Charles Bukowski, in his poem so you want to be a writer?, gave a laundry list of things to consider if you want to be a writer.Perhaps there should be such a list for readers.Not your casual reader of course. Not someone who is perusing a newspaper or diving into a typical 'best seller' to kill a few hours. More along the lines of a Lance Manion short story collection.There are some prerequisites for such an endeavor. A rather impressive imagination and some moral fle...

Lance spends too much time thinking about all the ways life would be different if our eyes were on the top of our feet as opposed to perched over our noses.Shoes for instance…Or karate.He doesn't enjoy thinking thoughts like these, but grow them as he might, the beards never help. So off they come. Hairy reminders clogging up the sink, if hairs were thoughts and plumbing was being normal. Lance should know. Lance is a plumber.Well, a plumber in the sense that yo...

Outsider Monsters: A Flash Anthology — Where Monsters Refuse to Play by the RulesWhat if monsters weren't what you expected?In Outsider Monsters: A Flash Anthology, the world's rules are turned upside down. These aren't your typical villains lurking in shadows. They are outsiders—predators, dreamers, and defiant creatures who refuse the paths destiny set for them. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes heartbreakingly human, these monsters defy labels, challenge expectations, and ...

A collection of short stories isn't really a book. It's more like dozens of ideas that could have been books if they were thought of by someone with a better attention span. To put it another way; if you took an infinite number of Shakespeares and put them in front of an infinite number of typewriters with an infinite amount of time they still wouldn't come up with the complete works of Lance Manion.

An interesting short story has to be equal parts confession, exultation and suicide note. The writer has to be arrogant and insecure, brimming with joy and despair, able to see hope and hopelessness in everything and, before he can claim to be honest, has to be comfortable lying his ass off.This newest collection of Lance Manion short stories strives for all of the above and is sure to include something to entertain, inspire and offend everyone. His writing has been called demented...

Finally! All of the stories under one cover. Nap Lapkin, America's top agent, respected and feared by every agency in Washington, is both a lover and fighter and so much more. And less. But mostly more. There can be no argument that this is the funniest book ever written. No argument whatsoever.

They say that good writing comes as a result of introspection. Events unfold in such a way that you are required to unflinchingly stand in front of a mirror, look yourself square in the eye and take stock of who you are and where you're going. When those moments happen a funhouse mirror will do nicely. Look at how big my head is.

His work has been called demented, hilarious, quirky and well outside the mainstream, and with his twelfth collection of short stories Manion unapologetically stays with that formula.With this newest collection Manion once again asks the reader to get off the bench and into the game as he dishes out laughs, offense and even a few poignant moments. There is no point to be made here. Only the hope that somewhere amidst all the run-on sentences, unnecessary profanity and poor grammar, ...

From a national bestselling author and "one of the superstars of western romance" comes a wild romp about a fiery woman who meets a very cool customer ( Affaire de Coeur).Maggie O'Roarke knows how to walk, talk, and fight like a man. So, when her uncle wills her some gold and silver mines, she's determined to prove she can operate them on her own—even as her wedding date approaches. But when her betrothed is kidnapped just before the wedding, Maggie is con...

Nate and Stacey love their great grandmother, but lately all they've done is worry about her health. Stacey decides a story is what her Nana needs to pep up her spirits.Stacey sees an old tattered book on top of the bookcase. "This should be interesting. I don't think you've read this story in ages. I barely remember it."Stacey begins to reads but her great grandmother takes over the story and the two siblings listen. Just before the old woman finishes the story she falls a...

Refusing to settle for anything less than a romantic relationship that pleases God, Faith O'Connor steels her heart against her desire for the roguish Collin McGuire. But when Collin tries to win her sister Charity's hand, Faith isn't sure she can handle the jealousy she feels. To further complicate matters, Faith finds herself the object of Collin's affections, even as he is courting her sister. The Great War is raging overseas, and a smaller war is brewing in the O'Connor household.

To Katie life was simple, she wanted; a little house in upper Boston, and four kids, fathered by her best friend, who she’s been infatuated with since she was eight. After a devastating family secret is exposed, all she wants now is to escape the media hype that follows her everywhere she turns. Leaving her family, friends, and Jason behind, she travels to places she’s only read about, to find a father she’s never known.Jason is on a mission and he’s come half-way around the world ...