American Short Fiction

Some of the best-known and most influential pieces of crime fiction have been from African American writers. Be it Walter Mosley's great Detective Easy Rawlins, or the mean streets of Harlem at the hands of Chester Himes, the stories and characters in this anthology have shaped the mystery genre with their own unique viewpoints and styles. Contributors to the collection include Robert Greer, Chester Himes, Walter Mosley, Cary Phillips, Frankie Bailey, and Richard Wright.

In this inaugural season of the series, you'll delve into Urban Fiction at its finest. Each character is a protagonist in their own right. Big Tee returns home after serving a 15-year sentence in an Arkansas State Prison. His nephew Nice, known for his savvy street smarts, is a character you're bound to love. Nikki, equally streetwise, tragically becomes the reason for Big Tee's demise. Due to the fans' adoration of Big Tee, I introduced his son into the narrative. With 32 books in the series, it's guaranteed to keep you turning pages. For avid readers, I offer book volumes, typically ...

The American literary tradition has, in a far shorter span of time than others throughout history, achieved a glowing and glittering reputation. From its transatlantic roots it has absorbed the sons and daughters of other cultures, other lands and made them part of her own. Within this melting pot of styles, genres and wordplay one fact stands out: In the American short story, literary tradition has a strong, vibrant and almost inclusive history, if you know where to look.

Karlie Houston hasn't seen a raise in forever, but the payday loan office she manages is raking in the cash. So why not get what she's rightfully owed by masterminding a heist? Once her lover Sidney's boys hit all the company's locations at one time, there's a fortune to split. But suddenly bodies start dropping - and Karlie better devise the perfect plan to survive.

In his first, “engrossing and delightful” (Town & Country) collection of stories—drawn from the wealth of film and TV ideas Rupert Everett has worked on over the course of his illustrious career—Everett takes us on exhilarating journeys with a cast of extraordinary characters. From Oscar Wilde’s last night in Paris to the ferociously unforgiving world of a Los Angeles talent agency and beyond, these “dynamic and glib, knowing and innocent, atmospheric and frothy” (Booklist) stories will delight and surprise his many fans.

A northern white couple has relocated to the South to operate a vineyard on a North Carolina plantation. There, they pass their idle hours listening to the stories of one Uncle Julius, who has a deep knowledge of the land. These stories, however, are more than mere entertainments. They all have their time and place, and they offer not only a quiet commentary on the events of the day but also a deeper reckoning with the plantation’s disturbing past.

"Black Is Blue" by Victor L. Martin delves into the life of a corporate woman who falls in love with a thug and finds out just how easy it is to stray from the straight and narrow.

Eighteen and hungry, Wiz's only addiction to drugs is the money it makes. But Crystal changes all of that and shows him just how powerful a woman can be, in "The P is Free" by LaShonda Sidberry-Teague.

The first ever collection of short stories by Jaime Cortez, Gordo is set in a migrant workers camp near Watsonville, California, in the 1970s.

Peter Montrose, a 73 year old retired attorney, wakes up on August 27, 2020 in the body of a much younger married man in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Paul Skelding wakes up that same morning in a dumpy Syracuse hotel sporting the body of an old man. The two thoroughly confused men have limited time in order to figure out why their bodies were switched. Their strange dilemma makes for a fascinating adventure for both of them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lance Majestik is a pen name of retired Canadian lawyer Donald W. Desaulniers who has written more than 100 novels. That author has published some of ...

She needs a partner. He needs an advocate. With her sister happily married and running the restaurant for over three years, Daisy Haven finds herself at a loss. An opportunity arises, sparking a desire in her heart to not only see women’s rights increased in the country, but to have someone to partner with in her new endeavor. When it appears the newest member of town is the one who agrees with her cause, she’s annoyed at having to work so closely with the man who sets her teeth on edge. New to Pinewood, Colorado, Jordan Porter wants nothing more than continue the cause near to his ...

