Mother Day and Father Night are finally here! And here’s what they’re about.

A Lot of Stuff

Because they’re short story collections. Both of them. I considered pitching them as a duology, but that sounds pretentious, so let’s just call them complimentary short story collections examining similar themes from different angles. That rolls right off the tongue.

A side-by-side image of the covers of "Mother Day" and "Father Night."

Do I Have Any Random Bits of Trivia That Are Actually Quite Specific and Interesting?

Why yes, I do!

  • Both books are exactly 230 printed pages in length.
  • The oldest story, “Big Riches, Fine Wine, and a Pinch of Dragonsbane,” was first drafted 13 years ago. The newest, “Last Day of September,” was born three months ago.
  • One tale is framed as a TV pilot. Another spoofs those VH1 TV music documentaries. Another is told through a family group text chain.
  • One story is slightly poem-ish.
  • Two stories share a pair of recurring characters between them.
  • Three feature aliens.
  • Four feature cats.
  • I’ve got nothing for five.
  • Genres explored include fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, young adult, old (retired) adult, and post-apocalyptic.
  • There’s a story featuring characters you’ll meet again in a future series (perhaps sooner than you know).
    My favorite of the bunch is “Mary and the Muse.” Or maybe “Leyton Family Group Chat.” Or perhaps “A Committee of Vultures.” I can’t decide.

That’s Some of the Story Names…But Will I Reveal Them All?

If you’re a premium subscriber to this publication, you already know them. If not, here are the set lists…

Mother Day

  1. “Mary and the Muse”
  2. “Feed Me”
  3. “The Post-Apocalyptic Independent Author”
  4. “Remember That Time We Saved the World?”
  5. “Disguises”
  6. “Blackest Friday”
  7. “The Hecatontagonal Suite” (which features…)
    1. “Purgatory”
    2. “Origin Story”
    3. “Regards, Bruce”
    4. “It’s French, Dammit”
    5. “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution”
    6. “Bombing”
    7. “Seasonal Power Rankings”
    8. “Nocturnal Interruption”
    9. “Cryptid Convention”
    10. “Wishes x3”
  8. “This is (Not) the End”
  9. “Wonderland is a Shade of White”
  10. “Too Many Meows”
  11. “Bill’s Second Act”
  12. “Bag of Apricots: A T.V. Pilot Script”
  13. “If Pages Could Blush”

Father Night

  1. “Leyton Family Group Chat”
  2. “Big Riches, Fine Wine, and a Pinch of Dragonsbane”
  3. “A Fistful of Candies”
  4. “A Minor Misunderstanding”
  5. “Sightings”
  6. “Quite a Polite Guy”
  7. “Letters for Janie”
  8. “The Julian Strange Story: A T.V. Documentary Chronicling the Life of a Legend”
  9. “Little Pieces of Lydia”
  10. “Mittens”
  11. “Last Day of September”
  12. “A Committee of Vultures”

Any Parting Thoughts?

Both Mother Day and Father Night are available now in ebook form. Paperbacks are on the way. I’m so glad to share them with you all.

Kyle A. Massa is a comedy author of some sort living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife, their daughter, and three wild animals. His published works include 10 books, along with several short stories, essays, and poems. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, running, and drinking cheap coffee.

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