About the Book
*Award Winning Finalist - San Diego Book Awards**Award Winning Finalist - International Book Awards*"Bravo! More!" from Ray Bradbury for Matthew J. Pallamary's short stories. A Short Walk to the Other Side is a second short story collection of supernatural, metaphysical, science fiction, and horror stories following "The Small Dark Room of the Soul" by multiple award winning author Matthew J. Pallamary, which examines the shadow side of human nature. *Award Winning Finalist - International Book Awards!*Who are we really?What or where are the boundaries between what we believe to be real and what we imagine? Ancient tribal cultures gave equal credence to dreams, visions, and their waking worlds, treating them all as different degrees of one and the same all-encompassing reality. Do we in fact know ourselves or our true nature? How many times have we reacted impulsively, only to regret our actions later, often with the apology, "I'm sorry, I'm not myself today," or "I don't know what got into me." In these moments of intense feeling, if we are not ourselves, then who or what are we? Where do we really live? The fact that the question arises makes the "other" implicit within ourselves. What is this "other"? Duality? Plurality? Divided self? Are we possessed by something other than ourselves or are we in denial of our other selves because we find their behavior unacceptable? Do we possess them or do they possess us? This quandary became the theme of an old time radio show that started with: "Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." How well do we know our shadows as individuals and collectively? Better still, how well do our shadows know us? Regardless of who is "running the show" at any point in space and time, every choice we make can change our life forever, along with the lives and destinies of others. A momentary lapse of attention while driving can cripple, maim, or bring swift and sudden death. One moment of careless passion can leave you responsible for another life or bring the imminent end of your own from any number of ghastly diseases. A brief moment of passionate anger can land you in prison for the rest of your time on this earthly plane. What doors do we pass through when we choose and what are the consequences of our actions? Better still, where do they leave us? Coincidences, synergistic moments, timing, attitude, emotion, and attention can all change in the span of a single breath. What really goes on in the human heart and mind? We cringe when we hear of, or witness heinous behavior and inhuman cruelty, yet human beings murder each other with endless and ingenious weapons of death, often in the name of a higher power. Such disregard for life is difficult to comprehend, yet humans kill each other more than any other species. We are all human, so all of us are capable of making that one life altering choice that brings us someplace alien and unexpected. Most people stay deeply entrenched in the cultural mainstream. Feeling safe and sane in their routines, they avoid those living on the fringes, believing that they could never sink so low and never think or act in such odd and terrifying ways, but we are all human, living within the same realm of possibilities. We all have our shadow selves. How much does it take to send us over the edge? The truth is that it is a lot shorter walk to the other side than we like to think.
About the Author: Matthew J. Pallamary's historical novel of first contact between shamans and Jesuits in 18th century South America, titled, Land Without Evil, received rave reviews along with a San Diego Book Award for mainstream fiction and was adapted into a full-length stage and sky show, co-written by Agent Red with Matt Pallamary, directed by Agent Red. The making of the show was the subject of a PBS series, Arts in Context episode, which garnered an EMMY nomination. Land Without Evil is in development as a feature film. The Infinity Zone: A Transcendent Approach to Peak Performance is a nonfiction collaboration with professional tennis coach Paul Mayberry that explores the phenomenon that occurs at the nexus of perfect form and motion. It took 1st place in the International Book Awards, Nonfiction, New Age category, and was a finalist in the San Diego Book Awards. Matt's work has appeared in Oui, New Dimensions, The Iconoclast, Starbright, Infinity, Passport, The Short Story Digest, Redcat, The San Diego Writer's Monthly, Connotations, Phantasm, Essentially You, The Haven Journal, and many others. His fiction has also been featured in The San Diego Union Tribune. His first book The Small Dark Room Of The Soul was noted in The Year's Best Horror and Fantasy. Dreamland, a novel about computer generated dreaming, written with Ken Reeth was also published as an e-book by Mystic-Ink and won the 2002 Independent e-Book Award in the Horror/Thriller category. He has taught fiction workshops at the Southern California Writers' Conference in San Diego, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles, and at the Santa Barbara Writers' Conference for twenty five years. His memoir Spirit Matters, which details his journeys to Peru, working with shamanic plant medicines took first place in the San Diego Book Awards Spiritual Book Category, and was an Award-Winning Finalist in the autobiography/memoir category of the National Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News. Spirit Matters is also available as an audio book. Matt frequently visits the jungles, mountains, and deserts of North, Central, and South America pursuing his studies of shamanism and ancient cultures.
