In his third collection of stories, Mark Paxson starts things off with the unfortunate and untimely death of a famous writer. A snarky tale that ends as a snarky tale must. From there, this collection travels through stories that touch on real-world horrors, including Aleppo and An Obituary, and others that approach the sublime and the surreal. The collection includes Carnies and Two Spaces After The Period, uncommon love stories, and a number of untitled poems from the archives.

This collection takes the reader on a journey through the lives of mostly ordinary people facing the curve balls life throws at them. Psychotic former lovers, world leaders out of touch with reality, apartment buildings due for demolition. It's all in here. Just crack it open and start reading.

NOTE: Longtime readers of my blog (and there are a few) will recognize a lot of these pieces, but there are a few stories that have never been published before.