Varied
Images An Introduction to a Collection of Short Stories.
I wrote Varied Images over a period of twenty-five years. Each story in the collection was published in
a magazine or journal, some of then well known, others not. Many of the stories are set in Chicago or Southern Wisconsin,
two places where I spent my childhood. Geography never was a barrier to me, therefore the settings also range to different
states, and even different countries. These stories, though different, have a single, common thread running through
them. The situations presented contain an observation about life that leads you to some conclusion as to one of life's
truths. If you look at the story hard enough, you will find it. I have selected four of the stories for you
to read, if you care to. These are not my favorites, because each one, as it was written, became my favorite, and I find it
impossible to rank them in such a manner. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did when I put them on paper. Sincerely, Paul F. Wolf Varied Images, pricing - Soft Cover: $18.00 or Hard Cover:
$25.00 Available through author.
Maria the Witch
Lavina, I knew, had become something of a mythical figure in my mind. Locked in the downdrafts of Chicago winters,
the stuffed arteries of traffic, crowded beaches, gang-violent streets, her life out west seemed romantic, filled with the
freshness of her own private frontier. "I swear, Richard", she wrote, "I'll never get fat when I
have to go searching for cows and sheep; did that again today. I found them on the far southwest corner of the ranch
where some posts went completely down and they took advantage and went roaming. Believe me, cattle are not stupid."
Of course not, I thought, as I read her letter. Every man knows, in his mind, that once on the back of a horse he could
handle a steer, fence or no fence.... To read the rest of the story: Click here >>
The Wine House
Rivka
would come to my table, place the wine list on the creased, white tablecloth, then withdraw so I could consider my choice.
A cut glass bud vase was on the center of every table, each containing a fresh rose; in the corner of the small room stood
a huge, nickel-plated, pot bellied stove, roaring with heat if it were winter, impressive but quiet in other seasons.
A paned, glass window looked out onto the street; in the back there was an old door that was never opened and held shut
by a huge board resting on heavy, steel retainers. I would scan the list, then finally raise my hand like I was back
in The States, trying to get the attention of some distracted professor....
Vacancy Pending The first thing
Redenbacher ever said to me was, "They took a tumor out of my head the size of a grapefruit." Then he lifted his
hands and made a circle in the air with his fingers, all of this because he'd seen me staring at the huge scar that ran
across his forehead like the stitching on a football. "I made medical history," he smirked....
Votive Candles On
the sidewalk by the used car lot, right across the street from the old antique shop, Chicago, near Lake Michigan, vector space
east. Spread out on the cement and part of the street in front of the '85 Chevy where it all went down: single candles
burning, part of the home made shrine, along with flowers bought at Jewel food store, wrapped in green paper, wax-held wicks
in amber and blue glass, the flames jumping nervous in the wind, like vibrations from music, carnations scattered about, a
single rose, then a long-stemmed dozen, statues of Jesus and the Mother Virgin, red cloak on Jesus, blue one on his ma, and,
of course, the white cross, laying on the ground like it was carelessly tossed down, but it wasn't, it was tenderly placed
with loving hands, so I was told....
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A Punk in Gallows America A
novel by P. W. Fox a pen name for Paul F. Wolf Novel Summary:
A loss of connection and a questioning of common values are the benchmarks of P.W. Fox's first novel.
One day, Eddie Ways, a guy who figured he had it all, watched his wife walk out the door, and soon after that, began
to lose everything else that he thought mattered. This set in motion his offbeat odyssey through the dark corridors
of the infamous Uptown section of Chicago, where among the city's poor and disenfranchised, he began his odd search for
a new life. Eddie's story is atmospheric and artistic in its rendering of both people and places, bringing alive
the disordered elements, the "Gallows side", of an American he had never seen before. Along his uneasy
path, Eddie learns things about himself and the world, from people he never dreamed of associating with before. His
path to discovery and new beginnings winds past individuals who surprise him by what they are, by what they know, and by what
they have to give to him in lessons about love, life, and living. Selected by Small Press Review
as one of the best small press books of the year. Submitted for the Hemingway Foundation / Pen
Award. $18.00 Trade Paperback For Sales Contact Author
Read the review of 'A Punk in Gallows America' by author John Robinson: Click here >>
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