I have found it very nearly impossible to write short stories, because of an unruly tendency towards expansiveness. I’ve envied authors who have mastered the art of potent brevity. But for me, almost every story idea worth pursuing invariably becomes a novel.  Some of the rare exceptions I have posted in my blog or published on Amazon. Here’s a rundown of stories you can access if you just want to dip your beak into my writing. First, on this website and completely free:

Johnny Sketchy. A story placed in my ancestral homeland, Brooklyn. A WWII combat vet struggling with PTSD finds a girl who might “wipe the war away,” but becomes insanely jealous when her attention strays to a guy only known as Johnny Sketchy.

Brig*id. An office worker who’s become something of a recluse tries to break out of his shell when he meets an attractive brunette, but a possessive teenager threatens to destroy that relationship before it begins. 

The Peglegged Man. A talented ‘tween boy growing up in the mid 1960s struggles to fit in, until an encounter with a haggard old man changes his destiny.

The Placement. This story was produced as a one-act play at the Hollywood Fight Club Theatre in Los Angeles in 2007. A suspended public school teacher facing a licensing hearing meets a charming colleague with an unsettling side job. 

Here are the Amazon stories available in Kindle format:

The Blizzard of ’78.  I’m particularly fond of this tale. When I first published it, I received such praise for its stark realism that I feel obligated now to impress upon the reader that it is fiction, not a memoir. Still, it speaks of people and a place and yearnings that were real to me at a tender age. 

Stoop Talk Radio, a slacker romance. I originally wrote this as a sitcom pilot, but that script languished when I couldn’t get anyone with the necessary connections to read it. It remains a very funny and, I think, touching tale of small-town aspirations in the big city.

‘Nauts. This episodic sci-fi saga had it’s debut at Liberty Island Magazine. The link takes you to the first chapter, Persephone.

Los Lobos del Malpaís is a horror tale set in the Old West.

A Kiss on Highland Avenue is a coarse coming-of-age tale about adolescents who never had the luxury of innocence. A prequel perhaps of The Blizzard of ’78.

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