Writing Humor

What is a man to do after the tragic ending of his loving marriage and a nasty divorce? How does he rediscover the essence that makes him a man after years of being forced to attend ballets, eat vegan food, and participate in intimacy seminars? There is only one way: drink, play, f@#k.

In Drink, Play, F@#k, Bob Sullivan, a jilted husband, sets off to explore the world, experience a meaningful connection with the divine, and rediscover his passion.

Thirty-two-year-old Dan Johnson has it all; a nine-digit net worth, a gorgeous fiancé and a luxury riverside brownstone. The only problem is, he doesn’t want any of it. And the endless distractions of digitized society give him no head space to figure out what he does want. So, Dan unplugs. When a case of mistaken identity launches Dan into a series of bizarro relationships and absurd events, it represents an unexpected path to reconnect him with a world he never knew existed.

Comic novelist and critic Paul McDonald explores the philosophy of humour in a book that will appeal to both philosophers and creative writers alike. There are numerous competing theories of humour and laughter, and the absence of a single theory implies the importance of assessing them all. One aim of this book is to do exactly that. It concentrates mainly on philosophical approaches to humour— including those of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Descartes, Hobbes, Bergson, Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Freud and Bakhtin. But the discussion explores other fields such as cultural studies, ...

It’s the end of the world, and Hertell Daggett has decided to save it. Well not save it so much, as just, remember it. The earth’s magnetic poles have reversed and civilization has just had its clock reset to the great cosmic flashing 12:00am from almost a million years ago, and humanity, and everybody in it, is pretty much forgetting everything it learned since the last time.

With grown-up words like "cooperate", "respect", "patience", and "considerate", a big, boisterous and zany family celebrates the power of language and discovers that words - big or little - are the bridge that connects us all.

Fast, fun, and hilarious! For fans of Judd Apatow, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, and Paul Rudd. College theater geeks, Chad and Eric, are about to find themselves in the mother of all love triangles. Eric's the playwright of an edgy new play about a man's strange obsession. But when Chad lands the lead role, a gorgeous thirty-something student named Kira is cast as his mother. Will this sexy "older woman" threaten Chad and Eric's longtime bromance? With hysterical twists and turns, the "man code" will be tested as Chad and Eric handle confrontation with humor that's spiked with testosterone. ...

Henrietta Pittman already has three novel manuscripts lying forgotten in the bottom drawer, so why challenge the Delta Cove Writers Group to write another 50,000 words in 30 days? From Day One things do not go well for her. For instance, there's Matt Watson, her critique partner, who's determined to out-write her with his scorching sex romp, "Drop Dead Blonde". Henny can't even make up her mind what to write! Finally she decides on "The Chocolate Affair" - after all, isn't chocolate every girl’s soother of sorrows; panacea of all ills; comforter; consoler; obsession-maker; greed gatherer?...

In this witty and entertaining collection of travel tales, an acclaimed journalist explores his obsession with trains - and what his rail journeys have taught him about culture and identity. Beppe Severgnini has spent his life traveling the world, and not just because he's a journalist; he's a passionate, unflagging train buff. Off the Rails recounts some of his favorite trips across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the United States, each journey bringing listeners not only to a different place but to a different time.

Tempest at Dawn, my first novel, brought me some unexpected attention. I had a few scary television appearances and some surprise endorsements. It also brought me invitations to write for Constituting America and What Would The Founders Think? Soon I was in the thick of political blogging. Along the way, I also wrote for RedState and The American Thinker. It should be obvious from names of these sites that I wrote from a conservative perspective, so, fair warning, this is a collection of conservative opinion pieces.

You don't have to be funny to be funny. It's true! While the general idea is that humor is inherent, Jean-Marc Toledano would beg to differ. Explore the science of laughter and the reason behind it with Half Serious Half Not, in which Jean-Marc discusses the topic in great detail and brings you the secret to being funny. The theme of the book is humor: what it is, the techniques, and how you too can be funny!

Handyman Saunders makes beautiful furniture, sells the pieces, and now is stealing them back. Roscoe, who lives life solely for his own amusement, befriends and confronts Saunders about his larceny. Thus begins an accidental sojourn which turns into an engrossing journey--a peculiar road trip of American eccentrics attracted to the unpredictable flame of lost love. A captivating tale of love, friendship, and adventure.

