Available Now and Coming Soon from TK Press
(a division of Tirekicking Today)
James M. Flammang, author &publisher
Tirekicking Today editor James M. Flammang, the author of more than thirty books (including six for children), has been working steadily on additional titles. Several are nearing final stages of pre-production. Each views its subject from an oblique and often lighthearted – yet serious – perspective. Preliminary outlines and/or unedited excerpts may be accessed by clicking on links that accompany each title.
Inquiries from book publishers or agents are welcome. Please send e-mail to JF@tirekick.com.
Untied Knots
Tales of Travel and Back at Home
Three groups of short stories, each with an offbeat twist or two, make up Untied Knots. Nearly half are travel-based, focusing on second-class journeys through everyday life, steering around the posh and the touristy. Several stem from real-life journeys within Mexico, undertaken as far back as the mid-1970s.
"Back At Home" tales are more fictional, though inspired at least in part by real people and places. The collection also includes several early stories, strictly fictional, from the author's archive.
"33 offbeat stories ... covers a wide range of topics, from mental patients making decisions to developers of early computer systems obtaining surprising clients. This is a unique and captivating collection that will keep readers entertained from start to finish."
– Abigail L, Librarian (NetGalley/Goodreads)
"A wonderful collection of 33 short stories that take readers on a journey both around the world and through the minds of intriguing characters. ... writing style is engaging and immersive ... hard to put down."
– Sue E, Reviewer (NetGalley/Goodreads)
Untied Knots is available through major retailers, in print or ebook form. The printed paperbound book may be ordered directly from the author, for a discounted price of $16 (including shipping in U.S.)
Review copies, in PDF form, also are available. Please e-mail all requests to JF@tirekick.com.
Excerpts from Untied Knots: Contents ... Introduction ... Night Train Out of Queretaro ... Scandal in the Dayroom ... Bad Sports ... Desk Duty ... Ready? Go!
Incompetent
Coming up short in a world of achievement
Whether it's sports, business, personal relationships, the arts, or any other area of life, some of us score a flat zero in the skills and talents department. Blending serious concerns with a humorous tone, each chapter covers a specific area of incompetence with which the author, amazingly, is all too personally familiar.
Incompetent – Excerpts:
Chapter 1: Sports
Chapter 10: Repair Work
Chapter 12: Small Talk
Chapter 28: Money
Incompetent (2016) is available at: Amazon ... and Barnes and Noble
ISBN (print): 978-0-9911263-2-3 ($10.50)
Mr. Maurice Knows It All ... and tells you so
In 78 concise chapters, the debonair yet down-to-earth stuffed pig known as Mr. Maurice – who just happens to know everything – unleashes a torrent of acerbic, humorous, delightfully wise words on subjects ranging from work to movies, money to citizenship, status to guilt. An emigrant from Britain with obviously French heritage, Mr. M. manages to combine strictly contemporary attitudes and piercing opinions with a gallantry and sophistication reminiscent of the era of Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce.
Mr. Maurice ... (2014) is available at: Barnes & Noble ... and Amazon.
ISBN (print): 978-0-9911263-3-0 ($8.50)
Mr. Maurice – Excerpts:
Mr. Maurice and Work
Mr. Maurice and Money
Mr. Maurice and Misbehavior
Mr. Maurice and Consumption
Mr. Maurice and Immigration
Books In Progress – Scheduled for Publication in 2024
Fraidy Cat
Surviving a lifetime of unwarranted fear and fright
A personal look backward, focusing on lessons learned about living with debilitating fear, anxiety, and panic, including ways to cope and survive. Unlike some self-help books on the subject, Fraidy Cat isn't just about fear in general, recounted and analyzed by an impartial observer. No, this is personal, agonizing, overpowering fear – the sort that constricted and devastated a decades-long chunk of the author's own life and continues to do so, if to a less ferocious degree. This personal memoir covers more than half of a lifetime, starting in adolescence. It concludes with warnings and pleas for fearful young folks to get help now, or be doomed to look back upon a lifetime of regret.
Fraidy Cat: Contents ... Outline
Preliminary Excerpts:
Chapter 1 (Childhood)
Chapter 3 (Sex)
Chapter 5 (Addiction)
Absurdities
Logical Lapses in everyday life and thought
Comprehensive collection of stinging essays gazes with disbelief at dozens of aspects of modern life. Chapters are arranged in sections, including Work, Money, Identity, Communication, Technology, Consumption, Politics and Law, Pastimes, Sex, and Transportation. Work on this book began well before the 2016 election of Donald J. Trump. Therefore, the final chapter focuses on his bizarre, unprecedented presidency and its aftermath.
Absurdities:
Contents
Overview
Chapter Outline
Excerpt from Section III - Work (Our Biggest Myth)
Near-Future Books In Progress
Work Hurts
Reflections on a wasted life
Aptly titled, Work Hurts questions the conventional wisdom on work and careers. For untold millions, including many with "good" jobs, each day's toil delivers no joy and little reward. In addition to scrutinizing workplace issues in the past, Work Hurts considers viable alternatives to conventional employment – led by the fast-growing "gig" and "temp" economy, and its impact on less-than-happy toilers. Along the way, we illuminate the prospects for not working at all, potentially made possible by establishing a guaranteed income.
Work Hurts: Contents ... Chapter Outline ... Chapter 1 (Without a Paddle)
Hotel Life
Living small in an age of large
Assesses the satisfactions of simpler living and minimal consumption, while chronicling the joys (and drawbacks) of residing in low-end accommodations. Hotel Life considers such relevant topics as the guaranteed income, shrinkage and change in the labor movement, older suburbanites moving back into the city (or pondering the RV life), and the recent small-house movement.
Hotel Life: Chapter Outline ... Overview ... Contents
Steering Toward Oblivion
A caustic look at the history and future of the Car Culture
A vividly critical – but frequently humorous – observation of the car culture and auto business, including the automotive media. Steering examines automotive history as well as today's (and tomorrow's) cars, emphasizing their impact on daily life, the transportation network, the economy, popular culture, and the environment. Author James Flammang has covered the auto business as a journalist and historian since the 1980s.
...
Steering: Chapter Outline ... Overview ... Excerpts: Chapter 1 (Media) ... Chapter 13 (Motoring Manners)
For further information on each title, please contact TK Press at JF@tirekick.com.
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