Bøker av John Corral

Perhaps there is a light that guides you through the gates of death; that light is warming and friendly, accompanying you like a friend as you pass quietly through the gate into a green pasture fragrant after a Spring shower. And you keep walking calmly and joyfully with no need to look back. There is no flood of lights nor great voices, no trauma or pain, nothing that shocks you senses or makes you sad, just the feeling of relief from the drama of life.

Adam is a man with a gift for gambling, but not life, who gets seduced by money and then by a woman to commit murder. Despite his talent, he's playing at smaller casinos because he's been barred from the major casinos. He's spotted there by a businessman who convinces him he could make much more money by partnering with him to play at the big casinos. Things change when the businessman's wife, Pearl, enters the picture. She seduces him, and together they plan the businessman's death.

The stories in this collection of fiction are, at their core, cautionary tales about the dangers of unchecked arrogance or excessive humility-or both. Because, at times, hubris and humility may be two sides of the same coin: opposites, yin and yang, black and white. While hubris is an excess of pride to the point of being foolhardy and reckless, humility may also show excessive pride in an attempt to be absolutely devoid of it. Narcissism, self-obsession, self-importance, and viewing oneself above others-are all indicators of both hubris and humility. For those who believe they could not be faulted by either, "I would never do what they did," realize that you could, you might, and probably have. Anything less is abject hubris or excess humility.

Very Local Thunderstorms is a collection of poetry, prose, thoughts, and quotes highlighting personal high and low life points. The offerings are intended to shed a lens on choices, good and bad, on life's journey. These are peeks of what's often not said but felt and glimpses of what's underneath the surface in everyday life. Sometimes, these are dark places, but more often, they are not. Note: two writings, A Waste Land and What The Thunder Said, were initially published online in January 2019, with updated versions published the following January 2020.

The theme of this collection of short stories is transition. This may be from childhood to mature adulthood, or from one stage in life to another. The stories may not always seem to reflect this, but at their core, they do because transitions are not always obvious, even to those being transformed. Wisdom and maturity are only sometimes a reflection of age or achieving chronological milestones. People grow differently, sometimes in one way and not in others; unevenly, partially, and flawed; sometimes slowly, and then all at once. We can be mature in one way and childish in another. And we can revert; the past, present, and future mingle and may pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. No one will want to skip any of the ten short stories. A teen's first experiences at an adult party go well beyond his expectations. A crush on a girl that didn't match a boy's ideal in appearance or behavior. A first kiss-and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A man who never transitioned into maturity. An initial incident that comes to symbolize a romantic relationship. These stories and more are at turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant. The moments, large and small, described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being in transition and the beginnings of maturity.

Sixty Poems For Minds That Roam is a collection of poetry and prose inspired by a lifelong journey toward truth, development, and self-discovery. In his book, the author explores the ebb and flow cycle that weaves throughout different seasons of life. Through periods of exploration, learning, disappointments and mistakes, loneliness and heartbreak, love, and reward, Sixty Poems For Minds That Roam highlights what is gained through growth and grief and the breakthroughs that may come from brokenness.

This book is a repackaging of a collection of short stories previously published under the title Did Hollywood Cause The Cuban Missile Crisis? That book contained a story about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the Atomic Bomb. Given that a movie titled Oppenheimer was recently released and garnered Oscar buzz, I am giving it prominence in this book. I have expanded the story, edited the others, and included three other new stories with a similar theme: alternative history. As noted in that earlier book: "These stories are historical fiction. Some are satire, and others are profoundly serious. Yet they are all plausibly written with facts and events used as the basis for more speculative narratives and alternative accounts of how history might have played out. They provide probable explanations for events or situations that might otherwise be perplexing. Some may call these conspiracy theories, implying falsification or sinister motives. They are neither. Instead, they are reinterpretations of history.

