Tomcat Feelings

by Nick Milligan

Following the acclaim of his searing debut novel, Australian writer Nick Milligan returns with his first short story collection. TOMCAT FEELINGS is an excursion where nothing is as it seems, where reality and fantasy bleed together and the human condition is laid bare.

Dark, funny, romantic and frequently depraved,
TOMCAT FEELINGS is twelve tales from the mind that brought you ENORMITY.

You’ve been warned.

Fans of the short fiction of Edgar Allan Poe, Bret Easton Ellis, Christos Tsiolkas and Raymond Carver take note.

CONTENTS:
Megalodon
Friends
The Second Coming
The Muse
Kosuto
You’re Lucky You Don’t Get a Bullet
Peripheral
The House is Not For Sale
The Endling
Mesmeric Intersection
The Peeping Toms
Killing Floor Blues

Genres: Short Stories

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2017

About the author

Nick Milligan has been a force in the Australian music industry for over two decades, whether it be as an influential freelance music journalist or his recent years working in festival promotion.

Milligan's literary career officially began in 2014 with the release of his debut novel Enormity. The sprawling epic is a scathing and dark rumination on religion, the music industry and celebrity worship.

He then published the short story collection Tomcat Feelings in 2017.

In 2024 Milligan released the novella Guardian.

Since 2002 Milligan has profiled some of the world’s most influential artists. He has been published in Frankie, Rolling Stone, YEN, Smash Hits, Hotpress, Dazed and Confused, and Reverb Magazine. He was the editor-in-chief of Reverb Magazine, the music and film editor of YEN Magazine and has worked as a sub-editor at YEN, Dazed and Confused, Frankie and The Maitland Mercury.

Milligan has interviewed (amongst many others) Matt Damon, Bret Easton Ellis, Dylan Moran, Ice Cube, Slash, Rhys Darby, Bill Bailey, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alice Cooper, Juliette Lewis, Frank Black (Pixies), Brandon Boyd (Incubus), Johnny Borrell (Razorlight), Glen Hansard, Gotye, GZA, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), Daniel Johns (Silverchair), Dweezil Zappa, Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Pete Townshend (The Who), Kimbra, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Huey Lewis, The Presets, Empire Of The Sun, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Marilyn Manson, Courtney Taylor-Taylor (Dandy Warhols), Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Paul McDermott, Dave Hughes, John Mayall, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), James Mercer (The Shins), Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton, Sarah Blasko and Kings Of Leon.

Reviews

[Steve T · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you read between Moby-Dick and War and Peace? Nothing but short stories and novellas. I'd read Nick Milligan's novel, Enormity, a few months ago and was expecting another intense science fiction book with wild sex scenes--and in some cases his collection, Tomcat Feelings, has those elements and more. From something as compelling as a heated confrontation in a restaurant between a tourist and a waiter in Japan to an original take on a couple of friends getting into trouble with a pair of X-ray glasses, this is an entertaining read, especially if you enjoy short stories that aren't always what they seem.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure genius, though I might be bias.

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a title like Tomcat Feelings I was unsure what to expect from this book.
To begin with 'Megalodon' was pure genius in addition to dark and mystical.
Another favourite for me was 'Mesmeric Intersection'. It felt like a story Nick was telling an audience around a campfire, sharing a drink and teasing his audience with snippets of peoples lives, always staying true to his Australian heritage.
No matter how long or short, each story is creatively unique and has been cleverly finished at the perfect spot, leaving the mind reeling.
Nick's notes at the end made this book feel so personalized.
*Other authors take note!

[Joanna Atherfold · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the purpose of a short story is to startle and unsettle, then this collection of short stories certainly achieves that. The collection is diverse, covering a broad cross-section of sub-genres. The mystery of 'Megalodon' was complemented by the spare, sharp prose and was a thoroughly engaging read. 'You're Lucky You Don't Get a Bullet' showed the importance of a powerful image to great story-telling. Nick is an observant writer who clearly doesn't mind taking risks or testing his readers. I really liked the author notes at the end of the book, which revealed the impetus behind each story.

[Pattib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories are, for me, a mood thing. It just so happened I was in the perfect mood when I started reading this collection, and I'm so glad I did. I really like this author's writing style, it's like hanging out with your best male friend who happens to be a hard drinking, horn-dog Aussie (it's a compliment, mate) and listening to his stories. Easygoing, engrossing and sometimes titillating, these stories are different, a little weird, and very unpredictable. A couple of them reminded me of seeing a random stranger on the street and then getting a glimpse into their life for a brief period of time. A couple felt really Twilight-Zone to me. The last one - Killing Floor Blues - is outright science fiction; a savage alien planet and the works! The rest take place right here on Earth and usually include some pretty good insight into the male brain and its laser focus when sex is imminent. I'm still scratching my head about the way a couple of the stories ended, but after reading the author's notes at the end I was pretty much able to narrow down what I thought had happened to two or three possible scenarios. So, not every story was a neatly wrapped package, but at least the fact that I'd felt happy or sad or troubled or even angry made the journey worthwhile. The true mark of a good story for me is if you find yourself thinking about it after you've put the book down, and a couple of these stories have really stayed with me like that, which I think is pretty amazing for a short story. To make memorable characters that feel like someone you've met is quite an accomplishment, as far as I'm concerned. Mr. Milligan's first novel, Enormity, did that, but he had an entire book to do it in. I was pleasantly surprised at how fully formed the characters in these short stories seemed to me. Most of all, though, for a summertime read when you're slightly in a funk and burnt out from reading too many books that can't quite keep your attention (like I was), this collection of short stories is just the ticket.

[Tegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of the stories were a bit unsettling, but I dug it. Especially enjoyed Mesmeric Intersection.