This anthology showcases the very best in humorous short story writing, by outstanding contemporary female writers, including Kathy Lette, Sadia Azmat, Lucy Vine, Josie Long, Paula Lennon, and many more. It includes the winning and shortlisted stories from the Comedy Women in Print Short Story Prize. From tales of a narcoleptic biscuit lover, con artists with a twist, and the accidental death of a hamster; to consequences of accidental gluing, the imagined world of extreme shopping, and the delightfully surreal world of canine dating, these 15 boldly imaginative stories range across a multitude of genres and themes. Each proves the power of the short story to disarm, tickle, entertain, or simply reduce you to helpless piles of laughter!

She's never been so far from home. And never so close to a killer. Private investigator Olivia Knightley has finally pressed pause on her busy schedule and regained some work-life balance - for the next three weeks. The ink on her divorce papers is barely dry, so she promises to take her sixteen-year-old daughter Amy travelling across the US. But no sooner than they arrive at a campground populated with other 'van lifers' and nomads, they discover a violent murder scene that shakes the community. Enter special agent Jack Tyler, head of the Investigative Services Branch - known to some as the FBI of the National Park Service. He leads the bare-bones taskforce handling the most complex crimes committed on National Park land. Jack has been tracking this killer for months to no avail. Olivia knows she might just be the silver bullet he's been looking for. She's used to running things her way, however, not pausing to explain herself to anyone, as her ex-husband is always keen to remind her. But when Amy falls in with the wrong crowd, and Olivia realises the danger she's placed her in, she is forced to choose between protecting her daughter and stopping a killer in their tracks.

Comedy and laughter come to the rescue of two teen-age boys in a background of 1942 Midwestern mediocrity. From the Depression into World War II, they feel ignored by working mothers and an indifferent, industrial Indianapolis. As buddies, they find laughter and hope while enduring the problems of puberty, the discovery of girls, learning life's lessons mostly from light-hearted movies, vaudeville, and the comedies of network radio. Their hilarious and naive efforts to become comedy stars thrust them into early manhood, from high school to show biz. Their story is humorous and touching, a roller coaster ride of experiences, giving the reader a rib-tickling glimpse of their hopes and dreams, struggles and setbacks, all in a warm tapestry of fun and good feelings.