Unfinished Creatures

Unfinished Creatures

Twelve Short Stories About Grief, Survival, and Redemption

We are all unfinished creatures, only half made up, searching for the other half to make us whole 

With dark comedy, mythic undertones, and shocking violence, twelve short stories shimmer with longing, loss, and redemption. They ask the questions we all face: How do we survive what tries to break us with grief? Can we forgive the unforgivable? Where does faith hide in a fractured world?

A boy struggles to save his family from a violent father. A lost girl steals Jesus from a creche, and a grieving man loses his belief. A farm boy takes flight in a carnival of dreams turned nightmare. A lonely woman crashes a Christmas party, hoping to find love. Haunted by ghosts, a detective must learn to see people as they truly are. A son, his mother, and her porkchop-stealing Maltese chase family reconciliation throughout an all-you-can-eat buffet. A couple tries to save their crumbling marriage in Greece. These stories and more confront the horrors of life and the psychological terrors that lurk in the shadows of ourselves.

Perfect for readers who want to laugh through their tears while balancing the surreal and the sacred, the tragic and the satirical, the absurd and the grotesque.

By the end, you'll find yourself believing in second chances, in the power of love, and maybe even in miracles.

Praise for Unfinished Creatures

"Transcendent elements animate a dozen divergent stories... brutal darkness, tenderness, and humor... an affecting expression of humanity. It's a collection in which any reader will find plenty to enjoy The influence of classic American short storytellers can be detected from the likes of Flannery O'Connor, Sherwood Anderson, Raymond Carver, and even a nod to Shirley Jackson."

—Peter Hassebroek, Independent Book Review

"A riveting anthology filled with emotional webs that keep readers spinning... profound themes and poetic prose... a compelling literary voice which paints beautiful images that transport us to unforgettable places."

—Amarilys Gacio Rassler, author of Cuban-American Dancing On They Hyphen

"A deeply expressive, sometimes funny, often dark roller coaster of emotions... a well-crafted collection of pain sprinkled with hope. Readers will laugh, cry, and cringe, but they won't be able to look away."

—Annette Masters, author of Dragonfly Down and The Hennessy Lie