The Rough Stuff: Stories of Men in Hard Circumstance

by Michael Cardwell

The Rough Stuff is a powerful collection of short stories. Filled with unforgettable characters, it is a mix of action-filled fiction and reflective morality tales about the truisms of life, its spectacle, its inherent dangers, and its frustrating uncertainty. Whether in the mountains of Afghanistan, on a farm in Indiana, or in a lake cabin in Idaho, Cardwell tells brutally honest stories about the lives of decent, hard men in America.

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2022

About the author

After thirty-two years of service in the United States Army, I traded the discipline of military life for the craft of storytelling. I studied creative writing at Indiana University, where I began publishing poetry, short fiction, and novellas in literary journals and magazines.

Today I write full-time from Indiana, where my days revolve around strong coffee, enthusiastic dogs, and keeping up with eight energetic grandchildren. My stories are rooted in the landscapes, communities, and characters of rural America.

I am the author of the popular Frontier Series, including Frontier Justice, Frontier Outlaws, and Frontier Marshal. Blending Western grit with modern crime and mystery, the series has earned strong reader ratings and a growing audience of fans who enjoy the work of Craig Johnson, C. J. Box, and other writers of rural suspense.

The fifth novel, Frontier Bounty, will be released this summer, with Frontier Ghosts scheduled to follow later in the year.

If you enjoy stories about determined lawmen, dangerous frontiers, and the fight for justice in the wide-open American West, start with Frontier Justice and join thousands of readers already riding along.

Reviews

[Manie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life sometimes is a hard mistress, as these short stories so aptly demonstrates.
The heartache that creeps into your very soul by reading these, so reminds me of a song I grew up with..."It is heartache by the numbers....
Yes, it is a tough world. It is our world. And sometimes only the tough endure, as author Michael Cardwell so ably laid bare.
But is also beautiful.
Enjoy

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Stories in Classic Format
I love reading classical short stories -the ones that have zero extra words. These stories fit that format. They are the Haiku of fiction writing. They bring out your deeper thoughts and true emotions. I found myself trying to fit myself into the lives of these men. I enjoyed these stories so much they are quite haunting!

[Glenn S. McCullough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well excuted

Great variety of short stories. I haven't read short stories in quite some time, but this collection has reignited my love for the genre. This guy may be turning me on to a whole new genre. Very solid work.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Articulate, insightful, well written but most of the stories were of a very dark nature.