It used to be a goal for writers to see paperback versions of their books lining the checkout counters of grocery stores. Now there is a new goal-- to have your books so widely distributed that you can get one for a buck on Amazon.com. I'm proud to say that I have made it into this elite corps.

          This is my first book of stories and hopefully not my last. I'm pleased that this book was taught in several short story classes at a major university. I was also asked to be guest lecturer in some of these classes and learned something about my own stories from the students.

          Some of the stories in The Principle of Interchange feature choirboys awaiting the return of a Mexican bandit to their church--despite the fact that he has been dead for 100 years; a two-bit comedian invaded by the soul of his agent--who he has just murdered; an obsessed police inspector who rents the apartment of a young prostitute who has just comitted suicide; an old drunk in Alaska who invents a super alter ego--The Tippler--to battle the cold and unfeeling people he sees around him. Here's a sample page from "The Man Who Wrote Letters to Comic Books."

The Tippler awoke one morning covered with snow. Since he had discovered his invulnerability, he slept often in doorways or alleys off 4th Ave. He was slowly getting used to his new life. A jackhammer was going off in his head and he looked around for the source. Nothing. The streets were white and clear in the dawning light. Where was the noise coming from?      Then, from blocks away, the Tippler saw stick figures coming toward him. Each twiggy step sounded in his head. So. He had superhearing too. The figures were moving frantically toward him. A shout rang through his ears like a pistol shot. One man was chasing another, and it looked serious. The sidewalk was icy, and though neither of the men fell, each slipped and slid with almost every step. Then the Tippler, from his mound of snow against the wall, saw the flash of a knife as the men came closer.      Something had to be done, so as the first man picked his way past him in terror, the Tippler hunched up, scattering snow everywhere as he flapped his arms. The second man--the one with the knife--was startled as he saw our hero hunker up from nowhere. But the Tippler slipped down again, causing the man to go hurtling over his body and slide face forward on the icy sidewalk.      The Tippler had struck. The impact would have hurt a normal person, but the Tippler had made his skin numb. He got up and staggered toward the man, who had dropped his knife and was lying face down on the sidewalk, sobbing into the melting ice. The first man had turned a corner and was out of sight.      "What's wrong, pal?" The Tippler helped the man to his feet.      "Who are you?" asked the man, who turned out to be quite a big man indeed. His beard was red, like his down jacket, and he was wearing a yellow Sohio cap. The Tippler knew that the man was a roughneck--a rig man.      "A friend," the Tippler answered. "Why don't we go into that cafe over there and have some coffee and you can tell me why you wanted to kill that man."      "Why should I?" the roughneck asked with a tearful show of beligerence.      "Because I'll listen," the Tippler replied. Copyright © 2002-2009 P. V. LeForge Books by P. V. LeForge My Wife Is a Horse, Kitsune Books, 2009, ISBN 13: 978-0-9819495-7-4 Hardback. $25 My Wife Is a Horse, Kitsune Books, 2009, ISBN 13: 978-0-9792700-8-6 Paperback. $12 Ways to Reshape the Heart, Main Street Rag, 2008, ISBN 13: 978-1-59948-158-6, $14 The Secret Life of Moles, Anhinga Press, 1992, ISBN 0-938078-35-6, $10 Getting a Good Read, Paperback Rack Books, 2002. ISBN 0-9624878-2-1, $10 The Principle of Interchange, Paperback Rack Books, 1992, ISBN 0-9624878-0-5, $11 The Ballad of Sixteen, Argonne House Books, 2003. ISBN 0-887641-71-8, $8 Media mail shipping on all orders is FREE--no matter how many copies you buy! Click here to e-mail an order or query. You can pay using PayPal or by sending your check or money order to Black Bay Farm 1939 Sand Basin Rd. Grand Ridge, FL 32442. Last updated 10/24/09