Mark LaFlamme is a crime reporter and columnist at the Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine. His weekly column Street Talk has been named both Best in Maine and Best in New England. He is the Maine Press Association's 2006 Journalist of the Year. Mark is also the author of the novels "The Pink Room," "Vegetation" and "Dirt: An American Campaign," as well as the novelette "Asterisk: Red Sox 2089" and the new short story collection "Box of Lies."
Peek inside and thrill to discover:Men and women forced to march for their daily bread.
A crazy lady who frets over pennies on the sidewalk.
A professor learns we all may be works of fiction. Cannibals hang out over pitchers of beer. And one man knows the answers to the grandest mysteries of them all.From award-winning Maine author Mark LaFlamme, 27 stories that have been keeping readers up at night."LaFlamme writes a well-paced, descriptive, riveting narrative you will not want to put down," writes reviewer Tracee Gleichner.A man falls in love with a machine. A mind-reader wishes the human soul had a mute button. And a visiting extraterrestrial finds human nature detestable – until he is hopelessly charmed by a simple game.
A crazy lady who frets over pennies on the sidewalk.
A professor learns we all may be works of fiction. Cannibals hang out over pitchers of beer. And one man knows the answers to the grandest mysteries of them all.From award-winning Maine author Mark LaFlamme, 27 stories that have been keeping readers up at night."LaFlamme writes a well-paced, descriptive, riveting narrative you will not want to put down," writes reviewer Tracee Gleichner.A man falls in love with a machine. A mind-reader wishes the human soul had a mute button. And a visiting extraterrestrial finds human nature detestable – until he is hopelessly charmed by a simple game.
Mesmerizing tales from a masterful storyteller."Like Dean Koontz, John Saul and Stephen King combined," says author Betty Dravis. "Yes, LaFlamme is THAT good!"
What will e-readers like about your book: Box of Lies is 27 short stories with freakish twists all over the place. I get fan mail from readers all the time and what's funny (and pleasing) is that each reader has a different favorite. A lot of them like "The Neighborhood," which is a story of the future when men and women are forced to walk to provide energy for a depleted society. Some are crazy about "The Bender Argument," which suggests that we are nothing more than characters in someone else's computer simulation. There is great variety in "Box of Lies." Literally something for everyone.
Why did you go indie: When I first published in 2005, I didn't hesitate to go with Booklocker, a publish on demand company. My ambition was to get my book out into the world and try to get a feel for its potential. "The Pink Room" did very well without agents or a traditional publisher behind it. In the years since then, I've published four novels and a novelette. With each new book, an author learns new things about promoting his work. At this phase of my career, it would feel like a step backward to start over again with a traditional publisher. With the rise of e-books upon us, I see this as a Golden Age for indie writers and I'm proud to be a part of that.
Favorite authors: Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Ira Levin, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Jack Ketchum.
Website: http://marklaflamme.com/books.html
