BITS AND PEACES could leave you thinking that what people believe in their own minds might be more powerful than reality; of course, members of all races and ethnicities are equal; don't screw with the wrong guy; or it ain't over till it's over. The first section is comprised of six fiction stories of varying lengths that include primary characters such as Joey, a middle-aged man who believes he is en route to breaking the major league baseball lifetime home run record in softball batting practice; Michael Damsky, a fifty-year-old man pushed out of his twenty-one-year professional job, who continues to catch the same train to work each morning; and Richard Colucci, the retiree who returns to New York for his fiftieth high school reunion, worried whether anyone will recognize him, and if he'll be asked to recount what he'd done all those years. Section II of Bits And Peaces consists of seven fiction stories narrated in first person by a character named Mitchell Graye - the author's alter ego - each story about an unusual person he meets, his interaction with, and reaction to them. The characters include Amala who dials the wrong number two hours after the ringing in of a new year, seeking her psychiatrist because she wants to kill herself; Mildred, an elderly woman in a White Castle hamburger restaurant who lines up her twenty lipstick cases every thirty minutes, and speaks to nobody; Mel, a man in Panera's restaurant with a scar down the side of his neck who takes his cell phone outside in any kind of weather each time it rings. The third section consists of several essays, including "Mr. Potato Heart," about how people create their own fantasy version of other people based on what they want or need them to be. This collection of stories is aptly titled "Bits And Peaces," rather than "Bits And Pieces."
About the Author: Mitchell Graye was raised and still lives in the New ity Metropolitan area where he has held a variety of positions during his career in the financial community. When not applying his analytical skills, Mitchell enjoys being a people watcher and has been a student in various psychology courses because he is intensely interested in what makes people tick. His keen observation of human behavior comes into play in developing the intereactions of his compelling characters. Mitchell Graye has also written "Return To Go," a novel published in 2007, and "The Sheep Rise Up," a novel published in 2013, and a sitcom pilot.