Words

WORDS

Elementary Concerns ABC  (2000) Creative non-fiction. Includes 12 short works collected under the title "Elementary Concerns," plus "The Brief Literary Career of Miles Dowd," and "Idiot Savant."
See pages 3 - 4 for descriptions. Part A is "Elementary Concerns," ten personal elementary living lessons.
Part B, "The Brief Literary Career of Miles Dowd" follows a promising would-be poet as his new craft starts to sink. Part C, "Idiot Savant" uses poetry, drawings and journal writing to tell the story of a world where the heart is a bit of an idiot.
from Elementary Concerns --  Englishit, Profit from Experience, The Last Testament, Eternity in an Hour
  from The Brief Literary Career of Miles Dowd -- An Introduction 1 - 4, The Queen of Love, Art Dabbs,
  from Idiot Savant -- doodle drawings, poetic persistence

Merritt Arms + Lemon & Rain (2003) Merritt Arms -- ten interlocking relationship short stories take place mostly in and around an apartment building of the title name. Individual titles include: An Unwound Mound, Bridge of Sighs, Victorian Fixer-Upper, A Man-In-Need, The Micheline Guide, The Sign Club, Tracking Intimacy, The Virgin Victory, Room Mating. Also included as part of a two-for-one book, LEMON & RAIN -- life has become a foreign film without subtitles for Trudy, whose stolen car becomes a vehicle for forcing changes. It's a story of unconnected affairs leading to fair and better human connections.
excerpts: from Merritt Arms -- Bridge of Sighs, Victorian Fixer-Upper, A Man-In-Need, Room Mating,
from Lemon & Rain -- Poetry & Palettes, Stolen Moments, Mount Hope,

The Station /&/ Rotations (2006) Fiction.
"The Station" is a year in the life of -- and the semi-salvation of -- Halley Nordtorg. After flirting and toying with an unsatisfying life, she quits her job, her failing relationships and numerous flights-of-fancy, and embarks on a quest to find a worthwhile station in life. In the second story, "Rotations," three loners come together to form a friendship and chronicle a transitional time, the effects of illness, and the need for community.
sample chapters from The Station -- March, August, December / January Redemptions,
The first three chapters of Rotations -- Oceans, Dessert Oasis, Holy Oak,

Kate Takes A Vacation 140 pages
When Kate takes her first solo vacation in many years, she returns with a life-changing,
heart-altering philosophy. A memoir to a rising son.

excerpt : Kate Takes A Vacation

full book available on line (password required).

Poems This book is a collection of poems used in The Brief Literary Career of Miles Dowd, Idiot Savant, Rotations, and other works. Many poems were written separate from the stories, and in some cases years before. Most are used as passages and interludes to enhance a storyline and support the inner workings of a character living on the fringes of an often bewildering world. Also included are 21 selected, abridged lyrics from Turn the Key, song catalog. 114 pages.
The cover photo is the smoke-stained ceiling of Anasazi cliff-dwellers at Mesa Verde.
excerpts: poems

Playbook 10 one-act plays/skits. Includes: WISEST MAN IN THE WORLD -- lifelong companions bonded by a secret; WHAT TO DO ON A RAINY DAY -- an imaginative life is almost too rewarding when it pours awards and rains fifteen minutes of fame; SCRABBLE -- the game that got away; HARRIET’S DREAM -- drawing the line between mothering and servitude; PADDY’S PARADE -- a city of sham gets its annual purge; A THANKSGIVING -- a dozen new pilgrims celebrate an appetite for life with a special guest of honor; HOWL EVE -- the prowl and prank of tricky terror; DAWN & DUSK -- the most important moment in time is Now ... Life as an absurd work-in-progress; VALENTINE -- Venus and Cupid plot to get their androgyny (Val) into the family business; and THE PLOT -- a search for an illusive sustainable plot.
excerpts: The Wisest Man In The World, DAWN & DUSK

Christmas Eve 4 one-act plays centered on the title theme. Includes:
JACK-IN-THE-BOX -- a Christmas temp worker gets exposed to what's behind window dressing;
THE NORTH POLE CRISIS -- use your imagination, or someone else will;
A DICKENS AFFAIR -- a ho-hum holiday gets a wake-up call from Beth and her family;
YULETIDE -- a satirical history of the holiday season.
Original artwork for the cover, with additional drawings & illustrations, and poem included inside.
excerpt: The North Pole Crisis, complete play

Tail Tales  Collection for children and adults. In the main story, B S Finch takes over a human household and creates a birdland. Other stories include: The Pink Giraffe -- why wild animals scream wildly at dawn; Albino Rhino -- twin tales lead to twice as much trouble; Snowy -- young girl is sent soaring to Catland; Rooster Cooper -- a rooster catches the love bug; Harry Hamster -- a hamster gets the shock of his life; Clyde Glide -- a goldfish finds a new home; Molly Collie -- a sad collie’s cleverness leads to a reward; Monkey Mama -- mom & sons help dad find a business; A Lion Fable -- how kings grow hearts and queens get wiser.
excerpts: first four chapters from B S Finch  -- Jamie and the Sanctuary
excerpts: stories from Tail Tales -- The Pink Giraffe,  Rooster Cooper, Albino Rhino, Catland.

Corey's Stories
The only child of a single mother who has lost her job, Corey is a young boy forced by circumstance to move to a new neighborhood and into the strange home of his late grandfather. Here he finds soaring shoes, magic hats, talking food, magic tears, and even a mystical mirror to go along with a perfect spiral and a budding friendship with the next door twins. Here is where mom and son plan and plant their lives over again with a little imaginative help and adjustment.

excerpts: Food Talk, Magic Tears, Nobody Else's Business