It's been over 15 years since Schulte's last collection of stories, Ju-Ju Belle & Other Stories. Since then, a lot has changed for the author. Namely, marriage, baby, new jobs, and a move to suburbs. That said, he is still writing the same offbeat, edgy stories that will make you smile and wonder and maybe scratch your head. His new collection, You Are My Fireworks: Stories and Poems, won't disappoint in either volume or quality. The titular story, You Are My Fireworks, concerns a lonely grocery clerk confronted by a kindly, if eccentric, apparition. His Fourth of July is nothing like expected. Then there's 'The Growlers.' In this story a recently laid off man turns to drinking before getting set straight by his wife. Although now sober, he begins acting in an animalistic way, even to the point of howling at the moon. Could he be turning into a suburban...werewolf? The longest story of the collection is called 'Tuborg, the Littlest Guard Dog.' Tuborg is the runt of a large litter of puppies. When adoption time comes, nobody wants Tuborg because he's too scrawny to even notice. Finally, the last customer of the day decides against his better judgement to adopt Tuborg. He decides to make Tuborg the guard dog of his very large back yard. Tuborg is determined to be the best guard dog he can be, but he has no idea what awaits him in that zany back yard. A cattle drive, a circus, a marching band? Oh, yes. They're all ready to pass through the gate. Can Tuborg stop them - or maybe even join them? Perhaps a little of both in this funny, touching story. You Are My Fireworks is a collection of stories that will make you smile and maybe touch your heart. I hope you will give them a try.