Quincy is the most popular celebrity in the world. It’s the near future and times have changed. She decides to disappear from the limelight and ends up residing in a community for the cast offs of society, haphazardly run by a rogue priest and his psychiatrist lover. Almost immediately Quincy takes charge, and the residents aren’t happy, neither are their benefactors. But the priest is relieved and soon he and his lover depart, leaving Quincy to take over. It’s a strange time and even stranger place, and new people arrive, people Quincy has never thought about much less encountered in...

"...will definitely bring a smile to your face." - Amazon UK reviewer "Accountants CAN be fun" - PJ Lea Could this be the worst job interview in the entire history of the universe? Possibly. So when Elton D Philpotts lands his dream Space Corps accountancy job he can’t help wondering how it happened. And why. Somebody in the Space Corps must need him, and they need him bad. But the work is dull; nothing like the glamour job he expected. Until he sees things he should not have seen: A hidden ledger, dodgy accounting transactions, bogus gate receipts. And when a whole starship disappears, ...

True love and friendship has no boundaries, even across time. Christopher and Susan are two teens who are best friends – one a talented guitarist with dreams of attending Julliard and the other a talented young writer who accidentally travel back to the year 1963. While they are there they fall deeply in love and have to make a decision; do they stay with those they love and care about or return home while they still have a chance? But if only one of them returns, how will that change the timeline? Will their entire lives be changed for the better or for the worse? Will their dreams still...

Ireland’s Instagram sensation Meditations for the Anxious Mind takes us on a trip around Ireland of the likes you’ve never seen before, from the trolley-filled Liffey to the glamour of Navan. Why not go off the beaten track with Meditations for the Anxious Mind’s The Toxic Travel Guide and laugh your way around Ireland. We did the research so you don’t have to smell the bin juice.

This novel is a satirical look at my life, and I have never written for a porn site. There are four parts to this book: The Rehearsal (trying to figure out my life and men), The Performance (a story in two perspectives about a transgender guy being interviewed), The Reviews, and Pornopraphy (amusing selection of commentary and reviews of media products). I write just a little soft porn for humor, but mostly it's about why my satirical "drag queen" narrator started writing erotica.

"Eternal optimism." While living in Paris, Ellie Kerr's mother writes a series of children's stories. Unfortunately, she passes away before they can be published. Ellie and her father return to the US, and Ellie decides to finish what her mother started. However, she is blocked from accessing her mother's computer by a mysterious password. Ellie becomes determined to find the truth, but if she fails four times, the computer's data, including her mother's unpublished stories, will be destroyed. Even though her father thinks the code is unbreakable, Ellie believes that her mother may have ...

Jake O’Hara and her colleagues are looking forward to a complimentary weekend in Manhattan’s swanky Plaza Hotel, the venue for the Greater New York Crime Writers’ Conference. The conference kicks off on St. Patrick’s Day, making the atmosphere a bit more festive—and chaotic—than usual. But things get way out of hand when Senator-turned-writer Charlie Fione and actress-turned-writer Holly Halligan partake of some green beer—that leaves them permanently green around the gills. Now Jake’s Irish eyes are far from smiling as she delves into a mystery and tries to rewrite a ...

Timothy is a serial killer. He's also very lonely. He's a walking contradiction, and his psychological predicament doesn't escape him. Lynnette is a vampire. She's also a nurse. She, too, is a walking contradiction. When she unexpectedly answers his desperate call for company, they realize they could be perfect partners in crime, engaging in a few kinds of bloodwork at once, bringing out the worst and the best in each other.

In the spring of 2012, an unlikely transformational figure inadvertently breaches the perimeter of U.S politics. Unencumbered by political ambition and devoid of greed or lust for power, Jonathon Braxton reluctantly enters the arena. Fueled solely by a desire to advocate for more medical research funding to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes afflicting his son, Braxton agrees to speak at the 2012 Republican National Convention courtesy of two influential power brokers who see ‘JB‘ as the future of the party.