March 2011, Vol. 10, Issue 3

Spring is almost upon us, which means the March issue is the bridge between the winter of discontent and spring fever...

1. Matisse's Chorizo by Paul McGuire
Life is so much smoother if you're well-liked by the right people in this fucking town. Or I should clarify -- well-liked by the powerful watch guards of Hollyweird holding the clipboard...More

2. Traffic Jam at the Top of the World by Tim Lavalli
It was then that a cold hard freeze gripped my chest – all of these climbers ahead of me might well be ahead of me on the way back down when oxygen would be short and everyone would be even weaker then they are now. What would I do trapped at the top of the ladder with a dozen people in line in front of me and death staring me in the face? Politeness might just have to give way to survival...More

3. Hard Day's Knight by John Hartness
I hate waking up in an unfamiliar place. I’ve slept in pretty much the same bed for the past fifteen years, so when I wake up someplace new, it really throws me off. When that someplace is tied to a metal folding chair in the center of an abandoned warehouse that reeks of stale cigarette smoke, diesel fuel and axle grease - well, that really started my night off on a sparkling note...More

4. Egypt by Adam J. Weise
The flies here are at the top of their game. They are bred to be fearless and adventurous; they'll sit on your face taunting you. Attempts at swatting them have only ended with me slapping myself in the face. Even in Tanzania whenever I try to show off by catching a fly in my bare hands like my dad taught me I end up just grasping at air and getting laughed at by the boys. Now I know that flies are just a part of African life and the quicker one accepts it the better as they are everywhere. There are days when in order to ward off the flies in Dar es Salaam I'll eat with my right hand while waving my left hand over the food for the entire meal... More

5. Paralysis by lightning36
He knew that he had been an extremely lucky guy. How many men get to date television stars? Crystal was beautiful, well-known, and popular. But aside from the usual Hollywood trappings, she had a heart of gold. She exuded warmth and compassion, yet had enough of a bite to keep herself real... More

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...

From the Editor's Laptop

The March issue includes the debut of a new scribe... lightning36. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster includes returning stellar contributors such as Tim Lavalli, Adam J. Weise, and John Hartness, who shared an excerpt from one of his novels Oh, and how could I forget about my piece -- a slice of life about wandering around the City of Angels on a weekend morning.

The contributors at Truckin' write for the love of self-expression, which is a clever way of saying that they generated these stories for free. I'm amazed at their collective bold leap of faith, because the scribes exposed their inner souls to you. With that in mind, please spread the word about your favorite stories. Good karma and many blessings will come your way for exposing new readers to our amazing writers.

Contact us if you'd like to be added to the mailing list. If you happen to be a scribe (published or non-published) who is interested writing for a future issue, then please drop us an email.

Lastly, thanks to you, the readers. The long-form written word is slowly dying off, but you're keeping the spirit alive with your unwavering support for Truckin'.

Be good,
McG


"The surest cure for vanity is loneliness." - Thomas Wolfe