A fascinating insider's view of the carnival underworld—the cons, the double-dealing, the quick banter, and, of course, the easy money. The story of a shy middle-class kid turned first-class huckster, Peter Fenton's coming-of-age memoir is highly unorthodox, and utterly compelling. The year is 1963, the setting is small-town Michigan. At age fifteen, Peter Fenton is a gawky math whiz schoolboy with a dissatisfied mother, a father who drinks himself to foolishness, and no chance whatsoever with girls. That's when he meets Jackie Barron. Jackie is the unlikely progeny of Double-O and Vera, professional grifters running a third-rate traveling carnival, and he's been part of the family business since he started earning his keep as the World's Youngest Elephant Trainer. Jackie is a smooth-talking teenage carnie with his own Thunderbird, and with wisdom beyond his years. Jackie shares Pete's way with numbers, and he has a proposition. They'll start a rigged casino in Jackie's basement and take their classmates for thousands of dollars. Pete hesitates, but not for very long. Two years later, he's working joints for the Barrons' Party Time Shows, wearing sharkskin suits and alligator shoes, and relieving the public of its hard-earned cash. He learns to hold his own with veteran con men who have nicknames like the Ghost, Horserace Harry, and Talking Tony, and colorful personalities to match. This is the world of the Alibi and the Hanky Pank, of Flatties and the mark. Amazingly, Pete Fenton has never been more at home. But in this strange new world with its topsy-turvy code of ethics, where leaving a mark without a dollar for gas is outlawed while cheating a best friend is par for the course, the tension between teacher and student grows until Pete finds himself attempting the ultimate challenge: to out-con his mentor.

Explores the relentless, wacky, eerie energy of old-time American summers and Carnivals through vivacious imagery.

“The first song I want to sing tonight is called ‘One Night Stand.’” How fitting. Flash Lawrence and Brooke Bonner’s fling burned hotter and faster than Flash’s temper. But when Brooke learned she was pregnant, staying away was her only option. The unpredictable rodeo star isn’t daddy material. But when Flash finds out the truth—forget it. There’s no denying their explosive chemistry. Nor will he let her deny him his child.

A former "National Enquirer" reporter challenges readers to guess whether outrageous headlines are based on actual material found in mainstream media, or whether they are the bonus creations of a tabloid reporter's imagination.

Flash’s Song is the true account of how one person discovered the secret of miracles. Freelance writer Kay Pfaltz was living a quiet, simple life with her three beloved dogs when suddenly her life turned upside down. Coming to terms with a failed relationship, she must now take her ailing dachshund, Flash, in for back surgery. But when the vet tells Kay that Flash’s problem is not a disc but in fact a tumor growing on his spine and Flash has, at most, three weeks to live, Kay is devastated. Here begins a journey of self-discovery and recovery that will open Kay’s heart to the greatest miracle of all. Flash’s Song tells the story of amazing canine courage and remission against all odds. It is a ballad of love and redemption and a moving account of how Flash’s three-week prognosis became five-and-a-half miraculous months of learning, loving, and finally accepting. Written in luminous prose, accompanied by poignant photos, and filled with keen insight into love, faith, and the power of forgiveness, Flash’s Song is not only a heartwarming ode to a little dog, but also a tribute to life and an invitation to cherish every moment of it.

“Begins here first account of operative me, agent number 67 on arrival midwestern American airport greater _____ area. Flight _____. Date _____. Priority mission top success to complete. Code name: Operation Havoc.” Thus speaks Pygmy, one of a handful of young adults from a totalitarian state sent to the United States, disguised as exchange students, to live with typical American families and blend in, all the while planning an unspecified act of massive terrorism. Palahniuk depicts Midwestern life through the eyes of this thoroughly indoctrinated little killer, who hates Americans with a passion, in this cunning double-edged satire of a xenophobia that might, in fact, be completely justified.