Little White Book of Lies
I wanted to tell you about A Little White Book of Lies. It’s published by Borderlands Press, as part of their Little Book Series. The concept is simple … pick a color, create a theme around that color, then add in some stories that fit the theme. White lies quickly became my theme, since it runs through so many of my stories, and these are the stories that I selected to be reprinted: “Fade In/Fade Out,” “Brothers,” “The Hollow,” and “Where The Past Lay Buried.” Sandwiched in between these is a new short story, titled “Never Far From Mind,” which fits right into the theme since it’s all about lying and self-deception.
Here’s the introduction to the book:
Here’s the thing about storytelling … it’s all lies.
A good writer is like a good magician. He tells his story through a series of misdirections. When it’s to his advantage, he shines the light in the corner instead of giving you a complete overview of the room. Other times, he shines the light on the room, and conveniently leaves the corner in the dark. It all depends on what he wants you to see and that which he wishes to go unseen. In the end, you’ll see it all, of course, because lies always surface eventually. But until the end, you can never be sure how much is truth and how much is lie.
With that in mind, you should know that by their very nature, the stories you are about to read here are all lies. But they’re also stories about lies. About the lies we tell the people we love most in the world … at times to deceive them, at other times to protect them. About the lies we tell ourselves when it’s too difficult to face the harsh reality of the world or the even harsher reality of our places in that world.
Some are little white lies meant to be harmless.
Some are big black lies meant to harm.
They’re all here.
Just like they’re all around you out there.
I could tell you I wrote these stories for you, but that would be a lie. I wrote them for myself. I don’t think I know how to write a story for someone else. Or maybe that’s just a little white lie I like to tell myself to make it seem that what I do is all that more mysterious and noble than it really is. I’m not sure. But I am sure that when I wrote these stories I had high hopes that you would enjoy them. I always hope my stories will prove to be entertaining or thought provoking or emotionally powerful.
Still … it’s rare that I finish a story and feel confident I’ve nailed it.
I’m almost never sure.
I’ll try to convince myself it works and that people will enjoy it, even when it doesn’t feel right. That seems to make writing the next story a little less painful, a little more hopeful. And the truth is … sometimes I’m telling myself a little white lie and sometimes I’m not. No harm done as long as I’m not being completely delusional.
Most little white lies help us cope.
It’s the big ones that get us in trouble.
So … any lies you’ve told today?
Okay, back to the present. Now, let me be perfectly honest with you … I’m quite pleased with the theme and the collection of stories that were built around it. However, the Little Book Series is unique in that the books are quite literally little. They measure 4 3/4″ by 6 1/4″. Some readers may find this off-putting. Others may find it intriguing.
A Little White Book of Lies comes numbered and signed, and sells for $20.00. You can learn more by dropping by the Borderlands Press site here: http://www.borderlandspress.com/white.html