Metaphor in a Hat Volume 1 is an eclectic collection of stories from the life and imagination of Fort Worth writer, Mark A. Nobles. From a first kiss to a father's deathbed, these stories are about coming of age and coming to grips and focus on a writer's life both real and imaginary.

Where the West begins … and the familiar endsStrap in and take a look at Texas' past through a new lens, one that reveals the hopes and dreams of its inhabitants, along with horrors you've never dared imagine. In this dusty and lawless land, you'll meet gruesome flesh-eating monsters, uncommon heroes, ancient goddesses, and boneheaded but deadly genies. Not to mention some seemingly upright citizens.Remember, bad guys don't always wear black.

Normal people do not grow up to be writers. Most who know Mark A. Nobles and Kelley Baler will tell you these two aren't normal and never grew up to boot. In this collection of stories, Mark and Kelley have gathered a collection of stories showcasing their off-kilter memories, imaginations, and character flaws. Be it getting busted for drugs at Baptist Church Camp at fifteen, to standing up a young woman so you'll always be a fond memory and not the loser you know you are. Working in a tro...

Late one Sunday night, two brothers risk the wrath of their parents by climbing out of their bedroom window and into their treehouse to see if the full, red moon really is a harbinger of a coming apocalypse.The Red Moon first appeared in the March, 2018 edition of Cleaver Magazine.

Ever had one of those days? Bet you haven't had one like Jimmy.

Never judge a man until you've walked a mile using his walker or at least, given him and his walker a ride to the dollar store."Popeye the Asshole' is a short story about a broken man who simply can not be helped but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.Mark A. Nobles is a Fort Worth based writer and filmmaker. His work has appeared in Sleeping Panther Review, Crimson Streets, Cleaver Magazine, and other publications. He has produced and/or directed three feature documentaries...

Growing up on Navy bases across the country, Mark's family back in Texas always kept him grounded and gave him a strong sense of place and home. However, death can come 'Out of the Blue' in even the most idyllic childhood.'Out of the Blue' is a creative nonfiction, coming of age story about a young man learning that death doesn't have to break bonds. Sometimes it can strengthen them.

Mare Island is my personal coming of age story about turning ten, getting my first kiss, and how the Zodiac killer ruined my life.

What happens when satire, sorrow, confession, and cosmic absurdity collide? Running Wild returns with a bold new volume that refuses to stay in one lane— or even one world. From rebellion on a storm-tossed island to the shadowed refugee routes of modern Europe… from the restless mind of an unseen teenager spiraling through identity and mental illness… to a goatman-led quest that tears at the fabric between magic and technology— this collection runs unapologetically wild.

A mysterious old projector, somehow connected to a poverty row producer from the 1940s, lead young Nick Root and his mentor, Edgar Ulmer, on series of adventures inside the films of a library tucked away in a television station in rural Texas.Set in 1962, 'A Death in the Dark' is a Southern Gothic/Fantasy set during the golden age of local television utilizing poverty row horror and exploitation films from the 30's, 40's and 50's as life lessons for young Nick Root.Ulmer in...

Arrah Wanna (pronounced Arr-uh wa-nna) – (noun) A Baptist Church camp in the mountains where a fourteen-year-old, disillusioned believer is busted for drugs.Muleshoe – (pronounced Mule-shoo) (noun) A town in Texas that one must pass through to get to the crossroads if you’re going to meet up with the devil and have your wildest dreams come true.Kelley Baker and Mark A. Nobles are a couple of misfits who’ve misspent their l...

Alan was a broken soul wandering through life without purpose until his uncle Paul told him a strange, fantastical story about the man in Dick Van Dyke's hat. The man was a deranged, demonic carnival barker traveling the world in search of broken and damaged souls to entrap in their own private nightmares.Alan was a perfect target. Could he escape the man's cotton candy nightmare and possibly save others?