Southern Humor Fiction

Which of the following short stories would you read first? A.) A stubborn donkey challenges a Tennessee race horse. B.) A chess match ends in bloodshed. C.) Two sisters beg a funeral director to play their daddy's favorite Johnny Cash song. D.) A shooter takes aim from a church baptistry. E.) Two astronauts survive a horrific spinout only to return to earth and find everybody else walking around in super slow motion. Why not read them all? They're all in this far-flung collection of short stories and more. Scroll up and get them now with just one click.

Jamie is a Florida Woman. She grew up on the beach, thrives in humidity, has weathered more hurricanes than she can count, and now, after going viral for an outrageous crime she never meant to commit in the first place, she has the requisite headline to her name. But when the chance comes for her to escape viral infamy and imminent jail time by taking a community service placement at Atlas, a shelter for rescued monkeys, it seems like just the fresh start Jamie needs to finally get her life back on track — until it’s not.

They’ve dedicated their lives to saving others, but can they save themselves? Seventeen years ago, they met while doing emergency response work following Hurricane Rita. Maybe it was adrenaline that brought them together, maybe it was love, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t meant to be. They lived in different parts of the world. They agreed to share one night, then went their separate ways. Dr. Clara Bownton has spent her entire medical career saving people’s lives and she’s always had a soft spot for Texas. But the years of traveling to disaster sites and war zones have worn her ...

On her way from singing in church to hooking up with a Tinder date, Brittany Lynn Snider crashes her momma’s minivan, and her life is changed forever. One moment she’s texting HotGuyNate, and the next she’s at a hospital in El Paso watching doctors operate on her near-lifeless body. If that wasn’t bad enough, she finds herself trapped in the Limbo Lounge where patients await their fate, playing cards and watching reruns of 7th Heaven and Heaven Help Us.

Once upon a time, Melanie Layton and Tennyson O'Rourke were inseparable - but their friends-4ever promises were shattered when an explosive secret was revealed at Mel's wedding, a secret that destroyed her family. The two haven't spoken for the past twenty-some-odd years, and they'd be happy if they never crossed paths again.

In 1902, a radical vegetarian and nudist from Nuremberg named August Engelhardt set sail for what was then called the Bismarck Archipelago. His destination: the island Kabakon. His goal: to found a colony based on worship of the sun and coconuts. His malnourished body was found on the beach on Kabakon in 1919; he was 43 years old. Christian Kracht's Imperium uses the outlandish details of Engelhardt's life to craft a fable about the allure of extremism and its fundamental foolishness.

Marriage is no picnic. At least the one Vivian Emerson shared with her late husband hadn’t been. Unfortunately, the devastation Craig had brought into her life didn’t end with his death. Not only did he leave Vivian without closure, he had to go and die in a way that made her the talk of the whole state of South Carolina and beyond. Now her daughter wants nothing to do with her because of him. She would just stick with the single life from now on, thank you very much. For the last fourteen years since the death of his wife, Bo Manning never even considered wanting another woman in his ...

In the quaint town of Amblewood, Booked Bliss is the heart of the community—a cozy bookstore where neighbors gather, stories come to life, and mysteries are best kept on the shelves. But when famed author Samuel Rowley dies suddenly during the weekly book club meeting, the quiet comfort of the store is shattered. The town’s beloved barista, Eliza Harrington, can’t help but suspect there’s more to Samuel’s death than meets the eye—especially when the police suggest foul play. With her trusty orange tabby, Agatha, by her side, and her sharp intuition honed by years of reading ...

When Bick and Beck Kidd find a hidden trove of pirate treasure, it includes a map with clues to an even bigger score: the lost Incan city of Paititi. But treasure hunting is never easy - and when the map is stolen, the Kidds must rely on Storm's picture-perfect memory to navigate the dangerous Amazon jungle. Watch out for that nest of poisonous snakes!

Cooper Gosling has just answered 500 questoins, and her results indicate that she's abnormal enough for polar life. Cooper's not so sure that's an achievement, but she's got nothing left to lose, so she accepts a one-year assignment to the National Science Foundation's Artists and Writers Program in Antarctica. There, she encounters the Polies, a group of misfits that only have in common their conviction that they don't belong anywhere else. But when a fringe scientist arrives, he brings them to the center of a global controversy.