Spanning from a mediocre spa in Florida, to New York’s gritty East Village, to death row in Alabama, this collection reveals boundless suspense in small, quiet moments, offering startling twists in the least likely of places. From a powerful response to hateful bullying, to a fight for health care, to a gripping desperation to vote, these stories are equal parts shocking, devastating, and enthralling, revealing the tension pulsing through our everyday lives and affirming that mystery and suspense writing is better than ever before.

This third collecton of great American short stories includes titles by authors such as Stephen Crane, Ambrose Bierce, and Edgar Allan Poe.

From sultry international jungles to the rugged terrain of the American Southwest, join the larger-than-life, scorching-hot alpha heroes of the Bureau of American Defense, Black Ops, Inc., and the US Navy SEALs for all the pulse-pounding, heart-racing, toe-curling excitement. They're cool under pressure, steamy under the sheets, and when the enemy strikes, there's not a lethal mission these gorgeous men can't handle.

America’s most talented storytellers share their most interesting, engaging, unputdownable work in a collection made for story lovers. Praised early on by numerous award-winning and bestselling authors, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2023 is the second volume of the annual short story anthology whose guiding philosophy is that a collection of widely appealing short stories can make for common ground that could unite rather than divide Americans. Toward this end, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2023 features a previously uncollected heartbreaking story by Morgan Talty, author of the widely acclaimed ...

In the enchanting town of Sweethaven, CT, Marla Gonzalez, the spirited owner of Tiny Delights Bakery, takes a bold step to expand her business by purchasing the adjacent space. But what starts as a promising venture soon turns sinister when a hidden body is discovered within the newly acquired property. With the help of her trusted companions, Mr. Roundbelly and Lulu, Marla embarks on a quest to unravel the mystery behind the grim discovery. As the investigation unfolds, the small town of Sweethaven is rocked by another unexpected death, casting shadows of suspicion and intrigue. Marla ...

Kyron Santos, Kaylin's older brother, was used by Tasha Macklin to get back at Trae for his infidelities, a relationship that ultimately ended in pregnancy, murder, broken relationships, and mistrust. No one knew about the court-ordered sessions that Kyron was forced to attend. At least not until Mari, his woman who stuck by him throughout the majority of his prison bid, dropped the recordings off to Trae Macklin, Tasha's husband.

Here is the original manuscript of Raymond Carver's seminal 1981 collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Carver is one of the most celebrated short-story writers in American literature - his style is both instantly recognizable and hugely influential - and the pieces in What We Talk About..., which portray the gritty loves and lives of the American working class, are counted among the foundation stones of the contemporary short story.

Goodbye, Columbus is the story of Neil Klugman and pretty, spirited Brenda Patimkin, he of poor Newark, she of suburban Short Hills, who meet one summer and fall into an affair that is as much about social class and suspicion as it is about love. The novella is accompanied by five short stories - sometimes iconoclastic, sometimes elegiac - that crackle with irreverent originality and display Roth's blazing early talent.

In her debut collection of short stories, Islands of Decolonial Love, renowned writer and activist Leanne Simpson vividly explores the lives of contemporary Indigenous Peoples and communities, especially those of her own Nishnaabeg nation. Found on reserves, in cities and small towns, in bars and curling rinks, canoes and community centres, doctors offices and pickup trucks, Simpson's characters confront the often heartbreaking challenge of pairing the desire to live loving and observant lives with a constant struggle to simply survive....

Desa Rae Jenkins and her 20-something-year-old playmate are back with drama only the two of them can bring. Roc has been released from prison, and he's trying to show Desa Rae that his past life is well behind him, but his baby mama and his playa-hating uncle want Desa Rae out of the picture. Chyanne Johnson has tried to steer clear of drama since she was old enough to be out on her own. She's content with her mundane position at Atlanta's top marketing firm, but all of that changes when sexy CEO Aric McHale promotes her to be his executive assistant.