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Amazing Texas

The great state of Texas boasts many proud but curious traditions and trivia and this third volume of the Amazing America series enumerates fascinating facts, entertaining tales, bizarre happenings, and historical oddities that give the Lone Star State its intriguing and distinctive character. Native Texans, history enthusiasts, curious travelers, and armchair aficionados of Texas lore will be delighted by the unusual aspects and obscure details celebrated in these pages. Specific locations and visitor information make this a useful guide to further explore the history, folklore, and folkways of this vast and diverse state.

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Perpetual Care and Other Stories

Evoking the comic grotesque legacy of Flannery O'Connor and John Kennedy Toole, these short stories inhabit a variety of piquant souls, including a Creole spinster, a transvestite plumber, a gambler who makes prosthetic eyes, a food critic who winds up with a mouthful of his best friend's ashes, and a grief-stricken young woman who sneaks a clock radio into her boyfriend's casket. They share a common trait of perverse denial in the face of historic or private defeat. Each story provides a window into aspects of the city and its’ captivating neighborhoods while tendering startling revelations on elemental themes of death, sex, and restoration.

James Nolan is a poet and regular contributor to Boulevard, and his work has appeared in The Georgia Review, The North American Review, Shenandoah, The Southern Review, The Washington Post, and other publications. He is the author of two poetry collections, What Moves Is Not the Wind and Why I Live in the Forest, and translator of the poetry of Pablo Neruda and Jaime Gil de Biedma. He currently directs the Loyola University–New Orleans Writing Institute. He lives in New Orleans.

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Amazing North Carolina: Fascinating Facts, Entertaining Tales, Bizarre Happenings, and Historical Oddities About the Tarheel

From the Wright brothers' first flight to ghost sightings and local lore, the fascinating and peculiar histories of North Carolina are the focus of this comprehensive travel companion and almanac. Both fun and educational, little known facts and legends fill the pages for the enjoyment of resident North Carolinians along with visitors and history fans alike. From breathtaking mountains to crystalline shores, this surprising guide captures the mystery, beauty, and charm of this magnificent state.

Theresa Jensen Lacey is the author of six books, including Amazing Tennessee, and has contributed more than 700 articles to newspapers and magazines. She lives in Fairhope, Alabama.

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Oh Don't You Cry for Me: Stories

A vivid lot of characters, each worthy of the utmost compassion or contempt—or perhaps both—inhabit this debut collection. A Bible-beating preacher of the literal kind, a tattoo-covered man who plies dead armadillos with empty beer cans, a mother bent on retaliating against her daughter's attacker, and scores of other obsessive and temperamental personalities wander and collide in this striking collection. Running throughout the book is the recurrent theme of denial, or unshakable naiveté, in the face of disaster and its inevitable consequences. Anchored by the last piece, a cinematic, suspenseful account of a young attorney and her jealous lovers—these tales deliver a hard-hitting assortment of skillful storytelling.

Philip Shirley is president of GodwinGroup ad agency and has received more than a dozen awards for his poetry, fiction, speech, and feature writing. His work has been anthologized in Stories from the Blue Moon Cafe IV and has appeared in online and print journals including Art Gulf Coast, Southern Gothic Online, Southern Humanities Review, and storySouth. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

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Southern Fried Farce: A Buffet of Downhome Humor from the Best of Southern Writers

Building on and stemming from the American South’s grand tradition of hilarious observations, stories, and characters, the contemporary writers presented in this anthology show just how funny life can be South of the Mason-Dixon Line. Clyde Edgerton, Celia Rivenbark, Jacks Pendarvis, George Singleton, John T. Edge, Lisa McLeod, David Magee, Susan Reinhardt, Lisa Daily, Roy Blount Jr. and many others have crafted essays and twisted yarns that will have readers laughing out loud—even if they're Yankees!

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The Shape of Poetry: A Practical Guide to Writing Poetry

Focusing on the foundations of poetry, this reference teaches aspiring poets the mechanics of writing verse. Offering advice on the abstract poetic notions—what makes good poetry, the meaning and inspirations of poetry—and the concrete—how to start a poem, how to craft its shape, and how to use the various poetic forms—this concise and insightful book provides inspiring and practical instruction. Including the author's own poems for guidance, this revised edition also discusses the direction of post-millennium, contemporary poetry.

Peter Meinke is an award-winning poet and author. His poems have appeared in The Atlantic, The Georgia Review, The New Yorker, and Poetry. Director of the writing workshop at Eckerd College for more than thirty years, Meinke has taught poetry composition and literature at all levels, from grade to graduate school. He has written several books of poetry, including The Contracted World and Zinc Fingers. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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Rejection, Romance and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer

Aspiring writers will learn the ins and outs of life as a full-time career novelist in this fresh and frank tell-all book from the perspective of one who knows. While most of these hopefuls will have no chance of becoming the next Stephen King, this book reveals that there is a real possibility for them to make a living from their writing if they put in the hard work, sweat, and tears. This guide covers the steps to getting published, getting paid, getting even, staying sane, and protecting one’s talent in this business. It even points out that prospective writers may not get to start in the genre of their dreams.

Reviews of this book

"Resnick's marvelous essays on writing are not only laugh-out-loud funny, but she does a wickedly accurate job of depicting the craziness of publishing – and the creative passion that makes it all worthwhile." – Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling novelist