The Prospect of Magic

While making a stop in Fluker, Louisiana, the owner of The World Famous Ploofop Travelling Carnival dies, leaving his carnies stranded. Tired of years on the road, living in trailers and performing, they decide to make a permanent home in Fluker, a friendly little place that is initially mesmerized by their bright colors, exotic animals, and surprising abnormalities. But this relationship strains. Here are the stories of Fluker: The Bearded Lady who interprets her ringmaster s death to foretell a new life awaiting her, one where she is beardless and clean. The local boy who falls in love with an acrobatic bat girl, much to the chagrin of her winged brothers. The son of a lion tamer who, years later, is still haunted by his father s inability to separate real life from life in the ring. The kid who gets a giant cat in the mail. All in all, we know one thing: love is like magic and magic like love. It s mysterious. It s powerful. It s elusive. It s a thing we only know when we see it. Stories in this collection have appeared in literary journals like Epoch and American Short Fiction, been named Notable Stories of 2007 by The Million Writers Award, won the Matt Clark Prize for Fiction, and have been anthologized in Best New American Voices.