The short fiction of j hardy carroll
A dramatic image from Rochelle this morning begets a less dramatic story. “Ask you another question?” “As long as you’re buying.” He motioned for two more shots. They came and we toasted. “What’s the deal when you guys leave the fire truck in the street? No sirens, just the lights rolling.” I sipped my beer. “Well, lots…
This is a shorter vignette, almost a poem. It dates from October, 1999. The rainy city poised on the brink of a new millennium, floodlit cranes in sharp relief against the blooms of gray mist. The world was full of possibilities for a man just past thirty, full of longing. This little piece brims with some…
One of the benefits of city living is that you generally don’t need a car–f you are willing to make certain compromises. Cargo carrying is one of them. Groceries, laundry and other bulky errands require ingenuity and planning. Groceries especially, since laundry can be put off ad infinitum. I grew up in the supermarket era.…
From Grapnel Press February 13, 2015 Fifty Million Shades of Shit by Bastarr Sonovavich, under New Books, Rants So far I haven’t felt the need to chime in on the whole nasty, nasty business of Fifty Shades and a first-time novelist making more than a hundred million dollars. I mean, hell, that stuff happens.…
So, where were we? Ah yes. Procrastination. Seventh grade was chock full of all kinds of nasty shocks for hippie-school me. Doolen Junior High was, i realize now, a pilot program for young inmates who just hadn’t committed any felonies yet. There were guys in the 8th grade who were bused in from South Tucson…
This is from a blog I randomly discovered. Not a lot of entries, but some really funny and tragic writing all around. Check it out and if you like it, let the poor guy know. From Double Dick Move! Two Dogs I Saw I was coming home from my job at the Denny’s at…
In a televised interview, Orson Welles spoke of his friendship with Ernest Hemingway. It was a long association, the two men knowing one another for twenty years. They weren’t especially close, but the times they spent with one another were quite rewarding. One thing that struck me about Welles’ remarks was an observation that Hemingway’s wicked sense…
Procrastination is a positive experience for me. I get a lot accomplished. In fact, I would wager that I get more done by putting things off for a day than most people do putting things off for a week. But before you close this window and opt to read this later, I want to assure…
Here is an Überhaus Diary entry from 1998 where I talk about a show and then bitch about rich people. Ever the trendsetter. I remember this Headhunters show well. Paul Jackson, the bassist, broke a string on his bass in the middle of a solo. Rather than abandoning it, he motioned his bass tech over. The guy knelt…
This morning around 6:30 I finished the first revision of my new novel Fifty Cent Soul. I’ve been at this too long to think I’m done, but I’m closer. I went ahead and formatted it for print so I can get a galley copy worked up. I like to do my corrections and edits on…