The best-selling humorist returns to The End of the Road, Alaska, to bring to life a new collection of stories about the colorful inhabitants of the unusual town.

Arcadia Shabeaux can't believe her luck!Aunt Mavis hands her the keys to the family business, the Shabby Hearts Trailer Park and Campground, but there’s a catch. It’s only two weeks before tourist season begins and the place is in major disrepair. Lake Dennis isn’t the hottest spot on the “Redneck Riviera,” but Arcadia has plans to change all that. That is if she can keep her dysfunctional family, a nosy Bigfoot, and an overbearing television reporter in check. Add to the madness Arcadia’s arrogant ex-boyfriend and an attractive newcomer who's caught her eye, and you've got a ...

During the day when there is a break in the day’s labor or in the evenings when the sunlight is waning, stories are told from Texas porches. Although these are usually short stories, they can be long, and thus continued at the next porch sitting. They contain humor, sadness, suspense, mystery, philosophy, and instruction about the human condition and, in general, the journey of living. The storytellers find the rhythm of life for themselves, and the listeners hear valuable lessons and truth. Tales from the Texas Timberlands, Volume 1 celebrates this storytelling about East Texans with ...

Aaron thinks genre fiction is an affront to the fiction-writing craft. He often quotes the essayist Arthur Krystal, who says literary fiction "melts the frozen sea inside of us". Ironically Aaron doesn't seem to realize that he's emotionally frozen. The vivacious Laurie, lover of flamingo-patterned attire and all things hot pink, is the one person who might be capable of melting him.

He forecasts the weather on TV to the delight of his many fans. But the residents of Ocean Vista Condominiums are less fond of Uncle Weatherwise—the newest arrival at the condo—especially when a hurricane that he predicted would bypass Palmetto Beach instead heads straight for their town. The morning after a frantic evacuation, Kate Kennedy is blown away when she stumbles upon the corpse of Uncle Weatherwise, with a sharpened weather vane pointed in the direction of his heart. Suddenly Kate’s neighbors are her suspects, from a retired Rockette to a former federal prosecutor to a man ...

Chef extraordinaire Gina Foxton doesn't expect anything to be handed to her on a platter. After years of hard work, the former runner-up Miss Teen Vidalia Onion is now the host of her own local Georgia public television show called Fresh Start, and she's dating the show's producer.

Growing up in a small town in Whatnot, Georgia, Elaine and Billie Jo were the best of friends. While Billie Jo grew up a tomboy with a mean left-hook and an angelic voice, Elaine was a dentist’s daughter with a wild side. Time and adulthood have changed a lot for the two former best friends. When Elaine crashes into town, determined to make amends, she and Billie Jo will learn that it’s never too late for second chances...if they’re willing to take the chances at all.

Yvette Tyson is making a run for the governor’s office. Her goal is clear. Win. She has the backing of her boyfriend, Cory Logan. He is kind, gentle, and determined— and offers the kind of support an unmarried black woman needs to get into office. Their relationship has grown over the past year, and she had been seen arm-in-arm with him in public numerous times. She is proud to show him off, and him, her—so there is no color issue—or is that exactly what it is? Does Cory need a black governor to get a sports center named after him? Does Yvette need a white boyfriend to win that ...

A hilarious, wildly erotic, and biting satire of Hollywood, Blue Movie tells the story of King B., an Oscar-winning director who's determined to shoot the dirtiest and most expensive X-rated movie ever made; Sid Krassman, a producer who's made a fortune catering to the tastes of the American public, and Angela Sterling, a misunderstood sex symbol who'd give anything (and everything) for a chance to do something "serious."

A small town scandal is afoot in Rhinestone! Can Mavis sort out her own drama before the past comes back to haunt her? Can Reverend Simmons overcome his own demons to lead his new flock? Can Mona keep her family’s diner afloat? And the biggest question of them all: Why is Opal nekkid?