Curtis A. Deeter – författare

Dragons, dark wizards, mythology, space exploration, body modification addiction, and a solar system devouring planet-this collection has a bit of everything for fantasy and science fiction readers. Whether you are looking for a brief escape from reality or a deep delve into high fantasy, you are sure to find a story you love.

Chase Cross, "detective" ordinaire, rolls into town behind the wheel of an old woody station wagon. When he careens into the Our Lady of the Woods Shrine, he grabs Mio, Michigan''s attention, especially that of Sheriff Grace. Luckily, his poor driving retrieves the recently deceased bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Stillman from the apex of the shrine. Now, Chase must help Mio solve the murders and put itself back together. First he needs to convince the Sheriff to let him out of jail.

Meanwhile, the Devil and Death arrive for their honeymoon, bringing with them a slew of strange, pseudo-biblical occurrences: water to booze, plagues of Ford Focuses, and cupboards filled with rice to name a few. Some will call it spontaneous omening; others will call it young love.

Chase Cross is not alone. He has Bob, a cast of nocturnal statues, an angsty Jesus, and God, herself. Even with the cards stacked in his favor, the blundering "detective" might still manage to muck things up. 

We asked the women and men of the Midwest to Dream, to ask themselves, "What if?" Their answers take us to strange, surprising, and surreal new worlds. 

What would life be like if the working class chose to take drugs to suppress their emotions? What if we went to space and came back to a world similar to our own but empty of everything and everyone we have ever known? What do blue skies look like filled with drones? What consequences await in a forest that grants immortality?

This book has the answers to these questions and many, many, many more.

These pages are filled with the original and distinctly Midwest voices of 19 writers and poets. These are our stories, the stories we live every single day. These are the things we are Made of: Dirt and grime, sorrow and disappointment, trial and tribulation, but also small revelations, moments of closeness in unexpected spaces, and hope for a better tomorrow.

A rancher finds a moment of quiet while his wife slips away. An old woman passes her final hours, and a baby is born. A stranger makes a new friend. Our stories are all different, but they are Made of Rust and Glass.

Consider this book our love letter to the Midwest''s arts and literature scene, the first of many, and find it sealed not with wax but with grit.