The theme of most of the stories in this collection is passages of life. And they may occur at any point, not just from a child into an adult, or adult into a senior citizen. These are all our stories, at least in part. You may recognize yourself, your friends, and your loved ones, coping with changes, rethinking values, and growing mentally, spiritually, and morally. From the inevitable personality and sexual differences that we go through in our teens, to the challenges of becoming responsible human beings, to the crisis of the dangerous years when our illusions are shaken, and we need to make, break or deepen life commitments; those issues are all here. The best of life may come in our later years if we can reassess and refine lessons learned over our lifetimes. You'll see how each life may be different from yours or eerily alike, and each person may use a life crisis as an opportunity for creative change, or not, to live out the rest of their lives.

This poetry collection is mostly about family, not exclusively about relatives by blood or marriage but about more than casual relationships. You'll find connections here between parents and children, siblings, and close friends, as well as tense associations with sworn enemies. Relationships that are powerful, intense, and sometimes overwhelming are described here. Expect nuggets of trauma, heartache, healing, and finding meaning. But not entirely. There are also instances of humor, wit, and descriptions of joyful feelings and memories. And, of course, there is love. Life is a bumpy road containing all manner of experiences, as does this poetry collection.

SEEING RED And Other Short Fiction features nine imaginative tales that will take you on unique journeys and meet characters facing unusual circumstances: A father dealing with a despondent child who intends to kill himself, a man who sees visions in Italy that may foretell tragedy in his family, a war veteran who has lost all hope struggling with a death wish, and a lawyer who sees a haunting image that may be his departed loved one. These and other stories in this collection are by award-winning author John Corral, whose compelling prose ensures audiences won't stop at just one. Unique and engaging, the characters and their experiences will entertain and surprise, lingering in the reader's minds long after the last page is finished.

This short story collection concerns young people, but they are not young adult stories. Instead, these stories are about some interesting and complex characters who just happen to be young or refer back to a person's youth and a crucial part of their lives. Some are emotionally and psychologically involving, while others are whimsical and lighthearted. Told from both a female and male point of view, the stories reveal the ethos of each and are as far-ranging in time and place as well. The only thread is youth, given that one's life is usually formulated then, and to get you thinking about experiences and events in your own life at that age.

Police detective Joan Evans enters an investigation that began years ago and that has already claimed several lives. Will she be next? She and her partner, Ben Wilcox, are brought into the affairs of the Chenoa tribe that operates the most successful casino in California by an insider. He claims to have all the dirt on tribal corruption, possibly including murder, but can he be counted on to deliver what he claims?

The eight tightly crafted stories collected here contain deftly drawn characters, universal truths, conflict, strife, love, and, often, surprising humor. The title story, "The Drowning of a Nazi Spy," takes the reader back to World War Two and follows the narrative of a spy who falls in love with another spy during a mission. Can he persuade the other spy to leave all that double-dealing behind them and start new lives together? "I Am Not Political" is a story of tragedy in a young man's life and how he copes with it. "Clover's Mystery Man" is a humorous piece on the found life of a man after acquiring a dog. In the satirical "The Payoffs of Playing Golf," notable stakes are in play for career and deal-making. In "Antique Surprises," a young person learns much about their family history from an item in a second-hand store. "The Kept Man" finds someone anxious to renew again a relationship set aside for years for a noble cause. In "If You Had a Daughter You Would Know," a father's love for his daughter is tested. And "Native American" captures the poignant connection of someone with their Native American roots.

This fantastic, humorous, off-beat story collection combines eccentricity with dark humor. It begins with "I Peed on Clint Eastwood," the title of which describes one of several humorous episodes that may well leave you laughing out loud. The other eleven tales are just as richly funny and off-beat, ending with the title story, "The Giraffe Who Came To Call." In that tale, the appearance of a giraffe in a man's home is unexpected enough, but that is only the start of a bewildering turn of events that becomes even more strange as the night goes on. This gem of a collection of entertaining tales puts the fun back into funny and dark into dark humor, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper life's jagged edges and leave your mind spinning at the end.