Gary Clifton and Ryan Sayles; HOW I WROTE THIS STORY

Gary Clifton: THE LAST AMBASSADOR TO PUSHMATAHA,  is a tale based on an actual case wherein a low rent doper, who claimed to be a prince in exile infatuated with a dope-numb-brained stripper, went around  planting crude bombs against enemies real and imagined until he had a premature ejaculation (the stripper's words) and involuntarily retired from the bombing business.  In the real world, he died in the joint several years ago, still disarmed, so to speak. 

Gary Clifton, forty years a cop, a lifetime comedian has a giant Santa bag of war stories, all true.

Ryan Sayles:  Getting published on All Due Respect was a big goal of mine. When I read the submissions guidelines, Chris Rhatigan was very clear about one thing: he publishes "fiction about people who are criminals..."

That got the gears turning.

Earlier in the year I read another author's story which took place in a strip club. I always try to leave comments on the stories I read, and this was no exception. I made some comment about strippers working for formula and meth.

That also got the gears turning.

So I wrote a story called "Formula and Meth." I wrote about a stripper who runs a scam on the clients she has, and I tried to make it funny in tone but sad in reality. So, the third person narration (in Rhatigan's words) just made fun of everyone. But, the situation itself--especially Angelina, the lead stripper--was sad. It was too bad. Single mom, having an elderly neighbor check on her kid at night while she's at the club, addicted to meth, working for drugs and baby food.

No one is decent here. The sliding scale of humanity is near the bottom. No one is honest. No one has love. Everyone uses everyone else and the end focuses all of that into what I hope was a lingering feeling of that sad reality.

So grab the collection. Ignore me blabbing about my story and know that every single one in here is solid as a rock. I'm proud my drivel made the cut, because this thing is THE anthology to have. Rhatigan proved he could do the crime fiction world a favor with how he selected the stories. Get your hands on it.