"Author, Gary cements growing reputation...A collection of short stories that give a humorous account of life in a new country." (Salina Patel, The Hounslow Chronicle)
"I liked the fact that some of the short stories in this collection were connected and followed on from each other, but at the same time they are stand alone. Great for people like me who are slow readers, I can read a whole story on the train to work and not have to wait all day for the ending." (Carol Wiggins)
"I really enjoyed reading these short stories, they are easy to read. I would have liked it if there...

In this short story collection, Gary Troia shares his adventures, travels and memoirs from his life.

"Excellent A collection of short stories about: depression, alcoholism and drug use. Very compelling reading. I read this short story collection all in one go." (Maria, Goodreads.)

"Gary manages to take the mundanities of life and elevate them to brilliance. in this short story collection" (Sara Fell)

"Author, Gary cements growing reputation...A Bricklayer's Tales touches on real-life experiences in the building trade." ( Salina...

In this short story collection, Gary Troia shares his adventures, travels and memoirs from his life. Anyone who has ever done building work for brutal wage slavery and wondered if they were going mad, will recognise the life of Ray Dennis, (Troia's alter ego) which evokes a vision of mind-numbing, soul-destroying workplaces and workmates. His is the voice of discord for the marginally employed, the creatively frustrated working Joe, who turns to a life of drink and drugs to elevate the monotony of life.

Few have brought this world to life with such despair, black humour and indifference as...

For the first time ever, this collection of short stories by Gary Troia brings together, in chronological order stories and memoirs from Spanish Yarns and Beyond, English Yarns and Beyond and A Bricklayer's Tales into one complete volume.

Few have brought this world to life with such despair, black humour and indifference as Gary Troia. He paints a beautifully sad portrait of a truly messed up person with potential, struggling to keep his messed up mind from drowning in cheap wine and self-loathing. Ray's spirit is trapped in a world of endless grey mundanity.

A...

When Ray Dennis, an alcoholic English bricklayer is deported from the US back to the UK on a drug charge, he has no idea that his life and identity are about to change forever. Shattered by his knowledge that he is a failure, Ray dedicates himself to self-improvement and unwittingly puts himself and his family on a path to disaster once he discovers a book called The Secret. With a change of name and new passport, Ray returns to LA. He meets a Guru who introduces him to the teachings of The Secret, and shows Ray how to plant thought seeds. And so begins his quest to completely change his...

The Coach to ComoGary Troia is a writer, he has also been a bricklayer, a teacher, a philosophy student and a sufferer of several disorders, including: bi-polar, alcoholism, fear of flying and a dislike of most people. After Gary announces that he will no longer fly, his wife, Poppo books a coach holiday to Lake Como. One week later, with the newly acquired kittens dropped off at the cattery, Gary and Poppo embark on a twenty-four hour coach journey to Italy.

Gary always believed the restless, relentless, impossible-to-satisfy voice in his head was one of his greatest assets. How...