{"product_id":"grandpa-gets-a-tattoo-and-other-stories-9798993827803","title":"Grandpa Gets a Tattoo and Other Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eAncient underground earth-dwellers enlist three humans-a Native American with a spirit guide, a woman with a desperate plan, and a young African scientist-to help them save humanity. A Vietnam vet comes to terms with the past. Humor abounds when a persnickety grandma and her wifi-deprived granddaughter are forced to head for the hills during a pandemic. A vulnerable twelve-year-old saves a queen, two princes, and himself in his fairy-tale world. And getting away with murder can be quite satisfying!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael Massee's imagination ranges far afield in this lively collection of nine short stories and two novellas. His writing is by turns poignant and witty, thoughtful and irreverent. In one story he gently portrays a person in crisis; in the next he serves up an insufferable miscreant. He pays tribute to brave women, great teachers, and persevering souls. There are family comedies and tragedies, serial matrimonial mistakes, anguished confessions-and a dream of world peace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese page-turning stories are full of unexpected turns, shocking revelations, and surprise endings. Some feature mystical connections or supernatural powers; others reflect some of the difficult social problems of our age. And we are treated to rich local color-streets and scenery, shops and parks, entertainment and eating establishments-in settings as far apart as Atlantic City and Portland, Oregon. These authentic details enhance the appeal of these highly engaging stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMassee, Michael:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Born in Corvallis, Oregon, Michael Massee grew up on the West Coast. After majoring in Theatre Arts at Portland State University, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a scenic painter, a stage manager and a \"sometime\" actor, as well as a set and costume designer. He worked off-Broadway and on Broadway, and eventually went back to school to get his MFA in theatre at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts.From 1989 to 2003, he headed the Scenic Design Program at Fordham University at Lincoln Center. Upon retiring, he began devoting himself to developing his skill as a painter. Among the venues where his work has been exhibited are the Montclair (N.J.) Museum of Art, Gallery 125 in Trenton, the Cosmopolitan Club in Philadelphia, and the Cherry Hill (N.J.) Library Gallery.He now lives in the pines of Waterford Works, New Jersey, with his wife Carol Rosenfeld, an actress\/teacher extraordinaire, with whom he proudly shares the responsibility for a wonderful son and three outstanding grandchildren. He is also sharing his studio with a family of foxes who have burrowed under the building. \"So far we're all getting along just fine.\"","brand":"Bachsez Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51967108088082,"sku":"9798993827803","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9619f2f1-8a0c-4d6b-835f-8bd90f55b2f5.jpg?v=1768925964","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/grandpa-gets-a-tattoo-and-other-stories-9798993827803","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}