Prolific author John Cook presents his first collection in nine years. In All on the Line Cook’s vibrant style harkens back to some of the great fiction writers, such as Raymond Carver, Martha Gellhorn, Willa Cather, John Steinbeck, and his long-time favorite writer, Ernest Hemingway. All on the Line collects 25 of John Cook’s vital and compelling short stories, exploring topics as diverse as death, prostitution, surfing, prison life, the Vietnam War, love, family, alcoholism, and the American experience. His short terse style is contrasted with lengthened rhythms of cadenced lyricisms. Music provides the template for his writing style, the words strung together like notes on a musical score.

John Cook is a graduate of the UCLA Graduate Program of Creative Writing. His diploma bears the inscription, “Graduated with Distinction.” One of the stories in this book, “Flashback,” was described to him by UC Riverside Adjunct Professor Tod Goldberg as “perfect.” He told him to never change a word of it, leave it as it is. John Cook was nominated for the Kirkwood Prize for his story “Granville Henry,” which is also in this book.

Experience the revival of the short story form with this outstanding cross-section of life and writing.