Short Stories

Having read fiction written over a few centuries, I was moved to create stories of my own. Stories mushroomed into full-length works of fiction.

Admired Writers of the Short Story

I admire the work of many authors from the last century, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker and George Orwell. Add to that Graham Greene, John Dos Passos and William Saroyan, Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Doug Adams. Kurt Vonnegut, J.D. Salinger, Joseph Heller, John Irving, Ray Bradbury and Alice Munro all left big impressions on the possibilities of the short story. Edgar Allen Poe tops my list for the 19th Century. Each intrigued me with depictions of place and human predicament. None of them had to be like any other writer to win me over. I'd be hard-pressed to say who captivated me more.

Adored Novel Writers

Years ago, James A. Michener drew me into his massive tales, and Ursula Le Guin made a lasting mark with Lathe of Heaven. E.L Doctorow's Ragtime surprised me and Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street did, too. Zadie Smith gave me pause with On Beauty. Then, Nicola Keegan came along in the 21st Century with the edgy novel, Swimming. In 2023, Tess Gunty's The Rabbit Hutch and The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz proved to be groundbreaking fiction.

Stewart O'Nan is a less heralded master for West of Sunset, yet no less talented. Nothing prepared me for the works of George Saunders, such as the collection, Tenth of December, termed "perfectly crafted tales" by a Guardian reviewer, and his remarkable novel Lincoln in the Bardo. Also beguiling is Amor Towles. I didn't think he could surpass the world he created in A Gentleman in Moscow, a work I admire so much I've listened to it four times. In October 2021, his Lincoln Highway veered into entirely new world, stunning in characters and philosophy. It's a privilege to read such prose and strive to uncover my own style. 

Works You'll Find Here and Works in Progress

With so much esteem for fiction writers and the pleasure their works have given me, I write stories to entertain. I'm engaged in creating larger works, i.e., I spent years writing book-length manuscripts and continue to do so. In 2024, a novel and its sequel are in the pipeline to be eBooks. See my Amazon Author page where you can read samples/purchase published works.

On this page are links to short fiction I have written since 1997. Click a link here to open a PDF story file. Adjust the magnification, as preferred, using the - and + icons at the bottom of the document screen.See a blog about my fictional characters: I Made It All Up. 
Thank you.