Short Street by Timothy Gager, now available--28 Short STories

A teenage junkie who gets a second chance--if she'll take it. A coffee shop uprising. A grieving father who will go to any lengths to catch a man who brutally murdered his only daughter. Come travel down Short Street, an anthology of 28 stories, where junkies, drunks and losers live next door to unsung heroes and stubborn survivors. Timothy Gager explores the bright rooms and the dark corners of human existence, where the one who next steps around the corner could be YOU... visit Timothy Gager's website http://www.timothygager.com

(PRWEB) April 28, 2004 -- Somerville writer Tim Gager's prose is not fancy. His characters can best be described as Mamet-like constructs, that talk in short, staccato bursts of invective, muted proclamations of love, or drunken murmurs of desperation. Gager's writing may be a bit raw for some, but behind the barroom bombast, and the macho posturing, is a lost little boy looking for love. I think Gager's strongest piece is The Other Side of Kenmore, an elegiac story, that follows the much too short lives of two young men. Gager peppers the story with a father's memories of his deceased son, and the flash of the totemic Citgo sign in Kenmore Square ( Boston) to good effect. Here the father recounts the birth of his son: " When my son was born, a rainbow appeared over Fenway Park. My wife and I could see it from our assigned room at Brigham and Women's Hospital. At night we saw the Citgo sign flash like a broken neon lantern, a huge shuttering beacon from a seedy bar window in Anytown, USA."

When Gager is at his best he uses a strong sense of place, such as Kenmore Square and the Citgo sign, and memories of key baseball games, to define his characters and their litany of sorrows., Like Gager, I am originally from the New York City area, and was, like a him, a rabid Miracle Met fan in 1969. In the piece Saving Milk Coupons Gager recalls himself at seven and a stack of Bordon's milk coupons. These coupons were enough for him, his brother and his Dad to attend a Met's game. If you were ever a boy in love with baseball, then you will appreciate this piece. Gager brings back the ancient names of Met pitcher Gary Gentry, the gaudy, suit adorned announcer Lindsay Nelson, the scrappy Met third baseman Wayne Garrett and more. Gager knows, as we all do, that we often mark passages in our life by favorite songs, or if you are a guy, ballgames. The author, now in his forties, writes: " All those memories, good and bad, start with the Bordon's coupons and my father. The seeds of baseball he planted were the same ones I planted for my only son. My hope is that the fruit from these original seeds taste as good to him as they do to me."

Gager writes about a lot more than baseball in this collection. In his cast are lonely writers, barflies, eccentric co-workers, wanton ladies, transvestites; a big splice of the urban pie. Gager, in the end, is a "regular" guy and he writes like one. Speak to any Joe or Mac in a bar in Somerville, or any city for that matter, and he will tell you a story like Gager's. The difference is Gager gets it down on paper, and he taps into a universal pulse.

Doug Holder/ Ibbetson Update/Somerville, Ma.

Sample Chapter: Short Street
Mark's hand gave a sudden involuntary shake, forcing some beer to spill over the top of his bottle onto his pants. "S**t, I'm not feeling so good."

"I'll turn on the sound system, and you'll be cranking out in no time," Ace said.

He went to the back of the club as Mark took the bullet back from Melissa. The PA system cracked loudly with the sound of Iggy Popp's "Eggs on a Plate." Mark's hand shot out uncontrollably, as if he were startled by the music. The bottle flew from his hand and shattered on the floor. Melissa screamed and Ace came running back.

"What the f--k's happening?" he yelled, seeing Mark on the floor convulsing. Melissa was pounding on his chest, hands clasped together, tomahawking straight down.

"No! Don't do that," Ace yelled. "Call 911! Hurry!" Ace placed his right palm over the back of his left hand and positioned it below Mark's sternum. He attempted to blow a breath into Mark's lungs, but Mark vomited instead. Ace moved his head, twisting his neck so if he vomited again it would go to the side.

Mark's lips were now blue. Ace tried to start CPR, but had no idea how to position his hands. He tried to do it like they did on Rescue 911. He could feel his own heart pounding but couldn't find Mark's pulse. He began to pump on Mark's chest once more, and this time he felt something. He felt the force of his weight breaking Mark's ribs.
(From "The Other Side of Kenmore")

Short Street Timothy Gager. ( Zumaya Publications 2004 www.zumayapublications.com )