Amazon bestsellers top 100. In this short story collection, Gary Troia shares his adventures, travels and memoirs from his life. Anyone who has ever done building work for brutal wage slavery and wondered if they were going mad, will recognise the life of Ray Dennis, (Troia's alter ego) which evokes a vision of mind-numbing, soul-destroying workplaces and workmates. His is the voice of discord for the marginally employed, the creatively frustrated working Joe, who turns to a life of drink and drugs to elevate the monotony of life.

Few have brought this world to life with such despair, black humour and indifference as Gary Troia. He paints a beautifully sad portrait of a truly messed up person with potential, struggling to keep his messed up mind from drowning in cheap wine and self-loathing. Ray's spirit is trapped in a world of endless grey mundanity.

"English Yarns and Beyond" is the ultimate "I hate this job" story, written in short stories and memoirs, each one containing a snapshot of the life of Ray. Troia captures the tedium of working in a low paid, menial job and living hand to mouth. This short story book is book is sad and questions the reader to ask questions about their own life. This book of short stories and memoirs achieves clarity without trying.

Ray has three expensive hobbies: drinking, drugs, and running away. Without the income that Bricklaying provides, he would not be able to maintain his chosen lifestyle, so he compromises his principles and continues with his trade.

A collection of short stories that include:

The Cuckoo's Egg- Boyhood antics lead to tragedy.

No Comb on the Cock- Gypsies, champion fighting cocks, and career choices.

My Best Mates Head- Did a weekend of boozing save Ray from certain death?

The Shetland Isles- A trip to sunny Benidorm, a chance meeting with some Glaswegians, and a cold, miserable job in Lerwick.

Pointing a House in Islington- Too much alcohol and cocaine don't mix well on building sites

When I Joined a Cult- Sober dating as Ray discovers religion.

A Week in the Life of Ray Dennis- With the prospect of no money for food or alcohol this Christmas, Ray has to find work quickly.

Teaching Other People- The grass is always greener-the escape from bricklaying.

Steak, Egg and Intensive Care- A harmless dinner leads to hospitalisation.

Ray Dennis does the secret, a simple law of attraction story is a humorous parody based on The Secret by Rhonda Byrne."Description"

When Ray Dennis, an alcoholic English bricklayer is deported from the US back to the UK on a drug charge, he has no idea that his life and identity are about to change forever. Shattered by his knowledge that he is a failure, Ray dedicates himself to self-improvement and unwittingly puts himself and his family on a path to disaster once he discovers The Secret.

With a change of name and new passport, Ray returns to LA. He meets a Guru who introduces him to the teachings of The Secret, and shows Ray how to plant thought seeds. And so begins his quest to completely change his life. His thoughts seeds create a wife, kids, a successful business, and a big house. But his success comes at a price as serious drug traffickers eventually kill his wife and children, and the police won't help when they find out he was in the country illegally.

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For the first time ever, this collection of short stories by Gary Troia brings together, in chronological order stories and memoirs from Spanish Yarns and Beyond, English Yarns and Beyond and A Bricklayer's Tales into one complete volume.

Few have brought this world to life with such despair, black humour and indifference as Gary Troia. He paints a beautifully sad portrait of a truly messed up person with potential, struggling to keep his messed up mind from drowning in cheap wine and self-loathing. Ray's spirit is trapped in a world of endless grey mundanity.

"A Bricklayer's Tales" is the ultimate "I hate this job" story, written as a collection of short stories and memoirs, each one revealing a snapshot in the life of Ray. Troia captures the tedium of working in a low paid, menial job and living hand to mouth. This book of short stories is sad and questions the reader to ask questions about their own life. This book achieves clarity without trying.

Ray has three expensive hobbies: drinking, drugs, and running away. Without the income that Bricklaying provides, he would not be able to maintain his chosen lifestyle, so he compromises his principles and continues with his trade.

A collection of short stories and memoirs that include:

The Cuckoo's Egg. Boyhood antics lead to tragedy.

My Grandfather's Shed. The making of an English key

No Comb on the Cock. Gypsies, champion fighting cocks, and career choices.

What I Did In My Summer Holidays In 1000 Words. Could having an idea ever be considered a criminal act?

My Best Mate's Head. Did a weekend of boozing save Ray from certain death?

The Shetland Isles. A trip to sunny Benidorm, a chance meeting with some Glaswegians, and a cold, miserable job in Lerwick.

Pointing a House in Islington. Too much alcohol and cocaine don't mix well on building sites

Angel Dust. The peculiar story of a man whose new life in America leads to conversations with Ancient Greek philosophers

Peyote. Hippies, LSD and an idyllic refuge

Return Ticket. Handcuffed and ready for deportation. A sad departure from the States

When I Joined a Cult. Sober dating as Ray discovers religion.

Bilbao. How very, very English

Teaching Other People. The grass is always greener-the escape from bricklaying.

