Tom Janikowski

A Martini and a Pen Tom Janikowski

A Martini and a Pen is a collection of 55 pieces of short fiction, ranging in length from the form known as "flash" or "sudden" to the short story. Drawn from both previously published and unpublished works in the author's collection, the stories span a wide expanse of subject matters and moods, which has contributed to his style being likened to "'A Prairie Home Companion' on 'shrooms." Tales of good and evil are set against dreamlike stories - some bordering on the psychedelic, some unashamedly tongue-in-cheek. The flash fiction is punctuated by several longer pieces, including "Dauphin Street and the Most Cruel Disease," told partially from within the mind of an Alzheimer's patient, "Priceless and Serene," a study of emotion set in the countryside of southwestern Vermont, and the title piece, "A Martini and a Pen," which finds a desperate man discussing his future with a bartender (and which includes a very nice drink recipe).