Thomas M. McDade

Biography

Thomas M. McDade is a seventy-seven-year-old former programmer/analyst residing in Fredericksburg, VA, previously, in CT & RI.
He's married, has no kids, and no pets.
McDade is a 1973 graduate of Fairfield University.
He served two tours of duty in the U.S. Navy.

tommmcd2000@yahoo.com

Books

Pepto Pink and Lemon Yellow
Price: Free! Words: 5,190. Language: English. Published: September 15, 2023 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Action & suspense
Rock and Roll and Punk Music clash and Mark who fancies himself a songwriter finds hope when he meets Margo at the Prospect Pike Lounge. She has a friend named Alicka. . .
Two Flash Fictions: One Electric, One Rosy
Price: Free! Words: 2,580. Language: English. Published: November 26, 2022 . Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Flash fiction
Two fiction flashes, "Electric" involves a business owner whose past shows up in a tavern and then leads to a dive bar, and "Rosy" features a landscape laborer's cultural education and an amazing escape.
Siobhan Shows Up
Price: Free! Words: 9,100. Language: English. Published: June 14, 2022 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Sensible for once, I opened a bank account after putting aside cash for an NBA adventure, train fare to Atlanta, and incidentals. I traveled in style, Amtrak roomette. I felt like a high roller checking into a Courtyard Marriott.
Copperheads and Cary
Price: Free! Words: 2,600. Language: English. Published: November 19, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Action & suspense
Copperheads and Cary is a brief tale that follows a wise-cracking old man on his predawn morning walk that's nothing like any he's stepped before. I’m in raggedy jeans that have holes in the right cuff. I’m a kid with no chain guard on his bike. My dark blue hoodie is too big for me. My ten-buck Walmart sport shoes aren’t much to look at but they’re light. I’m a fitness anti-fashion plate.
The Correct Elevation
Price: Free! Words: 3,540. Language: English. Published: November 4, 2021 . Categories: Nonfiction » Relationships & Family » Friendship
The Correct Elevation details a hitchhiking trip a man named Denny embarks on after making a wager with a friend from his Navy days. The three people in the car that pick him up on Interstate 84 are an unusual trio to put it mildly. The Driver is a crass, chain-smoking woman. Her male companion is a perfect match. The preteen girl Denny shares the back seat with is a mystery to behold.
The Cards That Bind
Price: Free! Words: 2,460. Language: English. Published: September 12, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age
A bewitching coming-of-age tale involving two ninth-grade Catholic school kids that begins at Sunday Mass, grows while on a class trip to the RI School of Design Museum.
The Gifts of Troy
Price: Free! Words: 2,760. Language: English. Published: July 31, 2021 . Categories: Screenplays » Drama
An abusive priest sparks a chain of events that forges an unlikely alliance between Jimmy Crew and Troy Doran. Thanks to Blue Nib Literary Magazine (UK), the first publisher of “The Gifts of Troy,” May of 2020
Clara's Timely Birthday Gift
Price: Free! Words: 2,910. Language: English. Published: May 24, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Dean Dawson, his girlfriend Clara and their friend Madame Chung, a restaurateur, focus on the year 1924 and the doings of a stranger named Howard. Once Upon A Crocodile Magazine, previously published this tale under the title “Dean and Clara Find Fault.”
Biscuits and Scrying
Price: Free! Words: 3,590. Language: English. Published: March 9, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Urban
This 3,222-word short story tells of three friends who often meet for morning coffee at a religious theme park ruin. They often talk of Canaan Crossing's banner days and sometimes grow optimistic about a restoration. Two people who confront them when returning from the Golgotha crosses add a new dimension to their lives. First publisher, Between These Shores Annual, titled "Pass the Biscuits."
A Travelogue in Twenty-Six Easy Pieces
Price: Free! Words: 5,570. Language: English. Published: February 3, 2021 . Categories: Nonfiction » Travel » Trip Journals
Itinerary visits: Paris = 10, Ireland = 1, Montreal = 1, Quebec = 1, Turkey = 1, Florence = 2, Pisa = 2, Portugal = 1, Manhattan = 2, Utah = 2, Atlanta = 1, Queens, NY = 1, Rhode Island = 1, Connecticut = 1 All poems previously published (See Acknowledgements) Author snapped the two photos that make up the cover he created
Hot and High at the Uptown Downy
Price: Free! Words: 2,540. Language: English. Published: November 23, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Psychological thriller
This 2,341-word account of one Trevor Shawl's nostalgic trip to the Uptown Downy Lounge is fraught with suspense, terror. Some characters in this tale will bring smiles, others are the stuff of 911 calls. I am most grateful to Between These Shores Literary & Arts Annual, previous publisher of “Hot And High At The Uptown Downy” under the title “The Heavenly Wrangler.”
