Barlow, a tale wherein native ingenuity trumps book learning. A friendly bet between the mayor of Farcey Springs and the county sheriff puts this countrified veteran face-to-face with certain restrictions that hinder the use of "blood-letting" weapons in defense of his homestead. Southern dialect of course adds 1930s realism to the flesh of this novella, including unique perspectives and phraseology that run through most of the remaining thirteen short stories in this collection. All stripes and colors of folks interact in amusing ways. One story focuses on matters critical to three moonshiners of the Great Depression era. Another, to a hospitalized elderly woman who reminisces about her beloved as she surrenders full rein to a lively subconscious. Other stories range over a broad array of characters, settings, plots and themes and told in a rich style peppered with humor and feeling, reflecting some of the South's lighter yet touching moments.

Born in Bagdad, Florida, in 1927, Robert Willis served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. The conflict fired his desire for learning, and after the war ended, he attended Florida Southern College, the University of Texas, and capping it off with a PhD from Florida State University. Careers in higher education and, later, real estate followed. Willis has pursued writing with earnest passion since the 1960s. A fan of serious fiction, sometimes with comic overtones, he admires writers like Twain, Hemingway, even the classical bards like Shakespeare and Homer. The list goes on....