BOOKS!
BECAUSE GOOD CHARACTERS MAKE BAD CHOICES
(ISBN: 978-1733508131)
Multi-genre variety pack collection of fun, dark fiction short reads.
Five stories, plus: Out in the suburbs, lost adults start VALLEY FOOTBALL. And down at THE TROP, a magical East Hollywood motel is home to stock characters on the down and out.
“...beneath the antics of small, shifty characters trying to survive beats an enormous emotional generosity in these truly original works. If Ray Bradbury and Charles Portis had a love child, it would be Adam Fike. These stories are highly recommended.”
- BLUEINK STARRED REVIEW (NOTABLE BOOK)
“...a creative, rule-bending anthology that rewards readers who appreciate fiction that doesn’t color inside the lines...”
- Carol Thompson (5/5 Stars)
“...these stories don’t just entertain, they provoke, twist, and delight...”
- K.C. Finn (5/5 stars)
INDIVIDUAL STORIES
NOIR MYSTERY
In YARDLEY COUNTY, a dead escaped convict finds redemption at the hometown robbery that began his criminal career.
HISTORIC DRAMA
PAGANINI explores the wicked life of the infamous 19th-century Italian violinist.
MUSCLE-CAR WESTERN
Out in the HIGH DESERT, a reluctant hero and rotten sheriff face off in a western with cars instead of horses.
MID-CENTURY SCI-FI
Townsfolk mistake experimental Army communication helmets for alien antennae during OPERATION DRAGONHEAD.
SUBURBAN THRILLER
That nice guy down the street reminds his friends and neighbors to never forget the QUIET ONES.
LIKELYSTORY.BLOG REVIEW
“PEOPLE MAKING DANGER surprised me with how many different layers it manages to hold at once. At first glance, it’s a collection of short stories but the deeper I read, the more it came together into a reflection on what it means to live with risk, to carry trauma, and to wrestle with the edges of survival...
Overall, PEOPLE MAKING DANGER is an unsettling and varied short story collection where the everyday collides with the extraordinary. What makes it powerful is not just the danger itself, but how ordinary people create or invite it into their lives. Fike’s ability to shift between tones—grim, satirical, surreal—keeps the collection fresh while always grounding the stories in authentic human choices. It’s a book that lingers, leaving you to wrestle with what danger really means in the context of family, community, and survival. If you enjoy short story collections that reflect on what it means to be human, than this book could be for you. Happy reading!”
(ISBN: 978-1733508117)
Interwoven characters measure humanity's progress on a rumbling cross-country bus.
A retirement home escapee is off to parts unknown.
The Devil quits (he's in love with a waitress).
Unexpected gunshots create late-night companions.
A traveling salesman gets to choose his own place in the Universe.
A wandering ex-priest searches for answers on a messy legal pad.
Somebody's flinging pennies at a naked businessman and she's not sorry that it hurts.
Stranded, a worried student finds himself, and dinner, deep in the middle of nowhere.
A drunk widow skips the service. A long overdue family reunion solves nothing and resolves everything.
Then two lost, grownup kids decide something really big for the rest of us.
But the Bus Driver? All he's praying for is a good night's sleep.
“...this is a unique, intriguing offering with an overriding sense that people love and hurt and suffer, but ultimately goodness prevails. The author draws authentic characters and, often, startles with poetic imagery."
- BLUEINK REVIEW
“...vivid scenes unfold like a movie, pulling readers into a world where destiny is constantly reshaped by choices, some seemingly insignificant, others catastrophic...”
- Courtnee Turner Hoyle (5/5 stars)
“...the kind of novella that has you contemplating life well after you’ve finished the final chapter...”
- Stephen Christopher (4/5 Stars)
Reviews Welcome: GOODREADS
Bio: Born during the epic Ford administration. Catholic school, six years. Family restored and raced antique cars. Child model, print and commercial. Played a little banjo, age five. Momentarily visible on screen in John Waters' original Hairspray, Baltimore, 1988 (theatrical version). Space Camp, twice. Former suburban newspaper reporter. Spent several years in independent feature film production and post-production, with credits on more than twenty features. Accomplished video and audio editor. Alongside Producer Christian Monzon, co-created the Wyndotte Street comedy and music video library. Satirical short Wally's Core Values earned a midnight screening at the Alexandria Film Festival. Films also appeared at the Malibu and Burbank international festivals. Studied sketch and advanced long-form improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. Standup. Dug movie grave in actual grave yard. Married Karryn Christopher, Little White Chapel, Nevada, Las Vegas. One son, one cat, one dog and an orange tree.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What do you want to do for dinner? Do you smell that? Who thought this was a good idea?
Quick note: These books are an attempt to blend paperback prose with the Cole & Haag script format.
The stories are told primarily in the present tense and without quotation marks because it's a limited narrator speaking. I do capitalize sort of funny, based on the character. I feel people are built from their actions and enjoy breaking their patterns. I also dislike upfront summarization much past the logline. Spoils the fun.
They are what they wanted to be. I'm proud to be a part of it.
Best,
af