"Whether wildly imaginative or introspective, these stories set in a certain diner-bar in California will transport you. The hallmark of a great story is it stays with you. Some of these stories are so good, I've shared them with friends and students. There's a healthy mix of realism, fantasy, humor, and even science fiction. If you love any of the tropes associated with drinks, mysterious encounters, film noir-ish settings, memory, and transformation, this is a treasure collection." --Christina Paige
 
There is a bar that you know, where nobody knows your name, a place of unlikely happenings, strange tales, strong drinks. Was it Barry’s? Perhaps Gary’s. Harry’s, Larry’s.... Does it really matter which? One thing is certain. Enter its doors and you step into another dimension. Silver Webb presents twelves stories about love, loss, and mayonnaise. Cockroaches, spliffs, and purgatory. Ghosts, both murderous and helpful, psychokinetic battles, and even a blind date among widowers and a not-so-blind date with Hemingway. What was the name of the restaurant? Mary’s, Perry’s, Jerry’s...it’s that restaurant in your town, just down the street. And if you can’t find it, look no further. Have a seat next to us, order a cocktail, and let the tall tales roll.
 
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" by Ted Chiles. An older man with a cancer diagnosis observes people exiting a restaurant looking much young than when they entered. 
 
"Sitting Here in Limbo" by Max Talley. A strange night at the buffet ends in purgatory. But take heart, there are good french fries in limbo.
 
"For Thee" by Chella Courington. Browsing at a bookstore leads to a date with a long-dead Hemingway.
 
"Buggery" by Tom Layou. The shenanigans of the local bar through the eyes of a drugged cockroach. 
 
"How Mad Matt Won the Nobel Prize in Literature" by Matthew J. Pallamary. An author finds himself drinking with the ghosts of his literary heroes.
​
"Nutritional Value" by Lisa Lamb. A widowed mother, long out of the dating game, gets her toes wet.
 
"My Dinner at the Boy Restaurant" by Shelly Lowenkopf. There are some restaurants where you just shouldn't propose marriage....
 
"Ghost Moose of Clary’s Cafe" by Nicholas Deitch. That moose head mounted on the wall? The one that might be looking at you? It is!
 
"The Third Hurricane" by John Reed. Between the second hurricane and the third, there lies the ghosts of old loves and oblivion. 
 
"East Toward the Sun" by Christine Casey Logsdon. Time travellers, ravioli, and pictures on the restaurant wall that seem trapped, sentient, observing the diners unaware.
 
"Closing Credits" by Dennis Russell. A tale of cowboy movie nostalgia and choking on chicken wings...will it be happy trails for our hero?
​
"The Hurricane: Mercury in Retrograde" by Silver Webb. A trio of psychokinetic friends have dinner together, and the restaurant is not standing by the time they pay the tip.
 
"A Turn with Worms" by Stephen T. Vessels. It turns out that space worms have interesting tastes in cocktails. Too interesting for human comfort.
 
Paperback: 195 pages
Published April 2, 2019
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1090540094
ISBN-13: 978-1090540096
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 11 ounces