Writing Humor

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.

A fast-paced supernatural thrill ride filled with demonic villains set in the heart of South Florida! My name is Patrick Bannon, and I'm a demonologist. Unfortunately, when you mingle with the demonic, you’re bound to make some mistakes along the way. Now I’m paying for my sins. Jenaveve, the Veelah succubus who also happens to be my ex-girlfriend, has me investigating a series of murders. Looks like there’s a new player in town, and they’ve chosen Miami for their home. To make matters worse, Tiberius, the demon responsible for my brother’s suicide, is riding shotgun in my body, ...

"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 Ellie becomes determined to find the truth, but if she fails four times, the computer's data, including her mother's unpublished stories, will be destroyed.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 ...

After a debilitating stroke, Balmy Knight moves in with her daughter’s family. As she begins to recover her health, she misses her independence. Finding her days full of tedious boredom, Balmy uses mischievous antics to add excitement to her life. Her only joy comes from disobeying her daughter’s rules, aggravating her son-in-law, and feeding buttermilk biscuits to Jake, the homeless guy who lives in a cardboard box. Life becomes complicated when Balmy’s old friend, Sunny Day—from her Broadway-performing days in the Sixties—arrives from Hollywood and invites her to share her ...

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.

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. ...

It was supposed to be a stress-free holiday... A chance to see Israel's beauty and Petra's magnificence on a normal, safe group tour. That’s what Noor thought she was signing up for… but no one told her about passport officers on a power trip. Or about grumpy bus drivers leaving tourists behind. And then, that important detail about border crossing the travel agent forgot to mention. Will this adventure be more than Noor can handle? ★ This is a light-hearted memoir of an inexperienced traveller on a typical tour of Israel and Jordan. If you enjoy travel tales about friendly locals and...

It isn't as though Moxy isn't grateful for all her Christmas presents. She's just not so thrilled that she has to write 12 thank-you notes. Not to mention that she promised her mother they'd all be done by today. And if they're not - well, there will be "consequences". Namely, Moxy won't get to leave tomorrow for the vacation of a lifetime. (A trip to California to attend a Star-Studded Hollywood Bash with the father she hasn't seen in three years.) Moxy's wild schemes to get her thank-you notes done in time are clever, poignant, and always hilarious.

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.

I like Graffiti. It appeals to my particular sense of humor. I like it for the concise nature of statements of wit and wisdom. It makes me smile. It makes me laugh. While I do not advocate defacing or writing on private property or lavatory walls or spraying paint, I do subscribe to graffiti as a social value- clearly people feel they have something to say. This can take many forms – an opinion -- a statement – a comment – an observation – an insult -- a boast ( size really does matter ) So now dear reader I offer you my first humble collection. Graffiti from all over the world. No ...

Chrome Dome is an essay by James J. Caterino, the author of Jordan Rose and the Tomb of Resurrection, The Anti-Matter Girl, Dreams, True Stories, To Meghan, I Want to Believe, Ghost Stories, and much more.

Do you want to be more humorous? Have you ever watched someone effortlessly make a group laugh and wished you knew their magic? Well, wonder no more. The mystery of charisma is finally unveiled; the fallacy of "you either have it, or you don't" has been laid bare. Anyone can learn to make people laugh. Observing a couple of surprisingly simple rules, Make People Laugh is a comedic tour de force, as it explores all the facets of laughter. Turn your lazy bones into funny bones, and you will have made the world a better place.

Up until now, middle school hasn't exactly been a joyride for Greg Heffley. So when the town threatens to close the crumbling building, he's not too broken up about it. But when Greg realizes this means he's going to be sent to a different school than his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, he changes his tune. Can Greg and his classmates save their school before it's shuttered for good? Or is this the start of a whole new chapter for Greg?

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tales of Golf and Sport contains Chicken Soup for the Soul’s 101 best stories and poems about golfers, golfing, and other sports. This book has fresh appeal to golfers and makes a fabulous gift. Golfers are a special breed. They endure bad weather, early wake-up calls, great expense, and "interesting" clothing to engage in their favorite sport. This is not a book about how to play golf - it is a book about how it feels to play golf. Professional and amateur athletes contribute stories from the heart, yielding a book about the human side of golf and other sports.

The Otis, an inconsequential river—not the Hudson—flows through Wattsville, a small city a few hours north, but a universe away from the real City, capital C. You might think the everyday people who live here, in this land of scarce opportunity, are also inconsequential. Until you meet them.

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.

Lost luggage and a missed train, but who cares? We’re in Spain! Six years ago Noor promised her grandma she would return to Italy, but this time she’s not coming alone. With her fiancé Andy, they’ll celebrate Christmas in Spain, shiver through Switzerland, Austria, Prague and put on costumes for the Carnevale in Venice. And of course, spend time with family and friends in Italy. It will be a magical adventure in a winter wonderland. Well, except for an unwelcome visit from ‘Mr. Flu’ and Venice flooding, but with Andy by her side they’ll have a happy holiday. Most of the time. ...

An idyllic holiday in the Italian Alps... After a typical tour of Italy, Noor heads north to spend a nice, quiet winter with her Grandma. It’s going to be great. She’ll go for walks and enjoy the fresh mountain air, read by the wood-burning stove and under no circumstances use the chamber pot under the bed. At least, that was the plan. She didn’t plan on running out of money. Or riding on the back of a bicycle, in traffic, with no helmet on. Oh, and there was that one time a giant pig tried to force his way into the kitchen. And there’s so much she’s forgotten about her childhood ...

When newly-single party girl Vicki moves to Paris, she hopes to indulge in wine, stuff her face with croissants, and fall in love. It proves to be much more difficile than she imagined. In this laugh-out-loud memoir, this cheeky storyteller recounts the highs and lows of her life in the City of Light. Sassy and shamelessly honest, Vicki makes you feel as if you're right there in Paris stumbling along the cobblestones with her. Will she find love? Will she learn to consume reasonable amounts of alcohol? Will French bureaucracy ever cut her a break?

Joe Slade is a detective with a hot lead and an existential crisis. Still seeking to escape his fictional existence, he and his mentor, Ellodrine, a wizard who suffers from reinterpretation, hunt for the artifacts that will open a way to the World Where the Books Are Written. The trail has taken them to the rugged frontier of the Old West. There, they will discover twisted plots and dangerous foes, who will launch them into a blurring journey through the genres.