Blue Cedar Press

02/27/2025

02/21/2025

01/23/2025

Letters to My Dead Name


Slota, Richelle Lee and Stricker, Dan and DeMaio, Thomasina


LETTERS TO MY DEAD NAME, a book of outstanding poems by Richelle Lee Slota, is just launched. Buy it at 10% off the retail price by using this QR code.

01/10/2025

"I'm in pain and I wish for death a thousand times a minute!!!" An Appeal I am the injured journalist, Fadi Al-Wahidi. My message to the world: I am not just a… | 31 comments on LinkedIn

01/10/2025

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11/28/2024

Great review of our recent publication Busted Flat.

Busted Flat follows the harrowing journey of Hap, an orphaned teenager with no home or family, and Shriner, a troubled Afghanistan war veteran. Together, they traverse the United States, surviving through petty crime and theft, their lives steeped in chaos and uncertainty. Shriner, haunted by the scars of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, spirals into deeper turmoil, dragging Hap into an endless cycle of desperation and danger.

This is not just a story of survival but one of profound struggle. Busted Flat vividly portrays the bleak realities faced by Hap and Shriner, shedding light on homelessness, mental health, and the heavy toll of life on the fringes of society. The story’s raw intensity resonated deeply with me, particularly as someone familiar with the immense challenges of homelessness. The psychological burden, the loss of direction, and the constant fight to persevere felt strikingly authentic.

Hap’s character stood out as the emotional anchor of the story. His innocence and vulnerability were palpable, a stark contrast to the hardened circumstances he endures. His naivety and lack of purpose manifested through his descent into car theft paint a poignant picture of the struggles faced by runaway, orphaned teens. Hap’s portrayal is not just genuine but heart-wrenching, offering an unflinching look at the emotional scars of abandonment and aimlessness.

Gray’s storytelling excels in capturing the bleakness of homelessness in America. The characters are painted with depth and nuance, making their pain and hardships achingly real. The depiction of Shriner’s PTSD adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. It showcases how trauma compounds the already immense challenges of survival.

For readers seeking an intense and thought-provoking crime thriller, Busted Flat delivers. It is a gripping, page-turning exploration of broken lives, raw emotions, and the relentless fight for survival. Highly recommended for those who crave a story that is as heart-pounding as it is deeply moving.
Rating: 5

Thank you,
Thomas Anderson
Editor In Chief
Literary Titan

09/26/2024

A new novel, Michael Loyd Gray's 7th, BUSTED FLAT, comes out officially Oct. 14 but is available for preorder from https://www.bluecedarpress.com website. $17.99. A picaresque, riveting novella about a homeless, orphaned teenager picked up by a homeless veteran of the Afghan war. Together explore the U.S., surviving by petty crime and cell phone fencing. A powerful tale of the underbelly of American life told with pithy prose and a superb development of character despite its flash fiction chapters format.

Blue Cedar Press, the Midwest’s independent press, publishes new voices from the Prairie and the P

08/29/2024

08/17/2024