There are stories — and there are the stories behind the stories.

This may look like any short story collection. And on the surface, it is, albeit a strange one. Writer and book editor Dave Pasquantonio presents twenty short stories that dip their toes in, and often dive deep into, the weird end of the pool.

Newspaper articles about a house for sale and a local diner give us inside information that no paper would ever print. A housefly takes on chanting spiders, an overly chatty dragonfly, and a car window in a nod to 1940s pulp novels as she chases down a sugary treat. A woman's fragmented inner thoughts during a quick shower tell the story of her life. And Death is mightily frustrated when the higher-ups roll out a new program, forcing it to talk to humans before it collects their souls.

Then Dave talks about the writing lessons he learned while writing each story. Choosing the right point of view. Finding your writing rhythm. Adding flaws and weirdness to your characters. Nailing a story's ending.

Not to worry if you're here just to read the stories, however. Skip over those (boring?) author notes and stick around to see what has exited Dave's head—the funny, the sad, the quirky and the bizarre. Even he was surprised — and he has to live with his head full-time.

(The paperback adds some lovely vintage illustrations that highlight each story but otherwise add no value, so you're not missing much by sticking with the ebook. We'd add that the paperback is a great tool for swatting bugs, but after you read this, you'll never again want to harm a housefly.)