Brian Mazo

A Rose by Any Other Name Brian Mazo

"A Rose By Any Other Name: An Alphabet of Tales about a Man and a Woman" is a collection of twenty-six snap-shot short stories, each about a moment between two people at a crossroads. From New York to Los Angeles, from Black Rock City, Burning Man and back to Brooklyn, the tales give us a voyeur's view to sweet first kisses all the way to the bitter final ones: A man in the midst of an ugly break-up rips out the last page of each of his lover's book collection and then wishes he could change their ending ("Last Paige"). A flower-bearing man, who hates taking taxis, has the duration of a ride to win over his cabdriver and her alluring smile ("Hail Mary"). A piece of jewelry solves a mystery and leads to a twisted tryst ("The Cross of Lorraine"). An unexpected, second chance at love and happiness amongst Senior Citizens in Florida is sparked by a hurricane and the ability to drive at night ("Mustang Sally"). Also included: a tale of breakups and breakdowns ("Nina, the Pinto & the Santa Ana Winds"), fortunate mistaken identity ("A Rose by Any Name"), one man's obsession with his bartender ("Fiona, the Irish Girl"), sex during a torrential downpour ("Hannah & the Hitchhiker), jealousy ("Charlotte's Web)", deceit, ("Victoria's Secret") and one woman's first foray into nude modeling ("Ursula, Undressed").