fiction – Stanton Fenwick

Early Reviews and Ratings

It’s early days, but feedback on my book from my LibraryThing giveaway looks very promising.

An Aspiration To Lie Flat is currently rated at 4.38 stars by readers.

(That’s not bad, on a site where The Code of the Woosters garners a 4.31 rating. That certainly isn’t how I would rate the two books. Some might find the comparison laughable, including me, but I’ll happily accept it.)

Edit: Subsequent reviews have lowered my book’s average to 4.22, so order has been restored to the universe.

Here are some excerpts from my book’s reviews. All of the following quotes can be attributed to LibraryThing users.

“This is a totally inane book that should be read by many.”

Edit: I couldn’t agree more.

“To me, it was a big joke, in a good way.”

“This story is hilarious, absurd, has a lot of heart, and is almost scary as in how I can imagine it could actually happen to someone.”

“What a fun whirlwind of a read! Keep in mind that at a quick 129 pages there simply isn’t a lot of time for nuance. Just enjoy the ride! I sure did!”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from An Aspiration to Lie Flat, but it completely won me over. The humor is dry and understated, the kind that lingers and gets funnier the more you think about it. The main character is a disaster in the best way, yet you can’t help but root for him. The writing is sharp, fresh, and unlike most books I’ve picked up. If you enjoy offbeat, clever stories that break away from the usual formula, this one is definitely worth reading.”

There is a real possibility you will like this book!

(I’m careful not to overpromise. But you really might.)

Three Americans in a Picanto

One sweltering day in August, when my patience was at its stickiest, I received an email from a discount tour guide. He was offering personalized legacy trips through England, helping Americans reconnect with their forgotten aristocratic heritages.

Having always sensed my innate nobility, I was sure the trip would deliver a fascinating reveal.

(It was promised in the advertisement.)

I phoned two friends, proposing we flee our oppressive environment to seek our oppressive roots.

I was not alone in my enthusiasm.

Both friends suspected they were distantly royal. It was worth checking out.

After calling a financial associate to propose a credit limit increase, three tickets were obtained, and we commenced our journey.

Battles are Won with Logistics

I examined my supplies. They were sufficient.

I began to shuttle them to the front, without alerting the enemy.

Like Thermopylae, fighting was soon confined to a narrow pass, easier to defend.

At last, victory was in sight.

I fought my way to my assigned seat and placed my carry-on bag in the last available overhead bin.

I sat. I buckled. I conquered.

Fenwick Appears

Act One

Stanton Fenwick wrote a book. It wasn’t long. It wasn’t deep. It was just a simple farce, decades behind its time.

He worried his book would be misunderstood, that the world wasn’t ready for early twentieth-century literature.

Another concern: Stanton didn’t know how to write.

But he knew what he found funny, especially dry comedy. So he tapped out a few chapters.

His wife hated them.

He knew he was onto something big.

(His wife hated all of his favorite comedies.)

Fenwick Award Nomination Press Statement

The Fenwick Press™
April 10
For Circulation as Required

We are advised that Stanton Fenwick’s forthcoming novella, The Peril Of Making Progress, has been nominated for a Fenwick Award. The nomination was extended late Wednesday, following a review of the manuscript’s publicly available chapters and a collection of the author’s hastily scribbled notes.

This marks Mr. Fenwick’s fourth nomination overall and first for a work still under revision. The committee noted Stanton’s growth as an author, citing “early evidence of a plot” and “an almost human display of talent.”

Mr. Fenwick has acknowledged the nomination but has issued no statement.

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_{The Fenwick Press™ is not a real publishing house, though it tries very hard to behave like one. All names, institutions, and positions on this site are part of a satirical author persona. No affiliation with any actual entity, whether past, present, or even regrettably imagined, is intended.}

_{The Fenwick Press™ was founded in 1843 by accident and continues to publish pretty much “whatever.”}