Sewage
Price: Free! Words: 2,350. Language: English. Published: October 22, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Action & suspense
Sewage is a 2,359 word story that is dark a pitch. It is a tale that grovels in abuse, revelation, comeuppance, corruption and conflagration. Close to the Bone, previously published “Sewage” under the title “Of Duck and Timex,” May 15, 2019
Career Choices
Price: Free! Words: 1,250. Language: English. Published: October 17, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
Career Choices is about repaying favors even if what's required to set things straight is illegal and riskier than any reasonable citizen would expect. Jim Laker and Robbie Rowel occupy he platforms on this sensitive scale. Many thanks to the previously publisher of this 1,134 word story, Once Upon A Crocodile, under the title The Missing Professional, 1/3/2019.
Flatirons Flight
Price: Free! Words: 2,610. Language: English. Published: October 10, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Adventure » General
Tom Dexter travels to Colorado at the urging of a childhood friend enrolled at the University of Colorado. Boulder is not the promised land Jay Harkert built it up to be. This story was previously published by The Sunflower Collective under the title "Spinning on a Spike." A Smashwords short story of mine titled, "Care for a Menthol" was once part of "Flatirons Flight."
Two Flash Fictions: One Oral, One Auditory
Price: Free! Words: 2,240. Language: English. Published: September 29, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Urban
"Oral" is a story of a blue collar worker's relationship with alcohol, tobacco and the memories, yearnings and imaginings haphazardly woven. "Auditory" tells of an old man's morning walk while listening to an MP3 Player that recalls childhood listening and sparks fantasies. Strukturiss Quarterly, published “Oral” Harmonia Press, published “Auditory”
A Fenway Fairy-Tale Ending
Price: Free! Words: 1,850. Language: English. Published: June 10, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Urban
A fourteen-year-old boy on his inaugural visit to Boston's Fenway Park with his father finds there's more to Major League Baseball fandom than he bargained for.
Wite-Out Speckling His Fingers
Price: Free! Words: 3,340. Language: English. Published: April 19, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Crime thriller
This 3,205 word story concerns alarming details a man finds among his murdered father's personal effects that lead to painful recollections of youth and fling open the door for guilt suspicion and escape. This tale was previously published by the Scarlet Leaf Review and Punk-Lit Magazine.
Care for a Menthol?
Price: Free! Words: 920. Language: English. Published: January 9, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
A young man recently discharged from the Navy heads to Colorado at the urging of a former shipmate who has enrolled in college there. During the bus trip, Jack Kerouac finds his way into this pilgrim's life. I am most grateful to Spank the Carp Journal, Ken Schweda editor, for first publishing this story.
She Left a Deuce Tip
Price: Free! Words: 1,190. Language: English. Published: December 3, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Crime thriller
Tom Wales finds more trouble tending bar at the Rathskeller in Virginia Beach (See "News Of Us Hitching" - preceding story).
News of Us Hitching
Price: Free! Words: 1,930. Language: English. Published: November 22, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
This tale takes place in Virginia Beach in the sixties. Tom Wales works first at as a clerk at the Viking Hotel then as a bartender trainee at the Rathskeller Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge. Three women, one a cop, dramatically remodel his life.
Bianca's Napoli Bar
Price: Free! Words: 4,620. Language: English. Published: August 4, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
This story takes place in Naples, Italy. Central is a bar ruled over by a most interesting and feisty woman named Bianca. It is a sailor destination but for Tom McCall, a signalman on the USS Ramply (DD-810), this watering hole with a jukebox full of Country Western Music is much more than boozy relief from the rigors of shipboard life. For Tom this is a port call for the ages.
The Brick King
Price: Free! Words: 1,670. Language: English. Published: July 22, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Action & suspense
An abandoned Federal Housing Project in Pawtucket, RI is the for a meeting between a grieving sketch artist / writer and a "most likely to succeed" fellow from childhood. The plot involves money as in blackmail and a woman.
