Punk Party and Other Accounts of Mischief

With a collection of stories that recalls Jean Shepherd along with a dash of Rod Serling and Raymond Chandler, author David Beedle has assembled tales that mix Christmas, diamond heists, Hollywood, and love—lost and found: A coming-of-age tale of a young man, beer league hockey, and of course, a girl. The cautionary fable about a TV actor willing to do anything for glory. And the hard-boiled, yet lovelorn accounts of a one-armed police detective, his faithful partner, an evil corporate empire, and a torch singer.

The stories here stir a humorous stew of innocence, loss, redemption, and romance—an age-old recipe with just enough new ingredients to keep you turning pages until its satisfying, slightly tear-inducing conclusion.

(Some stories contain salty language.)

With a collection of stories that recalls Jean Shepherd along with a dash of Rod Serling and Raymond Chandler, author David Beedle has assembled five tales that mix Christmas, diamond heists, Hollywood, and love, both lost and found.

Set in 1984, "Punk Party" is the coming-of-age story of a man whose coming-of-age should have happened much sooner. His journey weaves together a Chevy Chevette, beer league hockey, a restaurant with a mouse problem, and a girl who is clearly out of his league. "Bit Player" chronicles a B-level television actor willing to do anything for film glory, and the agent who can make it happen—for the right price. The short fable, "The Man Who Never Had an Original Idea," is the unfortunate account of a laborer whose foray into storytelling leads to a hilarious, but tragic, result. And finally, "Johnny Sidney, Police Detective" and "Last Call at the Crusader Lounge." Two stories separated by thirty years, they recount the misfortunes of a one-armed police detective and his faithful partner, and the evil corporation that separates them both from what they care about the most.

The stories here stir a stew of innocence, loss, redemption, and romance—an age-old recipe with just enough new ingredients to keep you turning pages until its satisfying, slightly tear-inducing conclusion. From iconoclastic humor to teary eyed awe, this short story collection is an eclectic cocktail which will reel in readers like a tractor beam!

(Some stories contain salty language.)

David Beedle is an author living in Pennsylvania. His writing is influenced by a mix of storytellers and artists: The homespun humor of Jean Shepherd, the fiction-born-from-journalism of Tom Wolfe, the unimaginable worlds made real by Ray Bradbury, and the unforgettable characters that inhabit the vast landscapes created by Larry McMurtry and Stephen King.

Beedle is also the author of a science-fiction novel, Bottleneck, and is the keeper of the blog, Find Five Seconds, at davidbeedle.com. He leads a second life as a video editor, animator, and motion graphics artist. He is one of five siblings, and is lucky enough to have an incredible son, Maximilian, and wife, Laura, without whom he is a much, much lesser man.