God Laughs When You Die is the first collection of short stories by Michael Boatman, better known for his roles in Spin City and Grey's Anatomy. In this collection you will find heartwarming tales of drug dealers, murder, mermaids, racism, zombies, fat kids, talk show hosts, parasites and Joan Collins getting her arm ripped off by the Pope. Give it to all your friends and relatives, including that annoying aunt that is trying to get you to come to church or the cousin who has recently kicked his crystal meth addiction but wants to know the location of a dentist that will remove the molar into which the government implanted a tracking device. You may never feel obligated to attend a family reunion again.
Artwork by Amanda Rehagen, Vanesa Littlecrow Wojtanowicz, and John Perry
Boatman grabs you by throat and drags you kicking and screaming through his prose. With a dash of Lansdale and a smattering of Martina's Wild Cards, the tales within inhabit the dark and nasty side of our souls, and throughout Boatman infuses it all with a keen wit and an eye for detail. And when he lets you up to breathe, like God, you might just find yourself laughing. This is the sort of stuff I like to read as the bells sound midnight.
Paul Haines award-winning author of Doorways for the Dispossessed
Boatman's debut collection will knock you down and kick you in the teeth. Alternatingly hysterical, grotesque, bizarre, and fantastic, Boatman's collection is a must-read for anyone itching to get their hands on fresh new fiction that pulls no punches.
Ronald Damien Malfi, author of The Nature of Monsters and The Fall of Never
Michael Boatman writes like a visitor from hell. Someone out on short term leave for bad behavior. I love this stuff. He's one of the new, and more than promising, writers making his mark, and a dark and wonderful mark it is.
Joe R. Lansdale
You can purchase God Laughs When you Die at
