HiStory of Santa Monica: Stories - Paperback

by Michael J. Atwood (Author)

The collection is thematically linked by both the characters-who are struggling to realize their Hollywood dreams and the setting-Santa Monica, California. A seemingly peaceful seaside city, Santa Monica is also a purgatory where the characters must face failure and loss-as well as their demons and ghosts. Family and ritual are consistent motifs throughout the collection, as are the themes of escape, addiction, redemption, reparation, religion, and death. Whether it is a young couple looking to buy their first home or a man returning to his hometown for a funeral or a baptism, readers will find the everyday rituals in these stories identifiable in many ways.

Author Biography

Michael J. Atwood is a graduate of the University of Southern California's prestigious Master of Professional Writing program and Boston College. He currently works as both a fiction and freelance writer in North Attleborough, Massachusett but his full-time pursuit is as an English Language Arts teacher at Middleboro High School. He has written for a number of publications including The Boston Globe, Patriot Ledger, North Attleborough Free Press, and Attleboro Sun Chronicle. In 2010, Aqueous Books published Atwood's first short story collection, HiStory of Santa Monica: Stories. The collection was a "minor-league" success selling many copies and is still available a number of bookstores across the U.S.. His second short story collection, HiStory of Santa Monica II: More Stories is due to be published in 2015.