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Monterey Shorts Anthologies

Monterey Shorts

What happens when a group of talented diverse writers subject themselves to the support and criticism of each other?  If they are lucky--magic.

Find reviews, author profiles and an engaging excerpt.

Monterey Shorts 2 Further Explores the
Myth, Magic and Mystery of the Monterey Peninsula

Highly anticipated sequel to the successful regional anthology, Monterey Shorts,
weaves the exquisite fabric of the area into twenty brand new short stories.

When it comes to the new anthology, Monterey Shorts 2: More on the Line, Thomas Steinbeck probably says it best. "Monterey Shorts 2 is a truly engaging collection of short stories written by authors of talent, perception and wit," he offers. "This fine selection skillfully illustrates the inevitable tidal influence of place in our perceptions, dreams and creations."

You might say that Steinbeck knows a thing or two about fiction indigenous to Monterey and its surrounding area. Not only is he the son of local literary icon, John Steinbeck, his own fiction is imbued with the region’s flavor, as witnessed in his fine collection of short stories, Down to a Soundless Sea.

What, then, is this volume of which he speaks so glowingly? Put simply, Monterey Shorts 2: More on the Line is the second installment in a series of short story collections by the Fiction Writers of the Monterey Peninsula (FWOMP). Encompassing a number of genres and styles, these anthologies are unified only by the region in which they are set. Monterey Shorts 2, in particular, gains distinction by how it takes the rich fabric of the area—past, present and future—and weaves it into the colorful design of every last narrative.

FWOMP, the creative force behind the book, is a local writer’s collective, now over five years old, that initially got together to share and meaningfully critique each other’s work. "When we started our intention was never to produce books," says chairman and co-founder Byron Merritt, "but when the first collection became kind of a self-publishing phenomenon—it’s sold over 3,000 copies to date thanks to great support from regional booksellers—it was only natural to think about a follow-up."

"It became apparent that we stumbled upon a formula that connected with local readers and visitors alike," adds founding member Chris Kemp, who oversaw the editing process and helmed pre-press duties. "Everyone loves reading about the area, and that’s an appetite we don’t foresee being satiated any time soon."

For volume two of the series, FWOMP upped the ante considerably. "Everything about Monterey Shorts 2 is a significant step forward from the original," asserts Merritt. "Our writing has improved, the illustrations are more plentiful and evocative, and you’re getting twenty stories instead of ten."

Monterey Shorts 2: More on the Line, was released April 3 and retails for $15.95, truly a value given that there are over 400 pages of original material. As is the case with Monterey Shorts, it is available at local bookstores and Amazon.com. In addition, the book may be purchased directly with PayPal from FWOMP’s website, www.fwomp.com, which readers may wish to visit for more information about the group and its works.

For more information on this unique group of writers, check out these news articles written about them and their new book:

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.03-31-2005/features/copy_of_Article.literature_feature

http://www.californianonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050416

/LIFESTYLE/504160331/1024

About the Authors

Byron Merritt is the founder of Fiction Writers of the Monterey Peninsula, which was established in January of 2000.

He continues to raise teenage twins (a boy and a girl) while working full time as an emergency room nurse.

Lately his writing life has consisted of writing shorts stories. But he’s  interviewed famous authors, too, and has had some of these interviews published in countries as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom.

His grandfather, the famous Dune author Frank Herbert, was an early inspiration in his writing career. Brian Herbert (Byron’s uncle) and Kevin J. Anderson—coauthors of the New York Times best-selling Dune prequels—remain an important influence in his writing life.

 Byron currently lives in Pacific Grove, California with his beautiful fiancé, Stasia, the polish princess. 

Ken Jones moved to the Monterey Peninsula after retiring from the Boeing Company in March of 2001. Southern Californian natives, he and his wife felt a growing attraction to the Central Coast that finally became too powerful to resist.

Ken holds a Bachelors of Science in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Northern Arizona University and his working career involved technical and business writing.

He began writing for pleasure in the mid 80's, focusing primarily on short story fiction. Ken's short-short stories have received Honorable Mention in the Coast Weekly's annual 101 Word Short Story Contests in 2001, 2002 and in 2003. In '03, in addition to one HM, his Holiday Dinners was awarded first prize.

 He is working on a novel length mystery that builds on the primary characters from his story Borscht in The Bay published in Monterey Shorts. Five of Ken's stories are contained in The Barmaid, The Bean Counter and the Bungee Jumper, a collection of short stories and poetry produced in November '03 by the Pebbles Writing Group of

 Carmel.

