David C. Metz

There are no superheroes in "Nick and Lorraine Were Lovers," just ordinary people caught in moments of crisis as they get on with their lives. A middle-aged corporate lawyer confronts a painful childhood memory in the wake of the George Floyd protests. A college student is on a mission to rescue his former lover from herself. A single mother is haunted by the suicide of her daughter. In a small Midwest town in the 1950's, a boy plays "Army" with his friends and discovers the meaning of loyalty. These are some of the characters you will meet in this collection of stories to be published by Apprentice House Press in April, 2025.

 

 

Advanced praise for Nick and Lorraine Were Lovers:

 

"A collection of elegant and open-hearted short stories." - Kirkus Reviews

 

"David Metz's compassionate vision shows us ordinary people trying to keep their resilience and their dignity as they roll with the punches of life. Without false sentiment, these stories affirm that we are mostly decent people trying to be better, and often succeeding, despite our foolishness and mistakes. It's a pleasure to read such finely tuned, insightful fiction."
J. Morris, author of When I Snap My Fingers You Will Remember Everything

 

 

"There are no gimmicks in this exceptional collection of stories written with a clear-eyed understanding of the way our own decisions, regrets, desires, and hopes, and those of the people we encounter along the way, loom over our lives for better and for worse. These characters feel like friends and relatives, past and present, a family or regional history of fully imagined, flesh and blood people pushing themselves toward and away from each other for good and bad reasons they mostly don't quite comprehend until damage is done and fates are sealed. Just like real life. A sparkling debut collection whose characters will stick with you long after you've put the book down." 

Dave Housley, author of The Other Ones, Looney, This Darkness Got to Give, and others.