If Caught In Quicksand

by David James Parr

In this new collection of stories, award-winning author David James Parr navigates the cosmic and comic complications of everyday life as well as the deeper complexities of human nature that come to define and defy us. In FLOATING, a career temp wonders if a mysterious physical ailment is related to the recent loss of a grandmother from Alzheimer’s and the estrangement from a live-in boyfriend; a vivacious and volatile aspiring actress plays HONEYMOON BRIDGE with a childhood friend recovering from vocal surgery, and in the ensuing one-way conversation reveals a devastating secret from their youth; a rueful addict standing center-stage in a rehab lists all of the reasons, obvious and not, WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER DO COCAINE BY JOHN PATRICK; a young wife spending time in a mental hospital after an incident with an axe is inspired by true-crime thrillers to devise her own plot of revenge involving TROJAN CAKES; a shattered son recollects fragments of his mother’s death while on a BENDER; and, in IF CAUGHT IN QUICKSAND, a lonely young man attempts a budding romance while reconciling his twisted attraction to an alluring, enigmatic stranger that leads to a terrifying encounter on a deserted beach. Caught in pivotal moments of their lives, the women and men in this collection make bold, unexpected choices to let go of past demons and take hold of future lives.

226 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2020

About the author

David James Parr was born on a cul-de-sac in Columbus, Ohio, grew up on a poultry farm in rural Pennsylvania, and now lives on the island of misfit toys that is Manhattan.

He is a two-time winner of The Tennessee Williams Fiction Award and two-time Finalist for The O'Neill National Playwrights Competition. His novels VIOLET PEAKS, BEAUTY MARKS and MEN IN SHORTS are available on Amazon and Kindle, as well as his short story collection HOW TO SURVIVE OVERWHELMING LOSS & LONELINESS IN 5 EASY STEPS: STORIES and PERSONAL TRAINING: POETRY & EXERCISE TIPS.

www.DavidJamesParr.com