title: Stories From the Blue Moon Cafe
author:  Sonny Brewer 
description: Of the 30 short stories featured in this quixotic and eclectic collection, the most notable are perhaps the refreshing, well-chosen selections by lesser-known voices of the New South. Still, an impressive lineup of brand-name authors including Rick Bragg, Pat Conroy, William Gay, W.E.B. Griffin, Winston Groom, Melinda Haynes, Silas House, Brad Watson and Steve Yarbrough round out the mix. The common bond and creative wellspring of the collection is the annual gathering of authors called Southern Writers Reading, held the weekend before Thanksgiving in the artsy town of Fairhope, Ala. Local bookstore (Over the Transom) owner Sonny Brewer is the originator and driving force behind the loosely organized writers conference, and editor of the anthology. The addition of local luminaries W.E.B. Griffin and Winston Groom, and the inclusion of other locals C. Terry Cline Jr. and Judith Richards, was a natural extension of the idea. As the project took shape, like a snowball rolling downhill, it picked up other deserving writers in its path. If the stories (mostly previously unpublished) have anything in common, it is their brevity. But in the space of a few pages each, they range widely in setting and subject matter: from Griffin's "Going Back to the Bridge in Berlin," about an ex-serviceman's return to his post-WWII posting, to Richard Shackelford's "From Tucson to Tucumari, from Hatchabee to Tonopah," about an old trucker's death. The true accomplishment of this freespirited venture is the discovery of such gifted voices as Jennifer Paddock and local bookstore clerk Jim Gilbert. This collection may well become a yearly objet d'art.<br />Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text:  
  TWICE IN A BLUE MOON
   
  By CATE MASTERS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LYRICAL PRESS
  An imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp.
   
  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/
   
   
  
  Dedication
   
  For Gary, my Twice In A Blue Moon guy
   
   
  
  Chapter 1
   
  The battered cell phone in Buck Wright’s belt holster managed to vibrate despite having
  weathered frigid temps, snow, ice, and the occasional overturned dogsled. He could live without the
  annoying tech gadget, but Arctic Adventures insisted, and since they issued his monthly paychecks,
  skimpy as they were, Buck relented. Begrudgingly.
  He set his beer mug on the bar counter and frowned at the display. Speak of the devil. A click,
  and he answered with, “Wright.” He pursed his lips as Kenny Towson, illustrious CEO of the
  downtrodden Arctic Adventures, expelled a heavy sigh of relief. “No need to check up on me, Ken.
  I’m in Stockholm and will be back in Kiruna tomorrow. Right on time.” Did his boss seriously think
  he’d forgotten the new gig?
  