Lance Mannion: Read a story, help a blogger

Heads up to members of the Lance Mannion Tall Tale of the Month Club.

Next short story delivery's scheduled for Monday or Tuesday of next week. In keeping with Halloween, there'll be witches in it. In keeping with my own idea of tricks and treats, there'll be sex.

To those of you who haven't joined up yet: What's stopping you? Being a member is fun, it's educational, it costs only a ten spot, and it puts money in my pocket!

You've probably figured out that the Tall Tale of the Month Club is a form of fundraising here. You can help out this blog immensely by joining and there are no obligations. You don't even have to read the stories. Hit the delete key as soon as they land in your mailbox, no one will know.

There's no homework, no quiz, and I'll never ask you what you thought of them. And here's the bonus. They're actually pretty good. Worth reading. I went to grad school for this and have won awards. But don't take my word for it. Listen to what satisfied customer grasshopper has to say about last month's story, The Survival of Daniel Gipp:

Wow, Lance! Don’t know if I found this my “favorite” so far: I enjoy all your stories. But you pulled off something really cool with this one. It’s terrific the way one can easily see this whole drama happening next week, with a screaming red terror alert as our “October Surprise.” It also feels powerfully like a contemporary version of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” turned upside down: In your story human decency prevails over terror. You’ve got this thoroughly isolated world, which is complete and believable, but also familiar to anyone who’s visited some little town for a weekend to “get away from it all.” And while I’m a little vague about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the little I do know following my everyday reader’s verisimilitude radar: it’s completely believable there, too. And, that seems as if it’s a specific threat that should be recollected more, and represented historically. I admit I’m guessing here but it seems to echo what we’ve come to accept as ordinary life.

Thanks and keep writing these. But as much as I enjoy your blog, it’s by nature transitory. Your short stories are timeless.

And she's not even related to me.

So, please, folks, consider signing up today. It's 10 dollars for 12 stories, a story a month for a year. You can join by hitting the tip jar in the top right hand corner of the page, using either PayPal or Amazon. Once you've done that, drop me a note at lmannion109@yahoo.com letting me know and telling me what file format you'd prefer, MSWord, WordPerfect, or RTF. The story will appear in your inbox within 24 hours.

If you'd prefer to send a check or money order, make it out to E. Reilly, and send it to Lance Mannion, PO Box 263, New Paltz, NY 12561.

Stories are available for individual purchase for a donation of $2.

You can read excerpts from the four stories offered so far by scrolling down to the post below or clicking here.

You can tell me which story you'd like to begin with or even join retroactively and get all four stories today!

And, of course, regular donations are always appreciated.

Thanks to all who have joined and are planning to join. This is a big help and, besides, it makes me very happy to know my stories are being read.

May 2012