Ken and his wife Anne have one daughter, Nora, and one grandson. Ken and Anne live in Pacific Grove with their deaf, one-eyed (or in the more sensitive words of her loving Veterinarian, 'sound challenged and monocular') cat Lucky.

Lele Dahle grew up on the Monterey Peninsula. An early love for reading led to her interest in writing. She has written many short stories and is currently working on a first novel.

Linda Price  is a founding member of FWOMP. She took a year off following the disappearance of her husband in March 2001 while he was boating on the Monterey Bay.
During this time, she claims her life was on 'pause'. "Fiction draws from the real life drama that puts people's lives on 'pause'," she claims. "Sometimes it is personal, and sometimes shared, such as the trauma of 9/ll." Writing has helped her through many 'pauses' in her fifty-seven years.

Linda stays on her boat in the Monterey Marina when she comes down from the Lake Tahoe cabin where she moved from her Carmel Valley home in 2002. She has worked as a flight attendant for United Airlines, taught high school for fourteen years in local schools, and worked most of her adult career as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice and on staff at CHOMP.

When asked what she 'does' now, she says, "I write murder mysteries." An enthusiastic participant in the early planning for MONTEREY SHORTS, she regrets that she was unable to submit her story, Murder in Monterey. She notes that 'life goes on' even when one takes a 'pause' and is proud of the group's progress in her absence. Happy to be writing mysteries rather than living them, she looks forward to participating in future projects. 

Walter E. Gourlay , a native New Yorker, and a World War Two veteran, has had a varied career. At various times he’s been a labor union activist, a writer and copy editor of pulp fiction, house manager of a noted concert hall in Manhattan, and public relations director for an international firm.

He earned a doctorate in Chinese history at Harvard and taught graduate and undergraduates at Michigan State University for twenty years before moving to California. His monograph, “The Chinese Communist Cadre” was published by MIT, and another of his papers “’Yellow’ Unionism in Shanghai”, was distributed by the Harvard Program in East Asian Studies. He’s a founding member of Fiction Writers of the Monterey Peninsula (FWOMP), a member of The Monterey Writers’ Workshop, is on the Steering Committee of the local chapter of the National Writers Union, and is Program Chairman of Central Coast Writers. He writes a monthly page for the Newsletter of the Carmel Residents’ Association. Two of his short stories--"Marriage Makes Strange Bedfellows" and "The Night We Killed Music"—were included in the anthology Pebbles, (Thunderbird Writers Group, 1999). Five of his stories, are in The Barmaid, the Bean Counter and the Bungee Jumper, (Pebbles Group, 2003). One of them, “Laundry” is excerpted from his wartime memoirs, a work in progress. His story, “Reunion” appears in Monterey Shorts, published in 2002.

 He is now researching a monograph on “Chiang Kai-shek and Mussolini”, and doing research for on an historical novel set in New York City, Java, and Japan during the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon, based on Dutch and Japanese sources and New York City archives.

 Walter lives in Carmel, California.

Mark Angel was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula. He currently resides in Carmel Valley. He will soon publish a science fiction novel entitled Rexriders, about a civilization that coexists with dinosaurs. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology with a minor in music from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and an Associate of Science in fire protection technology from Monterey Peninsula College. Mark is currently employed as an Emergency Medical Technician with American Medical Response, and he has been a volunteer with the American Red Cross, Carmel Area Chapter for over 20 years.

Shaheen Schmidt, a native of Iran, has lived in the United States since 1985, and currently resides in Carmel Valley. Although she works in Carmel as a hair designer, she has an insatiable curiosity and interest in visual arts, dance, music and writing and is one of the founding members of Fiction Writers of the Monterey Peninsula. Since childhood, she has kept a journal and special notebook to write her stories, fully illustrated in her own hand. Shaheen’s writing is often inspired by music she hears, or spending time in nature.

Frances Rossi believes her insatiable need to write must stem from her 16th Century French literary ancestor, Etienne Pasquier, known for his encyclopedic historical work, Recherche de la France. In keeping with that tradition, she has written several articles for publication on the history of the Church.  "A Flash of Red" was her first published fiction story.

Frances is active in I Cantori di Carmel, a local chorus, and sings in the Carmel Mission choir.  She is also taking part in the Carmel Bach Festival Chorus.

She serves as web master for the FWOMP site, and works for SandCastles Toys in the Barnyard on their website.

She has worked as Director of Religious Education in Catholic parishes in Western Colorado, as well as on the Monterey Peninsula. She lives with her father, Robert Paquette, in Pebble Beach, is the mother of three grown children, and now has two grand-children.