Hillbilly Anthology by Jon Ketzner

Meet Jon Ketzner

Buy "Hillbilly Anthology"

    Boy girl meet. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Girl elopes with the Minotaur. Just one of the few story plots not to be found in this fun anthology of short stories. Romance, stone cold assassins, skirt chasing noir detectives, guitar heroes, Civil War poltergeists and naked lady holograms. They are all here. And more!
     Written in a crisp, wry, comfort- food style by a new, and self-important, author and denizen of the back hollows of Appalachia, these stories are inspired by the works of actual authors who wrote to put food on the table. Unlike, say, Jon Ketzner, the author of this collection.
     Get ready for a great read. Each tale is well told and compelling. This anthology is a fine addition to the uniquely American short story literary form. The author promises that the sequel will include a honeymooning Minotaur.​

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Where's That Bastard Owen? by Jon Ketzner

Buy "Where's That Bastard Owen?"

     Jon Ketzner follows his well-received collection of short stories, Hillbilly Anthology (2020) with a new group of imaginative and witty offerings. Mr. Ketzner fancies himself the “Grandma Moses of twenty-first century letters, capturing the naïve primitivism of an old person with too much unstructured playtime.”
     As with Hillbilly Anthology, these tales are inspired by famous Maryland writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allan Poe, Dashiell Hammett, and Anne Tyler who provide the basic DNA for these stories, with Mr. Ketzner creating contemporary takes as he pays homage to the genres and stylings of these great authors.
     The fun tales are peppered with people and places of the modern zeitgeist, some right out there, some thinly disguised. Each character is developed to be unique and compelling, each plot line thoughtful and engrossing. The stories are laced with Mr. Ketzner’s wry observations and, often, laugh out loud dialogue and narrative surprises.
     Where’s That Bastard Owen (and other yarns) is another fun read and as Mr. Ketzner proudly notes, “It makes a great gift for someone you don’t like very much. It’s a fine coaster, door stop and, if you put the hardback in your toilet tank, it will reduce water usage 15% and pay for itself in six months.”
     Alert the Nobel Committee.