Strange Tales of the Curiously Uncommon is a collection of darkly humorous short stories, each with a cunning twist in the tail. When extraordinary events befall some of London's most ordinary of inhabitants, unexpected turns lead to some witty, strange, yet ultimately satisfying results. An Honest Mistake: Madge has long since surrendered herself to the verbal abuse doled out to her by her belligerent husband, Stan. On this particular evening, however, her fears of a rat beneath the floorboards, combined with her natural absent-mindedness, result in her dishing up Stan not only his evening meal...but perhaps his just deserts A Familiar Face: Two elderly Cockney women, old friends, meet up in a London cafe shortly after one them, Dora, has been widowed. As Dora's grief and anger grows increasingly fervent, her good friend Eydie begins to suspect there may be more to her angst than the loss of a loved one. When Dora calmly removes from her shopping bag a large glass jar containing a human head, discussions over its mysterious identity and how it came to be lodged in the cupboard under her stairs lead to some startling revelations. A Slip of the Tongue: Miss Perkins, tired of the constant innuendos and sexual insinuations of her employer, Mr. Reams, has decided to hand in her notice. On this particular morning, however, Mr. Reams decides to take things one step further. Unfortunately for him, due to Miss Perkins' natural nervous disposition and a telephone that rings at a shockingly high pitch, he soon discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew...or at least, one of them has. An Embarrassing Odour: Ethel, a frail, widowed pensioner, sits down one evening to tackle her daily crossword puzzle, when suddenly her tranquil world is turned upside down as a burglar breaks into her home believing it to be unoccupied. While Ethel vainly attempts to forge a relationship with the violent delinquent before her, his concerns lie only in getting his hands on her valuables...that and the unpleasant smell that fills the room. As Ethel shamefully admits, it's an embarrassing odour for a seventy-eight year old to have, but what her intruder doesn't know is quite why...though he's about to find out A Stunning Confession: As Ron and Jan made themselves comfortable on their sofa, they thought they were settling in for just another quiet night in front of the television. But beneath the surface of this seemingly benign evening of domestic routine, each was withholding a guilty secret from the other, and on this particular evening one of them found they could contain themselves no longer.

An unflinching look at the aftermath of a murder and the question of forgiveness from award-winning author Andrew Biss "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive." C.S. Lewis A young student is brutally raped and murdered. Her parents, Tom and Christine, are now confronted with the daunting task of processing their grief and attempting to come to terms with the horror that befell their child. The paths they take in doing so, however, couldn't be starker in contrast. Christine has withdrawn into a deadened world of suppressed rage and bitterness that has left her incapable of seeing beyond the terrible tragedy that has visited her. Her husband, Tom, on the other hand, has taken the unusual step of publicly announcing his forgiveness of their daughter's killer. At the most difficult moment in their lives, a wedge has been driven between them, threatening to destroy the only thing they have left - each other. On this explosive evening of final reckoning, as home truths and simmering resentments are laid bare, each are about learn painful, often brutal lessons of love, hate, and the elliptical nature of forgiveness. One night, one final conversation...one outcome.

The award-winning comedy by Andrew Biss is finally available in print Mrs. Pennington-South has once again succeeded in coercing a handsome young man - one named Tristram, in this instance - back to her home to have tea with her and her ill-tempered son, Cuthbert. What the shy, rather awkward Tristram doesn't realise is that he is, in fact, being presented as a possible suitor for Cuthbert. His mother's matchmaking arrangements, however, have become increasingly intolerable for Cuthbert and as the tea progresses and the intimations and pressures are ratcheted up, Cuthbert finally reaches breaking point. Exasperated and angry, he decides that the time has come at last to confront his mother with the shocking truth that he knows can only break her heart: the open admittance of his heterosexuality. Suitable for general audiences, requiring a cast of 2 males and 1 female. Cuthbert's Last Stand premiered in New York in 2002 and has since gone on to have many other successful productions around the U.S. and Canada. Also, look out for the continuation of Cuthbert's Last Stand in the soon to be released full-length play Suburban Redux, which follows the continued romantic adventures of these unlikely and decidedly offbeat lovebirds.

Suburban Redux, the full-length play version of the award-winning one-act comedy Cuthbert's Last Stand, is now available for Kindle After thirty years of arid matrimony and suburban monotony, Mrs. Pennington-South's only dream was that her son, Cuthbert, would break free of the cycle of upper-middle class inertia that had suffocated her. Raising him in the hope that he was homosexual, she soon begins dragging home potential suitors for tea - on this particular occasion a rather shy, awkward young man named Tristram. Cuthbert, however, finds he can no longer maintain his facade and at last confesses to his mother his guilty secret: his heterosexuality. When Cuthbert leaves to meet Trixie, his new female friend, Mrs. Pennington-South - heartbroken but accepting - takes solace in the company of Tristram, and a mutual love of the arts soon leads to a new found friendship. After several weeks, however, Tristram's feelings take on more amorous overtones and a confession of love for a woman almost thirty years his senior sends Mrs. Pennington-South into a state of emotional turmoil. Her anxiety is further heightened by the unexpected arrival of Cuthbert, merrily announcing that he has brought Trixie home for an introduction, and of the "big news" they wish to impart. Mrs. Pennington-South, mortified at having to face the reality of her son's lifestyle choice, fearfully awaits the dreaded Trixie. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for what would come next. Award-winning playwright Andrew Biss turns the average coming out of the closet story on its head in this hilarious and poignant script about love, truth and acceptance. Suburban Redux premiered at the Theatre Ste-Catherine in Montreal in 2006 and went on to enjoy a successful run at the Lowry Lab Theater in Minneapolis, MN in 2011.

As a boy, Horatio Higgins was ignored by the other children, but that didn't stop him having lots of friends...friends only he could see and whom he'd regale with tales of his fantastical exploits. Eventually, though, his parents became concerned at the inordinate amount of time their son appeared to spend talking to himself and took him for treatment, which, in time, proved successful...almost. One friend remained. Unfortunately it was the spiteful one. Years later, living alone in his tiny London flat, Horatio's loneliness is mitigated only by his acid-tongued friend and the company of what he affectionately refers to as "my wife." After losing his job, however, his life begins a rapid downward spiral...that is, until he meets a sweet, impressionable young woman named Nore. As their relationship lurches unsteadily forward, Horatio finds himself struggling against a riptide of conflicting realities he's ill-equipped to cope with. Can Nore save him from himself or will she, too, be dragged into a world where the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly and perilously blurred? Weaving together dark humour with shocking, unsettling twists, Schism is sure to stay with you long after you've turned the last page. Warning: This book contains Adult Subject Matter.