Yes, Virginia...I Mean Caitlyn...there is a Santa Claus...

Department stores, shopping malls, last minute shopping trips, disappointments, and having to see your special Santa. These are the things that Christmas memories are made of.

And with our friend Dan Thompson's nine-year-old daughter, you have to add the scientific method, which she decided to use to determine whether or not Santa was real; and ended up joining the ranks of the few, the fat, the jolly as a result.

This Christmas season give yourself or someone you love the gift of The League of Santas. After all, it's only 99¢, and the League may end up with another recruit as a result!

• The League of Santas - Kindle Version (only 99¢)

To Grandmother's House We Go...

Which would mean over the river and through the woods.

Well, OK, definitely over the river, in fact there are quite a few rivers between Syracuse and Montclair, NJ; but woods? Not really. Not even once you get off the highway.

But anyway, our friend Dan Thompson and his family are heading into Jersey, not only to spend Thanksgiving with his mother and sister, but to take Shoshana into Manhattan to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person.

Or so they thought...until something came up, and came up again, and again, and again.

Will they have anything to be thankful for when it's finally time to sit down to dinner?

There's only one way to find out!

• Over the River - Kindle Version (only 99¢)

One Little Candle

I know, I know...I'm late. I'm very late. I'm just barely getting this out in October, and it's almost November. In fact, it's almost All Saints Day...which I suppose makes this perfect timing.

They say that it's better to light just one little candle...but what about 20? And suppose you light them in a shopping mall? Well that's what our friend Dan Thompson does when he learns that the father of a friend of his is dying. And no, he's not doing this at the local Yankee Candle Store either.

What he had intended to be a quiet trip by himself turns into a teachable moment for his eight-year-old daughter Caitlyn when she decides to tag along...because she loves going to the mall.

And how much will it cost you to read this story? Less than what you'd pay for just one little candle.

• 20 Candles - Kindle Version (only 99¢)

Back to School

Yes, it's September, which means that school is back in session at the Camillus Academy. And finally, after waiting and waiting, Caitlyn Thompson is in 6th grade, and gets to have her father, our friend Dan, as one of her teachers.

But it's not all good. Over the past three years a total regime change has occurred as the Headmaster and two divisions heads have either retired or taken new jobs elsewhere, leaving Dan to deal with new administrators who see his class as irrelevant.

And yet, in the midst of this, is a call for justice…and the righting of a wrong from almost 50 years earlier.

• The Tattletale - Kindle Version (only 99¢)

A Slice of Life on a Friday Night

This month finds our friend Dan Thompson scooting around town in the old Jeep he uses for his summer job delivering for Presto's. It's a normal Friday night…well…as normal as any night can be that includes bomb threats, prank calls, scheming customers, and the possibility of a call from the dreaded Naked Lady of Hawley Ave.

But that's about all I'm going to tell you for now. To find out more, buy the story. At 99¢, it's less than a slice of pizza, and definitely less than the whole pie!

• Presto Pizza - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• Presto Pizza - Nook Version (only 99¢)

Dan Knows from Hair

Dan Thompson may not have grown up in the Charm Beauty Salon, the beauty parlor run by his grandmother, but he spent an awful lot of time there as a kid; and as a result, knew more than the average guy about hair. In fact, he was more likely to recognize a woman by her hairstyle than by her face. He also knew what looked good on a person and what didn't.

What he didn't know was how important his comment on one woman's hair would be...

• The Hair Maven - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• The Hair Maven - Nook Version (only 99¢)

Pomp and Circumstance

The big tent is up, and Dan Thompson is under it for another Camillus Academy graduation ceremony. But this time he's not just there as a faculty member, but as a parent. This is Shoshana's graduating class.

And as he thinks of Shoshana's accomplishments, he also thinks back a good 36 years to his own senior year in high school…how he moved heaven and earth to have a grade changed...and especially about the four stupid smart girls.

Whether you consider this a smart way to end the school year or to begin the summer, it's definitely worth the 99¢.

• Making the Grade - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• Making the Grade - Nook Version (only 99¢)

Just in Time for Mother's Day

If Charles Dickens had written  this, it might be called A Tale of Two Mothers, because that's what it is. It was the worst of mothers, it was the best of mothers. Or maybe it was really the best of both mothers, just looked at from different perspectives.

Our friend Dan Thompson has a student in trouble…that is, until he makes a sarcastic comment about it. Then Mr T is the one in trouble…with the student's mother. Because as Dan knows from his own personal experience, you don't mess with an angry mother.

And I promise you…you won't get in trouble for spending 99¢ on this story.

• Your Mama! - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• Your Mama! - Nook Version (only 99¢)

Easy as Pie

Dan's girlfriend Lisa is away in Florence for the semester…except that she's not his girlfriend anymore. She decided that they should break up before she left so that he wouldn't be sitting back in the States pining over her while she was gone.

Yeah, right…as if that would make him miss her any less.

But then one day, after many international letters and a few expensive international phone calls, Dan decides to surprise her with something he knows she'll enjoy.

And if you want to read this story, getting it from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble should be as easy as pie.

• A Piece of Cake - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• A Piece of Cake - Nook Version (only 99¢)

Coming in January...

In the beginning were the words. And the words were long. Well…not the words themselves, but the collection of words.

That collection of words was my novel Dating Groucho Marx. It was where Dan Thompson made his first appearance. But only a few people have ever seen it, since it hasn't been published yet.

Well, after about 18 or so short stories in the Dan Thompson canon, I've decided that it's time to get the original work out there. So in January Dating Groucho Marx will be available digitally through both Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

I've got a lot of work ahead of me as I go through the original and edit and rewrite some passages. But not to worry, you'll still get your short story every month.

When Irish Ears Are Listening...

Faith and begorrah! Sometimes Dan just doesn't know when to shut up. Actually, that's not really the problem, after all, all he really did was raise his eyebrow and say "oh" when his friends Fiona and Sam announced their wedding plans. 

Actually, let me correct that, it should be when his friends Fiona Colleen Campbell Quinn Doyle Ryan Byrne Finneran O’Malley and Sam DeVito announced their wedding plans. And that one eyebrow and that one "oh" put a whole new spin on an issue that had supposedly already been settled.

But if I tell you any more, I'll give away the story, and I wouldn't want to be doing that, now would I?

Oh, and if you don't know about Uncle Julius, ask Bing Crosby.

• The Hyphenating of the Green - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• The Hyphenating of the Green - Nook Version (only 99¢)

We'll Always Have Petaluma

It's February, which means it's time to think about love with our friend Dan Thompson when he runs into an old girlfriend, an old choir tour romance from over 30 years ago, when he's at the mall with his daughter.

It's a time to think about how things were then, how things are now, loyalty, friendship, losses, and the night in Petaluma that they'll always have.

• Hey Paula - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• Hey Paula - Nook Version (only 99¢)

A Little Late...

Yes, I know…I'm a bit late. Christmas will do that to you.

Actually, I was trying to decide which of two possible short stories to put out this month, and this one won. You'll get to see the other one later on.

So what's this one about? Well Dan, of course. The house on Oakland Street that he lived in, with other choir members, from 1976 until 1982 is going to be torn down to make room for a new dorm. This brings back some very interesting memories of a very interesting housemate.

Have you ever had beer in your spaghetti sauce?

• The Oakland-Astoria - Kindle Version (only 99¢)
• The Oakland-Astoria - Nook Version (only 99¢)