Articles written about Fiction

RETRO: The Four Faces of Daphne in The Schrodinger Girl

The year is only half over, but already 2020 has manifested a mythic, fractured, tormented, and utterly exhausting panorama. America is shattered by political divisions that reek of Civil War attitudes; there’s a worldwide pandemic still far from over; economic collapse has afflicted millions; and from Hollywood to Broadway,

1980s

RETRO: Twists of Fate: Blowin', Knockin', Tangled (Fiction)

For our readers’ pleasure, we present a RETRO short story of love, music, and mail. “Inspiration is hard to come by. You have to take it where you find it.” – Bob Dylan It started during the week of Thanksgiving 1983, precisely one year and three months

1980s

RETRO: Twists of Fate: Blowin', Knockin', Tangled (Fiction)

For our readers’ pleasure, we present a RETRO short story of love, music, and mail. “Inspiration is hard to come by. You have to take it where you find it.” – Bob Dylan It started during the week of Thanksgiving 1983, precisely one year and three months

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RETRO: In the Mood! (Fiction/Excerpt)

Note: This excerpt from the author’s novel FOR PARIS ~ WITH LOVE & SQUALOR occurs in 1943. The female narrator is in the Women’s Army Corps (WACs).In a funny way, Glenn Miller was more hip in his Army Air Force uniform than he’d ever been in a

American politics

Four American Roommates: A Parable of 2016 (and 2017) (Fiction)

By Dara LebrunA, B, C, and D graduated in June. A, from Akron, studied Accounting; B, from Brooklyn, majored in Botany; C, from Castleton, studied Culture, and D, from Dedham, obtained a degree without direction or drive.They didn’t know each other well, but decided to share a place

Flashbacks: Sonia Pilcer's Maiden Rites and The Last Hotel (Fiction)

When we asked Sonia Pilcer about cannabis and writing, she had only to direct us toward the novels she has published. Four of them had scenes of marijuana smoking. “I use weed in my fiction as a social lubricant, for seduction, truth-telling, and general mayhem,” Pilcer says. “I

Fiction

I Like Waking Up In Unfamiliar Places (Fiction)

From the perspective of a young, teenaged woman, by Mark J. WilliamsI like waking up in unfamiliar places. It’s something my Dad really hates. He says, “One day, Katie, you’re gonna get yourself killed.” But, I tell him not to worry; I’m an adult, even

1940s

RETRO: Surrealism 101: A Night in August 1944 (Fiction/Excerpt)

(This excerpt is from the author’s forthcoming novel For Paris ~ With Love and Squalor.) I’m not even sure if Papa knew all that much about her. At that time, I mean. Later on, everyone would know something about her. But Jerry and I were brought along by

Fiction

RETRO: Pulp Fiction

The Godfather Before the 1969 publication of The Godfather made his fortune, author Mario Puzo wrote profusely for the so-called “men’s magazines.” They were published by Martin Goodman, a man who ruled the roost at Magazine Management Company in New York City. Mario Puzo and Pulp Fiction “I was

Fiction

RETRO: Teacher's Pet - A Story of Summer '82

By M. J. Moore“Go to my room for me, will you? There’s a big plastic barrette on the table next to my bed. Bring it out here for my hair, okay?” He paused on his way out of her bedroom; there was no air-conditioner in there, either. Just

Fiction

RETRO: Cancer, Vance, and the Great American Novel

By M. J. Moore For Naomi Rosenblatt When American author Vance Bourjaily died on August 31, 2010, at age 87, lengthy obituaries chronicled his career as an acclaimed novelist (once nominated for the National Book Award) and esteemed teacher (for decades, he was top gun at several MFA programs).But

Alfred Hayes

RETRO: Once Upon a Time in Italy

By M. J. MooreDisillusion. Confusion. Inexplicable grief. All three leitmotifs dominate All Thy Conquests by London-born Alfred Hayes, who became a naturalized American and whose poems, novels, and screenplays retain their power. Although now out of print, it’s worth searching libraries or other resources for this remarkable novel.Published

Fiction

Excerpt from 'Getting Off' by Jonathan Reiss

In our second segment of The Magic Behind the Indie Press with Instar Books, author Jonathan Reiss discusses his heart-shattering first novel Getting Off. Instar Books founder Jeanne Thornton describes it as, “about a young aspiring actor who ends up being kind of a vector in the online sex

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Betrayal

I awoke on a bed of leaves and scattered branches tearing at my flesh through my shirt—itching and burning, scraping my skin raw. The sky was hazy with low-lying fog that obscured the treetops and swirled around the wilderness like curled fingers.