Stories of Suspense with a Sense of Humor
I’ve been at this writing business quite a while, stretching back to typewriters, carbon copies, and self-addressed stamped envelopes for the return of manuscripts. I subscribed to about a dozen literary journals, and spent every evening reading, or writing, or both. I’d send my stories out with a kiss and a wish that maybe, just … Read more
The past few weeks I’ve been dealing with our apple crop. You wouldn’t think a humble house in the suburbs would also be a burgeoning apple orchard, but my wife has vision. “I’ll just plant a few trees,” she said. At first, I was only annoyed because the trees messed up the mowing pattern. If … Read more
This week, my mother would have turned 95. She’s been gone a while, but I think of her often, and how she schemed and fought for what she believed was right. She didn’t win all of her battles—it’s tough when the deck is stacked against you—but she won some key ones, like getting a dog … Read more
The first person who suggested I might become a writer was my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. Recht (pronounced wrecked). The irony was that she wasn’t trying to encourage me; she was humiliating another student. She’d given us a book report assignment — read a book, then write something about it. No big deal. I … Read more
Back in the 90s, I worked at an office here in Lansing where a group of coworkers, all men, were primarily focused on three things: Second breakfast Meter maids Sex workers We worked on the eighth floor and had a view of Kalamazoo Avenue. Around nine o’clock each morning, this group of guys would gather … Read more