F. Collyer Reed writes what most of us won't admit we imagine and does so with the street-smart edge of Hunter Thompson, the suspense of Stephen King, and the raunchy touch of Larry Flynt.
ALAMEDA, CA (PRWEB) July 27, 2004 -- "Trash: A Collection of Short Stories" (ISBN 0-595-30058-8, 224 pp) is a street-wise, often tragic, look at people who live on the edge of society. F. Collyer Reeds characters in this 9-story collection of adult fiction are so driven by primal instinct they live by their own heart-pounding rules. The book has won him an Editors Choice Award.
Love is a four-letter word in almost all of Reeds characters lives. They long for it (though theyd be hard-pressed to admit it) so they substitute different types of sexual relationships. When love does appear, they run away, as Lester, a drifter, does in "Lester in Love," a novella. Lesters first foray into love and normalcy might very well be his last.
On the other hand, Arthur cant hang on to love in "Onica," the second novella. Day after day he pines for the woman who left him but soon he begins to have sexual fantasies about an older woman who moves in next door. Arthur becomes so obsessive that he plots sexual blackmail when Onica doesnt give him the time of day. The surprising twist comes when Arthur discovers the real Onica and what her day job is. An even more surprising twist ensues when she finds out he knows.
In "Dreamland", the first story in the collection, Jake is about to party." Trouble is, when Jake parties, other people get hurt. Reed weaves a suspenseful tale as the victim sleeps and dreams of his first love. Then Jake begins to party." (An excerpt of this story is available on Reeds website at www.FcollyerReed.com)
The other stories in the collection reflect the need for love and the fear involved in either obtaining it or feeling it. Some of Reeds characters venture into various forms of sexual deviation and often pay the consequence. Reeds focus is generally on those who live on the edge of society because he has been there, done that. His characters live by their wits, often running from something. Often they have drug, alcohol, or sexual addictions to maintain.
Some of his characters are composites of people he met while he was on the road" many years ago. The stories are pure fiction and Reed demonstrates an amazing insight into human behavior. These people have no voice," Reed said, so I gave them one."
Born in a Nevada brothel, Reed was raised by his mother and numerous aunts." (There were times when he awoke at night to see his mother engaged in her trade.) Reed was a teen when he dropped out of boarding school and hit the road. Sometimes he worked, more often he didnt. He did time for a drug bust and decided then and there that a life of drugs and crime was not for him.
I met a lot of interesting people during my days on the road," he said. Oftentimes people act the way they do from the choices they make, but its also due to the way they were treated. Maybe ‘mistreated is a better word."
Reed lives on a sailboat on the San Francisco bay and is currently finishing a novel. "Trash: A Collection of Short Stories" is available at Amazon.com. For more information, visit Reeds website at www.FcollyerReed.com.
About the Book:
Title: Trash: A Collection of Short Stories
Author: F. Collyer Reed
ISBN: 0-595-30058-8
Category: Adult Fiction
Cover Price: ($15.95 (softcover, 224pp)
Publisher: iUniverse
book.orders@iuniverse.com
Available also at Amazon.com
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