A collection of prize-winning stories that celebrate life’s absurdities and contradictions. This amusing collection of short stories explores a range of complex characters navigating their way through life, including drag queen Roxanne, who is drafted in by the police to help prevent local sex workers from being assaulted; ‘cleaning lady’ Doreen, who uses company gossip to swindle money out of her bosses; pizza delivery driver Mark, aiming to benefit from the sexual appetites of his wealthier clients; newly qualified pharmacist Anne, trying to battle her way through the tedium of speed dating, and many more. With narratives ranging from the familiar to the downright bizarre, these stories aim to delight and intrigue, acting as a reminder that most seemingly mundane experiences are anything but.
“It’s been a while since I’ve read a short story collection and this book has some gems. Roxanne Riding Hood (I just wish there was more to this particular story), Appetites, Beans Broccoli Boys and The Art of Hearing were some of my favourite stories in this collection. I will be checking out this author’s work more. Simply loved it.”
“This is an anthology of nineteen short reads by Bruce Harris, which is an eclectic mix of tales from several genres. These are stories of seemingly ordinary people from different walks of life, each with extraordinary tales. Stories of drag queens, essential workers, delivery persons. Stories which are varied, emotional, remarkably bizarre and essentially witty character studies and exploration of human nature.
This was my first literary encounter with Harris’s masterful wordsmanship. Articulate, nuanced and vivid, it’s a joy to read through his writing.“
Bruce Harris is a Devon-based author and poet who has been consistently successful in short fiction and poetry competitions since 2003, after a long teaching and research career involving published journalism.
Bruce has published four collections of short fiction, Fallen Eagles (2021), The Guy Thing (2018), Odds Against (2017), and First Flame (2013), and three poetry collections, The Huntington Hydra (2019), Kaleidoscope (2017) and Raised Voices (2014). His first novel, Howell Grange, was published by the Book Guild in October 2019; his second, Gemini Day, was published by The Conrad Press in July 2021, and his third, The Densham Do was published by Book Guild publication on February 28th 2022.
