SIGN UP FOR A NEWSLETTER entitled The Maplewoods Mirror (and it's easy to unsubscribe if you don't like it).  A work-in-progress, it's an eclectic news magazine. It includes true and sometimes funny stories and what it means to be a human being. At times there are articles about being creative.  Just fill in the form below.  If you want to read sample issues, they're listed below the form.  I don't sell my list.  The newsletter, free and once a month, is a stress-free thing to sign up for.

To look at the  last issue of the newsletter, click here.  For past issues, scroll to the bottom of the page for a complete list.

INTERVIEWS:

Four interviews with Christopher Meeks have recently appeared on the Internet.  Click on the following links to read or hear them:

     o At Literary Corner Cafe

     o At BlogCritics

     o At Novel Reviews

     o On BlogRadio

For a cool video-streaming interview with Christopher Meeks from Expanded Books on YouTube, click here or on the picture below.

For those of you looking for an in-depth profile on Christopher Meeks with a critical analysis and overview of The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea, click here to see Lance Mannion's two-part story.

To read an article about story structure by Mr. Meeks for Wordswimmer, click here.

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For past issues of THE MAPLEWOODS MIRROR newsletter, please click below:

Maplewoods Mirror #29 - September 2008 (Paula and Uma Issue)

Maplewoods Mirror #28 - August 2008 (Gender and Politics Issue)

Maplewoods Mirror #27 - July 2008 (Fourth of July Issue)

Maplewoods Mirror #26 - June 2008 (Friends and Convention Issue) 

Maplewoods Mirror #25 - April 2008 (Festival of Books Issue)

For All the Second Year's Issues, Click Here

For All The First Year's Issues, Click Here

For my homepage as an author alone, please go to: RedRoom.com (click here)

Click on any heading to the left, or read the latest news or see my books below (scroll down)

NEWEST SHORT STORY:

"The Natant Poet" is available on better newsstands in the Gander Press Review, Fall 2008.  You can also read the story by clicking here.

AVAILABLE:

Examine the book  at Amazon.com, where the reviews can help you decide.  

"The stories in Months and Seasons are like potato chips: you can’t read just one." --Marc Schuster, Small Press Reviews

"Poetry and short story collections are two of the hardest writing to sell. With this collection Christopher Meeks proves there is an audience for short stories. His characters are well defined with problems that they can't resolve. There are twelve tales that reveal a lot about our present society. Meeks's stories reminded me of those of John Cheever."  -- Gary Roen, Midwest Book Review

 "[Meeks's] strange creations have just the right amount of "normalcy"' that in our eyes could make them part of the unnoticed woodwork: in Meeks's eyes (and pen) they become extraordinary seeds for terrific stories."  --Grady Harp, Amazon Top-Ten Reviewer. 

To see all the reviews, click here.

To see a short interview and excerpt from Months and Seasons, click here.

AVAILABLE ALSO:

My book The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea, is a collection of short fiction, most of which has been published in literary journals.  Thirteen stories examine life in America from the viewpoint of those still searching for the promises they were told.   

The Los Angeles Times ran a wonderful review under the headline, “Ordinary People, Unusual Moments.”  The reviewer, Carmela Ciuraru, says the author manages to honor his characters’ lives, “treating them with the dignity and introspection they deserve.”  (For the full review, click here.) 

To read more about this book or buy it, you can click here for Lulu.com or click here for Amazon.com.

(Side Note: The designer of the above book covers and all my covers is Daniel Will-Harris.  If you want to see more of his covers or learn more about him, click here.)

Entertainment Weekly's August 11th issue in the Books section highlights five best print-on-demand books, and my book, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea, is one of them.  For an online version of the EW article, click here.

A DRAMA IS ALSO AVAILABLE:

To read about the genesis of the cover, click here.

To read more about this book or buy it, you can click here for Lulu.com or click here for Amazon.com.

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BOOKSTORES FOR MY BOOKS:

In Los Angeles, you can buy my books at Vroman's Books in Pasadena, Skylight Books in Los Feliz, Book Soup on Sunset, and in the USC Bookstore.

For addresses and other places to buy the book, click here.

For more REVIEWS, click here.

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One of my ongoing obsessions is a newsletter, The Maplewoods Mirror, about life, America, and how to invert the colon (like this ":").  For the latest issue, look in the left column and up a little.

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I've never understood pastrami.  Where I grew up outside Minneapolis, the pastrami always tasted like cut-rate hot dogs and looked like pink Play-Doh. After driving around Los Angeles and finding many signs boasting "World's Best Pastrami," I did my own investigation.  Click Here to find the best of the World's Best Pastrami.

You can hear me interviewed on the radio twice about my books (via podcast) by clicking here for an interview on Kidney Talk (as it relates to the book "Who Lives?") or by clicking here for at interview at Lulu Books.  In the latter, I talk about short story writing and how to publish.

ON NEWSSTANDS NOW:

The Winter issue 2008 of Rosebud is now on better newsstands, and it has my story, "Dracula Slinks Into the Night."  To get a copy or learn about subscriptions to this great national literary magazine, Click Here.

Three of my stories appeared in Issue 26 of the national journal Rosebud. To order a copy, click here.

If you have questions, e-mail me at chrismeeks@gmail.com