INSIDE THE DARKSIDE

The 12 near-future stories of INSIDE THE DARKSIDE are about purposeful, but fallible, men and women who never mastered the rules of Murphy's Law. Some have the means to blindly miscalculate their good intentions or be inattentive to warning signs or have the potential to succeed. Can they find their way to overcome unseen odds? Can they cope with the results? Introspection may not always be balanced with "what was I thinking?" You will meet heroes, the misguided, a buffoon, rubberneckers, primitives and the oblivious. I think you'll have a good time figuring who's who.

INSIDE THE DARKSIDE is a collection of 12 dissimilar stories inhabiting the near future. A long-winded, umbrella-like philosophical long story description might be more appropriate if you, my readers, are presented with story clues. Here they are in order: GREY – A hotshot pilot, attempting to follow in his father's galactic shoes, finds even his own whining is grey-ting. MISTY JOURNEY – The way out is unclear, even with help. THE LONGSHOT – What chances do a ragtag band of mismatched survivors have against victors holding a flush short one club? TRESPASSERS – He's a gun for hire; she's an event coordinator with an agenda. Who's on who's side? GRAMPS – Yours may have taken you for ice cream and celebratory fireworks. This one doesn't do those things...because he has strange "friends." TWILIGHT IN THE GARDEN – A young girl with a backyard hobby has hopes to feed the world. Why does the military want to weaponize her research? THERE ONCE WAS A LADY NAMED BRIGHT – What happens when established theories are put to the test? BEWARE THE CHAIR – Sometimes "creating" a bargain has unearthly consequences. MYOFB! – Our characters are busybodies. How will this work out when their eavesdropping is uncovered? THE WARNING – Some experiments are never meant to see the light of day. WHAT PRICE PROGRESS – "Finders Keepers" has unforeseen consequences. PITTED DATES – There's one born every minute. A fool and his money are soon parted. You get what you paid for. They all apply to our guy. I hope there's enough intrigue for your further pursuit.

Les has just completed his fourth book of short stories, "Inside the Darkside." He's always been a fan of this style because he feels there aren't enough Post-It Notes in the world to keep track of characters in a novel. As a Boston kid, he had five jobs before he entered the United States Air Force. As the editor of his high school bi-monthly, The Artisan, he learned short story writing along with the primitive method of hot type printing on a Merganthaler Compositor. They're in museums now. While he lived in Burlington, MA for a while, he had local pieces published in the Burlington Times Union and Woburn Daily Times. A long piece about his pre-teen daughter's room (read: tornado) was published in the LA Herald Examiner. For a brief time, Les lived in Ashland, MA. His niece introduced him to Cynthia Whitty, editor of the Ashland Local Town Pages. Les had a monthly column of local comings and goings. Along the way, Les collected enough anecdotes, interviewed many veterans and came up with his first print book telling America's stories. His second eBook of fiction, "Short Stories by a Short Guy in Shorts" followed a year later. After he filled a blank page's book of musings, Les published "Welcome to my Soap Box," a collection of funny rants and observation. Along the way, with a full-time job, Les completed 17 years of nigh time education at four campuses of Northeastern University. He used those business degrees to run a profitable business for 26 years. Les has worked most of his life in a variety of short and long term vocations: manufacturing, retail, financial services, a social service agency. He's been everything from a soda jerk to Director of Quality. He likes to be called a writer but will respond to "hey you." Les is now in the best relationship of his life, gives fair YELP reviews, will pet any dog or cat giving him a sniff and drives an 18 year old Corolla. It may outlast him. Les now lives and writes in Hudson, MA.