Books

The Waterloo Diaries: The Bedsore Conspiracy is a graphic novel, a murder mystery, set in a fictional Mississippi jerkwater (Bedsore). Its protagonist, Waterloo Clyde, is a contemporary private detective who fancies himself a throwback to the hard-boiled dicks of noir fiction: Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Mike Hammer, et al. The story is full of...

A popular expression says, "Everybody's got a story." I'm luckier than most, I have many. This is a collection of stories, short essays, and reflections. It's necessarily incomplete because I'm still on the planet. As long as that remains true, I'll always have more stories.

I hope you enjoy these.

This short story is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Drake Manning, P.I. Manning’s best friend, Duke, a New York City cop, is murdered. Manning has to find out by whom and why in this wry take on the noirish, hard-boiled detective. Cover design by Jonathan Spiliotopoulos. Photo by Chris Hutchinson, aka LCBO, on stock.xchng ....

This short story is the second in a series of mysteries featuring Drake Manning, P.I. Manning is sent to the funeral of a woman he’s never met. He has to figure out who she is, how she died, and why.

In this short story, set in 1965, an aged Adolph Hitler shows up, unannounced, at the apartment of a young, New York City barber. Through an accomplice who serves as translator, Hitler lets it be known he wants the young barber to cut his hair.

The short story presents the humorous history of Hartford and the Bushnell Park Fountain as it might have been told by Mark Twain.

Cover design by Jonathan Spiliotopoulos.

In this short story, a young man of sound mind and body is killed by a train while standing on railroad tracks one evening. Witnesses verify it wasn’t suicide. In an investigation that pits an aging forensic pathologist against a young Amtrak investigator, this fictional short story tells what happened and why.

Cover design by Jonathan...

This short story tells the tale of an ordinary man, an ordinary woman, and an extraordinary love.

Cover design by Jonathan Spiliotopoulos.

Edited by Phil Hargrove.

This short story tells the tale of a commercial trucker, contending with his life on the road, the dissolution of his marriage, the future of his children, and the implications of realizing that love may not be lasting.

Cover design by Jonathan Spiliotopoulos

This short story is about a bank robbery — and a relationship — gone bad. It contains elements of humor, sarcasm, cynicism, irony, intrigue, deception, and deep regret.

Cover photo by Thomas Tucker on Unsplash.

In this short story, Cleve Yarnell, an elderly man suffering from dementia, leaves the house one morning to get a haircut. He drives for miles, lost and unaware that he’s driven well beyond the town in which he lives. At the same time, his wife, Sadie, is meeting with a divorce attorney, firm in her conviction that Cleve will leave her with...

A boy goes into the jungle to observe the animals, only to find they're observing him and judging him. As he's leaving the jungle, dejected, he meets a wise old lion who teaches him the value of his singular talents, gifts, and blessings.

This children's book, written in verse, tells the story of a young boy who wants to buy a goldfish, only to discover he's brought home a marlin, instead. It's a tale of love and sadness, redeemed by lasting friendship.

It's appropriate for children of all ages, whether having it read to them by an adult or reading it themselves.

This children's book, a follow-up to the 2012 original and written in verse, tells the story of Martin the Marlin and his friend, Steven. One day while swimming together, they come upon Daphne the Dolphin, who's helplessly tangled in a rope from a fishing net. Martin and Steven work together to set Daphne free and make a new friend in the...

In June of 2015, a conversation took place between Mark Nelson O’Brien and Nate Fakes that would change the course of world history. Well … maybe not the history of the whole world. But it would certainly change the lives and the histories of the two chuckleheads who participated in the conversation. Here’s the entirety of that conversation,...

A popular expression says, “Everybody’s got a story.” I’m luckier than most, I have many. This is a collection of them. It’s necessarily incomplete because I’m still on the planet. As long as that remains true, I’ll always have more stories.
I hope you enjoy these.
Mark Nelson O’brien

As I Lay Dieting, "Abe's Saloon! Abe's Saloon!" Sound like Faulkner with a twist? It is—bad Faulkner, or, to be exact, some of the best of bad Faulkner composed by the hundreds who have entered the Faux Faulkner Contest. Here, too, are outstanding Faulkner parodies from the past—even one written by Faulkner himself.