Showing results by author "Lori Schafer"

A lighthearted analytical look at the most beloved television Christmas special of all time - Rankin and Bass' Claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

It was the spring of 1989. I was 16 years old, a junior in high school and an honors student. I had what every teenager wants: a stable family, a nice home in the suburbs, a great group of friends, big plans for my future, and no reason to believe that any of that would ever change. Then came my mother's psychosis.

There's no such thing as ghosts. It's always a trick, a scheme devised by mere mortal men to keep people away from the site of the haunting or other creepy phenomenon.

Meet Kathy, a 37-year-old drifter who's constantly on the move: to new towns, new jobs, and new relationships. Imagine her surprise when she's befriended by lifelong friends Sam and Ted, attractive young men who, though 10 years her junior, are far more settled than she thinks she'll ever be. Cheer them on as their three-way friendship succumbs to passion, then passion to romance, and romance to...well, surely it couldn't be love. Could it?

This is the moving yet deeply disturbing story of a middle-aged mother and a teenaged daughter torn apart by the sudden onset of the mother’s insanity. It details the severe paranoia and absurd delusions that began to control my mother’s behavior. It follows her transformation from loving parent to violent psychotic and my transformation from obedient daughter to terrified runaway. And it depicts the overwhelming revelatory moment when I finally learned she had died - six years before.

Written through the eyes of retail and technology executives, Branded! explores retailers who are successfully implementing social media and mobility strategies. Market-leading retailers are engaging technology-savvy customers though social media and mobility. Branded! reveals how these digital communication channels are an extension of a retailer's culture and strategy resulting in building brand equity. Comprehensive reviews of Starbucks, Zappos, Wet Seal, Macy's, 1-800-Flowers.com, JCPenney, Pizza Hut, and Best Buy are featured.

Ranging in style from funny to filthy, this collection features author commentary on selected stories and my open letter to you-know-who. It includes "Morning After", "Ballroom Dance", "To All the Penises I've Ever Known", "Missed Connection", and "Complete Your Assignments"!  

Brent and Marge have only been married a short while when Marge's weight grows dangerously out of control. It's up to their good friend Kat to make sure she starts eating healthy again -- and once they get started, she can't bear to stop! This funny, sexy short story will forever change the way you think about dieting -- and possibly make you yearn for a fat Marge of your very own. 

One weekend a few months after my glorious ass-awakening, John and I went on a road trip. I'd leaned over sideways and lifted my skirt up over my hips so that he could rest his hand on my ass while he was driving. Sunshine was streaming through the open sunroof and my butt felt warm in spite of its near-nakedness. How I relished that sensation now!

The house was haunted. Everyone was sure of it.... 

"On bad days I wondered how old people ever even did it. Sometimes walking seemed like too much effort, let alone all the aerobicized contortionism that went with sex." How older people do it - carefully. A romantic short story of love and middle age.

Ever dreamed of spending a summer working in Alaska? I did...until I actually got there and saw what it was really like! A biographical short story/travel memoir. Also includes "Funeral for Charlie", a humorous real-life short story about a goldfish funeral gone awry.

Cindy's friend, Jesse, is great - especially when he gets out of her way after the "benefits" part of their evening is over. So when he proposes a weekend excursion at a nearby lake, she's naturally suspicious - isn't that the kind of thing "couples" do? Now, she might never be able to get the smell of him off her....

My thoughts are inside me. They can never be exposed by a mere choice of outfit. Also includes my short essay "What I Learned from Watching Scooby-Doo."

From the author of On Hearing of My Mother's Death Six Years After It Happened: A Daughter's Memoir of Mental Illness, Stories from My Memory-Shelf is the story of my life, told in short fiction and essays. Features author commentary on the real-life events that inspired the stories.  

"On my other side, a man I'd never expected to see again was crawling into bed with me." A casual couple with no ties finds it difficult to say goodbye in this sweet love story with a modern theme.

This eBook contains two essays on film:  "On Viewing Hans Richter's Rhythmus 21": the search for cinematic meaning in one of the most famous early German avant-garde films. "The Perfect Filmic Appositiveness of Jack Smith": impressions of the films of one of cinema's most eccentric auteurs.

"I bowed my head as Bob plunked our deceased friend respectfully into the deep. I listened quietly as he somberly activated the flusher. And then I watched as the water swirled away, taking Charlie on one final miraculous journey to the home of his ancient ancestors, to the ocean the abrupt end of his short life had precluded him from ever going to see...."

"I figured I'd better backtrack fast before he started thinking I liked him or something. But it's hard to backpedal when you've got your foot in your mouth." Is it really over when it's over? A short story of a romance that quickly blooms and dies, but then - just maybe - might spring back to life....