and see what is revealed. You'll be surprised.
Read these stories carefully. They're large. Read them one, two, three times. There's more here than meets the eye. Some of the stories are jokes, som...
Read these stories carefully. Read them one, two, three times. There's more here than meets the eye.
Some of the stories are fictions; some are not. Some are what I call "fictional memoirs"-make believe with a bit of truth mixed in. There are a few rewrites of old stories, too. My favorite stories are those where something's left out, where you can't see the whole tapestry, just a single thread.
Pull on the thread and see what is revealed. You'll be surprised.
Read these stories carefully. Read them one, two, three times. There's more here than meets the eye.