A Week in the Life of Ray Dennis. With the prospect of no money for food or alcohol this Christmas, Ray has to find work quickly.

Catania. A meeting with a Sicilian fox, some Neapolitans, and a man with a camel haired coat.

Advert In The Art Shop Window. Will a new building job in Spain be the start of a new life?

Gaudi. A flight to Barcelona for a kebab, and a look at the "Sagrada Familia."

The Day My Soul Left Me. "To be or not to be? That is the question"

How Not to Travel to The Alhambra." "Hung-over, the wrong fuel, the car breaks down. Will they ever make it to Granada?

The Road To Ronda. A terrifying drive to Ronda, was it worth it?

Poking A Carob Tree. A new home and new neighbours, just in time for Christmas.

Spain Reborn.No more commuting to London. Lets celebrate

Home From Home." "A parallel world where the Spanish have taken over Weymouth.

Three Common Carp.An epic battle with a whale and marlin it is not.

Mrs. McClintock. An absurd farce in which a Glaswegian couple retire to Spain

Steak, Egg and Intensive Care. A harmless dinner leads to hospitalisation.

The Unchangeable Chameleon. Can a leopard change it's spots?

A Bricklayer's Tale. The story of a disillusioned, alcoholic bricklayer

A collection short stories and memoirs of British dark humour.

Amazon bestsellers top 100. In this short story collection, Gary Troia shares his adventures, travels and memoirs from his life. Excellent A collection of stories about: depression, alcoholism and drug use. Very compelling reading. I read this all in one go. (Maria, Goodreads.) Gary manages to take the mundanities of life and elevate them to brilliance. (Sara Fell) Author, Gary cements growing reputation...A Bricklayer's Tales touches on real-life experiences in the building trade. ( Salina Patel, Hounslow Cronicle) Anyone who has ever done building work for brutal wage slavery and wondered if they were going mad, will recognise the life of Ray Dennis, (Troia's alter ego) which evokes a vision of mind-numbing, soul-destroying workplaces and workmates. His is the voice of discord for the marginally employed, the creatively frustrated working Joe, who turns to a life of drink and drugs to elevate the monotony of life. Few have brought this world to life with such despair, black humour and indifference as Gary Troia. He paints a beautifully sad portrait of a truly messed up person with potential, struggling to keep his messed up mind from drowning in cheap wine and self-loathing. Ray's spirit is trapped in a world of endless grey mundanity. A Bricklayer's Tales is the ultimate I hate this job story, written in short, concise sections, each one containing a snapshot of the life of Ray. Troia captures the tedium of working in a low paid, menial job and living hand to mouth. The book is sad and questions the reader to ask questions about their own life. This book achieves clarity without trying. Ray has three expensive hobbies: drinking, drugs, and running away. Without the income that Bricklaying provides, he would not be able to maintain his chosen lifestyle, so he compromises his principles and continues with his trade. A collection of short stories that include: Angel Dust, the peculiar story of a man whose new life in America leads to conversations with Ancient Greek philosophers Mrs McClintock, an absurd farce in which a Glaswegian couple retire to Spain A Bricklayer's Tale, the story of a disillusioned, alcoholic bricklayer What I Did In My Summer Holidays In 1000 Words, could having an idea ever be considered a criminal act? My Grandfather's Shed, the making of an English key Peyote, hippies, LSD and an idyllic refuge Return Ticket, handcuffed and ready for deportation. A sad departure from the States The Day My Soul Left Me, to be or not to be? That is the question Advert In The Art Shop Window, will a new building job in Spain be the start of a new life? The Unchangeable Chameleon, can a leopard change it's spots? An anthology of British dark humour.

"Author, Gary cements growing reputation...A collection of short stories that give a humorous account of life in a new country." (Salina Patel, The Hounslow Chronicle)
"I liked the fact that some of the short stories in this collection were connected and followed on from each other, but at the same time they are stand alone. Great for people like me who are slow readers, I can read a whole story on the train to work and not have to wait all day for the ending." (Carol Wiggins)
"I really enjoyed reading these short stories, they are easy to read. I would have liked it if there were more stories " (Maria, Goodreads)
Amazon top 100 bestsellers.
In this short story collection, Gary Troia shares his adventures and memoirs from his travels in Spain.
How Not To Travel To The Alhambra, hung-over, the wrong fuel, the car breaks down. Will they ever make it to Granada?
Poking A Carob Tree, a new home and new neighbours, just in time for Christmas.
The Road To Ronda, a terrifying drive to Ronda, was it worth it?
Gaudi, a flight to Barcelona for a kebab and a look at the Sagrada Familia.
Spain Reborn, no more commuting to London. Lets celebrate
Home From Home, a parallel world where the Spanish have taken over Weymouth.
Three Common Carp, an epic battle with a whale and marlin it is not.
Catania, a meeting with a Sicilian fox, some Neapolitans and a man with a camel haired coat.
Bilbao, how very, very English
A collection of short stories and memoirs.