With Clarence and Sonia at St. Sunday's
Price: Free! Words: 2,220. Language: English. Published: April 27, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age
This story is of the "coming of age" variety, specifically a father / son relationship and the methods a man will employ to initiate his boy to the "ways of the world and flesh" not taught in classrooms.Baseball, horse racing and most importantly pool are part of this bonding / teaching tale.
Lydia and Lofty: Drawing the Shade
Price: Free! Words: 2,810. Language: English. Published: April 1, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Drastic changes in the lives of Lydia, Lofty, and Rustin due to Lofty’s auto and writing passions, a new hire at Hughie’s Diner and visitors from Rhode Island.
Lofty: A Recollection
Price: Free! Words: 630. Language: English. Published: March 13, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Lofty reminisces on the beginnings of his relationship with Lydia Cory that took place in a restaurant in Florida called the Fillet and Claw where Lydia waited table and Lofty washed dishes. Freddie the waiter figures prominently. Lydia's shenanigans and her popularity with diners figure also.
Lydia Lofty Hughie & Rustin
Price: Free! Words: 3,120. Language: English. Published: February 15, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Humor & comedy » General
Lydia leave Florida for Barker's Leap, Massachusetts. Lofty soon follows. They work at Hughie's Diner and meet many interesting characters, Buff and Restin the standouts.Same Lydia and Lofty sketched in "Lydia: An Introduction" and "Lofty: An Introduction." This story stands on its own eight pages but why not take time to read the aforementioned titles?
Lofty: An Introduction
Price: Free! Words: 3,310. Language: English. Published: January 19, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Get a better idea the of the Lofty sketched in "Lydia: An Introduction." Lofty's story stands on its own seven pages but why not take time to read the aforementioned title.
Lydia: An Introduction
Price: Free! Words: 1,440. Language: English. Published: January 5, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Lydia is a troubled and spunky waitress who falls for a dishwasher named Lofty who is obsessed with all the saints in heaven. Their relationship weathers many storms. Four stories featuring this quirky couple will be posted on Smashwords in days to come.
Mr. Silhouette-Head
Price: Free! Words: 3,060. Language: English. Published: August 13, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary, Fiction » Inspirational
Can down-and-out Ronnie Layne but on the way up find redemption at the Life-You-Save Blood Bank or the Regulation Bar next door? Will the woman he meets help or hinder his recovery. Read more. Cheer Ronnie onward! Enjoy a cast of accompanying characters that will have you laughing as well as scratching your head.
The Overcoat Trio
Price: Free! Words: 2,190. Language: English. Published: June 30, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal
This story's action is propelled by a displaced circus barker's love of expensive clothing. His obsession impacts not only his existence but the lives of his business partners, also refugees from the big top, one an acrobat the other a roustabout.
The Great Postal Escape
Price: Free! Words: 3,880. Language: English. Published: May 8, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal
Former dishwasher Jeff Gardener is confined to the one-star rated Crestwood House nursing home after suffering a paralyzing stroke. A nurse's aide named Diane is the one bright spot in his existence. Events in her life, combined with a pastime of his, impact his being and fate in eerie and fantastical ways hard to imagine.
Fuel Carrier
Price: Free! Words: 2,720. Language: English. Published: October 9, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
(3.00 from 1 review)
An elderly man on the lam relives a thoroughbred racetrack day in New Hampshire. A mysterious auto trip follows. His curious return is a puzzle for all.
As Bob Dylan Said
Price: Free! Words: 3,690. Language: English. Published: September 21, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Urban
(4.00 from 1 review)
This short story deals with metal, legal and illegal, light and heavy, as well as two men who collect it. Shuffles gathers the former, Jake deals the latter. A Bob Dylan lyric shows up at the forging of the partnership and accompanies the trip. Mysterious mother and daughter beggars complete the cast. Sit back, pop an Iron City brew.
The Catania Paper Bag Caper
Price: Free! Words: 2,670. Language: English. Published: August 15, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
(5.00 from 2 reviews)
Bill Dean, a sailor on the USS Ramply DD-810 strikes up a friendship with an oddball shipmate working in the scullery. Through the streets of Catania, Sicily, mysteries unravel and tangle for both men. This is not your typical drunken liberty port gob tale but there are of course, women, beautiful and unique and always Mt. Etna, observing.
Skydiving
Price: Free! Words: 1,340. Language: English. Published: February 11, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Action & suspense
The Boss sends a worker on a mission and it's not to the corner store for a pack of cigarettes. (This story was once part of my Smashwords story, "Knucklehead the Cat."
