Here’s another story from my 2023 collection The Potato Farm. Nevil reads a detective novel, amid trouble at work and his growing curiosity about its elusive author. There are 13 chapters of 250 words apiece; here’s the first one.

NEVIL READS A NOVEL

CHAPTER ONE

Nevil settles into his armchair, setting the glass on the table. It had been a slow week at the stationery shop. Sales are down, since nobody writes letters anymore, but he was still on his feet most of the time. To make things worse, Mr. Duckworth was irritated that a shipment of promotional erasers hadn’t arrived, and was cranky with Nevil and Mariella, the other clerk. Nevil is looking forward to a quiet Friday night with a book and a glass of wine. He takes a sip and picks up the paperback.

The title is Don’t Bring a Cat to a Dogfight, from 1961, its colorful cover showing two beatniks fighting in a coffeehouse. The author is Trent Foxberger, who is new to Nevil. He turns the book over to study his photo. Foxberger looks conventionally professorial, with a blazer and pipe. Nevil then reads the blurbs. Critics liked it, comparing it favorably to other novels that were probably popular at the time.

Nevil takes another sip, and opens to the first chapter.

It takes place in the Club Somewhat, in Manhattan. A trio, consisting of suave pianist Sport Betteridge, exuberant bassist Jinx Dugan, and sardonic wit Senator Phelps on drums, is playing their usual Friday night set. There’s a fair amount of description of both the club and their music. During Senator’s solo, a young woman runs across the stage, chased by a stocky middle-aged man. Sport and Senator jump up and tackle him, letting the woman escape.