THE WINDOW IS A MIRROR by Michael Andreoni: A Dark and Beautiful Collection of 21st Century Ballads

LIVONIA, Mich. - March 6, 2019 - PRLog -- For nearly ten years, Michael Andreoni lived as an itinerant farm laborer throughout Michigan. Often residing in the barns where he worked, his love of reading and books kept him company. Drawing upon  the inspiration of his own life and the lives of others, he began to write and share his observations about life, class, and identity.

Written with grit and touches of humor, these thought-provoking stories, ranging from the ordinary to the fantastical, offer an insight into the flawed and intriguing humanness within us all.⠀

Included in the collection are sixteen short stories, including:

The Window Is a Mirror: A maintenance man is offered his own TV reality show and discovers it's not what he imagined.

Edwin Floating:  Edwin and his sister confront the dark history that led to their divorces.

Drambuie Tam:  When a diminutive female miner comes down the mountain looking for more than a drink, the town of Argent Springs will never be the same.

Julian's Crunchy Apotheosis:  An ambitious advertising executive is transformed into a dark god who can sell anything to anyone.

Moving Day:  A small-town criminal is obsessed with getting out of a too-small town.

Fifteen Tops:  A genius software developer is convinced the country would run better if everyone listened to him.

Other stories in the collection include "Stump," "Pastoral," "Possum Haw," "Brown Black No Ink," "The Devil-Ape of Goma," "Consolidated Freight," "Soft Power," "The Symmetry of Children," "Tea Party," and "The Approach to the Bridge."

Readers and fans of literary fiction, and short story collections, including The Book of Wonders by Douglas Trevor, or Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein will be drawn to this gritty and penetrating look at life.

Published by BHC Press, The Window Is a Mirror is available in hardcover (978-1-948540-38-4, $26.95, 188 pages), trade softcover (978-1-947727-38-0, $14.95, 188 pages), and ebook (978-1-948540-39-1, $7.99) at fine booksellers everywhere.

Advance Praise for The Window Is a Mirror

"With humor, grace, and lightning-quick prose, Andreoni tells the stories of loan-sharks, angel-headed bakers, and panther-riding gunslingers. A dark and beautiful collection of 21st century ballads." — Alexander Weinstein, award-winning author of Children of the New World

"Gritty, unflinching, powerful, daring, deft. These words come to mind when reading Andreoni's startling and clever collection of stories. He gives us razor sharp insights into flawed and intriguing human beings who struggle to survive, deal with the truth (or not), and wrestle with stuck-ness and futility. Each story becomes a window mirroring back to us the different shades of light and darkness, and some have a touch of magical realism. But the surprises keep coming. The characters feel trapped but still find ways to live another day. And we walk with them, and hope with them too. As one of them says, after a series of harrowing events— "born new into darkness, could you imagine light?" — Zilka Joseph, Author of Sharp Blue Search of Flame, What Dread, and Lands I Live In

"As the title promises, Michael Andreoni's The Window Is a Mirror reflects a world of hard jobs, tough luck and tougher grit right back at the reader. Each of these beautiful, psychologically astute stories follows characters whose triumphs and tragedies lay bare the symbiotic relationship between disillusionment and idealism. From an enigmatic, Drambuie-slugging silver miner who rides a panther to a privileged advertising executive whose scheming ends up being (literally!) too sharp for his own good, Andreoni's stories explore the ample spaces and graces between our worst impulses and our best intentions." — Laura Hulthen Thomas, Author of States of Motion

About the author: Michael Andreoni enjoys writing short stories, and his work explores the intersections of class and identity. He makes his home in Michigan.

About BHC Press: BHC Press is an independent publisher of general fiction and nonfiction hardcover, softcover, and ebooks for YA and adults. To learn more about Michael Andreoni and BHC Press, visit https://www.bhcpress.com/