Gazing at the Fifty Stars
Price: Free! Words: 2,020. Language: English. Published: January 25, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Adventure
A most unusual event in a West Virginia tavern as well as country songs, patriotism and young love.
Buzzed
Price: Free! Words: 1,810. Language: English. Published: January 8, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age
A teenage boy aspiring to become a jockey meets a couple of Housing Project kids that propel him into mysterious straits.
Knucklehead the Cat
Price: Free! Words: 3,330. Language: English. Published: December 31, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age
Tom Sellers, a sailor off the USS Mullinnix has been exchanging letters with Francy, a young woman he met through a USO pen pal program. They agree to get together when his ship visits Newport, RI. Her cousin picks up Tom up at the bus station in Providence delivers to him to her house in Lincoln. Her crafty younger brother entertains and an unexpected adventure follows.
Miss Lena Raven and Other Poems
Price: Free! Words: 6,630. Language: English. Published: November 16, 2016 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry » General
Fifty poems steeped the human predicament, displaying in diverse ways, its demons, saviors and whimsies. Stop by for a coffee at Andy's Diner or Laura's Luncheonette. A drink at the Canopy Club, taste Olympia's fromage. Fill your lungs with smoke in Sarajevo. Visit the Sleeping Giant and Castle Craig. Fall in love with Lena. The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety. --W. Somerset Maugham
Dogwood
Price: Free! Words: 4,950. Language: English. Published: April 19, 2016 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry » General
(5.00 from 1 review)
Forty poems of youth, loss, remembering and observations perhaps in some ways true to this quote. The only business of the head in the world is to bow a ceaseless obeisance to the heart. -- William Butler Yeats
The Zippo
Price: Free! Words: 4,370. Language: English. Published: March 16, 2016 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry » General
Twenty-Seven hard-hitting poems. Some "Morally objectionable in part" for all.
Ducks with Baguette
Price: Free! Words: 1,090. Language: English. Published: March 5, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Crime thriller
A yarn about an aspiring writer and actor up to no damned good!
Monograms, Cookies & Cigars
Price: Free! Words: 4,120. Language: English. Published: February 25, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age
A chance encounter in a man-made pond drain between an injured teen and the girl of his dreams.
Mr. Sand Wedge
Price: Free! Words: 2,350. Language: English. Published: June 23, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Urban
A short story concerning two housing project kids, an outsider, fighting and the game of golf.
Detailing, an Alzheimer's Tale
Price: Free! Words: 3,220. Language: English. Published: February 19, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
"Detailing" concerns a man going to visit his mother in a nursing home for the first time. He uses many measures to divert his mind from the situation and the guilt that hounds him. He revisits the past throughout his time with his uncommunicative mother.
The Jockey & the Photog or the Creepy Little Trick
Price: Free! Words: 4,160. Language: English. Published: February 5, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General
A short story revolving around a photographer's obsession with a thoroughbred jockey and a horse he rides named Prism. Bianca treats Jerry to adventures beyond his wildest imaginings. Join them for coffee at the Spoon Click Breakfast & Lunch and a cocktail at the Shanty Bright Lounge.
River Tints and Other Workplace Poems
Price: Free! Words: 14,630. Language: English. Published: December 10, 2014 . Categories: Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
Eighty-Five poems about work: bookstore, supermarket, restaurant, house painting, landscaping, warehouse and factory labor as well as asphalting, school bus and truck piloting. Observations on the toil of others are also included, boxers and circus performers, for example.
The Painter & the Professor
Price: Free! Words: 1,510. Language: English. Published: November 12, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
The woman holding a house painter's check for work he completed uncaps childhood memories and surprises him with an odd notion or so.
Miss Inspiration and Other Sailor Poems
Price: Free! Words: 12,260. Language: English. Published: November 10, 2014 . Categories: Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
(4.50 from 2 reviews)
Memories of Naval duty aboard the USS Miller, DE/FF-1091 out of Norfolk, Virginia and service ashore at the Fleet Anti-Air Warfare Training Center, Dam Neck Virginia Beach, VA.
Ace This I Q Test
Price: Free! Words: 1,970. Language: English. Published: September 27, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Adventure
Chet has trouble with mom & her boyfriend as well as with kids in the Housing Project where he lives. Things aren't any easier at school. He's devised two plans of escape but just one will work.
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