These short pieces, are, like The King and Other Stories, a collection of easy to read stories and articles that are designed to be treats for my readers. Nothing to hurt the head, but perhaps something to make you smile, or even think a little—but not too much. The stories in The King were all pretty much pulp and absurdist pieces. This collection contains a few stories of weight, even though they are short. The bottom line is they are designed for immediate consumption, the perfect kind of story for the busy day. Because, if you're like me, even on my busiest day, I like to find a few moments to read, even if it's only a chapter from a novel, a scene I've enjoyed reading before, a short story, or, what we used to call short-shorts. The articles though a little less flash like, are still quick reads and are probably best appreciated by those who like to read about writing and writers. Again, I thank all of you who have bought my short story collections and novels and comic books. Stay with me. I keep having new stories come to visit all the time. They're friendly, and they like to meet other readers other than me. Here are a few of the friendlier ones. They aren't complex friends, but you couldn't find any more well meaning than these. Read on.
Author
Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television. He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.
