Diner Stories: Off the Menu

by Daniel S. McTaggart (Editor), Jason Jack Miller (Contributor), Mike Mehalek (Contributor)

A collection of exciting stories and real tales, all serving up a fantastic fare about the one place we all know, love to go to, and enjoy no matter your walk of life: diners. Cozied up inside this collection are people who love and hate, learn and squirm, and above all, eat--maybe some meals that might surprise you. Come on in and join us for a selection of great stories all garnished with sensory delights, served up on a platter of fun and imagination!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
"Flying Lessons over Lunch with Saint Joseph Cooper Tina" by Eric Fritzius
"Layers and Pockets" by Karyn Cantees Stagg
"Julian's Restaurant" by Erin Nicole Cochran
"All the World's a Stage (But the Diner is my Church)" by Joey Madia
"Bleu Plate Special" by Jason Jack Miller
"The Bread Bowl" by Rich Bottles, Jr.
"Just Think about It" by Mary Lucille DeBerry
"Midnight at the Oasis" by Todd Ludy
"The MOst Important Miracle" by Scott Emerson
"Genevieve from the River" by Steven Anthony George
"Words in Rain" by Vicki Crawford
"Donovan's Intuition" by Sarah B. Robinson
"White Smoke and Mirrors" by Jolene Paternoster
"Mary's Place" by Chris Leek
"Hungry for More" by Frank Larnerd
"All Night Diner" by Garland Steele
"Is Freedom on the Menu?" by Theodore Webb
"Love's Old Sweet Song" by Susanna Connelly Holstein
"Desert Diner" by Julie Cunningham
"Old Blue's Treasure" by Jennifer Dietz Weingardt
"Snapshots" by Eliot Parker
"The Slaving Hen" by Mike Mehalek
"The Last Stop" by Kathleen McClure and K. Ceres Wright
"The Teddy Bear" by Mary Lou Pratt
"Theoretical Cheese" by William F. DeVault
"Frank's Place" by Daniel McTaggart

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2015

About the author

Daniel McTaggart's poetry has been published in Laurels, NACS Magazine, Screaming Zebra, Kestrel, Amomancies, and Backbone Mountain Review. He has several chapbooks of poetry, most notably Midnight Muse in a Convenience Store, Psalms of the Monster River Cult, and Diner Poems.

He was selected to participate in the 1989 Butts-Sturm Visiting Writers' Workshop with Wayne Dodd at WVU.

He graduated from WVU in 1992 with a B.A. in English.

Dan edited Diner Stories: Off the Menu, through Mountain State Press, which also contains his first published fiction work.

Reviews

[John Tipper · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we think of diners in American art, two come to mind immediately: Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story, "The Killers," and Edward Hopper's 1942 haunting painting, "Nighthawks," both sparse, minimalistic works. In this recently released book from Mountain State Press, we get an other-worldly view of an American cultural institution. Some works are traditional in form and theme, while others are avant garde, either in content and structure or both.

Frank Larnerd's "Hungry for More" is a futuristic crime story that could be a cross between episodes of "Breaking Bad" and "The Twilight Zone" TV shows. At the other end of the spectrum is Joey Madia's well-written, wide-ranging memoir about diners he's sampled from New Jersey to West Virginia. Eliot Parker's piece is a hardboiled detective story with a twist ending. Originality and diversity are themes McTaggart emphasized in selection, it seems. We get horror, science fiction, crime and humor.

Taken as a whole, this ambitious project works well. Readers should appreciate the collection for its range and depth. Dig in.

[Sarah Blizzard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m partial to this anthology, as my short story entitled “Donovan’s Intuition” is featured , beginning on page 86. The editor and publisher did not know that was the year I got sober, and since my protagonist Donovan is a recovered alcoholic, I considered it’s unique placement in the book divine providence. If you enjoy quick reads set in diners, memories about eccentric folks the authors have known from their experience in diners, and for no other reason than you want some Heinz catsup to dip your fries in, I highly recommend this anthology.